Ford Fiesta ST200 – The Last Hurrah

By Chad Lückhoff

I'm yet to meet someone who doesn't like the Ford Fiesta ST. You probably won't hear too many Polo GTI fans say it out loud, but I know that deep down there's a fair amount of respect for the plucky little hatch. With the new Ford Fiesta due to hit our shores in the next few months, the retiring, sixth-generation ST has been given one last shove to celebrate what has been a very exciting and successful time on the market.

The little 1.6-litre turbo hot-hatch has always been enjoyable to drive and it's a personal favourite from the Ford stable. It's sprightly performance and nimble handling has always been grin-inducing. Bundle that with a modicum of comfort and practicality and you tick all the necessary boxes when it comes to a hot hatch.

The Ford Fiesta ST200 is a special, limited-edition offering that sees it adorned with more than just a few special trimmings; the ST200 sees a respectable boost in the power output as well. While the regular ST produces 134kW and 240Nm from the blown 4-cylinder, the ST200 punches out 147kW and 290Nm. That's 50Nm more than the standard model and the 147kW (which is coincidently what the larger, 2.0-litre Golf V GTI was producing back in the day) translates into 200hp, which is where it gets its '200' name from.

As they say in those late-night infomercials, “But wait, there's more!”, and indeed there is. There's an additional 11kW and 30Nm available in 20-second spurts thanks to an overboost function. This certainly makes the ST200 feel a little more purposeful once on the move, although I can't place the blame squarely on the engine.

A shorter final drive ratio helps the ST200 sprint through the gears a little quicker, and you really do need to take a proactive approach with the 6-speed manual gearbox. The short, direct throw is a pleasure to use and while it may hurt the overall acceleration figures, having to change so often, it rekindles some of the driver engagement that some feel has been lost over the years. The top speed remains at 230km/h. Ford says the 0 – 100km/h sprint takes only 6.7-seconds (as opposed to 6.9-seconds for the ST).

The handling is taken care of with a new rear torsion bar and the front anti-roll bar is beefed up to help keep the ST200 planted through the twisties. It's still a massively enjoyable car to throw around, and the improved steering feedback is much appreciated and welcomed. The torque vectoring on the front end helps negate understeer, something that would start to creep in on the older ST models when pressing on.

Through all of this boy-racer driving, there was only one let down, and that was of the sound. There just wasn't enough of it. When you think that the ST200 keeps company with the likes of the Clio RS Trophy, you can't help but be reminded of the signature Akrapovic sound that the Clio had, and wish that there was a similar setup in the 200.

Inside, high-bolster Recaro sports seats replace the standard fare, and in a similar fashion to the Focus RS, suffer from a lack of height adjustment. As a result, you're forced into a command driving position which is not the expected norm nor the most functional when driving a car of this ilk. The technicians at Ford must be a short bunch that struggle to see over the wheel. At least they're heated...

Apparently, they're suckers for punishment too and elected to retain the pre-update Sync infotainment system in the ST200. In all honesty, the less that is said about this button-heavy, unintuitive system, the better. Thankfully the new Fiesta will be coming with a touchscreen interface so that we can write this all off as a bad dream.

The interior is further dressed up with two-tone seat belts, a reverse camera with Park Distance Control (PDC) for the rear and the obligatory ST200 branding. The outside of the ST200 is kitted out with a set of 17-inch black and silver alloy wheels, LED taillights and some more badging.

Only 160 of these limited-edition offerings were made available a few months ago so I highly recommend that if you want one of the stand-out ST200 offerings, you'd best get hold of a dealership now.

The ST200 sells for R14 000 more than the regular ST, coming in at R339 900; which in all honesty isn't all that much for the privilege of owning one of the few. Don't get too hung up on what colour you want, as you can only have it in Storm Grey. Plus, would you want it in any other colour?