Make Way for the New Generation Ford Fiesta ST

Where else can you find a versatile car that combines performance racing, cutting edge-technology, fun driving, and good fuel efficiency in one small vehicle? No need to look elsewhere--the seventh-generation Ford Fiesta ST promises a lot and delivers everything with utmost confidence. If we can spell good quality, we'll spell it with a Fiesta ST--in big, bold letters.

What’s It Like Outside?

The Ford Fiesta ST now has a wider and lower posture, with more muscular lines on the rear side to show off its athletic features. It also offers standard 18-inch alloy wheels, with an optional Liquid Blue paint that’s similar to the Ford GT.

It comes in either a three- or five-door body style.

What's It Like Inside?

The new ST offers a more attractive and modern-looking dashboard compared to its predecessors. It pretty much has all the standard features of its Fiesta siblings, with additional cool features like its Recaro seats and a touchscreen Sync 3 infotainment system. The latter includes navigation and audio controls, and is compatible with Android and Apple CarPlay.

This car's highly-customizable features also extend to choosing different trim elements, such as the dashboard, steering wheel, door pulls, dashboard spear, and gear lever. You also have the option to get the high-end Bang & Olufsen sound system for a better audio experience.

How Does It Perform?

One great new feature that showcases its versatility is the drive-mode selector that will allow drivers to select Normal, Sport, and Track modes. All of them have a brake-based torque vectoring system, but each one has its own unique engine mapping, power steering, traction control, exhaust sound, electronic stability control, and even interior sound.

Ford hopes that the added versatility will make it appeal to a much broader consumer base.

"Our ST models are designed to make a Ford Performance driving experience accessible to customers regardless of lifestyle," said Matthias Tonn, Fiesta ST Chief Program Engineer. "With three- and five-door body styles and distinctive styling options that complement the model’s performance characteristics available from day-one, the next generation Fiesta ST will deliver a broader appeal for an even wider range of car-buyers."

How Fuel Efficient Is It?

The new 2018 ST's three-cylinder engine is more fuel-efficient. Its 1.5-liter EcoBoost mill has a cylinder deactivation that shuts one cylinder when full power is not needed, saving on fuel. What’s more, the process of disengaging and re-engaging the cylinder is 20 times faster than the blink of an eye--around 14 milliseconds, to be exact.

How Powerful Is It?

It's all about the down-sized engine. This is the first time that a Ford Performance car will be fitted with an all-new three-cylinder, 1.5-liter, Ecoboost engine that can produce 197 hp and 290 Nm of torque. It can accelerate from 0-62 mph (0-100 kph) in 6.7 seconds, making it less than half a second faster than the old ST model. The top speed will probably be an estimated 140 mph (225 kph).

Darren Palmer, Ford's head of small cars in Europe calls this new engine "promising," with brilliant sound and a stronger torque when the turbo is revved up.

The Ford Fiesta ST will also offer high-pressure injection, Twin-independent Variable Cam Timing, and a turbocharger to add better performance and fuel-efficiency on the road.

Ford Philippines says that it has no plans to sell the ST in the near future. This is really disappointing, since it's clearly the best choice you can make among all the Fiesta variants sold in the country. By the way, we're not saying that the other variants are not great. On the contrary, each has its own strengths that fits the needs and preferences of every consumer. But what gives the Fiesta ST that added edge is its versatility, since it's a blend of all its siblings' good features--and much, much more. This car performs equally well on the race track and on normal roads, so you pretty much get the whole package when you drive this vehicle.