Believe it or not, the Ford Fiesta ST has now been on sale for three years. Yep, the terrible metaphors and group test adulation have been flowing since 2013. The Fiesta itself was launched in 2008, so a new model is certainly due.
Here’s our first look at the new ST, spotted on the public roads around the Nurburgring. With the current ST bowing out with the excellent ST 200, the next generation has an awful lot to live up to.
There’s a lot to like about the current car, of course. The joy is in its simplicity, the excellent handling and strong performance. Oh yes, and it’s dead cheap too. Worryingly though, this car looks like it may change that.
It’s five-door, for a start. Yes, a lot of hot hatches have five doors now, but there’s something more overtly sporting about keeping three. Would cars like the 205 GTI, Clio Williams and Mini Cooper S be as iconic with extra doors? Furthermore, there appears a distinct Ecosport influence on the rear design, though it does at least lack the stuck on spare wheel. And it still appears to have a gopping grille. Let’s hope this is just a really good disguise…
With no details yet released on even the standard new Fiesta, we can only speculate on what the ST may provide. Expect a little more power from the 1.6-litre Ecoboost engine, plus uprated brakes and suspension again. Will it perhaps be softened off a little, to address those criticisms of a tough low speed ride? A limited-slip diff might be nice too if torque goes up significantly, particularly as it’s so effective in the 208 GTI.
Trouble is, the current formula is so good that we don’t want it messed with too much. The eagerness, the sense of fun, the sweet handling; it’s not a mature hot hatch but that’s a good thing, and doesn’t need to change.
Our spy photographers are suggesting the Fiesta ST will be launched as a 2017 model, so it could debut as early as Paris this year. Can it really improve on the current car? We can’t wait to find out!
[Photos: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien]