Do you want a car with low CO2 emissions but which still has a bit of zip? Well, here is one solution: The Ford Fiesta ST (Ford XR4 in Australia), which is powered by a 2.0 liter engine producing 150 bhp.
I've always liked small cars with big engines, and that formula works well in the Fiesta ST, which has a nice engine. Mind, when you first look at this Fiesta it doesn't look very fast apart from the big mesh grille beneath the Ford grille abd1960s go-faster stripes, which are now making a comeback.
Fiestas are rather tall cars at present – a new one is due later this year - so it doesn't look the part really, compared with the hot Renault Clio or the MINI Cooper S. On the other hand, you soon discover that it is a thoroughly practical car with plenty of headroom, and reasonable luggage space.
150 bhp not 180 bhp
To compete with the hottest hot hatches, the Fiesta ST would need 180 bhp, but Ford wanted to make a bit more civilised than that, and did not want it competing with the
Focus ST. You do get a modern engine, up-to-date with four-valves per cylinder and variable valve timing.
As the engine is not tuned too highly, there is plenty of mid-range torque, so from the first time you put your foot down in first or second you are aware that this is quick – very good response. So the performance is pretty good - not hooligan power though.
Good power 4,000-7,000 rpm
Of course, these hot hatches all weight much more than they could, so the ST isn't a hot rod by any means. It goes well on main roads, but you need to keep the revs in the 4,000-7,000 rpm range to fly. And if you do keep that engine spinning you cover the ground remarkably quickly.
Also, the Fiesta cruises fast quietly and comfortably. Quite a few shocks come through on poor surfaces, but overall the ride is quite good.
Steering is good too, although it could do with more feel, like the Focus ST. Turn in is pretty good for a front-driver, and once you set the Fiesta up for a long curve, it tracks round very well, and is a pleasure to drive.
Also, the handling, modified by the stability control, is good. Sure you get that front-drive understeer, which gets very strong if you let it. Lifting off kills the understeer and your
speed, making the car tuck in neatly so you can get on track again.
Good marks for handling
Better still, once you get ambitious on long curves and get the car really understeering, it has enough power for you to lift off a fraction, then put the power on again to keep the understeer down. If you keep doing this you can keep cornering faster, and under control. So, it gets good marks for handling.
Overall, though, it is the big-car driving position, the quiet engine, and reserves of power that make this a good cruiser and overtaker, cruising like a larger car than it is. The engine revs to 7,000 rpm for overtaking, and the gearshift of the five-speed manual box is good.
Only five speeds? Yes, and that is plenty of gears for a car with this amount of performance – if it had six gears, fifth would be redundant most of the time.
Does the Fiesta ST compete with the
MINI Cooper S? Not as an out-and-out super-handling hot hatch with furious acceleration. But if you want a small but quick hatch that also cruises effortlessly, this might be a better bet.
