Ford Fiesta ST - The New City Car

How will Ford’s hot new Fiesta fare in everyday use? We’re about to find out

Deep within the confines of the Blue Oval’s HQ, the souped-up super mini department has been hard at work. Ford’s head Fiesta fettler has doubtless been indoctrinating all of his R&D personnel by playing that old Guinness advert on a loop on a big screen. You know the one: “Good things come to those who wait.” And boy, have we been waiting a while for this car. We first saw the Fiesta in its present, pre-facelift incarnation all the way back in 2008. Ford has teased us in the intervening years with the excellent Mountune-modified model and the cracking Zetec S version. But, finally, here’s the real McCoy.

ST’s over boosted 197bhp is perfect for nipping out to the shops

And now here, residing in a freshly swept space in the Autocar office car park, is our very own Fiesta ST-2, enjoying a short, well-earned rest after completing full road test and three-car shootout duties. And not only did Ford’s new hot hatch score a fine four and a half stars in the former, but it also defeated its Renault Clio 200 Turbo and Peugeot 208 GTI rivals in the latter.

We know, then, that as a baby hot hatch it’s good – very good. But a key part of our road test summing-up was that this is a seriously entertaining car that’s quite capable of being used every day. Which is why it’s now here on our fleet: to see if we’re happy using this rapid, capable super mini as day-to-day transport, just as you would any other Fiesta in Ford’s line-up.

A stiff ride doesn’t rule out the Fiesta ST as a daily driver

Of course, this isn’t just any old Fiesta. For a start, it sits 15mm lower than any other Fiesta in the range. The suspension has stiffer springs and the 1.6-liter engine is turbocharged and pumped up to 180bhp. Ford claims the new ST is its “fastest small production performance car ever”. On top of the peak figure of 180bhp, the engine’s over boost feature can unleash a full 197bhp for up to 15 seconds, like some kind of video game power-up. I’m sure the youthful hot hatch demographic that this car is aimed at will find that quite acceptable.

I’m looking forward to enjoying the performance and capable, agile chassis, of course, but how about the rather firm set-up? My daily commute will be a good test of the ST’s everyday usability. It’s quite an urban route, but with a few places where it’s possible to explore the ST’s power and throw that sublime chassis through some turns.

It’s quite an urban route, but with a few places where it’s possible to explore the ST’s power and throw that sublime chassis through some turns.

On hearing that I was taking custody of the Fiesta ST, one of our road testers was rather doubtful about whether I would enjoy running the car every day because of that stiff ride. First impressions, though, are that it’s not too harsh, and certainly easier to live with than a Mini Cooper S, for example. At lower speeds, and on asphalt that’s not in its most pristine state, it does feel quite firm, but not jarring or crashy. It’s early days, though, and I’ve yet to treat the car to a trip further afield.

The starting price for a Fiesta ST is $25,493, which isn’t bad when you consider that this is a car that can hit 60mph from rest in 7.0sec. Our Fiesta is in pricier ST-2 spec, which, for an extra $1500, brings you heated seats with part-leather trim, rear privacy glass, LED running lights, keyless start and the upgraded Sony audio system that you’ll find in the posher Titanium-spec Fords. Included in this system is all the usual Bluetooth connectivity, although there’s also a USB port if you want to connect with an old-fashioned wire. Plus, there’s a DAB radio as standard – take note, more prestigious marques.

Our new fast Ford is agile, eye-catching and quite orange

The most expensive option, though, is the day-glo orange paint job. Officially called Molten Orange, it costs $1088. Race Red or Spirit Blue (the other color options) might have been preferable as the orange isn’t exactly subdued; pulling up outside my local hostelry the other day, I felt like the oldest hot-hatch backer in town. That said, the color is growing on me.

The long summer evenings we’re experiencing at the moment meant that it was a few days before I climbed into the Fiesta after nightfall. It was only then that I spotted the ambient lighting, and how brightly the illuminated red ‘ST’ kick plates glow when you open the door – a nice touch that I’m sure many of the fast-Ford faithful will enjoy.

Last but by no means least is one of the most important things about running a daily drive: fuel economy. Ford claims 47.9mpg on the combined cycle, which sounds pretty good, especially as I’ve been getting used to those sorts of figures from the Mazda CX-5 I was running. I’m seeing low 30s at the moment, but let’s hope that figure improves a little bit. However, given the temptations under my right foot, I’m not sure how easy that’s going to be.