Ford Fiesta ST long-term test: report 3
It's the most entertaining hot hatch available for less than £25,000, but is the Ford Fiesta ST also a great everyday car? We're living with one to find out...
The car Ford Fiesta ST-3 (5-Door) 1.5T Ecoboost Start/Stop 6-Speed Manual Run by Louis Shaw, social media manager
Why it’s here To find out if the latest Ford Fiesta ST can be the ultimate everyday driver’s car
Needs to be Fun to drive and yet usable everyday, plus economical both on long journeys and around town.
Mileage 963 List price £25,300 Target Price £23,494 Price as tested £27,200 Options fitted Silver Fox metallic paint (£750) Full LED headlamps (£600) Driver Assistance Pack (£550) Official economy 40.1mpg (WLTP) Test economy 39.2mpg
25 October 2020 – A silver fox
Beauty is indeed in the eyes of the beholder but I struggle to see how anyone could fault the look of my Fiesta ST. And it isn’t just me who thinks it looks brilliant; on a recent road trip my girlfriend said that she was “genuinely surprised by how striking it was in person” – and that about sums it up. It’s a car with a huge amount of presence, and that’s no accident.
Everywhere you look there’s a subtle reminder of what lurks beneath (the sharp, body coloured diffuser, wheel arch-filling alloys and blacked out front grill are a nice reminder) and yet none of that likeable Fiesta styling has been lost in its transition from small car to hot hatchback.
I’m also happy that although the Fiesta ST looks muscular, it’s not overtly menacing. And although I am admittedly a fan of crazy wings and front splitters, I also like that the Fiesta is more grown-up than the chintzy modified cars you sometimes see in town centres at night. It’s the thinking man’s hot hatchback, and that’s why I love it.
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