Ford Fiesta ST hatchback 2013 review - CarBuyer

Опубликовано 10 мая 2013, 16:28

Ford Fiesta ST review bit.ly/10nCAkZ
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"The 180bhp Ford Fiesta ST is a great fun hot hatchback that is exceptionally good value."

The Ford Fiesta is a fun car to drive even in its most basic models. But this one, well it's a little bit special because under there it has a 1.6-litre turbocharged engine, which can pump out a maximum 200 horsepower

Just looking at this Fiesta you can tell it has a firecracker up its exhaust. Ford has given it an appropriately aggressive body kit, boot spoiler, larger alloy wheels, lowered sports suspension and disc brakes all round -- a fiesta first.

Okay enough about the looks, you can make your own mind up about that. What I need to do is convey to you just how much fun this little car is to drive. Let's start with the engine -- it can do 0-62mph in just 6.9 seconds and tops out at 139mph. It's just so sweet to use as well. It's got loads of low down grunt yet still loves to rev. And the noise it makes is better than its rivals.

Now the performance would count for nothing if this car didn't handle. And I knew it would be good -- because the normal Fiesta is brilliant through the corers - but I didn't know just how much better the ST would be. Believe me it out handles all of its rivals.

But it's just not the way the Fiesta ST grips to the road that I like about it -- it's the way you can feel it gripping to the road both through the steering -- which is faster than on the normal fiesta and very accurate -- and through your bottom via the driver's seat as though the car is pivoting right beneath you.

Now if all that is too much motoring journalist speak for you let me sum the Fiesta ST up this way. It is a car which makes you laugh out loud like a complete idiot. It's a car that goads you to thrash it. It's a car you drive just for the hell of it even if you have no destination. In short it's a brilliant car.

Now you may think I'm getting carried away. Or you may think I'm being paid by Ford. So to prove I'm not here are some things which aren't so great about this pocket rocket.

The brakes. They have plenty of feel but the Fiesta ST's doesn't from 70mph as quickly as a Renaultsport Clio. Also the boy racer looks mean it's not as classy as a VW Polo GTI. And while the ride is pretty good for a mall hot hatch this car isn't as comfy as the Peugeot 208 GTi.

Also, apart from the body hugging sports seats, inside the Fiesta ST hardly feels any more special than the normal Fiesta. And it suffers from the same problems too like that confusing Sony Stereo, questionable build quality, a small boot with a stepped load bay and rear seats which feel a little bit cramped.

You can overlook all this these problems though when you consider this -- the Fiesta ST is not only a better hot hatch than its rivals it's actually cheaper than them too and I'm talking by a couple of thousand not a couple of hundred pounds by the way. So it's a no brainer...