New Ford Fiesta ST revealed ahead of Geneva debut

24 February 2017

The all-new Ford Fiesta ST has been revealed ahead of its global premiere at the upcoming Geneva motor show.

The flagship of the new-generation Fiesta range will be powered by a brand new 1.5-litre, three-cylinder turbocharged engine generating 200hp and promising 0-62mph acceleration in just 6.7 seconds.

The new Fiesta ST won’t be seen on UK streets until early 2018, and will be offered in both three- and five-door versions. Ford Performance is promising that the new car will offer a greater variety of interior trim and personalisation options than previous models, with distinctive exterior styling packs and unique 18-inch alloy wheels. Customers will also be able to choose from a range of trim elements for the gear lever, steering wheel, door pulls and dashboard trim.

The Fiesta ST will offer selectable Drive Modes, enabling engine, steering and stability controls to be configured to Normal, Sport and Track settings. Like many manufacturers, the system will also use fake exhaust noise technology to “amplify the naturally sporty sound of the engine” which roughly translates to making the car sound louder from inside the cabin.

The new 1.5-litre EcoBoost engine is based on Ford’s award-winning 1.0-litre unit, and includes turbocharging, high-pressure fuel injection and advanced variable camshaft timing to maximise both performance and fuel efficiency. Ford Performance claims CO₂ emissions of 114g/km. The engine can also deactivate one of its three cylinders under light loading to improve fuel economy.

2018 Ford Fiesta ST unveiled, February 2017 02

Handling prowess should be enhanced by torque vectoring technology to brake the inside front wheel when cornering. The stability control system has three settings to allow a progressive reduction of electronic intervention under hard driving. In the Track mode, traction control is disabled and the stability control will allow a greater degree of slip before the system cuts in.

The new Fiesta ST will premiere at the Geneva motor show in early March, but UK pricing and specification is not expected until towards the end of 2017.