Ford Fiesta ST (2013-2018) Review

The Ford Fiesta ST may offer the most driving fun you can have on a small budget

Strengths & weaknesses

  • Fun to drive
  • Quick acceleration
  • Excellent value for money
  • Sporty suspension gives a firm ride
  • No five-door version available
  • Dated interior

The Ford Fiesta ST is terrific fun to drive and great value for money. It’s the sporty version of Britain’s best-selling car, so carries over many of the standard Ford Fiesta’s practical qualities, such as a spacious interior, roomy boot, competitive running costs and good car safety. It has the full five stars from independent crash tests carried out by Euro NCAP.

In addition, the Fiesta ST has been modified with sports suspension which delivers a firm ride, sacrificing some comfort for more precise cornering and less lean in corners. Sophisticated electronics also help make the steering sharper and give the car better grip through corners. It all makes the little Ford great fun to drive on twisting roads, without having to break the speed limit.

None of this is any less true since the car was replaced in mid-2018 by a new Ford Fiesta ST. If anything, the modern car highlights the excellent value offered by the older car.  . 

It means that the Fiesta ST probably offers more fun per pound than any other car on the market, thanks to driving thrills, that are just ahead of alternatives such as the Vauxhall Corsa VXR, Mini Cooper S Hatchback, and Peugeot 208 GTi.

There’s only one engine to choose from, which is tremendous. It’s responsive and powerful, so the car surges forward when you press the accelerator with a heady rasp from the sports exhaust.

In 2016, a special edition badged ST200 brought more power for faster acceleration (but only by 0.2 seconds). Owners also have the option of making the car quicker with a power upgrade from the Mountune tuning company, which is available for less than £1,000 through Ford dealerships, for all Fiesta STs from the previous geenration.

By fitting high-performance parts and reprogramming the engine, power is increased from 182hp to 215hp. You'll notice the difference, particularly when accelerating - in situations where you would previously have had to change down a gear to boost the car's pulling power, the tuned Fiesta just rockets forward.

It puts the Fiesta ahead of the competition in terms of performance, but the car isn't quite a match for the best of its rivals when it comes to practicality. Despite the introduction of five-door cars, with back doors, in 2016, it's more cramped in the back than a Clio Renaultsport or Volkswagen Polo GTI.

Front-seat occupants fare better with standard Recaro sports seats, although the dashboard is looking dated and feels cheaper than most rival cars. This is where the new Fiesta ST really stands out, with far fewer buttons and a touchscreen in the middle of the dashboard.

The newer car is also a little more comfortable and quieter than the older Fiesta ST, but the driving experience is not greatly different.

The Fiesta ST reviewed here has three trim levels. Even the standard version, called the ST-1, comes with a good level of equipment, with 17in alloy wheels, digital radio and a heated windscreen as standard. Don't get confused with the ST-Line trim that was offered with standard Fiestas. Extra body parts make the car look sporty, but it lacks the performance of the proper Fiesta ST.

As a hot hatchback, the Fiesta's performance does come at the price of higher running costs. That said, car tax, fuel economy and insurance costs shouldn’t break the bank. Owners of all models of Fiestas report niggling issues with their cars’ build quality but overall satisfaction levels have improved a lot in recent years.

Key facts

Warranty 3 years
Boot size 290-litres
Width 1709mm
Length 3982mm
Height 1495mm
Tax £130 per year

Best Ford Fiesta ST for...

Best for Economy – Ford Fiesta 1.6 EcoBoost ST-1

All Ford Fiesta STs return the same fuel economy (47.9mpg), so the cheapest ST-1 model is the one to choose if you’re on a budget. It still comes well-equipped but costs £1,000 less than the ST-2 and £2,000 cheaper than the ST-3.

Best for Families – Ford Fiesta 1.6 EcoBoost ST-3

The Ford Fiesta ST is hard to recommend as a family car but if the kids are small you could just about make a case for it, especially in ST-3 trim which brings automatic temperature control, keyless entry, cruise control and a sat nav.

Best for Performance – Ford Fiesta 1.6 EcoBoost ST-2

All current versions of the Fiesta ST go from 0-62mph in 6.9 seconds on their way to a maximum speed of 139mph. However, for its sensible blend of styling tweaks and extra kit (rear privacy glass and heated front seats) we’d recommend the mid-price ST-2.

History

  • March 2013 New Ford Fiesta ST arrives, and is available in ST or ST-2 trim
  • June 2013 Ford launches a Mountune power upgrade costing £599 that will not affect the car’s three-year warranty. This upgrade is still available. ST-3 arrives.
  • 2015 Recall launched concerning possible failure of rear seatbelt buckle latch affecting Fiestas built between September and November 2014.
  • June 2016 Ford Fiesta ST200 model goes on sale, with ten per cent more power.
  • October 2016 A more practical five-door version of the Fiesta ST goes on sale.
  • May 2018 A new Ford Fiesta ST goes on sale and replaces the older car.

Understanding Ford Fiesta ST names

Engine 1.6 EcoBoost

The Ford Fiesta is powered by a 1.6-litre EcoBoost petrol engine. The figure ‘1.6’ refers to the size of the engine while the term EcoBoost is what Ford calls its new family of turbocharged petrol engines that are designed to combine strong performance with good fuel economy and low emissions.

Trim level ST-1

The Ford Fiesta ST is available in three trims: ST-1, ST-2 and ST-3. Each higher level brings more equipment.

Ford Fiesta ST Engines

1.6T EcoBoost 182PS

Deciding which Fiesta ST you’d like is made simpler by the fact that there is just one engine: a 1.6-litre petrol. It’s one of Ford’s EcoBoost engines that blend strong performance with good economy and low emissions. It is capable of going from 0-62mph in 6.9 seconds and, on paper, returns a claimed 47.9mpg.&

However, in the real world, you can expect far worse fuel consumption, especially if you’re revving the engine hard. Car tax is £130, which is about average for a modern sporty hatchback. Its economy, performance and tax figures are roughly on par with the Volkswagen Polo GTI, one of the Fiesta ST’s main rivals. It is available only with a six-speed manual gearbox; there is no automatic option.

A performance upgrade from the Mountune tuning company is available for around £600 from Ford dealerships. This boosts power from 182hp to 215hp, making the Fiesta ST more fun to drive thanks to noticeably quicker, and more powerful, acceleration.

Ford Fiesta ST Trims

The Ford Fiesta ST is available in a choice of three trim levels. The most basic called ST comes with quite a lot as standard, including special 17in alloy wheels, a sports bodykit, height-adjustable Recaro sports seats in the front, a digital radio and air conditioning, as well as all of the sportier equipment underneath the bodywork. This will be more than enough for many buyers.

The ST-2 trim level adds tinted rear window glass, heated and leather trimmed sports-seats and a push-button engine start for £1,000. A further £1,000 for an ST-3 model gets you considerably more equipment, including sat-nav, cruise control, automatic headlights and a keyless entry system, so you don’t need to take your keys out of your pocket to unlock the doors.

Ford Fiesta ST Reliability and warranty

Like all Ford Fiestas, the Fiesta ST comes with a three-year, 60,000-mile warranty, so most used cars will be coming to the end of their cover.

Reliability of modern Fords is generally good. The manufacturer was ranked 13 out of 26 for reliability in the 2018 Auto Express Driver Power satisfaction survey.

Used Ford Fiesta ST

Good value when new, the Ford Fiesta ST is a used car bargain, thanks to prices that start at under £10,000 and a driving experience that's little diffrent from the newer car.

The car barely changed in the five years that it was on sale, so you're not missingout by opting for an earlier, cheaper model.

Entry-level ST cars are few and far between, as most were bought in ST-2 or ST-3 specification, bringing comfortable leather seats and push-button start as standard.

Even more than usual, it's worth ensuring that any Fiesta ST that you buy has been well cared for, with a full service history. You probably don't want to know how it has been treated if a previous owner hasn't taken the effort to maintain it on time.

Finance prices are reasonable for the Fiesta, as demand remains strong. This means that it's predicted to hold on to its value well, keeping payments on PCP finance low.

 

Ford Fiesta ST: latest used car prices

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Best for performance
Ford Fiesta 1.6 EcoBoost ST-2

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Best for families
Ford Fiesta 1.6 EcoBoost ST-3

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Best for economy
Ford Fiesta 1.6 EcoBoost ST-1

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Other Editions

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Fiesta Active (2018)

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