Farewell Ford Fiesta ST!
The current ST isn't long for this world - here's why the replacement has a very tough job to do
Stopped only to prove it does have five doors
So while Ford has been producing some great handling cars for more than 20 years now, to have a genuinely great fast Fiesta came as something of a surprise in 2013. With the replacement imminent now seemed the right time to be reminded of how good this little car is, as well as what the new version needs to improve on.
Also available in red...
Well it's still brilliant, put it that way. It's also still impossible to drive slowly. Partly this is to escape the ride - which is really quite tough at urban speeds - but also just because the ST is constantly goading you into thrashing the wheel nuts of it. The steering is super sharp, the car darting without delay to the next corner. That stiff suspension also means real agility at speed too, this Fiesta just incessantly eager to get down a road. Combine that with a gutsy little engine, powerful brakes and a slick gearbox and you're not far off hot hatch nirvana.
The ST's silly side extends as far as you want it to as well, the chassis mobile and adjustable to your heart's content. It's responsive to a lift of the throttle, a dab of brakes, a slightly too big a dab of brakes... it's the traditional hot hatch sense of humour, modernised and re-energised with a safety net if you need it too.
It's not perfect though, and rivals introduced since 2013 have highlighted a few ST issues. Though more expensive, the 208 GTI by Peugeot Sport feels the more finely honed and faster hot hatch; its limited-slip diff and suspension tuning give it an additional layer of composure compared to the Ford. And while people will continue to belittle it, the Clio 220 Trophy has a fine chassis and a far nicer interior than the Fiesta.
Yep, it really has been this long
Room for improvement
Now the new Fiesta ST, a three-cylinder Fiesta ST don't forget, isn't that far off. We know what it looks like and we also know that it has what seems to be a much more appealing interior. What else does it need to improve? A touch more compliance around town would be handy - though it shouldn't be at the expense of that feisty attitude - and it would be nice if the new 1.5-litre engine was a bit revvier than the current 1.6. While the latter engine sounds good and pulls hard, it doesn't have the energy at high revs that something like the Peugeot does.
Now let's see what's coming next!
The earliest cars are now less than £9,000, with this 17-plate ST3 at £16,390 with just 100 miles on it. What more do you need?! Due for replacement or not, three-door or five-door, the Fiesta ST is absolutely still one of the best. We await its successor very eagerly indeed.
FORD FIESTA ST-2 FIVE-DOOR
Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo
Transmission: 6-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Power (hp): 182@5,700rpm (200hp w/overboost)
Torque (lb ft): 177@1,500-5000rpm (214lb ft w/overboost)
0-62mph: 6.9 sec
Top speed: 137mph
Weight: 1,163kg
MPG: 47.9 (NEDC combined)
CO2: 138g/km
Price: £19,800 (As tested £20,425, comprised of £250 for Frozen White paint, £200 for rear parking sensors and £175 for 5-door ST Style Pack that includes wheels painted grey and brake calipers in red)
tter, loved it.I'm honestly worried about the upcoming replacement though. It's styling is questionable (subjective, i know), the engine power output remains unchanged, the engine itself is questionable (subjective, again) and now complicates itself with those silly and useless (to me) driving modes.
I hope i'm wrong and i understand that Ford know what they're doing with this kind of stuff, or at least i hope they do. The current recipe on offer isn't particularly impressing me right now. Also, the new Polo GTI looks to be a cracker in my eyes, albeit offering a different driving experience.
It took me a bashed panel to part with my 07 Fiesta ST150 which I really liked and while I do like my more accomplished 13 ST180, it took me a while to appreciate the looks and 18 months later, I quite like the car but maybe a Focus ST is more me.
I won't be buying this new model, it looks anonymous.
It would have been equally brilliant to see control blade suspension on the back if the new fiesta. I can completely understand why this didn't happen though. I for one would have happily paid the extra few hundred quid (maybe less?) on the list price to have it.
I'm honestly worried about the upcoming replacement though. It's styling is questionable (subjective, i know), the engine power output remains unchanged, the engine itself is questionable (subjective, again) and now complicates itself with those silly and useless (to me) driving modes.
I hope i'm wrong and i understand that Ford know what they're doing with this kind of stuff, or at least i hope they do. The current recipe on offer isn't particularly impressing me right now. Also, the new Polo GTI looks to be a cracker in my eyes, albeit offering a different driving experience.
The agility and sharp steering of the current car are intrinsically bound to the less than plush ride.
If everyone moans about the ride, management will listen, and push the suspension tune in the comfy cruiser direction. Then everyone will drive the car and say it rides better, but it lost that feisty edge. Boring.
Maybe.
The ride of the ST is atrocious, and compounded by severe torque steer on less than perfect surfaces. Living in the countryside it always feels like you're fighting the road surface and there isn't really any useful feedback through the wheel - the Zetec-S by contrast feels much more communicative and whilst relatively stiff doesn't pummel you to the same extent. Overall it feels very hard to gauge corner entry, sometimes the nose feels artificially darty, other times it'll smack a bump and skitter off line, and you have to drive it in a high gear the whole time to reduce the torque at the wheels.
I absolutely hate the seats too, the seat back almost cripples me over any kind of distance. Did a 5 hour drive in it recently and after an hour I was seriously considering turning back and starting over in another car - by the time I'd got to my destination I was straight up plotting just torching the thing and getting the train home. Ended up sitting in the back whilst my wife drove it instead.
If you want the last of the 'old school' hatchbacks look at something from the early to mid 2000's (or maybe the Swift Sport, this was what I wanted to buy, but was deemed too small). Given that it was supposed to be one of the best small hot hatches of its generation I just found it a sad what the push to meet emission based tax bandings and ever increasing power levels has done to 'fun' hatchbacks.
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