My Mean Green Ford Fiesta MK8.5 ST

[h.cunningham]

This is my Ford Fiesta ST-3. I’ve had it for just over three months now, coming up to four, as it was an early 21st birthday present to myself (I turned 21 last month) . This is my first proper performance/weekend car, and I thought I’d share my thoughts after living with it for a decent amount of time. I know there’s already plenty out there on the Mk8/8.5, but I wanted to add my own experience.







Before Buying the Car

Before buying this, I was originally looking at a Ford Fiesta ST200. That sale fell through after I discovered it had a dodgy past that wasn’t disclosed in the advert, so after looking into it a bit more I decided to walk away. After that, I looked at a Peugeot 208 by Peugeot Sport, but the owner never replied. I then considered a low-mileage standard 2017 208 GTi prestige, but got cold feet. I also briefly looked at a Mk7.5 Fiesta ST in Molten Orange with a Revo Stage 1 map.

Not long after, I knew my neighbours were selling their Mk8 Fiesta ST-3 with the Performance Pack, which was the key option I wanted on a Mk8. They were umming and ahhring about when to sell it, but when it finally came up it looked ideal. Although it wasn’t the absolute highest-spec ST-3, it had full Ford service history from day one and was originally purchased from our local Ford dealer, which is only five minutes away. We couldn’t agree on a price at the time, so it went on Auto Trader for a couple of weeks, then got sold to WeBuyAnyCar. A few weeks later, I spotted it back on Auto Trader listed by Cinch (who WeBuyAnyCar own) that started the hunt for the right MK8/8.5.

My dad then found the car I ended up buying. I always wanted a Boundless Blue one (they’re very rare), and annoyingly one came up in the right spec the same day I bought mine, but I’m still really happy with what I ended up with. It’s a bit different, and having a green car alongside my daily (a blue Suzuki Swift) breaks the colours up nicely, two blue cars might have been a bit much.

I agreed the sale the following week, collected it soon after, and three months later here we are. I’ve enjoyed it ever since

Good Points

It’s genuinely great fun to drive and feels perfectly suited to the Cumbrian roads . The LSD is brilliant and you can really feel it pulling you through corners, especially when you’re pressing on. It pulls very strongly in 3rd and 4th gear, which is ideal for overtaking, particularly handy given the limited opportunities around where I live. The paint looks great and changes a lot depending on the light, sometimes even having hints of Focus RS Ultimate Green, which I really like. The pops and bangs in Sport/Race mode add to the experience and make it feel that bit more special and addictive, while still sounding good when you’re just driving it normally. MPG is decent enough on a long run, but as it’s my second car it’s not really a concern for me anyway. The Performance seats are also surprisingly comfortable.

Also, I found it interesting how the exhaust flap works in different modes.

Here is the sequence of the MK8.5 when the valves open and it pops and bangs (burbles) not from me from the MK8.5 Fiesta ST Owners group on facebook .

The first image shows the factory exhaust flap control tables. Table 9 is used for Sport mode, while Table 4 is used for 4th gear in Normal mode. You can clearly see the differences in how the valve is controlled, and it also shows that even in Sport mode the exhaust valve is not permanently open, contrary to what many people assume.

The second image displays all of the factory burble control tables, including the trigger and arm points, duration, and the lambda targets specifically used for burble events.

Despite common claims that Sport and Track modes sound different from an engine control standpoint, there are actually no engine-side differences between them. Both modes use the same table sets; the only change is the artificial engine sound, which is handled by a separate control module.





Post below
https://www.facebook.com/groups/755920475695742/se...

I thought I would add this in as it is quite interesting. I can take it out if I am not allowed to show it.

Bad Points

The only real downside so far is the digital dash. It sometimes freezes on startup and can be a bit laggy. That said, it’s going into my local Ford dealer for a health check in the next couple of weeks, so I’ll get it looked into then.

I may have missed a few points off but overall I am very happy with it and I would happily buy one again.

If you have any questions, I am happy to answer them below .

[macron]

Nice car, intrigued with how it works with a Swift as a daily?

[h.cunningham]

macron said:

Nice car, intrigued with how it works with a Swift as a daily?

Thank You Macron

The Swift is a 2015 model (AZG) and that was passed down from my parents and I wrote a thread about it here:

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

It was my first post so it may not be the smoothest, and the images were not working at the time so here is a picture of the daily.



So back to the question , sorry for the waffle

The Swift works well as a daily and is fun on the right road, much like the Fiesta, though it has noticeably less power. The best way I can describe it is that the Fiesta feels like an all-in-one car it s faster, more engaging to drive, newer, and better in almost every respect. It s also garage-kept, unlike the Swift. The one area where the Swift clearly has the edge is comfort.

The only thing I wish is that the Fiesta was slightly louder, but that s just down to the OPFs.

Edited by h.cunningham on Thursday 1st January 21:30

[h.cunningham]

h.cunningham said:

This is my Ford Fiesta ST-3. I ve had it for just over three months now, coming up to four, as it was an early 21st birthday present to myself (I turned 21 last month) . This is my first proper performance/weekend car, and I thought I d share my thoughts after living with it for a decent amount of time. I know there s already plenty out there on the Mk8/8.5, but I wanted to add my own experience.







Before Buying the Car

Before buying this, I was originally looking at a Ford Fiesta ST200. That sale fell through after I discovered it had a dodgy past that wasn t disclosed in the advert, so after looking into it a bit more I decided to walk away. After that, I looked at a Peugeot 208 by Peugeot Sport, but the owner never replied. I then considered a low-mileage standard 2017 208 GTi prestige, but got cold feet. I also briefly looked at a Mk7.5 Fiesta ST in Molten Orange with a Revo Stage 1 map.

Not long after, I knew my neighbours were selling their Mk8 Fiesta ST-3 with the Performance Pack, which was the key option I wanted on a Mk8. They were umming and ahhring about when to sell it, but when it finally came up it looked ideal. Although it wasn t the absolute highest-spec ST-3, it had full Ford service history from day one and was originally purchased from our local Ford dealer, which is only five minutes away. We couldn t agree on a price at the time, so it went on Auto Trader for a couple of weeks, then got sold to WeBuyAnyCar. A few weeks later, I spotted it back on Auto Trader listed by Cinch (who WeBuyAnyCar own) that started the hunt for the right MK8/8.5.

My dad then found the car I ended up buying. I always wanted a Boundless Blue one (they re very rare), and annoyingly one came up in the right spec the same day I bought mine, but I m still really happy with what I ended up with. It s a bit different, and having a green car alongside my daily (a blue Suzuki Swift) breaks the colours up nicely, two blue cars might have been a bit much.

I agreed the sale the following week, collected it soon after, and three months later here we are. I ve enjoyed it ever since

Good Points

It s genuinely great fun to drive and feels perfectly suited to the Cumbrian roads . The LSD is brilliant and you can really feel it pulling you through corners, especially when you re pressing on. It pulls very strongly in 3rd and 4th gear, which is ideal for overtaking, particularly handy given the limited opportunities around where I live. The paint looks great and changes a lot depending on the light, sometimes even having hints of Focus RS Ultimate Green, which I really like. The pops and bangs in Sport/Race mode add to the experience and make it feel that bit more special and addictive, while still sounding good when you re just driving it normally. MPG is decent enough on a long run, but as it s my second car it s not really a concern for me anyway. The Performance seats are also surprisingly comfortable.

Also, I found it interesting how the exhaust flap works in different modes.

Here is the sequence of the MK8.5 when the valves open and it pops and bangs (burbles) not from me from the MK8.5 Fiesta ST Owners group on facebook .

The first image shows the factory exhaust flap control tables. Table 9 is used for Sport mode, while Table 4 is used for 4th gear in Normal mode. You can clearly see the differences in how the valve is controlled, and it also shows that even in Sport mode the exhaust valve is not permanently open, contrary to what many people assume.

The second image displays all of the factory burble control tables, including the trigger and arm points, duration, and the lambda targets specifically used for burble events.

Despite common claims that Sport and Track modes sound different from an engine control standpoint, there are actually no engine-side differences between them. Both modes use the same table sets; the only change is the artificial engine sound, which is handled by a separate control module.





Post below
https://www.facebook.com/groups/755920475695742/se...

I thought I would add this in as it is quite interesting. I can take it out if I am not allowed to show it.

Bad Points

The only real downside so far is the digital dash. It sometimes freezes on startup and can be a bit laggy. That said, it s going into my local Ford dealer for a health check in the next couple of weeks, so I ll get it looked into then.

I may have missed a few points off but overall I am very happy with it and I would happily buy one again.

If you have any questions, I am happy to answer them below .

Also I forgot to add that there is a good video/ Channel that has one on YouTube and you can see what it can do . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKRN_94peY4

[TheDoggingFather]

Fantastic colour choice.

I've had a Mk7.5 Fiesta ST for over 10 years now, and it's a lot of fun, it's a real shame they didn't fit an LSD (and some headlights that actually light things) as it would be nigh on perfect.

[mooseracer]

Ha, yes the lights in the mk7 were pretty poor.

Matrix LEDs in the 8.5

[Its Just Adz]

Really nice car and great, well written post.

I previously had a 22 Fiesta ST Line, which although is nowhere near a proper ST, it drove so well! I can imagine the ST is just so much fun.

The green paint is great, they really did some excellent colours on these.

[Trevor555]

Great car, in a great colour.

Enjoy.

[alock]

I bought one last year as well and I'm approaching the other end of my life. Youngest child is now 18 with his own car so I rarely carry people in the back, so I took the opportunity to downsize from a C segment car.

For me it's my daily car, with the motorbike being the toy for weekends. It feels like an end-of-an-era car for me. Smallish, petrol, manual, light-weight, has real physical buttons to control everything, and yet it has all the tech I want. LSD, matrix lights, Android auto, heated seats, steering wheel & windscreen. I have space for occasional rear-seat passengers, as well as a boot that can easily take two mountain bikes.

It's great fun when I want it to be, and perfectly comfortable doing a 300 mile weekend with my girlfriend and the bikes. On a long motorway run in eco mode I've even averaged 52mpg!

[h.cunningham]

TheDoggingFather said:

Fantastic colour choice.

I've had a Mk7.5 Fiesta ST for over 10 years now, and it's a lot of fun, it's a real shame they didn't fit an LSD (and some headlights that actually light things) as it would be nigh on perfect.

Thank You

I was actually considering picking up a cheap but good fun car to go beside it, ideally a good MK7 Fiesta ST, not the 7.5, because you’d be very lucky to find a good 7.5 that’s on the cheaper end of the market. The idea was to park it next to my current car since we’ve got a double garage, but my parents said no because apparently moving my “toys” in and out is too much hassle if I had 2 cars.

On top of that, I’m saving for something a bit special in a couple of years, so right now it just wouldn’t be viable. I don’t think there’s much in this segment that comes close to a Fiesta ST for handling and fun. You can get LSD kits for the MK7, which would only improve it further, but they’re not cheap (unless I’m mistaken) and light kits with better bulbs on the lights like LED lights in the stock ones. A Renaultsport Clio was also on the list, but even that doesn’t really beat a Fiesta ST for the money.

The i20 N would be the closest rival, but values are still strong and it’s probably out of budget , I didn’t want to go silly and spend over £20k on my first performance car anyway. So realistically, the Fiesta ST still makes the most sense if you just want maximum fun for the price.

[h.cunningham]

alock said:

I bought one last year as well and I'm approaching the other end of my life. Youngest child is now 18 with his own car so I rarely carry people in the back, so I took the opportunity to downsize from a C segment car.

For me it's my daily car, with the motorbike being the toy for weekends. It feels like an end-of-an-era car for me. Smallish, petrol, manual, light-weight, has real physical buttons to control everything, and yet it has all the tech I want. LSD, matrix lights, Android auto, heated seats, steering wheel & windscreen. I have space for occasional rear-seat passengers, as well as a boot that can easily take two mountain bikes.

It's great fun when I want it to be, and perfectly comfortable doing a 300 mile weekend with my girlfriend and the bikes. On a long motorway run in eco mode I've even averaged 52mpg!

Nice pair of toys you have got there I can remember seeing it on the 2 car garage thread before or after I just got mine.

Mine doesn’t have the Winter Pack (no heated seats or heated steering wheel like yours), but I still find it really comfortable on the motorway, better than some standard non-sporty cars I’ve been in. I think that’s partly down to the wider track compared to a normal Fiesta, which makes it feel more planted and stable at motorway speeds.

Quick question as well,do you run standard 95 RON, or V-Power (or equivalent)? Mine definitely feels like it pulls stronger on V-Power than on 95, although that could just be me playing mind games. It also seems to burble more on V-Power.

The MPG is great as you said, but I don't really spend much time in the eco and normal, it's only for warming up the car that takes 10 mins or so to warm it up to temp before having fun

It also feels a bit like the end of an era, as you were saying. I don’t think we’ll really see hot hatches like this again, especially in this segment. It feels quite different to what most people my age seem to be buying now S3s, Golf Rs etc. on PCP at least around where I live. I know they’re a different class of car, but you get the idea. On one note the car is not on finance like a lot of people my age like to do with fast cars like this.

[h.cunningham]

mooseracer said:

Ha, yes the lights in the mk7 were pretty poor.

Matrix LEDs in the 8.5

Yes Matrix LEDs in the 8.5 Standard for ST-3, ST-2 Optional



ST-2



ST-3

Edited by h.cunningham on Friday 2nd January 15:29

[h.cunningham]

Its Just Adz said:

Really nice car and great, well written post.

I previously had a 22 Fiesta ST Line, which although is nowhere near a proper ST, it drove so well! I can imagine the ST is just so much fun.

The green paint is great, they really did some excellent colours on these.

Thank You

Yes they did some great colours for the 8.5 in normal form as well. I like Boundless Blue on the ST because it is rare and looks good (in my eyes) but I wish they brought this colour over to the ST as I think it would suit it perfectly.

Beautiful Berry on a ST-Line Vignale

[Its Just Adz]

h.cunningham said:

Thank You

Yes they did some great colours for the 8.5 in normal form as well. I like Boundless Blue on the ST because it is rare and looks good (in my eyes) but I wish they brought this colour over to the ST as I think it would suit it perfectly.

Beautiful Berry on a ST-Line Vignale

Wow that really is a nice colour. I've never seen that before, must be a rare option?
Mine was boring black. But it was a cheap lease, so did the job.

[alock]

h.cunningham said:

Quick question as well,do you run standard 95 RON, or V-Power (or equivalent)? Mine definitely feels like it pulls stronger on V-Power than on 95, although that could just be me playing mind games. It also seems to burble more on V-Power.

I typically use my local Tesco superstore because I never have to queue and they have pay-at-pump. I've been using Momentum 99 for a while but I have no idea on whether there's any increased power or economy. Any "sense" I might have would more likely be confirmation bias.

Shell V-Power is a huge jump in price around here so I've never bothered.

[h.cunningham]

Its Just Adz said:

h.cunningham said:

Thank You

Yes they did some great colours for the 8.5 in normal form as well. I like Boundless Blue on the ST because it is rare and looks good (in my eyes) but I wish they brought this colour over to the ST as I think it would suit it perfectly.

Beautiful Berry on a ST-Line Vignale

Wow that really is a nice colour. I've never seen that before, must be a rare option?
Mine was boring black. But it was a cheap lease, so did the job.

I have only seen 1 for sale on Autotrader and a Titanium around my area and that is it.

Here is the Ford Brouture in 2022 when I think it was available for 6 months or less so rare.

https://autocatalogarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/...

There is a Active Vignale for sale now in the same colour

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202511067...

Edited by h.cunningham on Friday 2nd January 16:04

[h.cunningham]

alock said:

h.cunningham said:

Quick question as well,do you run standard 95 RON, or V-Power (or equivalent)? Mine definitely feels like it pulls stronger on V-Power than on 95, although that could just be me playing mind games. It also seems to burble more on V-Power.

I typically use my local Tesco superstore because I never have to queue and they have pay-at-pump. I've been using Momentum 99 for a while but I have no idea on whether there's any increased power or economy. Any "sense" I might have would more likely be confirmation bias.

Shell V-Power is a huge jump in price around here so I've never bothered.

Thanks, Shell is the closest petrol garage to me and is about 30p more,the nearest to get cheap fuel is 45mins away 95 from Asda (which is pay at the pump) or whichever supermarket chain in that area has the cheapest, so I though its a second car, so fill it with V power as it doesn't get used a lot and is more water-based (ethanol), so better for storage when it is in the garage.

[Gulf7]

I have one just like yours, although white. Does yours have the Winter Pack too?

If the digital dash freezes then there's both the soft and hard reset you can try. I've never had the digital dash freeze, but the touch screen in the centre stopped working once which a soft reset fixed. Otherwise your Ford Dealer should be able to install (or reinstall) the latest update to sort it out.

[h.cunningham]

Gulf7 said:

I have one just like yours, although white. Does yours have the Winter Pack too?

If the digital dash freezes then there's both the soft and hard reset you can try. I've never had the digital dash freeze, but the touch screen in the centre stopped working once which a soft reset fixed. Otherwise your Ford Dealer should be able to install (or reinstall) the latest update to sort it out.

Mine doesn t have the Winter Pack as it isn t my daily. The centre screen has only stopped working once so far, I turned the car off and back on and it s been fine ever since. I spoke to Ford about the digital dash on Tuesday and they said to book it in for a health check to see what s going on. I mentioned the dash freezing and they said the Ford techs will have a look, and if it does need a new dash it ll be covered under warranty. they said nothing about install (or reinstall) the latest update to sort it out .


You expect it to be right 6 weeks before the fiesta ended production

Edited by h.cunningham on Friday 2nd January 20:47

[mooseracer]

I got mine mapped recently so run it on vpower or momentum now. Just 95 when it was standard.

Re. Your dash - I was going to say check for software updates, but if Ford are having a look I'm sure they'll do that anyway.