Zetec 1.6 petrol to ST

[zestyfesty]

Hi All

Anyone driven both WS/WT Zebec petrol in manual and ST?

Impending replacement due- my wife and I are big fans of our current car;it runs on 17s, it's well screwed together, completely reliable, lovely steering, lovely gearbox, ripper ride/handling balance, good honest engine happy to rev, but I always thought the chassis was wanting another 50hp to come alive.

I gather the ST goes like a smacked rat, but already I consider the Zetec to be firmly sprung. Will the ST be too firm for a daily driver on our poor quality roads

Any experience out there?

[mickjf]

I went from a 2013 WZ Trend to a 2016 ST as a daily driver and love it. Depending upon where you live, the ride firmness could be annoying. Particularly if you have lots of those strips like you get on Parramatta Rd.

Otherwise on mostly smooth roads with the odd bump it's liveable. And well worth it for the experience of owning one of the most well sorted cars that is so much more than the sums of its parts.

[xurbanx]

My brother has an automatic WS Zetec and it's more "comfier" than my ST.
The ST is always going to be a firm ride regardless of the roads, but once you start driving it around, nothing else will matter

[Ratmick]

My partner has a WT Fiesta LX TDCi, I had a LV MkII Focus, also TDCi.

I went from the Focus to a 2016 Fiesta ST.

The ST is similar but not that similar to the WT, doesn't wallow but actually corners like it's on rails. You feel every ripple/divot/pothole and surface change in the asphalt.

It's certainly a like being rattled around in a tin can on a bad road, and my partner doesn't like it BUT it's not her car, it's mine and I like it...

The 2dr thing is a bit of a PITA, but at my stage of life with the kids all being in their 20s and independent now not really an issue...

...although I can't put my granddaughters car seat very easily in the back

[LeadFoot81]

I went from a 2011 WS Zetec manual to a 2013 WZ ST.

IMO the suspension jiggles you around (in a cheeky, fun way) rather than crashing/bashing/rattling you. You feel what you'd like/need to feel rather than a wave of unpleasant intrusion.

The firmness also works positively in that undulations/ripples are dealt with quickly rather than the car bouncing/wallowing...'jiggle' and you're on your way.

If you jump out of your WS/WT with a few kms on the clock into a brand new 0 kms ST you might be initially worried, but once it's worn in (I think) you wouldn't have it any other way.