The Fiesta ST
lift-throttle oversteered into 10Best week like the champ it is. And
aside from a cramped back seat and cargo hold, its bravado is justified.
Ford offers its hot Fiesta only with a six-speed manual mated to a
turbocharged, direct-injected 1.6-liter four borrowed from the Fusion.
At 2750 pounds, the ST is light and tossable, with a highly competent
chassis that can out-party cars costing twice as much.
Unlike
the 252-hp tire-smoking Focus ST, every last one of the Fiesta’s 197
horses is usable 100 percent of the time. Torque steer is all but
nonexistent, with just the tiniest little tug in the wheel in first and
second gears, as if the engine were a curious two-year-old at your elbow
asking questions. While you should surely lift off the throttle on
corner entry to get this little enthusiast trainer’s back end to step
out, you’ll never find yourself lifting on corner exit—there’s just the
right amount of understeer baked into the balance. Just the right amount
of feedback, too, from major controls that provide all the answers.
That
this all starts with an economy car is only surprising until you look
at what Ford changed. The company claims that the ST has 164 special
components, including most everything that matters. The result is as
good as fun, cheap driving gets.
The rear wing, fascias, and side sills are specific to the ST, and
though they make the Fiesta look like a WRC car, that’s all they do. The
optional Recaro seats, on the other hand, are the real deal. If you can
get comfortable in them—not everyone can—consider your money well
spent.
The rear torsion beam uses heavier-gauge steel than the non-ST
version’s, making it 70 percent stiffer. Also, the rear tires have much
less negative camber, -0.6 degree versus -1.5, to reduce rear-axle grip,
thus providing a more neutral balance. Bushings at the rear are also
firmer than those fitted to a standard Fiesta.
Ford redesigned the front suspension knuckles for more negative camber,
-1.2 degrees versus -0.7, benefiting at-the-limit grip. The knuckles’
slightly shorter steering arms quicken the steering ratio from 14.3:1 in
the base car to 13.6:1 here. The geometry changes also raise the roll
center, thus diminishing body roll compared with the base car.
Spring rates are up all around, by 20 percent in the rear and 36
percent in the front. A higher roll center and stiffer springs enable a
smaller front anti-roll bar (0.7-inch diameter) versus what’s in the
regular Fiesta (0.9-inch diameter).
The 10.9-inch front brake rotors are larger than a stock Fiesta’s by
0.7 inch. Ford also exchanges the standard Fiesta’s rear drum brakes for
10.0-inch discs. Bridgestone Potenza RE050A summer tires, in size
205/40R-17, come standard.