2013 ST Fiesta Review, pics and video

[SpoolMan]

Article relocated to the Technical Portal.

[superpursuit83]

Does that MyKey have a password or something to stop the kid reprogramming when around the corner?
I assume the parent would have a "master" key?

[EB#]

Nice write-up Spoolman!
Am looking forward to checking these cars out if one hopefully makes it to my
(regional) local dealership.

[sprint347dave]

such a tiny little car for such a big country,,give that a miss thanks

[SpoolMan]

Originally Posted by superpursuit83

Does that MyKey have a password or something to stop the kid reprogramming when around the corner?
I assume the parent would have a "master" key?

Only the master key can override the mykey settings, we were put into mykey settings for 5klm's with a speed limit of 70klm.
We swapped over to master key then away we went without restrictions.
There are some first time features on this car which will go over to other models in time, I think the hire car company's may have an interest in mykey technology.
This type of technology of mykey and emergency assist may be an asset for better priced insurance premiums.

Originally Posted by sprint347dave

such a tiny little car for such a big country,,give that a miss thanks

Horses for courses it may not be for everyone, power/torque to weight ratio this car has plenty of go and turns on a dime.
This segment is a fast growing segment, in 2004 Ford sold 3400 Fiesta's in Oz.
Last year Fiesta sold 10,000 units thats good growth in 9 years and it will only get bigger with a aggressive pricing strategy and capped price scheduled servicing.

[Bluehoon]

Spooly, I wanna see a pic of you driving that thing...

[SpoolMan]

Originally Posted by Bluehoon

Spooly, I wanna see a pic of you driving that thing...

Ben your taller than me although not as wide, next time your at the Ford dealers jump in one you will be surprised the room inside is more vast than you may think.

[In Focus]

For those that haven't seen it, the Fiesta ST competes well with the much hyped Toyota 86 on the track.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKJ0eNHu5vk

[DJM83]

Originally Posted by sprint347dave

such a tiny little car for such a big country,,give that a miss thanks

Riiggghht, top post. Country size makes a huge difference

Top write up spooly, I did see a few pics on the FoA FB page. Seems the newest member to the ST family is creating quite stir.

[Dazz94]

Australia isn't getting the 5 door version is it?
I think I remember reading somewhere that we won't but not sure where, and not sure if it was official.

[WILDB]

Originally Posted by Dazz94

Australia isn't getting the 5 door version is it?
I think I remember reading somewhere that we won't but not sure where, and not sure if it was official.

Unfortunately not - the European Fiesta ST isn't built as a 5 door, only North America.

[mik]

Originally Posted by sprint347dave

such a tiny little car for such a big country,,give that a miss thanks

while it might be a good fun little car that has a lot of impressive features, i'm with you mate , i much prefer big versatile rear wheel drive cars.

[xr6turboford]

Originally Posted by mik

while it might be a good fun little car that has a lot of impressive features, i'm with you mate , i much prefer big versatile rear wheel drive cars.

Just curious why is it that someone post a good positive write up on a new car and people feel the need to write irrelative negative tripe go start your own thred about Big cars v small cars.
As for the ST sounds like a great car if its anything like the Focus ST I can tell you as an ST owner it will be one top car and worth owning

[WILDB]

^ Exactly. The title clearly says "2013 ST Fiesta Review, pics and video" - not discussion about small vs large cars in our big country.

I would say that 99% target market for the Fiesta ST couldn't care less about the fact that it's a small car in a large country. Especially given the fact that for $25,990 it is an absolutely awesome car to drive and is packed with features that are missing on even the most expensive Falcons.

Small vs large car discussion is not required in this thread.

[martinijosh]

Originally Posted by mik

while it might be a good fun little car that has a lot of impressive features, i'm with you mate , i much prefer big versatile rear wheel drive cars.

I have a ZF auto xr6t and a 1000kg front drive manual car with coil overs... I wouldn't hesitate to tell anyone that the hatchback is more fun and engaging to drive by far.

I'm looking forward to test driving one of these very soon.

[Phyber]

Mates have bought pocket rocket niche cars, one a Honda Civic Type R just after I bought my XR6T. The other a Polo GTi a year later. Both go pretty well and are designed for city driving.

I would love to have a Focus ST or even Fiesta ST for a daily to give my big powerhouse beasty girl a rest Monday to Friday. I drive 75% highways to get to work then it's traffic light city yawns...then drive all around the metro area for work.

The fuel advantage would be huge for stop start, not having to use so much petrol to get 1800kg moving again!

Unfortunately I would be worse off financially well into medium term if I spent up on a new car, and I'm never selling the Falcon. Maybe once the Fiesta STs depreciate a bit I can nab one


Great little write up, thanks Spooly!

[Psi-Pop]

These ST offerings in both the Focus and Festy are brilliant. Id love to get a drive of one of these, I drive my parents ST Focus and Im in love with it and previous to that it was a FG XRT, the hot hatches to me are twice as fun.

Something about actually driving the car, rowing thru gears and working it to go fast is very rewarding. You cant do that in a Falcon anymore cos when you look down your doing 3x the speed limit.

If its as good as a Focus ST then this will be brilliant. Now to try and get a peddle of one.

[1TUFFUTE]

Originally Posted by In Focus

For those that haven't seen it, the Fiesta ST competes well with the much hyped Toyota 86 on the track.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKJ0eNHu5vk

Yeah I saw this...was a little supprized the ST had the goods over the much loved and talked about super dooper Gt and Brz

[Franco Cozzo]

Just because the car is small, doesn't mean there isnt much room in there for a driver and passenger.

There is more room for the driver in my WS Fiesta than there is in my EL Fairmont Ghia.

Don't diss it until you try it

I'm sure once people get behind the wheel of these bad boys their mindset will change.

[martinijosh]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

Just because the car is small, doesn't mean there isnt much room in there for a driver and passenger.

There is more room for the driver in my WS Fiesta than there is in my EL Fairmont Ghia.

Don't diss it until you try it

I'm sure once people get behind the wheel of these bad boys their mindset will change.

Only problem with the Fiestas is that steaming pile of poo they call the "powershift" transmission... and the ST isn't plagued by such a thing

[EB#]

Hey Spoolman....
Were there any figures on fuel economy recorded for the 2 day event?
Cheers.

[SpoolMan]

It didn't use much, personally we didn't record any over the 2 days we switched between the three models giving everyone a drive of an auto a manual and the the ST.
The Sport will be here later in the year at has impressive torque for a 1 litre engine.

Fords numbers are as stated below, I will drop the whole press release in this thread probably should have done it in an earlier post.

Engine 1.6-litre EcoBoost
Power 134 kW @ 6000 RPM
Torque 240 Nm @ 1600 - 5000 RPM
Fuel Economy 6.2-litres/100 km†
CO2 Emissions 145g/km†

NEWS RELEASE
For news releases, related materials and high-resolution photos and video,
visit www.autonews.net.au or www.media.ford.com or www.flickr.com/fordapa.
Follow at www.facebook.com/fordaustralia, www.twitter.com/fordaustralia or www.youtube.com/fordapa
1
www.facebook.com/fordaustralia www.twitter.com/fordaustralia
Ford Delivers Most Powerful and Dynamic Fiesta Ever with the
New Fiesta ST
 New Fiesta ST delivers 134 kW and 240 Nm of torque, the most powerful production Fiesta
ever developed
 Ford tunes powertrain, suspension, steering and brakes for optimised driving dynamics;
introduces enhanced Torque Vectoring Control and 3-mode Dynamic Stability Control to
Fiesta
 Feature-packed Fiesta ST comes standard with Ford SYNC™ and introduces Emergency
Assistance to the Fiesta range
 Stylish new Fiesta ST offers unique grille, dynamic headlight design, and dramatic rear
diffuser element; Recaro® seats, unique ST detailing and Sound Symposer
MELBOURNE , 1 July, 2013 – The new Ford Fiesta ST is Ford’s most powerful and dynamic
Fiesta ever, employing a precision-tuned and driver-focused powertrain and chassis to deliver
the ultimate Fiesta driving experience.
Developed by Ford Team RS, the European arm of Ford Motor Company’s Global Performance
Vehicle group, the new Fiesta ST is equipped with a 1.6-litre EcoBoost petrol engine that offers
134 kW and 240 Nm of torque with up to 147kW and 290Nm of torque available through an
overboost function. The new Fiesta ST offers fuel economy of 6.2-litres/100 km†.
Ford Team RS tuned the powertrain, suspension, steering and brakes for optimised driving
dynamics; and introduced features only previously found in larger performance cars – including
enhanced Torque Vectoring Control (eTVC) and 3-mode Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), sixspeed
manual transmission and rear disc brakes.
The new Fiesta ST features a large trapezoidal grille with a unique honeycomb construction,
dramatic rear diffuser element and 17”x7” alloy wheels. The refined high-contrast interior is
equipped with Recaro® seats, and a new Sound Symposer channels the engine note to the
cabin to ensure the distinctive engine roar is integral to the driving experience.
Ford Australia general marketing manager, David Katic, said performance buyers were looking
for a car like the Fiesta ST.
“Not since the Fiesta XR4 has Ford had such a performance offering in this segment,” Katic
said. “The Fiesta ST leverages the performance input of our European team to deliver a very
refined car that will appeal to a broad spread of customers.”
For news releases, related materials and high-resolution photos and video,
Visit www.autonews.net.au or www.media.ford.com or www.flickr.com/fordapa.
Follow at www.facebook.com/fordaustralia, www.twitter.com/fordaustralia or www.youtube.com/fordapa
2
“It is already a smash hit in Europe with a bank of customer orders. Like the Focus ST, the
Fiesta ST delivers a precise, unsurpassed driving experience with the efficiency of a 1.6-litre
EcoBoost engine. It’s a car that speaks directly to connoisseurs of the hot hatchback, who have
a passion for performance driving.”
Emergency Assistance now on Fiesta ST
With the addition of the segment-first Emergency Assistance technology, the Fiesta ST brings
some remarkable new features and capability to the light car market.
Emergency Assistance delivers a critical voice message directly to 000 operators, indicating that
a vehicle has been involved in an accident in which the vehicle’s airbags have been deployed or
the fuel cut-off switch has been activated and opens the line for hands-free communication.
The Ford SYNC™ Emergency Assistance system uses the driver’s own mobile phone via
Bluetooth®* and runs in the background once the phone is properly paired with SYNC™ and is
within mobile phone range.
Electronically-optimised enhanced chassis
Fiesta ST features eTVC which applies brake force to the inside front wheel when cornering to
improve road holding and reduce understeer without affecting speed. New Dynamic Stability
Control (DSC) software controls the Fiesta ST’s balance in response to steering inputs under
acceleration and braking. The DSC on Fiesta ST offers three distinct settings - drivers can turn
DSC on for full intervention; a reduced or wide-slip mode disables traction control and activates
DSC only when absolutely necessary; and finally, DSC can be switched off altogether.
Both eTVC and DSC support a specially modified front steering knuckle, adapted rear twistbeam
with increased roll-stiffness, unique front and rear spring and damper settings, and a 15
mm lower centre of gravity; for optimised handling and ride quality.
Electronic Power Assisted Steering offers a sharper steering ratio of 13.69:1 and a shorter
steering arm for a more direct response. The Fiesta ST debuts rear disc brakes on the Fiesta
platform and introduces a larger tandem brake master cylinder that boosts braking performance.
“This car can put a smile on your face corner-after-corner and delivers absolute precision in
power delivery and handling,” Katic said.
EcoBoost engine technology
The EcoBoost engine’s low weight contributes towards improved handling; and brings
technologies including turbocharging, high-pressure direct fuel-injection and Twin-independent
Variable Cam Timing to Fiesta ST resulting in a 34% power increase over the previous Fiesta
performance model sold in Australia, the XR4.
The EcoBoost engine can offer customers even more power via an overboost function.
Operating between 1600rpm and 6000rpm, the overboost function can increase maximum
engine output to 147kW of power and 290Nm of torque for up to 20 seconds at a time to create
a truly dynamic driving experience.
The unique engine and a new six-speed manual transmission calibration was refined at the
Nürburgring Nordschleife over the equivalent of more than 100 laps of the 21 km circuit.

Developed for the track, but practical and economical
Ford subjected the new Fiesta to 850,000 kilometers of durability testing. To ensure the new
Fiesta ST offers high levels of reliability even in the face of the most demanding customer usage
Ford subjected the hot hatchback to a further 7,500 km of race track testing and 5,000 km of
high speed testing.
This included a “torture test” at the Nardo Technical Centre proving grounds, Italy, during which
the Fiesta ST was driven flat-out in temperatures in excess of 40 degrees Celsius.
Katic said “We’ve worked relentlessly to bring the Fiesta ST to Australia, it’s a car our hot-hatch
customers have been crying out for and we’re very happy to say the wait is almost over.”
The new Fiesta ST goes on sale in September 2013.
*Bluetooth® is a registered trademark of Bluetooth SIG Inc, and is used under license.
† Figures obtained from controlled tests using ADR 81/02. Actual fuel consumption and emissions will depend on
many factors including driving habits, prevailing conditions and your vehicle’s equipment, condition and use.
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or
distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 166,000 employees and about 70 plants worldwide,
the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through
Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford’s products in Australia, please visit
www.ford.com.au

[BrisVegas]

I love the "ST" upgrades. The bigger wheels and new front end look fantastic, not to mention the proper sports seats. I'm on my second WS Fiesta, both have been Zetecs, the current one is a 3-door. I love driving it, even more so than my LS Focus Zetec. It could easily handle more power and I bet the ST goes like a cut cat with the extra 40kW over mine.

The only complaint I have with mine is to do with the Zetec alloys being made out of cheese. Otherwise, it's a gem. I'm 6'2" and 100kg and find it very comfortable. My kids fit in the back just fine and it's avg'd 6.4l/100km over the 18,000km since i've had it.

If you're looking at mid-range Corolla, i30, 3, focus etc. why wouldn't you consider having a seriously fun and fast hot hatch???

[Gadgetman]

I wanna know Spoolman, How did you get into those recaro seats?

[SpoolMan]

Originally Posted by Gadgetman

I wanna know Spoolman, How did you get into those recaro seats?

Squeezed my tush in without any problems...

[UKXR8]

Took one out for a test drive yesterday, totally sold. I'm going for an ST2 with cruise, auto wipers/headlights and the Mountune upgrade (224bhp on overboost).
Can't wait to pick it up come October..

[martinijosh]

Originally Posted by UKXR8

Took one out for a test drive yesterday, totally sold. I'm going for an ST2 with cruise, auto wipers/headlights and the Mountune upgrade (224bhp on overboost).
Can't wait to pick it up come October..

Base St doesn't get cruise control?

[UKXR8]

Nope, neither get it over here, its a £150 option.
The spec is pretty good though, the bluetooth DAB radio set up with voice control seemed pretty good..

[1TUFFUTE]

I can't stop thinkin how awesome it is that ford have built this cool car that eats the much raved about brz/86 and does it cheaper, faster,cooler. But its fwd ahh well

[bionic2006xr6t]

$25,990???? The official Ford Australia website has them starting at $29,990? I think they are a awesome looking car and would love to replace my ageing 1997 Festiva. But don't think I will get the 400,000km+ out of one of these like I have my trusty festiva and they are fairly expensive for a small run around.

Cheers Ryan