The Ford Fiesta ST was officially launched by Ford in 2013, a good two years after the Concept ST car was first shown in 2011 and this was another three or so years since the Ford Fiesta first came out in 2008. It finally arrived in Malaysia in November 2014 which was a year since it was first showcased at the Kuala Lumpur International Motorshow in 2013. I suppose you may think that the Ford Fiesta ST is based on a chassis that has been around for about five or so years. You could be right as it is based on the current, sixth generation Ford Fiesta. I finally got to drive it recently and you have to read on and see whether the car it worth its weight and worth the time its taken Ford to build it.




The Fiesta ST is based on the facelifted Ford Fiesta Mk6 in three door hatch form. This means that it gets the same large gaping front grille as the normal Fiesta but with a honeycomb mesh instead of that Aston Martin-esque grille. There is a sportier front bumper/splitter, side skirts, a tailgate spoiler and a diffuser-like rear bumper with twin tailpipes. 17 inch wheels and 205/40 series tyres finish up the looks. I have to say that the overall look is quite understated. Not many people would take a second glance at the car as it just looks like a slightly sportier looking Ford Fiesta which already looks sporty as it is. I know as I drove it in traffic, to shopping malls, to places where people hangout and you don't really get the heads turning if you know what I mean.

A 1.6-litre Ford EcoBoost engine powers this car. The 1.6-litre turbocharged engine churns out 180hp and 240Nm of torque. The power is channeled to the front wheels via a 6 speed manual gearbox and according to Ford, the drivetrain features Torque Vectoring Control that is essentially an electronic LSD (Limied Slip Differential) that will actually brake either or both front wheels in order to aid traction and to feed its power to the road efficiently. According to Ford, the Fiesta  does 0-100kmh in 7 seconds and a top speed of 219kmh. This engine also features "overboost," of up to 197bhp for a maximum of 15 seconds according to specs.

Inside the Fiesta ST you get Recaro front seats, a slightly nicer looking leather wrapped steering wheel, different gear knob and aluminium pedals and kickplates that raise the bar slightly. Not much. Only Slightly aside for the superbly comfortable Recaro seats. You get Ford SYNC multi-media system for entertainment but no sat-nav. All of the above for RM149,000 or thereabouts.

Inside the Fiesta ST.

The 'ST' monkier. This is the most important thing about the Fiesta ST. The ST moniker is all about being the enthusiast's car. You get in and press the start button to start this car and once you are comfortable you'd notice that the driving position is quite good although I would like if it were at least an inch lower for that proper race-car, steering to the chest driving position. But I can't really complain as the view out of the cabin is good with no really noticeable blind spots and that the seats hold you comfortably and snugly but not super snug like some Japanese cars with their sports seats. There is a nicer looking steering wheel in this ST compared with the bread and butter Fiesta and the gear knob of what is now a manual gearshift is a nicely polished item. But like the outside, it is not vastly different from the Fiesta S which sits below this model in terms of price. This is much like the exterior. It is a sportier Fiesta, but it does not really turn heads or is vastly different in terms of looks. The exterior is understated too.

The quality of plastics are very, how shall I say, still supermini in terms of quality. There is a soft touch dashboard top but the rest is the same sort of quality most superminis have. Nothing unusually grand here. I have to also note that the smallish infotainment unit screen could be made larger and the function menu made simpler. I do like the system, which sounds fabulous in other Fords like the EcoSport and Ranger but in something that costs almost RM150,000 or in something that is supposedly the range topping variant of a car, it deserves a larger infotainment screen. Maybe with built-in SatNav so that the system actually matches the price Ford wants us to pay for the Fiesta ST.

Ingress to the rear seats are adequate, the Recaro seats are able to tilt and also move forward on its rails. The boot size is like normal Fiestas. Things can go into it.

Driving the darn thing

But I stopped whining right after I first started to put it through its paces. The car has 180hp and 240nm torque. It actually does 0-100kmh in around 7 seconds on most of the timed runs I did (here, the torque vectoring system helped as no visible torque steer was present most of the time). The 6 speed gearbox is slick and accurate. Its been a while since I had tested a brand new car that had a manual transmission unit and it is a breath of fresh air. Or was it nostalgia as most manufacturers do not sell manual cars here in Malaysia these days. The manual shifter is crisp and slots in and out of gears easily. The clutch is light and easy as heck to modulate. Being stuck in traffic on the Federal Highway during rush hour did not get me leg cramps. Easy to drive in traffic due to its supermini size too with no apparent blindspots.

The overall feel of its performance is that it is adequate for its class. The exhaust note is rorty and sporty. It feels slightly manufactured but makes the car feel slightly special. The note is not droney or irritating at all speeds with just the right amount of bass to it and there's a decent level of cabin refinement at speed. No adversely loud tyre roar or road noise or wind noise too.

Power delivery is smooth and linear. There is only a little hint of turbo rush when it hits 3000rpm but its a smooth power unit with little lag. 160Kmh is quickly seen on the speedometer if you gun it. But being a supermini hot hatch, it feels adequately fast, not crazy fast. Much like the other cars in this class. But its the interaction between car and driver which makes this ride a special one.
This car somehow has the right amount of everything. The steering, at 2.4turns lock to lock is very quick and accurate. It actually has some feel to it. Turn in is fast and actually reminded me of the steering turn in of a Lancer Evo VII. In terms of steering weighting and speed, the ST's one is one of the best I've had my hands on recently.

The suspension may just be a modified version of what underpins normal Fiestas but it does not feel pedestrian at all. The ride is hard, with a certain solidity towards it. Everything moves in cohesion yet there is still tolerable levels of ride here. The car is actually so well balanced that I reverted to being a sort of a hooligan attacking roundabouts and high speed bends so that I can feel its front end grip and a slightly less grippy rear end wag its tail a little at speed. You just drop a gear, aim for the apex feed the power in and then at the apex gun it so that the tail actually comes a round a bit to make it a helluva lot of fun whilst exiting. The car is crackingly fun. It is not nose-led and you feel that the pivot point of the car is somewhere in the middle of the car. Just right behind the front seats.

This is also a rare front wheel driver that could be persuaded to enter into a four wheel drift in a high speed bend if there is enough road to allow it to do so. This car is balanced, agile and fun. On a tight B-road, that 180hp is more than enough to put a smile on your face. It is not a car for the straights, although I did see speeds of over 180kmh on the highways but the fun is at the bends in this car.  This car bloody engages you in art of driving. More than a Golf GTI in some ways. Imagine that.

Dammit, it made me feel twenty one again and now memories of me in my second generation souped up Honda Civic are flooding back to me now.

Conclusion: A nice car to interact with. Entertaining and adjustable at its limit. Examplary handling. One to bring home.

Pros: Handling, overall performance, agility, interaction with driver, complete driver's package in a junior hot hatch sized car, makes me feel twenty one again

Cons: Exterior whilst more aggressive than standard Fiesta could be more aggressive. Interior aside from the seats look very Fiesta S. Infotainment screen a tad too tiny for what's being charged for the car. Not many twenty one year olds here can afford this car (maybe that is a good thing)


Price: RM149,901.50 OTR (check with your dealer for any rebates and the latest GST prices)
Engine: 1.6 turbocharged
Power: 180hp
Torque: 240Nm
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Performance: 0-100kmh in 7sec (tested)
Top speed: 219kmh
Fuel: 9.7liters/100km (tested combined figures - but hey, I have a heavy right foot)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Fiesta ST and its competition

The Ford Fiesta ST may be what a purist wants. It has a manual transmission, enough performance and fantastic handling. A complete package for those who want ultimate  car and driver interaction at under RM150,000. Well, maybe the current Swift Sport for something coming in around RM100,000. But that is more warm hatch than a hot hatch due to its simpler normally aspirated 133hp engine. 

The Fiesta ST's local competitors are the likes of the Volkswagen Polo GTI, Peugeot 208 GTI and the Renault Clio RS 200. Only this and the 208 Gti offer manual shifters. Both the Polo GTI and the Clio 200 are dual clutch gearboxes. This car is priced at RM149,801otr. The Polo comes in with prices from RM154,888, the 208 GTI from RM,139,888 and the Clio RS 200 from a whopping RM172,000. In terms of price all could be had at a discount if I am not mistaken.

The Renault may be the fastest of the lot. But the price is also RM30,000 more than most of its closest competition. Discounts may have to be massive before one considers this car over the others. The Polo GTI in isolation feels great, but you compare with the Fiesta ST is feels all bark and no bite at all. There is more sophistication in the Fiesta ST. I cannot say much about the 208 GTI as I haven't driven it yet but I do not quite like that funny smallish steering wheel and that meter cluster viewed from above the steering wheel type of design as when I drove the basic 208, the view was slightly obscured. But then its a manual like the Fiesta ST. So I have to actually try the 208 GTI before making a proper assumption.

So there you have it. It seems I like the Fiesta ST more over the others mentioned at this moment.

The Ford Fiesta that wad displayed at the recent KL motor show is not the actual car we Malaysians will be getting. And this is a good thing. Surprised? Those that have been taking extra attention would know what I'm harping on about.



Firstly, the car on display has some alloy wheels by MAK. Or 'mother' in malay. I doubt Ford will sell you a Ford with aftermarket MAK wheels (they should have just pinched some wheels from a Fiesta ST or something to give it a more family look to it).

Secondly, the steering wheel is a hard piece of plastic instead of something leather wrapped (those two grooves you see at the 10 o'clock and at 7 o'clock on the wheel is just grooves added to plastic). And they're supposedly charging more for this car than the 1.5 Fiesta already being sold here.

And lastly, it has manual winders for the rear windows. Yes, you have to operate the window all by yourselves. This is 2013 and even Proton gives you power windows all round. Unless your car is a Suzy Alto imported from India (which is what my mum runs...we bought it just because she thinks it is cute and the heck with the rear passengers).

So since the Fiesta Ecoboost will be supposedly sold at over RM96k, a price higher than the current Fiesta 1.5, I can safely assume that the show car isn't exactly what we Malaysians will be getting. So imagine a Ford Fiesta 1.0 Ecoboost with Ford looking rims, a leather wrapped steering wheel and power windows on all doors. Oh, and also delete those unflattering decals too and wallah, a car that befits its close to RM100K pricetag. Something like the photo below. Or is that so? A 1.0liter car costing that much regardless of how much power it makes? Hmmm.....

See? You have to pay attention to  the details, folks.