Normally these peices refer to something that happened a little while ago, just due to the magic of how publishing works. However this one coming to you less than a day after the story it regales.
GRR Garage: Ford Fiesta ST – Long tripping
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This week saw the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) put on their annual Drive Day at Millbrook, so of course my colleague Seán Ward and I had to pop along to join in the fun. We travelled the couple of hours from Goodwood to Millbrook in Bedfordshire in our Fiesta ST, with the interesting prospect of finding out how a pretty firm, and firm-seated, hot hatch took to long motorway driving.
Now, obviously it wasn't the creamiest of wafts up the country, but considering the ST has been damped for more spirited driving it was actually quite a steady trip. We encountered a reasonable amount of the M25 being the M25, but other than a slightly tiring left leg (clutch in, clutch out, clutch in, clutch out) it was a far more refined trip than we expected.
The little Fiesta (in ST-2 spec) comes with crusie control, which is always a major factor in easing the enjoyment of a long motorway journey, and with the roads reasonably clear on the way up, and some music playing through the Ford SYNC system we arrived from suprisingly refreshed given our 6am start (or Seán's 5am set off).
The Recaros are clearly not made for this kind of trip ideally, but acutally provide more comfort than you expect. The figure-hugging nature of these seats means you actually feel a little cosseted as you ride along, the firm nature of the platform offset by that almost snuggly feeling of the side bolsters.
We have had other longer trips, and I'm sure Seán will be able to fill us all in on those, but a schlep to Millbrook was an easy proposition in the ST, and one that we'd be happy to do again. And, we even bumped over 40mpg...
MPG this week: 44.1.
