LIFESTYLE
James Stinson
Peak Petrol
The Fiesta ST underlines the joy of petrol motoring, writes James Stinson.
You never know the value of what you have ‘til it’s gone or so the saying goes. And when we look back at these years in a decade or so, we’ll likely lament the passing of the last of a great breed of petrol-engined cars. The fuel that’s powered cars for more than 140 years is giving way to electric. The process is slow at the minute, but it’ll gather pace and in a few years’ time, zesty performance-driven cars like this Ford Focus ST will be a thing of the past. And we will miss them! Sure, electric cars are awfully futuristic and on-trend but they are by no means the best of way of getting from A to B. Range is still a worry for many. They are heavy, because of those batteries, and relatively expensive while
performance versions are thin on the ground. By comparison, this Ford Fiesta ST (Sports Technologies) can be had for around £22,000 – a whopping £5,000 less than the electricpowered and, by comparison, somewhat limited Vauxhall e-Corsa. If anything, given the relative capabilities and desirability of both cars, the prices should be the other way round. The little Fiesta is light, powerful and handles like it’s on rails, the product of years of honing by Ford engineers. Powered by a terribly efficient three-cylinder 197bhp 1.5 litre turbocharged petrol engine, it delivers spritely numbers. From a standing start, 60mph comes up in around 6.5 seconds… and with some fanfare. The engine is raucous and bassy, a key element of the ST experience along with the low-slung driving position, weighty steering and a notchy six-speed gearbox. It’s also rather good at putting that performance on the road. The Fiesta’s steering is sharp and nimble, providing plenty of feedback as you make your way along winding B-roads, where the car is at its best. The suspension is necessarily firm but not uncomfortably so. Still, you shouldn’t be expecting a quiet, elegant ride. It’s a mechanical experience, albeit one aided with lots of electronic driving aids, that connects you to the car and the car to the road. How quick you want the car to go is determined by which of the three selectable drive modes you choose. These enable engine, steering and stability controls to be configured to Normal, Sport and Track
Agnew Fleet Manager
settings, shifting the vehicle’s character from flexible everyday hatchback to trackfocussed sports car at the push of a button. Indeed, if you have one of these hot hatches and wish to extract the most pleasure from it safely and enjoyably, you should probably use it for track days, where you and others pay for the privilege of being able to drive on a proper race circuit. If you don’t, you can still just about pass it off as an everyday runaround. There are three and five-door versions while the cabin boasts a decent amount of room. Up front, driver and passenger will find plenty of space, and visibility all around is good. The rear is a little more cramped thanks, in part, to the Recaro sports seats in the front but it’s hardly limiting and does include things like ISOFIX fixings. At 311 litres, the boot is useful and easy to lift stuff in and out of. There are three versions to choose from: ST-2, ST-3 and ST Edition. The ST-2 comes fitted with 17-inch alloy wheels, air conditioning, cruise control selectable drive modes and an 8-inch SYNC3 touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard. More expensive versions add things like bigger wheels, leather trim, more colours, better sound systems and performance enhancing gadgets like a limited slip differential and launch control function. In whatever trim, the little Fiesta ST is gloriously driver focussed with smileinducing performance and you can’t say that about a lot of new cars these days.
18 Boucher Way, Belfast, BT12 6RE W: agnewleasing.com T: 028 9038 6600
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