Will 2013 see the return to form of the hot hatch? Ford have announced that the new Fiesta ST will arrive in UK showrooms in March. Two versions will be available. Here are the specs and prices:
Fiesta ST - £16,995, 1.6 litre EcoBoost turbo engine, 180bhp, 0-62mph in 6.9 seconds, 40mpg, 6-speed manual gearbox, 17 inch alloys, tinted glass, fog lamps, cloth Recaro seats, Ford DAB radio, aircon
Fiesta ST2 - £17,995, engine, gearbox and stats as for ST, part leather Recaros, Sony DAB radio, keyless start, Ford power button.
The Fiesta ST comes to the UK as a 3 door but will be available as a 5 door in the US. The new Renault Clio 200 turbo and Peugeot 208 GTi haven't had their prices announced yet but expect them to be higher than the Fiesta STs. We expect a lot from all 3 machines. Maybe this really will be the return of the hot hatch in it's truest form. Lightweight, taut, not overly powerful but enough for some tricks and not too expensive. That is true of the Seat Ibiza Cupra which gets 180bhp and will cost £18,995. Just recently VAG cars have undercut their Ford rivals. Touché to Ford this time.
Unfortunately the Fiesta gets that awful gaping mouth but fortunately the honeycomb grille tempers it somewhat. Also unfortunate is the dash layout. Zoom in on the interior shot of the ST2 and you'll see the aircon buttons and plastics look cheap, and the Sony stereo is typically messy. At least the instrument binnacle is reasonably visually appealing. The seats look good too, with not a hint of velour in sight.
