Has the Fiesta ST blown in, fiercely?

It was all quiet in the small hot hatch arena for quite some time… and then 3 of them arrived almost at once in a whirlwind.  The Fiesta ST has blown in, fiercely.

One of the most anticipated little storm creators is the Ford Fiesta ST. Although the Fiesta with its modern stylish bold looks – especially when it has only 2 side doors – has been around a good couple of years, it didn’t get any performance top model. Having received its facelift, Ford set up the 3-door Fiesta body for a full repeat dosage of ST.  The other 2 small hot hatches arriving are Peugeot 208 GTi (closest match with 1.6 turbo manual winning recipe, and Renault which made the Clio RS instantly more boring by being 5-door and automatic only).

Universally respected is the ST lettering as suffix for any Ford model.  The previous Fiesta was available as sporty ST, using a naturally-aspirated 2.0 engine – at the time it was seen as a generous size powerplant for such a small car.  It was also known as Fiesta ST 150, indicating its horsepower output.

After a sensible stint of friendly-only Fiestas, during which bigger brother Focus ST received most of the attention, the new Fiesta ST burst onto the scene (not least because of its model-specific Molten Orange dark orange-red paint) but thanks to its 3-door stance and smart new looks having created the perfect shell for some ST-ness, coupled to the update from the previous ST’s 2.0 to a punchy 1.6 EcoBoost turbo four.  This engine is good for 134kW (180hp) and torque of 240Nm from 1600 to 5000 r/min that makes it a brisk performer:  the measured acceleration standard to 100km/h is reached in 6.9 sec.  Of course the Eco in EcoBoost also means claimed average consumption of 5.9 l/100km or 138 g/km (when driven “average”, of course).  Drive though the front wheels go via a driver’s-joy 6-speed manual with crisp short gear selections.  Get the EcoBoost and gears just right, and this car goes into a sporty fun rhythm.

A modern feature of Fiesta ST is the engine sound “symposer” system which transfers engine noises from under the bonnet to the cabin, adding to a sporty driving experience.

Fiesta ST this time received a driver-focused high-energy engine and driving setup, as developed by Ford Team RS (the performance vehicle department).  One stand-out feature is Enhanced Torque Vectoring Control (eTVC) which applies brake force to the inside front wheel of the Fiesta ST when cornering – the benefit, to improve road holding and reduce understeer without affecting speed.

Also aimed at different normal to sporty drive moods is the 3-mode Electronic Stability Control (ESC) programmed to do full system intervention (normal electronic helpers all on duty), wide-slip mode with limited intervention (they’ll let you be a bit wild by only helping a little) and full ESC de-activation mode (where they just sit and watch, hoping the driver is in full control).  The new Fiesta ST adds rear disc brakes to the Fiesta platform, and a larger tandem brake master cylinder to boost braking performance.

This Fiesta’s sportiness is enhance by a unique ST bodykit, including a rear spoiler and diffuser with a muscular emphasis, a large trapezoidal blacked-out grille in unique honeycomb construction, flowing out to dynamic headlight designs (underlined buy bright white LED daytime running lamps) and into a sculpted power-dome bonnet.

Fiesta ST is fitted with supportive and sporty-looking cloth Recaro sports seats for the first time, and performance credentials reflected in the ST steering wheel, metal pedals and gear-shifter, and 5-spoke 17” alloy wheels.  Red cursive ST badging on the grille and tailgate wrap it up.

Some modern features are fitted, too.  Ford’s MyKey allows owners to set maximum speed and audio volume limits, which ensures safety features are not disabled – Ford says this is particularly useful for younger drivers (where the owner is presumably a parent, having some control over the car even when not in the car). 

SYNC allows the driver to operate digital media players and Bluetooth enabled mobile phones via voice commands and steering wheel mounted controls.  Safety is also enhanced with 7 airbags (dual front, side, curtain airbags and driver knee airbag), earning the Fiesta a maximum 5-star Euro-NCAP safety rating.

At launch in May 2013 the Fiesta came at a price of R 254 500, which has since swelled to R 274 900 in August 2014.  If you like the Fiesta but prefer a 5-door and lower price, you can choose from a 1.4 Ambiente starting at R 178 900 (but be aware that aircon + audio is a R 14 130 option) or higher Trend spec, or the 1.6TDCi diesel also offered in bot Ambiente and Trend, or the award-winning 1.0T 3-cylinder EcoBoost in Trend (manual or auto) or top R 247 300 Titanium manual spec. 

Between the organically-sculpted perky 208 GTi and the too-mature-for-its-class new Clio RS (both French cars) the Fiesta ST stands out with a pleasing simple driver focus and a lively energy about it – for fun, both 208 GTi and ST will do nicely, where ST has a more pure-‘n-simple Ford attitude. 

Fiesta ST is sure to blow a smile across your face as you enjoy gusts of accelerative fun and howling corner-after-corner fun.