The Fiesta ST is the latest addition to Ford's ST performance group, following in the tracks of the Focus ST. In one word, the Fiesta ST is a blast. Starting under the hood, Ford's hopped-up city car has a 1.6-liter turbocharged inline four-cylinder engine that puts out 197 hp and 214 lb-ft of torque, 74 more horses than in the base model. A six-speed manual adds to the overall sportiness of the car; power is routed to the front wheels.
From the exterior, the bright ST color palette pops in the sunlight. We noted this especially in the green, blue, and orange examples. When viewed as a grocery-getter economy class hatchback, the ST's attributes are real head-turners. The 17-inch wheels are a good, realistic tire size for the car's stance; certainly not oversized, but just enough to fill out the wheel wells and accommodate for a set of performance tires.
2014 Ford Fiesta ST drive review1
The unique ST designed grill adds form and function to the 2014 Fiesta ST.
Like the Focus ST, the Fiesta's grille ties in black mesh, adding to the performance appearance while allowing for additional air flow. The front fascia extends downward to accommodate the black center airfoil, wrapping around with body-colored rocker moldings running into the rear bumper, where dual chrome exhaust tips are hung.
Once inside the Fiesta ST, the chrome-trimmed black interior plays on the sportiness feel, which includes a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob. Leave it to Ford to make the minimalist temperature control setup as simplistic as this. Keep in mind, this isn't dual-climate control, but it doesn't require jumping through hoops to turn on the air conditioning.
With a base price of $22,195, the Fiesta ST's accommodations aren't lacking. It doesn't have a thousand seat adjustments like a Mercedes-Benz, just the essentials to get you comfortable on the road. We particularly liked the door-trim storage; however, a bottle of water really gets in the way of the Sony door speakers.
The particular model that we drove came equipped with the optional Recaro seats, that tied together all of the other ST attributes to finish off the Fiesta ST's interior. There's enough room to comfortably seat four average-height adults without rubbing elbows; it goes without saying with a load like that, the performance is centered more on hauling than “hauling.”
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