Is it just me, or is the gap between baby and more-regular hot hatches getting smaller?
Ford’s fiery little Fiesta ST is a case in point.
Sure, it may not offer the space gains of the larger Focus ST, and it may be marginally off its sibling’s pace, but in terms of bang for buck I reckon both those advantages become less relevant – especially when you consider that hot-hatch buyers in general don’t have big families, or the need for generous rear legroom and boot space.
As far as boy racers go the Fiesta ST is nothing short of a poster child.
The 1.6-litre Turbo EcoBoost engine runs like it’s been possessed, and will happily keep the traction control light flickering should you hoof it, even slightly, off the line.
On paper this ST is good for 134kW and 240Nm (290Nm on overboost), but it’s more about power to weight here – from the driver’s seat power delivery is strong, linear and very convincing.
Ford has found the sweet spot with the engine mapping, resulting in clean boost virtually from the start-line to the red line, with rewarding bursts of wheelspin or tyre chirp when you hook higher gears. Our 7.4 second 0-100km/h sprint time (Ford claims 6.9) was decent, and could have been better had the gear ratios allowed the car to hit 100km/h in second.
MAIN RIVALS
We’ve tested the Fiesta ST’s main rivals in the past so, to put that sprint time into perspective, the VW Polo GTi takes 7.1 seconds to get from 0-100km/h (it runs a slick DSG ‘box and is the only non-manual in this comparison), the Mini Cooper S takes 7.2 seconds, while the Corsa OPC takes 7.9 seconds. This puts the Fiesta ST in the middle of the pack performance-wise, but at R254 500 it’s a massive 30 to 40 grand cheaper than any of these competitors.
It puts the power down quite well too, with Ford’s Team RS developers throwing in a sports-tuned chassis (fettled at Nurburgring’s iconic Nordschleife) and harder suspension that sits 15mm lower than more run-of-the-mill derivatives. The electric power steering has been tweaked with a sharper ratio for pin-point accuracy, and rear discs thrown in for stopping power.
ELECTRONIC LSD
All this translates into a very entertaining package, with the intermediate setting on the Electronic Stability Control, and the fancy Enhanced Torque Vectoring Control (basically an electronic limited-slip differential) allowing you to explore your inner child. Ford’s little Ken Block pocket-rocket is as happy smoking front rubber at the lights as it is carving up S bends, and throws in some healthy in-gear boost for good measure.
The six-speed gearbox is slick and has no problem grabbing the next cog when you manhandle it, but I did find the clutch action very dodgy (although this could be specific to the torture endured by our test car at its track launch). The steering’s good too - it doesn’t feel over-assisted and finds the parts of a corner you’re trying to reach. With all this at play it’s a bonus that those anchors work so well.
SOUND SYMPOSER
The EcoBoost engine lacks any sort of emotional howl from the outside, but has an angry little growl going on in the cabin thanks to Ford’s sound symposer technology, which pipes engine noise through to the passengers.
I thought fuel consumption, at 8.1 litres per 100km, was fair - but then nobody buys an ST for economical drivin.
Visually, buyers may not be smitten with that gaping Fiesta nose. It reminds me of a barbel (and not an Aston Martin as some have suggested), but I liked the ST’s sporty wheels, spoilers, twin pipes and profile. Inside, the go-faster highlights include alloy-metal pedals and gearlever, Recaro buckets, and various ST-branded surfaces.
The seats do present an issue though.
They’re a little on the hard side, and coupled with the tighter-than-a-grasshopper’s-hamstring suspension can be a bit much on the daily commute. I like firm, don’t get me wrong, but our roads - with tree roots playing speed humps - are not certified ST-friendly. A taller colleague also found that when you drop those Recaros to the floor your left elbow hits the centre console during gear changes.
Your money gets you just about all the toys though, including hill hold, rain-sensing wipers, Ford’s SYNC system, and the one your learner-driver teenager is going to hate – MyKey, which allows you to place limits on things such as speed and audio-system volume.
On the safety front you get a five-star Euro NCap rating, which translates to seven airbags, antilock braking, stability control and that electronic LSD I mentioned earlier.
VERDICT
The price is the real clincher here. In terms of value for money, the Fiesta ST is the best package in the baby hot-hatch war, full stop. It gets all the right ticks in all the right places and, provided you can live with the hard seats and harder ride, it’s a winner. - Star Motoring
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