Photo: X-Tomi Design
Before the newest Fiesta of them all came out, there was talk the subcompact hatchback could receive the RS treatment. The rumor came and went, but now it’s back thanks to Leo Roeks, the gentleman in charge of Ford Performance in Europe.
When quizzed by Motoring on the subject of an even hotter Fiesta than the ST, the official replied with a broad grin on his face: “I can’t tell you, but I’m very busy.” What’s more, a dual-clutch transmission option is understood to be under development for the Fiesta ST. Both the Fiesta RS and dual-clutch option are expected to drop by the end of the decade, with the RS-ified hyper hatchback expected to arrive no sooner than mid-2019.
There’s a lot of mystery surrounding the DCT, more so if you bear in mind the Fiesta can be had with a torque-converter automatic with six forward ratios. Fingers crossed it’s not another member of the PowerShift family like the DPS6, a dry-clutch transmission hated by just about everybody who has driven a car fitted with it.
Regarding the 2020 Ford Fiesta RS, chances are the Blue Oval will swap the 1.5-liter EcoBoost for something larger and with one more cylinder. The L Dragon is tuned to deliver 200 PS (197 horsepower) and 290 Nm (214 pound-feet) of torque, impressive figures through and through considering the design of the powerplant.
The 2.0-liter EcoBoost would be perfect in this application, although it remains to be seen if Ford can shoehorn an engine this large in a subcompact hatchback. In the previous-gen Focus in ST flavor, the 2.0-liter EcoBoost is much obliged to deliver 255 PS (252 horsepower) and 366 Nm (270 pound-feet) of torque on overboost.
Say what you will, but that sort of suck-squeeze-bang-blow coupled to the 205/40 18-inch tires available on the Fiesta ST is overkill for a front-wheel-drive car. Torque steer is another issue altogether, the reason why some people argue that Ford could implement the Performance All-Wheel-Drive system into the Fiesta RS.
On the other hand, don’t forget the Fiesta rides on the previous generation’s platform. The global B-car vehicle architecture is also used by the EcoSport, which is available with Intelligent AWD. The system is designed to adjust torque delivery in the subcompact crossover up to 50:50 between the front and rear wheels.
There’s a lot of mystery surrounding the DCT, more so if you bear in mind the Fiesta can be had with a torque-converter automatic with six forward ratios. Fingers crossed it’s not another member of the PowerShift family like the DPS6, a dry-clutch transmission hated by just about everybody who has driven a car fitted with it.
Regarding the 2020 Ford Fiesta RS, chances are the Blue Oval will swap the 1.5-liter EcoBoost for something larger and with one more cylinder. The L Dragon is tuned to deliver 200 PS (197 horsepower) and 290 Nm (214 pound-feet) of torque, impressive figures through and through considering the design of the powerplant.
The 2.0-liter EcoBoost would be perfect in this application, although it remains to be seen if Ford can shoehorn an engine this large in a subcompact hatchback. In the previous-gen Focus in ST flavor, the 2.0-liter EcoBoost is much obliged to deliver 255 PS (252 horsepower) and 366 Nm (270 pound-feet) of torque on overboost.
Say what you will, but that sort of suck-squeeze-bang-blow coupled to the 205/40 18-inch tires available on the Fiesta ST is overkill for a front-wheel-drive car. Torque steer is another issue altogether, the reason why some people argue that Ford could implement the Performance All-Wheel-Drive system into the Fiesta RS.
On the other hand, don’t forget the Fiesta rides on the previous generation’s platform. The global B-car vehicle architecture is also used by the EcoSport, which is available with Intelligent AWD. The system is designed to adjust torque delivery in the subcompact crossover up to 50:50 between the front and rear wheels.
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