Given that the 2014 Ford Fiesta ST’s first few months with us involved multiple autocross events, a track day, and plenty of spirited driving, you might think that we’d already written off this hot hatchback as nothing more than a go-fast toy. But how does this performance-oriented Fiesta measure up as a long-distance cruiser? I took the Fiesta ST on a ten-hour round-trip drive to Champaign, Illinois with three friends in tow to find out.
Compared with its plebian Fiesta sibling, the 2014 Ford Fiesta ST has a stiffer, lowered suspension, larger brakes, a powerful EcoBoost turbo engine, larger wheels with low-profile tires, and aggressive Recaro sport seats. While you’d expect this combination to make the car fun to drive, these upgrades don’t seem like they’d be ideal for long-distance highway trips.
We’ll start with the positives. The EcoBoost engine enables easy 75-mph cruising. Even when loaded with four adults, the Fiesta ST felt peppy and made quick work of passing slow-moving semi trucks on the flat Illinois freeway. Credit the gearing of the six-speed manual for making it easy to work the engine’s power band—the 1.6L is turning just above 3000 rpm in sixth at 75 mph, leaving plenty of passing power on tap without producing too much engine noise. I also averaged between 31-33 mpg for the entire trip, pretty impressive for a 200-hp hatchback.
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