Ford Fiesta ST

When I attend launches etc. and have an opportunity to speak to other motor journalists inevitably we end up talking about other cars and test drives we’ve really enjoyed. One car which has been mentioned by many hacks at said launches has been the Ford Fiesta ST and for this reason I was especially looking forward to this drive. Would the Fiesta ST live up to the hype? Well I have to say that it certainly didn’t disappoint.

Inside
This car is laid-out like your typical Ford Fiesta but it’s the little things inside that make it so special. It’s the silver pedals and the ST logo on the steering wheel. It’s the road noise coming through their Sound Symposer channels which really lets you hear the growl of this glorious engine. It’s the Recaro seats and the rev counter. I’ll some it up simply, I’m liking the interior for the most part. I’m not a fan of the general design of the Ford dash, but with everything else the interior impresses me. It’s mean – in a good way.

Exterior
From a distance this car looks like a regular Fiesta to the untrained eye, but to those of you who know the subtle changes to a body that make an ST a lot should stand out for you; notice the big trapezoidal grille which is made up with a honeycomb construction; notice to the rear the “dramatic diffuser element”. For those of you who are not too familiar with the Fiesta ST the first thing that gives it away is the “ST” badge on the front. Other than that the car is beefier, and if you still can’t tell the difference wait until the key is turned and hear it growl. As I said with the Focus ST, I love the subtleness Ford have brought to the styling of this car.

To Drive
The Ford Fiesta ST is available in Ireland as ST1 and ST2. This week I drove the ST1, which consists of a 1.6l EcoBoost engine that delivers with a powerful 182hp. What makes this car such a favourite among those who have tested it is its magnificent power, its brilliant gear changes and precise steering. Personally I’m a big fan of big cars, but I’m open minded when it comes to everything else and it’s these elements of the car that really make me a fan.

The top speed of this vehicle according to Ford is 220kmph and they say you can get 0-100kmph in 6.9 seconds. Not bad for a Fiesta! As I’ve already it offers 182hp and 240Nm of torque. This is a force to be reckoned with.

The group of people behind this car, the Ford Team RS, say that they have tuned pretty much all of the mechanics of this car for optimised driving dynamics. According to Ford Team RS they even added in items you would expect to find from the bigger performance cars including “Torque Vectoring Control (eTVC) and 3-mode Electronic Stability Control (ESC), six-speed manual transmission and rear disc brakes”. This all ads to an amazing driving experience.

Price, Road Tax, CO2, etc.
Because of the EcoBoost technology used in this car and many Ford vehicle these days road tax is actually quiet low for this car. It falls into tax band B2 burning 138 g/km of CO2. With this low burn of CO2 in mind and considering what a powerful this is on paper it is surprisingly fuel efficient – Ford tell us it can offer 5.9 l/100 km. I of course didn’t reach that fuel economy but I wasn’t too far off it.

In terms of price you can opt for the Fiesta ST1 for €25,760 or the ST2 for €27,260. The difference between the two is in the specification and what comes with the cars. With the ST1 you will get 17” alloys, the Recaro front seats, a leather trimmed steering wheel and gear shift lever. You also get larger front and rear disc brakes; specially tuned ST suspension with 15 mm lowered ride height; Ford SYNC; MyKey technology; ESP; and 7 airbags. With the ST2 you get all of the aforementioned items as well as LED daytime running lights; Recaro sport front seats with partial leather trim; SONY CD + Ford SYNC; manual A/C; privacy glass; and push button start.

The CBG.ie verdict
This car is smashing. Would I buy one? Probably not. It’s not suited for my needs but there is a massive audience out there for one.