Over the course of almost four decades hot Fiestas have appeared under various naming strategies, with RS Turbo and mild Zetec S cars coming and going and then the iconic XR2 and XR2i Fiestas firmly held in such high regard, it’s the more recent ST badged Fiestas that have really put Ford’s hot supermini on the map.
Special mention : On the right roads, it’s so much fun. Exhaust and engine noise permeate the cabin in the nicest way. Synch 3 system is very good system, seamless with Apple Carplay/Android Auto. The Fiesta ST is extremely direct with you, lots of feedback.
Needs work : Puma ST has a lighter clutch which would make the Fiesta ST that much easier to live with in congested cities. Takes a while to get the tight driving position right; between the body hugging Recaro’s, sufficient pot hole spotting visibility out the front and the 3 pedal bay, it pays off dividends to spend time getting your driving position spot on. Dare anyone touch it though.
Specs: As tested
| Max Power 197 bhp | Petrol / 6 Speed Manual |
| 0-100 km/h in 6.3 seconds | Road Tax €280 |
Price: €26,301 As spec’d ST-3 :€32,612 | Boot 311 / 1093 litres |
Ford has followed the industry trend and given the new model a downsized engine. Previous Fiesta ST’s had 1.6 litre four-cylinder engines, with the new ST they’ve dropped a cylinder leaving it with a three-cylinder 1.5 litre petrol engine. Fans concerned that the brilliant character of the previous generation could be carried over without affecting its character needn’t worry because the performance figures are up by 17 bhp to a total output of 197 bhp. It’s also four tenths of a second quicker to 100 km/h at 6.5 seconds.
One of the main benefits of going to three cylinders is that it’s made the car more efficient especially because this ecoboost engine has a very clever system when on a cruise it can drop from using three cylinders to two and does so quick and so subtly that you won’t even notice it happening at all. It helps boost fuel economy yet all the charm all the charisma from the chassis from the previous model still remains and it feels a little bit quicker. It’s got a bimodal exhaust and it does the cracks and the pops that you want in a sports hatch.
The engine’s so responsive there’s a bit of turbo lag but you only notice it right at the very bottom of the rev range but otherwise the way the power is delivered is beautifully smooth and linear, the steering razor sharp and the level of adjustability is fantastic. It’s exactly what you want from a hot hatch, it’s hard to think of anything else in this price range that handles better. While the incoming new Polo GTI should be more livable day to day, it won’t be near as much fun.
There have also been comprehensive updates on the interior of the Fiesta ST. The interior is a huge leap forward, in the previous model the dashboard and infotainment wasn’t as up to date as it could have been but for the new Fiesta ST it brings it right up to date. You’ll recognise the layout from the normal Fiesta and now every ST will get Ford’s latest Sync 3 infotainment system as standard. It’s all centered around a touchscreen infotainment system, on the entry level ST1 model it gets a slightly smaller 6.5″ touchscreen, the ST3 and ST2 get the bigger 8″ screen. It’s smooth, it’s responsive, it’s easy to use. It could have been slightly better integrated into the dash because it just looks like someone’s plonked an iPad on top of the dashboard and it’s directly facing the middle passenger in the rear seat.
You can instantly access features like ‘Do Not Disturb’ so while driving, one push of that means no phone calls or messages. You can also have text messages displayed on the screen with instant access to Siri over Bluetooth.
The high-res screen displays Maps effectively, it’s easy to read and you can also change the way the screen is displayed in terms of splitting the information, i.e. whether you see the map or your navigation items. Creature comforts inside include heated steering wheel, seats and heated windscreen.
You’ve got three driving modes to choose from, you have normal which is still quite stiff, Sport adds a little bit of cracking and popping to the exhaust and then you have Racetrack which limits stability control and makes this even more raucous and fun inducing. There’s also a launch control mode which helps you get off the line in a hurry. this is where things get a little bit more fun and this is where that 290 Newton meters of torque really works because it weighs barely anything it means you can really throw it around and have some fun with it.
Space wise there’s plenty of room up front with a huge amount of adjustability in the seats and in the steering wheel and another big benefit of having the Fiesta ST is the standard sports Recaro seats, they offer a lot of support and really hug you in through the corners.
In the back, the space on offer is a little bit cramped, in fairness it’s a small hatchback. It’s generally the same as other small cars, the new Skoda Fabia may have 50 litres on it but is nowhere near as characterful or fun. The boot is a reasonable if awkward 311 litres.
The door jam sounds like there’s something loose inside the door, it’s actually a really clever feature first introduced on the Ford Focus years ago but more recently by Skoda with the Kodiak. When you’d close the door there’s a little rod that pushes a protector to the edge of the door protecting the edges.
The new Fiesta ST encapsulates everything that was great about the old model with better fuel economy and a much better interior. This does bring a slight price increase but it’s not that much and justifies the improvements that you get and still compared to its closest rivals like the Clio RS and the Polo GTI it’s an absolute bargain.