Small hot hatchbacks have always had this problem. They don't have a lot of power, and some of the soundproofing has been removed, so you feel like you're going a million miles an hour, even though most cars on the road can keep up with you.
Ford announced it would quit making nearly all its cars, so this is the last model year for the Fiesta ST. But the plucky little rascal had a good run, proving that American will buy a small hatchback if it's got sufficient quantities of fun.
Powered by a 1.6-liter turbo engine that's shared with the Escape and Focus, the Fiesta ST produces almost 200 horsepower. If our European readers are wondering why theirs has only 182, know that it comes down to the overboost function.
The hot Ford is manual-only, so in the interest of fairness or probably because TFL didn't have anything else available, the Golf Alltrack is also equipped with a manual. Right now, some of you guys are probably thinking "wow, a German wagon with a stick in the era of crossovers?" but the truth is it's not a very good gearbox. Volkswagen isn't trying very hard, knowing that sooner rather than later, everybody will just buy automatics.
The standard Alltrack engine is a 1.8-liter turbo which has slightly less power (170 HP) but more torque than the Fiesta. And with 4MotionAWD, the Golf never struggles for traction during the race. It launches well and secures a small lead ahead of the Fiesta ST in two heats. Of course, when it's time to lap the track, the heavier wagon falls short.
But wait, there's more! Last week, the Fiesta ST raced the new Mazda6 Turbo. That's 250 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque (on premium fuel). The mid-size sedan absolutely murders the hot hatch and looks good doing it.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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