Photo: Stefan Baldauf/SB-Medien
One year after Volkswagen brought the Polo into this world, Ford gave birth to the similarly sized Fiesta. The best-selling subcompact in Europe is in its sixth generation since 2008, making it just as old as the current SEAT Ibiza. All that is about to change sometime next year, probably in Geneva, with the advent of the seventh-generation Ford Fiesta.
This is not the first time our spy photographers caught the all-new Ford Fiesta in action. However, this is not your regular Fiesta. It is, in fact, an ST. The clues that give it away are the sporty wheels shod in low-profile tires, the two exhaust tips that stick out the right-hand side of the rear bumper, and the intercooler up front.
If I’m not mistaken, the 2018 Ford Fiesta ST employs twist-beam suspension at the rear, but I’m not surprised. This is the norm in the segment and, for what it’s worth, the current Ford Fiesta ST has a similar setup. The footprint of the new kid on the block, however, is a bit longer and a bit wider than that of its predecessor. This should help with carving corners, as will Enhanced Torque Vectoring Control.
The moment you realize that FoMoCo is benchmarking the 2018 Ford Fiesta ST against the current model is the moment you realize that the Blue Oval will not dare to alter the tried-and-tested recipe. As such, you’re looking at a FWD hot hatch animated by a four-cylinder EcoBoost engine and a six-speed manual.
It’s natural to assume that the hood hides a 1.6-liter turbo engine with more than 200 PS (197 HP) and 214 lb-ft (290 Nm). Not only does it have to be more powerful than the recently presented Fiesta ST200, but the 2018 Ford Fiesta ST will have to duke it out gainst the likes of the Renault Clio RS Trophy 220.
Go-faster credentials aside, the only thing I wish from the 2018 Ford Fiesta ST is for it to be as fine a hoot to drive as the current Fiesta ST is. From the regular Fiesta models, including those you can rent at the airport, all I could wish for is fewer buttons from the SYNC infotainment system and disc brakes on all corners.
P.S.: Who's Jean?
If I’m not mistaken, the 2018 Ford Fiesta ST employs twist-beam suspension at the rear, but I’m not surprised. This is the norm in the segment and, for what it’s worth, the current Ford Fiesta ST has a similar setup. The footprint of the new kid on the block, however, is a bit longer and a bit wider than that of its predecessor. This should help with carving corners, as will Enhanced Torque Vectoring Control.
The moment you realize that FoMoCo is benchmarking the 2018 Ford Fiesta ST against the current model is the moment you realize that the Blue Oval will not dare to alter the tried-and-tested recipe. As such, you’re looking at a FWD hot hatch animated by a four-cylinder EcoBoost engine and a six-speed manual.
It’s natural to assume that the hood hides a 1.6-liter turbo engine with more than 200 PS (197 HP) and 214 lb-ft (290 Nm). Not only does it have to be more powerful than the recently presented Fiesta ST200, but the 2018 Ford Fiesta ST will have to duke it out gainst the likes of the Renault Clio RS Trophy 220.
Go-faster credentials aside, the only thing I wish from the 2018 Ford Fiesta ST is for it to be as fine a hoot to drive as the current Fiesta ST is. From the regular Fiesta models, including those you can rent at the airport, all I could wish for is fewer buttons from the SYNC infotainment system and disc brakes on all corners.
P.S.: Who's Jean?
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