Get the car moving in first. Drop the shifter to second. Step on it, and feel your back press into the firm Recaro seats behind you as you accelerate… ahem, to the legally posted speed limit, officer, and no faster.
This is the experience I got from Ford’s latest sports hatchback, the 2014 Fiesta ST. Wait, what’s that you said? The Fiesta? Yup. Just check out the barely suppressed self-satisfied grin on the guy standing in front of the ST-exclusive Molten Orange Metallic car.
photo courtesy Josephine Pica
I’m told the base-level Fiesta is no slouch, with a one-litre engine producing a peppy 120 hp, but the 197hp 1.6L 16-valve Ti-VCT Turbocharged Direct Injection EcoBoost® I-4 engine matched to a six-speed manual makes the ST very quick off the mark. The performance gives one greater appreciation for highway on-ramps and other places where drivers can test acceleration without worrying about flashing lights bearing down on them.
You hear the Fiesta ST growl when you do this, or when you overtake on the highway, thanks to a sound symposer that channels engine noise into the cabin. You also feel a few more bumps than you might in similar cars, due to ST-tuned springs, dampers, stabilizer bar and rear twist beam. The brakes require the merest tap of the pedal to activate, the shifter the shortest of throws from one gear to the next.
The Fiesta ST’s exterior styling doesn’t belie its quickness. Ford started with the already sporty appearance of the Fiesta and added great details. Low-profile tires on 17-inch wheels are flanked by body skirts.
photo courtesy Ford
Mesh grille inserts grace the front and rear of the car, part of the special fascias that distinguish the ST from its Fiesta stable mates.
A rear spoiler above the hatch, dual chrome-tipped exhaust and other touches make the ST the type of car an after-market tuner would covet.
photo courtesy Ford
Sporty design carries over into the interior. You step over the Fiesta ST-branded door sill plate to enter the car.
photo courtesy Ford
Once seated, a red-accented ST-branded leather Recaro seat hugs the rear half of your torso. (The side bolsters may cause a mobile-phone holster to press into your side. First-world problem.)
photo courtesy Ford
Ambient lighting shines on aluminum racing-inspired pedals and illuminates the cup holders and glove box. The leather-wrapped and aluminum-topped shifter adds the defining touch.
Fortunately, the driver’s seat goes low enough and the ST is tall enough that I only brush my hair against the moonroof-endowed ceiling. The rear seats, also accented with red, aren’t made for giants, but they’re serviceable enough.
Oddly, the ST I drove lacks a rear-view camera. Given the smallish rear window and the placement of the C-pillars, it was difficult to see much behind me when reversing. Rearward visibility is also reduced when the privacy cover behind the rear seats gets pushed up by cargo. The small parabolic inserts in the heated side mirrors help a little.
The hatch does pass the hockey-bag test with the rear seats up, but only just.
My hockey bag did a number on the privacy shield, causing it to further limit an already inadequate view out the rear window.
The hatch could be made deeper, but instead Ford created a pull-up floor that conceals a spare tire and, for the theft-conscious among us, enough room to conceal bags about the size of a briefcase.
The ST doesn’t go overboard with displays on the dashboard. About the only concession to the digital age is a small display tucked between the refreshingly analog tachometer and speedometer. Drivers can choose to view information like the odometer, distance to travel until the tank empties and current fuel consumption. This number stayed around 7.6 to 7.8 litres per 100 kilometres during my time with the car, which is what Ford claims for city driving. Ford claims 5.9 L/100km highway.
The center console houses a MyFordTouch 3.5-inch monitor at the top and push buttons below, including the climate control system, a button to change the colour for ambient lighting and a button to lock and unlock the doors.
photo courtesy Ford
While I usually like to check out the technology in cars, the Fiesta ST proved too much fun to simply drive, so that’s about all I did with the car while I had it. The hatch-only ST starts at a manufacturer-suggested retail price of $24,999. Extras on my tester, including the power moonroof, navigation and upscale sound system and premium wheels, drove the total price to 29,577 delivered. Ford offers the S, SE and Titanium trim Fiestas in either hatchback or sedan versions, with the S starting at $11,269 MSRP.