Thursday 12th April 2018

Ford Fiesta ST: Spotted

The new ST is just weeks away, but there's still plenty to recommend the old one. Especially at £9k...

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Believe it or not, five years have now passed since the Fiesta ST we've all come to know and love was launched. Half a decade, or not far off 2,000 days, since the automotive media bowled down to the south of France and declared a new hot hatch master.

Ever since then, the Fiesta has been the pocket rocket benchmark. More entertaining than Renault Sport's offerings, cheaper than those from Peugeot and just plain better than the Vauxhall alternative, the ST has always had something up its sleeve to see off rivals. Fast, fun, entertaining and fantastic value for money, this generation of Fiesta ST has done more than enough to make us forget about some fairly ordinary predecessors. Even with a rather iffy interior.

But we've discussed the Fiesta ST as a new hot hatch prospect plenty of times. What we've probably not done enough of is discussed the Fiesta ST as a used purchase. With the launch of its replacement imminent, a car with a considerable weight of expectation on its shoulders, what better time to assess a secondhand ST?

There's a lot going for it. Ford sold plenty of STs, and sold them cheap, ergo there are lots of affordable used ones knocking around. Which means you can be picky about colour, equipment, and so on. When you bear in mind that there are only 16 Clio IV Renault Sports in the PH classifieds, and half of those are white, you can see the advantage the Fiesta holds when the spec has already been decided for you.

This particular ST appeals for many reasons. First being the colour, because Spirit Blue is probably the best paint available for the fast Fiesta. Secondly it's an ST-2, and while the basic ST had a temptingly low entry price, it did without a lot of kit that many people wanted. The mid-spec model cost another £1,000 but added heated seats, a stereo upgrade, part leather and keyless start - all worth having.

Furthermore, it would appear that this particular car has the Mountune Performance upgrade, as signified by the yellow badge on the bootlid. The dealer seems to be unaware of this extra, but we'd wager it's genuine as Mountune goes to great lengths to ensure you can't just plonk a badge on your Ford. And even if it's not yet fitted, the MP215 kit is well worth having at some point down the line.

Finally, and perhaps most relevantly, it's cheap: £8,990 for this Fiesta ST places it within £1,000 of the very cheapest on PH. Why? Some may take issue with the painted wheels and calipers, though the relatively high mileage of 50k - given it's only four years old - will be the greater contributing factor. Of course in the grand scheme of cars that's not a huge amount, and if you're going to use this ST less intensely then it makes for a bargain. Even at 8,000 miles per annum it's going to take you another five years to reach 90k, so there's plenty of life in it yet.

And you just know it's going to be an absolute riot. An old Renaultsport Clio may yet be sweeter still, but it'll be an older car at this money and will cost more to run. A Corsa VXR has never been quite as talented, and is now a 10 year-old car despite revisions. A 208 GTI by Peugeot Sport is about the only car from the past five years to surpass the Fiesta in certain areas, though you're looking at thousands more for one of those. It would seem, then, that there's perhaps even more going for the ST as a used car than a new one; certainly the three-cylinder version has an awful lot to live up to.

Inspired? Search Ford Fiesta STs for sale on PistonHeads Classifeds

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SPECIFICATION - FORD FIESTA ST

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)
MPG: 47.9 (NEDC combined)
CO2: 138g/km
Recorded mileage: 50,000
Year registered: 2014
Price new: £17,995 (ST-2)
Yours for: £8,990

See the original advert here.

[stedaley]

Just me sure you can afford insurance on it!

Insurance premiums are sky high for these atm!

[rix]

Mountune badge too?

[Scottie - NW]

" With the launch of its replacement imminent, a car with a considerable weight of expectation on its shoulders, what better time to assess a secondhand ST?"

In answer to the above question I'd say a better time is after the new car is launched and prices dip further

Biggest two problems with them are amount stolen and a disproportionate amount driven recklessly by young knobheads. It's the new Civic in that respect.

[Jonno02]

The wheel design on these age them terribly.

[JulianHJ]

Jonno02 said:

The wheel design on these age them terribly.

The only thing I'd change if I was in the market for one.

[LuS1fer]

stedaley said:

Just me sure you can afford insurance on it!

Insurance premiums are sky high for these atm!

Mine is 200 quid.

The wheels on this have been repainted a revolting grey.

[culpz]

stedaley said:

Just me sure you can afford insurance on it!

Insurance premiums are sky high for these atm!

Oddly, it's one of the cheapest quotes for me at current.

I did briefly dabble with the idea of getting a bank loan for one of these. Easily one of the most fun cars i've ever driven. Probably the most fun modern car i've driven. I did reign myself in eventually and didn't think it'd be a particularly great idea, financially

I was awaiting the new one on some hopefully cheap lease deals. They mentioned about it being released early this year, but i assumed it would have been released by now, as i didn't really want to wait any longer and extend my extremely boring but cheap Audi A4 until they became available.

I will drive the new one and see what i think. I reckon it'll be another great fast Ford, but i do love the MK7's simplicity and character of being a modern day Clio 182. They're also a steal at these prices (excuse the obvious pun) on the used market!

[rampageturke]

ST-2s and up came with the darkened wheel colour, ST-1 came with the wheel colour as pictured in the article, you sure its an ST-2?

[anthonysjb]

rampageturke said:

ST-2s and up came with the darkened wheel colour, ST-1 came with the wheel colour as pictured in the article, you sure its an ST-2?

Wrong, no correlation between ST-1 2 or 3 and the wheel colour.

Darker wheels are part of the Style Pack including red brake callipers.

Pre 2015 cars came with silver standard, rado grey as part of Style Pack.

2015 onwards cars came with rado grey standard, rock grey which is a darker shade again as part of Style Pack.

[FN2TypeR]

rampageturke said:

ST-2s and up came with the darkened wheel colour, ST-1 came with the wheel colour as pictured in the article, you sure its an ST-2?

It is indeed an ST 2

[chillbill]

Anyone gone from MK5 GTI to ST180?

Have a GTI at the mo and have tried an ST very briefly. Coming from RS Renaults, was left a bit underwhelmed by the sheer emotion offered by the ST. But then again, the GTI also gets under your skin gradually. Wonder how they compare in the long run...

[DoddsyFrs]

I have been a passenger in my sons mates one, a standard car and it went well handled well so for the price new and secondhand they seem a really good purchase.Stick o the usual rules of avoiding abused and poorly maintained examples.

[dieseluser07]

I have one of these, mp215 kit.

Engine - boring sound but good engine, torquey and revvy.

Handling - unbelieveable for a fwd, with esc in sport the car can literally go sideways ridiculously easy in the damp and the back end easily kicks out in the dry if provoked but you can never lose control of the car its crazy

Point and squirt

[blade7]

anthonysjb said:

2015 onwards cars came with rado grey standard, rock grey which is a darker shade again as part of Style Pack.

Style Pack was also a free option in 2014.

[pti]

rampageturke said:

ST-2s and up came with the darkened wheel colour, ST-1 came with the wheel colour as pictured in the article, you sure its an ST-2?

Those wheels have been painted... horribly.

[Omega1987]

I really like the Fiesta ST but chose a Peugeot 208 GTi instead after test driving both. The Fiesta was fun but the nasty ride and interior let it down. The Peugeot is faster and has a fantastic balance between ride comfort and handling prowess.

[OppoLocksmith]

I'm 40k into my tenure, I cannot think of a better alternative for a relatively economical city car that is outstanding on a b-road. It's been bomb-proof despite being driven enthusiastically, tyre choice makes a huge difference and helps to keep the handling is super sharp. Averaging 36 mpg with most miles being around town. Only two gripes are the need to use a disclock which sort of defeats the keyless entry and the poor turning circle but equiptment and spec are excellent for the price point.

As you say unfortunately they attract a certain type but there are some very fastidious ford owners out there.

Interested to read the comments about the wheel design; whats wrong with the design? Love the fact they're so easy to clean!

[LuS1fer]

Omega1987 said:

I really like the Fiesta ST but chose a Peugeot 208 GTi instead after test driving both. The Fiesta was fun but the nasty ride and interior let it down. The Peugeot is faster and has a fantastic balance between ride comfort and handling prowess.

I can't see any great difference between the interiors and the steering wheel arrangement actually allows you to see the instruments on the ST.

[FN2TypeR]

LuS1fer said:

Omega1987 said:

I really like the Fiesta ST but chose a Peugeot 208 GTi instead after test driving both. The Fiesta was fun but the nasty ride and interior let it down. The Peugeot is faster and has a fantastic balance between ride comfort and handling prowess.

I can't see any great difference between the interiors and the steering wheel arrangement actually allows you to see the instruments on the ST.

I'm 5ft 11" in height and had no problem seeing the dials in the 208; weren't you able to find a comfortable driving position that allowed you to see them when you drove it?

[greenarrow]

I'd love one of these, seeing as we have the Mk6 ST in the family, but in some ways it only highlights what an even bigger bargain the Clio 200 Cup is right now, as highlighted by EVO in the current issue....so £9K for a Fiesta ST or around £5K for a Clio 200.......

What it is to have such great cars to choose from !