Ford has thrown its current-generation Fiesta model one last party, a 40th birthday
party in fact, before it is replaced later this year, and it comes in the form of this new
ST hot hatch model, the ST200. Oh, and this just so happens to be the most powerful production
Fiesta ever made – and apparently, Ford are only going to make 1,000 of them.
But, I am getting ahead of myself here, let’s discuss exactly what this new ST200
is all about. Well, as you can see it has a unique Top Gun-esque Storm Grey paintjob,
there’s special 17-inch matt black alloy wheels, the usual lashes of ST body kit, 15mm lowered
ride height and of course you get ST200 badging thrown in as well – but more importantly, it has 197bhp
212bhp in Overboost mode.
Now, if you frequently read or watch car reviews will probably be sick to death of hearing
how great the Ford Fiesta is. I mean it’s constantly used as the benchmark for “fun
factor”, be it in its standard guise or its hot hatch ST one. But is it really that good to drive?
Yes [Very Masculine High Pitched Scream]
This thing is absolutely brilliant to drive! So that extra in power I mentioned before, which overall
is 32bhp more than the standard model, comes from the same 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol
engine – but of course it is re-tuned. And you also get more torque, 290Nm in fact,
or 320Nm in Overboost mode.
Now, Overboost mode is accessed when you floor it in third or fourth gear, giving the turbo an extra bit
of boost, and this lasts for 15 seconds. And thanks to these enhancements, the ST200
is 0.2 seconds quicker to 62mph, taking just 6.7 seconds. Does it feel fast?
Yeah it does. Certainly gives you that sports car feel.
Thankfully this engine is mated to a smooth, yet notchy, in a good way, short throw six-speed
manual gear box and this is just a pleasure to use.
And in terms of the way this thing drives, I mean it’s just phenomenal. The steering
is razor sharp, it’s got a lovely weight to it, and you can just point your way
through bends and you always feel 100 per cent connected and involved. It doesn’t
have a limited slip differential, it has an open differential, but the amount of grip
and finesse this thing offers is just amazing. I mean this car just flings itself around bends.
The engine note has a low hum to it as well, and yes a lot of this is sent synthetically
out through the speakers, but I don't know if you can hear it, but if you pop a window open here
you can certainly hear that it's got a meaner note to it, especially when it comes to the whistle of that turbo.
The ride is firm in the ST200, but I actually think it strikes
a nice balance, I mean don't get me wrong, you’re going to be dodging pot holes for dear life,
but you want it to corner well, don’t you? One small thing about the added power though
is that when you floor it from the off, you can get a bit of torque steer which is easily fixable by easing
off the accelerator bit, but just to let you know, it is there.
Now if you start Googling and looking deeper into the changes of the ST200, then
you will see that there are unique steering, rear torsion beam, dampers,
stability control, and in a lot of other things… but these are now added to the standard ST
models, so not so unique, at least not anymore. Which is to say driving
experience wise, the only unique thing the ST200 is more power.
But that doesn’t take away from the fact that this car is massively entertaining
to drive. I mean, it wants to be driven, it teases you to drive it. And it you always
end up with a smile on your face when you do it.
The ST200 gets a few atmospheric touches in the cabin as well, which build on the ST-3
trim of the standard model. These include the likes of an ST200 plaque down here, very nice. You also get these Recaro sports seats with
ST logos on the headrest and contrasting stitching and you get these nice silver lined seat belts as well. But apart from that, it’s pretty standard
Fiesta layout, which is, to be frank, in need of a serious update. If you want to read more about the Fiesta's
interior then you can click the link on screen now.
Is interior quality really that important when a car is this good to drive though? Well
no, and I think you’d agree with me if you drove it. So you're
maybe thinking it’s a no-brainer then, I'll go for an ST200? It may not be as unique as originally
thought, but at least it’s still better – so how much is it going to cost me then? Well,
assuming you can get hold of one, it will cost you £23,000 – that's £5,000
more expensive than a standard Fiesta ST. But at least you get more power, right? Yes
it does, but then there’s also a little thing called Mountune, which is a tuning company
that will upgrade your standard Fiesta ST to offer the same amount of power as the ST200,
that’s the same power at all times, not just with Overboost, and that'll cost you just £600…
Yeah. But unlike the standard Fiesta ST, this doesn't really offer great value for money, not
really. It’s more of an homage to an already fantastic car.
The average Joe probably won't buy it, but I'm sure a Ford fan boy would bite your arm off for it.
And driving a car like this does make you question bigger, faster, more expensive sports
cars, especially if you are purely buying one to have fun behind the wheel. I mean 20
grand for this amount of fun, it really puts things in perspective.
But what you think of the Fiesta ST200 let us know in the comments section below, and don’t
forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel.