So, it's been about 2000 miles and I've had enough time to get to know the car a bit better. Quick recap of the highs and lows of the car:
Highs:
-Powertrain/torque curve. It's still not the most powerful car on earth, but the low-end grunt is very nice for daily driving. It's one of the few cars that I keep T/C on while I'm driving on purpose, as T/C seems to actually help get the car going quickly from a stop.
-Drivetrain. I'm still digging the clutch/gearbox & think it's a fun-to-shift car.
-Fuel economy. I drive the car like a normal human being, with the occasional spirited burst. As of right now, my MPG calculator is at 28.9mpg & I drive about 45/55% city/hwy. The MPG screen is generally pretty accurate based on at the pump calculations.
-Good balance of handling & comfort. Shortly after I bought the car, I found out tire pressure was set WAY too high (~48psi all around vs recommended 36psi). I lowered it to about where it's supposed to be, and it made a decent difference in ride comfort. For a car with a sporty nature, it's actually pretty compliant.
-The super-quick steering. Very nice when you're on a mountain road & driving it how it's supposed to be driven!
-Ford Racing support. I'm not planning on modding this car, other than winter wheels/tire and maybe some tint & a pedal spacer kit. But, if I was, it's nice that Ford Racing offers aftermarket parts that allow a person to keep a 3yr/36k mile warranty that includes a much more aggressive tune, colder spark plugs, an intake/exhaust, stiffer springs, short throw shifter, ect. Again, I don't plan on getting the tune, but for those that want it, a 90ft-lbs increase in torque for a whopping $500 isn't bad at all.
-Bang for buck. For the price I paid, there's still nothing out there that will touch this car.
Lows:
-Tiny gas tank. 12.4 gallons isn't exactly road trip friendly.
-Piss poor turning radius. I think the turning radius is rated around 39.4 feet. Painful.
-Touchy brakes. The brakes feel strong, but unfortunately, they're a bit too grabby IMO. I've accidentally gotten them into "full lockup" mode several times.
-Horrible pedal spacing. In the Miata, I can heel-toe without a second thought & frequently do. In the FoST, the gas pedal is too far to the right and too close to the ground. Under 10/10ths track-oriented braking, it would probably be alright, but for occasional spirited driving, it sucks. This will be remedied with a throttle pedal spacer kit in short order.
-Poor quality control. My car came with 2 different colored headlights... Granted, the dealer fixed it, but it really shouldn't have come like that haha. The car was also not properly PMI'd, as the tire pressure was damn near maxed out. Not a big deal, but very telling IMO.
-Lower quality dealerships than I'm used to. Maybe it's just the dealer I bought mine through, but the buying process was horrible, as was my only service transaction with them (replacing headlight). It felt very "old school car dealer" [shady] all around and was a real hassle. I won't be going back to that dealer again (Freeway Ford), but it doesn't bode well for what the next few years might be like. Then again, maybe I'm just spoiled from the German & Japanese cars I've owned over the past ~15 years. I guess only time will tell.
The "Other" category:
-Torque steer. Yes, it's there. But IMO, it really isn't a big deal. I keep the T/C on and the torque steer really doesn't bother me for daily driving. I'm actually pretty shocked by how little I notice it.
-Variable steering rack ratio. It takes a while to get used to IMO, but again, it really doesn't bother me. I suppose some could view it as "darty" on the freeway, but I think the electric rack does a good job of weighting the steering so it's not an issue. I'm actually pretty comfortable in this thing on the freeway.
-Summer only tires. To some, this might be a deal breaker. To me? Not a big deal. It gave me a good excuse to pickup a set of smaller wheels & Blizzak snow tires.
I prefer a summer/winter combo over all-seasons anyway.
That's about all I have for now... I'll report back in a few months with how this thing handles snow while wearing snow tires!
Cheers,
-Brandon