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Ford Fiesta ST (2005 onwards model)
November 26 2004
Fast Fords are like hot cakes. They make you salivate when you look at them and don’t hang around for long. So it’s been distressing to find not a single tasty entrant in the hottest sector of the lot – the supermini class. Peugeot 206 GTI, Renaultsport Clio 182, Seat Ibiza Cupra… yet, since the old Zetec-S’s demise three years ago, no fast Fiesta.
But now, the wait is over. The Fast Ford Fiesta is back. Now called ‘ST’ and two years in development, it offers the largest engine ever seen in the three-door hatchback, with the most power, and is the first production car developed by Ford’s TeamRS division. As well as looking after the WRC rally cars, the new team carries responsibility for all fast production Fords, and has gone all-out to start with a bang.
Looks the part
And it hits the bullseye immediately in terms of styling. Fast Fords have always looked superb, with perfectly-judged body-building setting them apart, and this is no exception. New bumpers, side skirts, rear spoiler and either 16-inch or 17-inch multi-spoke alloys mean the ST look just right, though the more outlandish can choose a stripe pack; we’d leave the £150 roof stripes and just keep the £75 side GT40-inspired stickers, though there’s no denying a fully-stickered ST has tremendous impact. Particularly in white, a hue we’re tipping for a comeback.
Inside, there are changes too. The high-backed seats are all-new and, we’re told, a product of tireless development. Bolstered perfectly, they’re hard to fault, and the part-leather trim, complete with stitched ST logos, looks superb. Other details include sporty dials, leather steering wheel and gearknob, alloy pedals and discreet centre console trim. However, there’s no reach-adjust steering or space for a clutch footrest, which means the driving position is a little compromised.
Engine
Excitingly, it is powered by a 2.0-litre engine that to now has amply powered the Mondeo and new Focus. Squeezing it into the Fiesta engine bay was tricky, meaning Ford had to incline it by six degrees, but the company reckons it was worth it. With a variable-intake manifold, it produces 150bhp, 5bhp up on the Focus. The all-alloy powerplant also has a low-inertia flywheel for a racy feel, and a sports exhaust system including exposed tailpipe at the back. Until now, Fiesta exhausts have been concealed beneath the rear bumper.
As is tradition with fast Fords, it’s not an operatic delight. Work it hard and the noise levels become decidedly raucous. And, despite the claims about strong low-down torque, the ST feels flat at low revs. It needs around 3000rpm to do its best, where it admittedly lives up to its hot hatch looks, but can’t quite summon the lugging power of a Clio 182. It also ultimately lacks that car’s electrifying pace (well, it is 32bhp down), but is a less-wearing companion and blessed with a fantastic short-throw gearbox. With 60mph taking 7.9 seconds and a top speed of 129mph, it’s not the fastest of Fords, but a well-judged and driveable hatch for UK roads.
On the road
It also handles very well. The platform is stock Fiesta, with no major structural changes, but stiffer springs, recalibrated dampers and a few other trick changes give it a more sporting flavour. Ford says it benchmarked the ST against the old Focus ST170, showing how the company was thinking; composure, maturity, a big car feel. That’s why the ride is stiff but fluid, why steering is so linear and precise without suffering the effects of torque steer or nervousness at speed, why handling is never threatening but delightfully precise.
Again, the intensity of a Clio or 206 isn’t there, but the majority will find the fluid Fiesta a fun fast drive. It’s a car with finesse, one which corners with little roll, has high reserves of grip and even at the limit never threatens to spit you off the road. If this can be replicated on bumpy British B-roads as well as the smooth Italian tarmac of the launch, the ST may well be a winner. And better on the standard 16-inch wheels, rather than the optional 17-inch items whose availability Ford considered a prerequisite. Incidentally, the Pirelli P Zero Nero tyres have been specially tuned for the ST, and they hide disc brakes all-round; rear discs are a new Fiesta debut, and the larger front callipers and pads were taken from the Focus ST170.
Verdict
The fastest Fiesta is not very naughty but very, very nice. We’d still probably take the Clio, which in Cup guise costs the same as the Fiesta and offers a comparable level of equipment, if not such a grown-up drive. The ST’s engine perhaps doesn’t offer the fizz we’d expected though benefits include nearly 40mpg and a lowish group 13 insurance rating.
But if the intensity and numerous compromises of the ageing Clio aren’t for you, and the idea of a Ford with the mechanical precision and feeling of integrity normally only experienced on a BMW appeals, so too will the ST Fiesta. For £13,595, it’s almost guaranteed not to hang around for long. And Ford’s approach with the ST also leaves the door open for a possible Fiesta RS stormer, tentatively rumoured for a 2006 launch. Hot? That’ll be a guaranteed red-chilli scorcher.
Key facts
Car: Ford Fiesta ST Engine: 2.0-litre, 150bhp Performance: 0-60mph 7.9 secs, 129mph Economy: 38.2mpg combined Price: £13,595 Insurance group: 13
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