The first hot-Ford to make a three-pot racket.
Ahead of its public debut at the Geneva motor show next month, Ford has pulled the wraps off of the latest in a long line of compact hot-hatchbacks, the new Fiesta ST. After unveiling the new Fiesta some time back (and you can check out our coverage of that here), the ST was a matter of time, and petrolheads can now heave a collective sigh of relief.
The most important part of any hot hatch is the engine, and the Fiesta ST packs quite a punch. 147kW and 290Nm of punch to be exact, which is capable of hurtling the little ST from rest to 100km/h in just 6.7-seconds. The powerplant itself measures just 1.5-litres in size, and is the first Ford Performance model to feature a mere three cylinders.
With sales kicking off in early 2018, the Fiesta ST will be made available in three-door and five-door body styles, and will feature an ‘Electronic Sound Enhancement’ (ESE) system that works in conjunction with an active exhaust noise control valve to ensure a satisfying aural experience. And if sound really is your thing, the hot Fiesta will be offering a Bang & Olufsen Play audio system to ensure your ears always have something to enjoy.
Ford is keen to emphasise that the Fiesta ST comes with selectable drive modes for the first time. There are ‘Normal,’ ‘Sport,’ and ‘Track’ modes to choose from, which allow drivers to optimise the driving experience to suit their needs. ‘Normal’ provides an entirely normal driving experience (go figure), with all the electronic gubbins set up for your daily drive. ‘Sport’ mode serves to tickle the senses, with a sharpened throttle response, adjusted electronic power steering response, and it also sees ‘ESE’ engaged and the active exhaust noise valve opened to fill the cabin with the sort of grumbles and crackles one would expect from a perk performance hatch.
‘Track’ mode turns everything up to eleven. This mode, Ford says, sets up the Fiesta “for the fastest possible lap times,” by disengaging traction control and putting the electronic stability control in ‘wide slip mode’ to limit electronic intervention. Further addition to this ST’s fun tricks include a torque vectoring system aiming to limit understeer, and three-stage stability control designed to maximise driver involvement regardless of situation.
The Fiesta ST also offers greater personalisation than before. European customers will get to choose a range of trims and finishes for all sorts of interior focal points like the gear lever, the steering wheel, the door pulls, and the ‘decorative dashboard spear.’ There will also be ‘styling packs’ on offer to further differentiate your Fiesta ST from the rest of them.
The cabin features unique touches like supportive Recaro sports seats and a flat-bottomed steering wheel. Also designed to remind you you’re in a hot Fiesta are the unique 18-inch alloy wheels, and the model-specific ‘Liquid Blue’ paint finish. Ford’s SYNC3 infotainment system, replete with Apple CarPlay and AndroidAuto, features here as standard, and is displayed on a large floating-tablet style screen in the centre of the dash.
At present, there is no official comment from Ford Australia regarding the new Fiesta ST, but considering our appetite for hot hatchbacks and the considerable sales of the existing Fiesta ST, we should see this latest model on our shores not too long after the 2018 European sales commencement. If an ST might be a little too much Fiesta for you, you can check out the incoming 2017 Fiesta and its range here.
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