When ford first unveiled its Fiesta world
rally car back in 2010, we hoped there'd be a road-going pocket-rocket in which
we could imitate Jari-Matti Latvala's spectacular crashes. Ironically, now Ford
h as packed away its WRC service area for good, that's exactly what we've got:
the Fiesta ST, successor to 2005-2008's first-gen ST and the closest thing you
can get to a homologation special these days- its Eco boost engine is kind of
similar to the rally cars'.
No matter, the ST is a fantastically fun
little thing, an adrenaline rush that's just snuck up and kicked us in the
shins while we were boring everyone about how fun and cheap a Toyota 86 is.
Excellent
body control, well weighted steering and mobile rear end make the Fiesta ST a
great drive
You get a 1.6-litre turbocharged engine
that puts 134kW and 240Nm to the front wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox
and Ford's clever torque-vectoring tech, which uses traction control software
to channel torque to the tyre with most grip, much like a heavier, costlier
limited-slip differential would. The suspension is suitably beefed up and
lowered by 15mm versus the standard car, while- get this - the ST is the first
ever Fiesta to be fitted with rear disc brakes. You also get chunky 17-inch
alloys, a smart body kit and, inside, unique seats and ST-specific trim.
Renault has owned this segment for years
with its Clio RS, but Glen Gold - fittingly an ex-Ford WRC employee who now
works on the Blue Oval's super mini programme- sums up the ST's mission
statement as 'delivering dynamic performance with practicality and fuel
efficiency', that it sits 'somewhere between the Focus ST and Focus RS' in
terms of sporting intent and that 'we think we've got the best all-rounder'.
Not as fun but more useable than a Clio RS, then? We're at Ford's Lommel
proving ground to find out just how true it all is.
There
are few identifiers to mark the ST out as the sporting flagship inside
Drive 100 metres and you notice how much
the Fiesta ST feels like a mini-me Focus ST: the ride sits on the softer side
of sport y, the engine h as a fat, juicy hit of torque down low, the gearshift
is light and quick, the steering is meaty and direct and the seats are bloody
fantastic- they manage to be both extremely comfortable and as dingily
supportive as an Italian mother. Already it feels like a very cohesive package
indeed.
There are some key differences versus its
big brother, however: Ford went to special lengths to ensure the new
four-cylinder Focus ST sounded as fantastic as the old five-cylinder model and
- almost unbelievably - it does, thanks to an active symposer that pipes engine
music into the cabin in line with your throttle inputs.
ST
remains as practical as any Fiesta. Boot will hold 960 litres with the rear
seats down
The Fiesta s till sounds great - deep and
rorty and willing without being at all overbearing - but it does it with a less
clever - and cheaper - passive symposer, so the sound isn't quite as bass-heavy
or fruity.
Cost savings mean you also do without the
Focus's trick variable-ratio steering; instead the fixed ratio is dropped from
the regular car's 14.6:1 to a faster 13.6:1.
Well
packaged Fiesta offers acceptable rear space
Ford might have saved cash, but you'll feel
no poorer. Out on Lommel's twisting, bucking and - today-very damp Track 7, the
ST comes alive. Chuck it over an off-camber crest that quickly tightens (a
crest that this car must know like the back of its cam cover) and you can
balance it right on the edge of under steer and over steer, the front
occasionally slipping a little wide, then the rear sliding round and pointing
you straight back at the apex when you back out of the throttle.
Sounds nervous, but its playfulness
actually makes it more controllable, especially when you whip crack that
playfulness with swift, well-weighted steering, eager throttle response and
brakes that require real clumsiness to send into an ABS panic attack- plus they
refuse to wilt after continuous hard laps. Torque steer isn't an issue, but
traction is: patience is required if you're to get the power down cleanly in
the wet.
Motor,
controller and power transmission wires occupy the engine bay
We suspect that a Clio RS would feel more
immediate, but we also suspect it wouldn't be masses more fun and that it'd be
far more tiresome on the road. We're also aware that all our driving took place
on Ford's own test track, and it remains to be seen how well the Fiesta ST
copes with driving at normal speeds on roads that Ford didn't actually design
it around. But on this evidence, it should be very, very good indeed.
