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2020 Ford Fiesta RS Dismissed by European Design Director

Named in July 2017 as the new director of design at Ford of Europe, Amko Leenarts said in a recent interview that the Blue Oval has no plans for the long-rumored Fiesta RS. Disappointingly, a higher-output variant similar to the ST200 from the previous generation has also been dismissed by the design director.
RS badge 37 photos
Photo: Andrei Tobosaru
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Speaking to AutoRAI.nl, the official said that the Blue Oval sees “no reason to bring a more powerful Fiesta model above the ST. The performance of the new Fiesta ST is already at such a high level that a more powerful model is not necessary." And with that, our hopes for a more exciting subcompact hot hatchback come tumbling down. On the other hand, the newcomer is very, very exciting as is.

Never in the history of three-cylinder turbocharged engines of 1.5 liters displacement did an automaker churn out 200 PS (197 horsepower) without taking its toll on reliability. Torque is not bad either, with the Ford Motor Company quoting 290 Nm (214 pound-feet) of twisting force from as low as 1,600 up to 4,000 rpm.

Available in three trim levels (ST-1 through ST-3), the 2018 Ford Fiesta ST is priced in the Old Continent from 22,100 euros or 18,995 pounds sterling, respectively. This value-minded pricing strategy heads north once you take a look at the options list, especially the ST Performance Package that adds the Quaife limited-slip differential up front, launch control functionality, and gear shift lights.

Offered exclusively with a short-throw manual transmission with six forward ratios, the Fiesta ST will add a dual-clutch transmission by decade’s end, probably as early as the middle of 2019. This would align the Blue Oval with Renault Sport, which engineered the Clio RS to accommodate a dry-clutch DCT with six forward ratios.

Volkswagen’s new Polo GTI, on the other hand, can be had with both an automatic and a good ol’ stick shift, with the manual-equipped cars scheduled for delivery from the fourth quarter of 2018 onwards. And as opposed to Ford, Volkswagen let it slip that there’s more potential to be tapped, leaving the door open for the Polo GTI Clubsport with up to 265 PS (261 horsepower) on tap from the EA288 engine.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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