New Ford Fiesta ST debuts in Geneva

The new Fiesta ST comes with Ford’s new 1.6-litre EcoBoost engine, three separate Electronic Stability Control modes and Torque Vectoring System. Clearly, this car isn’t for the faint hearted. The EcoBoost mill chucks out 180PS of power and 240Nm of torque placing the Ford firmly in hot hatchback waters. 

Developed by Ford’s rally sport team, the Fiesta ST means serious business. The new Fiesta ST is 20 percent more powerful than the car it replaces. It takes under 7 seconds to go from standstill to 100 km/h and goes onwards to a top speed of 217 km/h. The whole car has been lowered by 15mm compared to the standard Fiesta hatchback and the chassis has been tuned for sharper handling. The car has been tested extensively at the Nurburgring, 5,000km to be precise. As a result the new Fiesta ST will be a proper hot hatchback.  

“We’re delighted to be bringing a new-generation Fiesta ST to our European enthusiasts in 2013 and we’ll have more to say about our plans for other markets in the near future. With the Fiesta ST joining the new Focus ST, we will again be able to deliver a choice of affordable small performance cars that are designed to deliver a unique blend of stand-out styling and dynamic on-road performance with true practicality for everyday use,” said Jost Capito, Ford’s director of Global Performance Vehicles.

The Fiesta ST sports high contrast interiors with Recaro racing seats. The car also comes with something called a ‘MyKey’, that allows owners to limit the performance output of the vehicle when less experienced drivers are behind the wheel. 

“We believe Ford customers will be blown away by the new Fiesta ST, and not only by the exhilarating performance but by the styling and specification, too. This dynamic new hot-hatch is undoubtedly our best Fiesta ST to date,” said Jost Capito. 

Following positive response for the five-door Fiesta ST Concept in North America Ford will be introducing the Fiesta ST for the first time in North America. 

While the Fiesta ST may be in short pants in front of competitors like the Vauxhall Corsa VXR and Volkswagen Golf GTI, the magic of fast little Ford’s have always been handling and the Fiesta ST’s Torque Vectoring System should take care of understeer around corners and stabilise handling misbehaviour caused by the firepower under the bonnet. 

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