Just 600 of these bright-and-loud Fiesta STs will hit British roads.
Yeah, yeah, I know. I’m once again crying over spilt milk — the fact that Ford decided to pull the new Fiesta from the U.S. market. It’s a fun little hatchback, as we tried to show with our series, “Is It Faster Than a Ford Fiesta ST?” With just around 200 horsepower, that tiny hatchback was a bundle of turbocharged fun. Now, Ford revealed a new limited version Fiesta ST Performance Edition, but it’s restricting the car to the UK market. Overall, just 600 examples will leave the factory.
Normally, that wouldn’t warrant much attention over on our side of the pond. But if you’re a hot hatch enthusiast, as most of us at TFL are, you perk up at the sight of a bright orange Fiesta ST.
This particular version offers a sharper driving experience, thanks to Ford Performance coilover suspension. The suspension is adjustable, offering 12 bump adjustment settings and 16 rebound settings. It doesn’t end there either — British buyers also get 18-inch lightweight wheels. Overall, Ford of Europe dropped this Fiesta ST 0.6 inches (15 millimeters) at the front and 0.4 inches (10 millimeters) at the back.
Under the hood, this three-door hatch offers 197 horsepower and 214 lb-ft of torque. That’s around the same amount of power as our old Fiesta ST, so it still manages around a 6.5 second 0-60 time, according to Ford. Granted, that’s not lightning fast, but it’s still enough to have some fun. Plus, thanks to engineers testing it on the Nurburgring, it should be pretty fun to handle.
Perhaps there aren’t enough people out there to convince Ford to change their minds on hot hatchbacks. Still, it’s nice to dream every now and then. Check out our game show with the (now departed) Ford Fiesta ST below: