Photo: Ford
With the Fiesta ST, the Blue Oval played the wolf in sheep’s clothing card in a masterful manner. Some die-hard enthusiasts of the hot hatchback breed booed and hissed like an angry mob at Ford’s doors over the 180 horsepower the EcoBoost mill develops...
Agreed. It’s the least powerful of the hotted up genre of supermini pocket rockets, but specs on a sheet of paper aren’t enough to properly assess why the 2014 Ford Fiesta ST is such a hoot to drive. Out-and-out grunt is the least of the little bugger’s worries.
The area where the Euro-spec Ford Fiesta ST truly shines is the way it handles. Staying true to its performance-oriented creed, the 1.6-liter EcoBoost mill is paired exclusively to a precise and fun to swap cogs with six-speed stick shift.
Truth be told, it’s a little different from the beam one will find on a normal Fiesta. Speaking of which, braking duties at the rear are handled by discs, not the drums of the 1-liter EcoBoost-powered Fiesta.
There’s a lot to talk about regarding Ford’s ST-grade Fiesta and how a single technical detail made me like it over my previous favorite in the segment - the Renault Clio RS. If you want to find out more about the Ford Fiesta ST, we explained what we liked and disliked in our most recent review.
The area where the Euro-spec Ford Fiesta ST truly shines is the way it handles. Staying true to its performance-oriented creed, the 1.6-liter EcoBoost mill is paired exclusively to a precise and fun to swap cogs with six-speed stick shift.
It’s sufficiently meaty to take a spirited driver’s abuse, yet surprisingly smooth for city driving
Ford proved with the fifth gen Mustang that a live rear axle can be thoroughly engineered to offer remarkable dynamic characteristics. The Fiesta ST uses this kind of setup as well, but the rear beam axle works just fine even when you give it the boot, engaging full tripod mode.Truth be told, it’s a little different from the beam one will find on a normal Fiesta. Speaking of which, braking duties at the rear are handled by discs, not the drums of the 1-liter EcoBoost-powered Fiesta.
There’s a lot to talk about regarding Ford’s ST-grade Fiesta and how a single technical detail made me like it over my previous favorite in the segment - the Renault Clio RS. If you want to find out more about the Ford Fiesta ST, we explained what we liked and disliked in our most recent review.
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