New Ford Fiesta ST priced from $32K

Ford Australia has revealed key pricing and specification details for the new 147kW Fiesta ST hot hatch, which will finally land in Australian showrooms from the first quarter of 2020.

Priced higher than before at $31,990 plus on-road costs, the Blue Oval's next-generation pint-size hot hatch will bring more technology and safety equipment.

But unlike in Europe and with the previous generation, the new Ford Fiesta ST will only be available in Australia in five-door (not three-door) form.

The new Fiesta ST has been on sale in Europe since 2018. It is understood that Australian delays centred on the fitment of autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and other safety equipment.

Although it comes with a $6000 price premium over the Fiesta ST it replaces, the 2020 Ford Fiesta ST still aims directly at light-size hot hatches like the Renault Clio RS (from $30,990) and Volkswagen Polo GTI, which is priced identically at $31,990.

However, while the Fiesta ST remains a manual-only proposition, its competitors are exclusively automatic.

For reference, the previous model was priced at $25,990 plus ORCs when it landed in Australia in August 2013. That price rose to $27,490 plus ORCs when it bowed out in April 2018.

New equipment includes LED headlights, 18-inch alloy wheels shod with Michelin Pilot Super Sport tyres, Recaro sports seats, keyless entry and start, a flat-bottomed steering wheel and a Quaife mechanical limited-slip differential as standard.

Powering the Ford Fiesta ST is a 147kW/290Nm 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol, tied solely to a six-speed manual gearbox. A launch control feature and bi-modal exhaust are offered as standard, while the important nought to 100km/h acceleration time is claimed to be 6.5 seconds.

There are three different driving modes, while braking is courtesy of 278mm vented front discs and 253mm solid rear discs.

On the safety front, the Ford Fiesta ST is offered standard with aforementioned AEB including pedestrian detection, plus lane keep assist, blind spot monitoring, cross traffic alert, automatic headlights and wipers, reversing camera and full airbag coverage, enabling a five-star Euro NCAP rating.

Infotainment is sorted via Ford’s SYNC3 software, projected via an 8.0-inch centre touch-screen with digital radio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus a B&O 10-speaker sound system.

The only options in Australia will be a sunroof ($2500) and metallic paint ($650).

Exterior colours will include Performance Blue, Frozen White, Magnetic, Moondust Silver, Race Red, Shadow Black and Silver Fox.

The move to a five-door body in Australia brings a 93mm increase in overall length (4068mm), an additional 21 litres of boot space (311 litres) and the adoption of a full-size spare wheel.

How much does the 2020 Ford Fiesta ST cost?

Fiesta ST: $31,990 (six-speed manual)

Price does not include on-road costs