Thursday 31 August 2017
In the long term tester update Fiesta ST on Free Love Freeway
"Whoa, hold a car carrier. actively trying to get me out of the way ".
Yesterday I was talking to my older brother via Bluetooth while driving home to Louisville where, for the third time approximately four miles of highway driving , a truck driver was moving on me in a way that made it clear he did not see me. no passive aggressively truckers normally do, when they put on a blink er and begin to move slowly in the expectation that youll just have to go out of their way, no, it was a straight-up swing out in what he perceived as an empty track. I got my mirrors and rapidly accelerated in the adjacent lane.
"You in Poing?" my brother asked.
"Of course!" I replied.
Such is the danger of driving a car B segment on the roads of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
In the weeks since I last updated you on my leasership my 2015 Fiesta ST, I had the opportunity to put some miles the serious road on it. After the first month of living with me, when I dug up a huge 500 miles or as snow and ice pummeled the Midwest, I have since 1800 set additional miles on the clock for a total of 2,300. for those of you keeping track at home, which is 2,300 miles that do not go to my boss 302 (come on, the strengthening of capital), but equally important is that I did in 2300 miles at a combined 30 MPG as opposed to a handset 18 MPG.
Although the Fiesta ST does not necessarily require premium fuel, it is much happier drinking 93 octane 87-I noticed about 33 MPG highway MPG of 87 against 35 on 93 there is also a perceptible difference torque. In theory, the ECU can make the difference when you use regularly in relation to the premium and adjusts ignition timing accordingly. In practice, the car feels better about 93. For the cruise route, however, it does not matter.
As good as the Fiesta is on back roads, for long highway miles, it can leave something to be desired. The stiffly sprung suspension does not care potholes at all, and the long cold winter of Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana seems to have created more than I can remember in years past. There is no such thing as blind driving behind the wheel of the ST-a divot in the middle of a track can ruin your day, or in my case, your alignment. A particularly nasty bump on I-64 in Kentucky seems to have hit my line out so slightly , to the point where the steering wheel is a little to the right list. Ill have to get that looked this week.
As I mentioned at the beginning, the Fiesta ST is invisible to drivers. Not only that, it also seems to be invisible Tahoes and F-250s. I usually forced into evasive actions once a day if there is even a little traffic around.
Visibility on the rear windshield is a bit limited (especially with track decals) and mirrors style truck side take a little getting used to.
There are advantages, however. It is surprisingly quiet on the highway. Tire and wind noise are minimal, even at speeds approaching three digits. The Bluetooth works perfectly, and it is still able to take a call, no one will know you are in the car. I do not have the option of Recaro seat in my car, and Im actually quite happy about it when it comes to highway driving. Although I correspond with them very well, we do not always want to be grasped like a glove when driving 250 miles at a time. The standard seats have lumbar support, but I like it better without it.
I had exactly zero problems with MyFordTouch far. The navigation system is excellent for everyday use, easily the best Ive used in a car. Ms. Bark used to browse the output of a closed road situation last weekend, saving more than an hour. Although I did not intend to extend my trial Sirius, I must admit that it is useful for traveling longer distances, or for driving through areas where my phone can not flow easily Spotify .
Ok, so this bit doesn t have anything to do with highway driving, but I wanted to include it anyway. Theres this little button on the center console. I squeezed a few times during the day, but nothing seemed to happen.
But at night its a different story. Observer:
I know its a little dorky, but I dig
In the coming months, Ill take the ST in the first autocross (where I expect. be stoned by jorts-bEARER of angry) and the first day of the track. I look forward to sharing these experiences with you, as well.
Questions? Comments? The preoccupations? rude remarks? GO!
