Fiery ST joins Ford's revamped Fiesta range

The latest addition to Ford's local light car range, the Fiesta ST, is being hailed as the most powerful production Fiesta ever.

“Not since the Fiesta XR4 has Ford had such a performance offering in this segment,” said the company's general marketing manager, David Katic. “The Fiesta ST leverages the performance input of our European team to deliver a very refined car that will appeal to a broad spread of customers.”

“It is already a smash hit in Europe with a bank of customer orders. Like the Focus ST, the Fiesta ST delivers a precise, unsurpassed driving experience with the efficiency of a 1.6-litre EcoBoost engine. It’s a car that speaks directly to connoisseurs of the hot hatchback, who have a passion for performance driving.”

Under the bonnet, a 1.6-litre EcoBoost engine (turbocharged, direct-injected) produces 134kW and 240Nm, yet returns an official fuel consumption figure of 6.2L/100km.  For brief intervals the Fiesta ST will muster 147kW and 290Nm on overboost – with dynamic driving features like torque vectoring and three-model stability control making the most of that output. Ford engineers at Ford Team RS in Europe have also tweaked the suspension, steering and brakes for optimised cornering and stopping power. A faster steering ratio has been adopted for the ST, which also sees the steering knuckle and rear torsion beam modified for improved response and reduced body roll. Additionally, the ride height has been lowered 15mm through revised spring and damper settings. Fiesta ST is the first variant in the range to offer rear disc brakes.

Style and packaging are enhanced with 17x7-inch alloy wheels, unique grille, headlights, rear diffuser, Recaro seats and Ford's Sound Symposer, which provides the car with a sporty exhaust note.

The feisty Fiesta is the first model to be introduced by Ford Australia with Emergency Assistance, which can autonomously contact 000 operators in the event the vehicle's airbags deploy or the fuel cut-off is triggered – either of which signal a crash has occurred. Bundled with Ford's SYNC infotainment/telematics system, Emergency Assistance opens a line of communication between the 000 operator and the driver of the car, presuming the driver may be incapable of placing the phone call his or herself. Even if the driver cannot respond to the operator, the system ensures emergency services attend the vehicle's location and operates through the driver's own Bluetooth-equipped mobile phone.

The Fiesta ST will go on sale during September, along with the rest of the upgraded Fiesta range. Changes for the mainstream models include the introduction of SYNC with AppLink, but it's the debut of International Engine of the Year Award-winning three-cylinder EcoBoost 1.0-litre engine that's likely to be the headline act for the new range. Output for the engine is 92kW/170Nm – 19Nm more than the 1.6-litre Duratec engine of the current range, and combined-cycle fuel consumption is as low as 4.9L/100km. Ford will offer the EcoBoost 1.0 with a five-speed manual transmission as standard or a six-speed PowerShift dual-clutch transmission as an extra-cost option.

The tiny engine, to be released here in December, will be complemented by a 1.5-litre Duratec engine in the range. Producing 82kW/140Nm, the 1.5 is good for 5.8L/100km, which is a marginal improvement (0.3L/100km) on the current 1.6's effort. As for the EcoBoost engine, the 1.5-litre four-cylinder will be offered with five-speed manual or optional six-speed PowerShift box.

Underpinning the new model, dampers, bump stops and the electrically-assisted steering have all been revised. Ford stylists have also refreshed the new model year Fiesta with a new trapezoidal grille and 'laser-cut' headlights. Tail lights have been restyled also, and a new colour, Celestial Blue, has been added to the exterior paint palette. Inside the new Fiesta, window switches and door handles have been relocated, new materials have been specified and the seats now boast more bolstering.

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