Ford Fiesta ST-2

paul.acres@iliffemedia.co.uk

Published: 11:06, 11 July 2019 | Updated: 12:04, 11 July 2019

The new Fiesta ST has a hard-earned reputation to uphold. Ford have, for many years now, been building some of the best-handling family hatchbacks, whichever specification they arrive in, but the ST – and the RS models – take that dynamism to a whole new level.

The latest incarnation of the hottest of Fiestas is powered by a 1.5-litre three-cylinder Ecoboost engine that produces 200PS and 290Nm of twisting forces. That translates into a 0-62mph time of 6.5 seconds and a top speed of 144mph.

The styling is subtly sporty. It’s available in both three- and five-door body styles and with either 17-inch (standard) or 18-inch alloy wheels. The upper grille, front and rear bumpers and diffuser are all unique to the ST, and there’s a roof-top spoiler and a pair of fair exhaust pipes to complete the look.

You sit in very snug – heated – Recaro seats up front. The flat-bottomed steering wheel is wrapped in leather with contrast blue stitching, as is the gear level, while your feet rest on perfectly-positioned sports pedals. There’s more signature blue detailing on the floor mats and seat belts.

Interior quality isn’t quite class-leading, but there’s nothing to really complain about. Yes, there are few hard plastics but everything feels securely bolted together and the unique seats, splashes of leather, some carbon fibre-look trim and a number of ST badges scattered around the cabin help it stand out from the rest of the range.

The firm’s Sync 3 infotainment system is fitted as standard and comes with an eight-inch tablet-style touchscreen mounted high on the centre console. The graphics are sharp, the menus simple and it works seamlessly with Android Auto. Apple CarPlay is also included. Upgrade to the ST-3 model and Ford will throw in sat-nav.

You get an excellent Bang & Olufsen 10-speaker audio system with ST-2 trim but, strangely, not the ST-3. That model does add a rear-view camera and rear parking sensors to the standard equipment list, however.

There’s plenty of room up front, and the driving position is spot on. The glove box is a good size, as are the boor bins, and there’s a useful cubby at the base of the dashboard.

Head and legroom in the back is decent, but seating three across the rear bench will prove a bit of a squeeze and, if you are planning on utilising the second row regularly you might want to opt for the five-door – though the three-door definitely has the edge when it comes to sporting looks – as it makes getting in and out significantly easier.

With the rear seats in place the Fiesta will swallow 311 litres of luggage, measured up to the parcel shelf, or 1,093 litres (measured to the roof) with the 60-40 folding rear seats stowed away. The boot floor isn’t completely flat but there is a variable-height boot floor among the options to, literally, smooth out that particular problem.

Sitting behind the wheel it’s clear, if for some bizarre reason you didn’t already know, that this is a car that’s just built to be driven. Everything that you need to move the ST forward, at pace, is within easy reach. The wheel, the pedals, the gear lever, they are all precisely where you want them to be.

The engine is an absolute hoot. It pulls strongly from low down and revs freely all the way to the limiter. I’ve always enjoyed the busy, eager, thrum that a three-cylinder motor emits and the ST adds a little meat to that particular bone with a suitably muscular soundtrack that’s synthetically – but tastefully – enhanced using a sound symposer that pipes engine noise into the cabin.

The six-speed manual gearbox has a slick, precise snappy action and well-chosen ratios that really help you get the most out of the engine.

Ford have introduced cylinder deactivation – when you reduce the engine load it will shut down one cylinder and run on just two – to help improve economy. It’s an unobtrusive system that switches between two and three cylinders seamlessly. There isn’t even anything on the dashboard to tell you it’s activated.

There are three driving modes: Normal, Sport and Track. Sport makes the accelerator more responsive and the steering a little weightier, while the exhaust note becomes even more aggressive. Track mode disables traction control and reduces the assistance from the stability control. While it does, of course, make the ST even more fun, it can also expose drivers with more limited skills. It’s called Track mode for a reason.

I am not afraid to admit that I am one of those drivers with limited skills so I only spent a very brief time, for the purpose of this review, with the ST in Track mode preferring, instead, to stick with Sport. I’m certain that most enthusiastic drivers would be happy to do the same. The Fiesta ST is an absolute joy to drive quickly. There is a huge amount of front end grip and it will happily rotate progressively around its front wheels if you reduce power mid-corner.

You’ll find yourself asking for a little more feedback from the front wheels and the ST isn’t immune to a degree of torque steer when you power out of bends but there’s no denying that this car is immense fun on quick sprints through the countryside.

My review car was fitted with the optional (£950) Performance Pack, which adds a Quaife limited slip differential and, slightly less usefully, launch control and shift lights. Fitting the LSD allows the ST to put down its power more effectively out of slow corners by redistributing power to the wheel with the most grip.

The ST is fitted with trick ‘force vectoring springs’ rear suspension designed to improve both handling and ride comfort. There’s certainly nothing wrong with the former but, despite Ford’s bold claims that the new ST offers improved ride comfort, it remains very much on the firm side. It isn’t unbearable, nor so much of a compromise that you can’t use the ST as your everyday driver, but that rear suspension is no magic carpet solution.

If you’re looking to buy a hot hatch for about £20k, then the ST should be right at the top of a very short list. It isn’t without its flaws: The ride is very firm and the steering a touch on the vague side. It does, however, have a cracking engine, a huge amount of grip and the driving position is perfect. In short, if you want the most fun for your bung, it’s hard to look past the new ST.