2021 Ford Fiesta ST long-term review

• Introduction: Thermostat
• Month 2: Star Athlete
• Month 3: Never Lift
• Month 4: Perfect Match
• Month 5: Flavour of the Month
• Month 6: Light, Fantastic [Farewell]

Introduction: Thermostat

Ford's pocket rocket turns up the heat

The magic of Performance Car Of The Year is that there are no truly bad cars. Any contender present has rightly earned its spot on the shortlist, an achievement in itself.

This was especially apparent with the Ford Fiesta ST, which shocked all in attendance of our week of testing at the end of 2020 with its unmatched fun-per-dollar factor. Indeed, at $32,290, the humble Fiesta was the cheapest car in at this year’s PCOTY, and yet its keys were as hotly contested at the brekky table as those of far more expensive competitors.

While that asking price represents a $6000 increase over the previous generation, you’re getting a whole lot more kit for the money. Overseas, the Fiesta ST comes in three variants, plus an additional optional performance pack, but the Australian model (whose launch was delayed by almost a year as Ford Oz hashed out its packaging) comes fully loaded: heated Recaro seats, Bang & Olufsen sound system, Michelin Pilot 4S tyres, Quaife LSD – the lot!

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Overall, it’s a far nicer car and feels much more premium than the outgoing model. The cabin is much more ergonomic thanks in part to a lower seating position, and is a much nicer place to be than the old sixth-generation’s cabin of basic materials and smorgasbord of buttons. You also get keyless entry, an 8.0-inch touchscreen with smartphone mirroring and Ford’s SYNC3 system, plus a heated leather steering wheel, auto headlights; and autonomous emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, lane keep assist and forward collision warning - all usually a part of an optional safety kit in overseas markets.

Initial impressions are good then.

Hit the starter button, and the throaty 147kW turbocharged three-pot rumbles into life. It has a surprisingly vocal note, certainly not obnoxious or egregious by any means, but it’s there and gives hint to the car’s pugnacious nature. It’s a fairly tractable little unit with a surprisingly wide power band, and peak torque (290Nm) arriving at 4000rpm.

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The clutch action has a nice weight to it, and the pedals are well-spaced apart for heel-and-toe shifting – although at low road speeds I’ve found you have to be carrying quite a pace and quite deep in the brake stroke to get a good ‘heel’ in. The shift action is light and direct with a short throw. The gearbox may not be as ‘click-clack’ sharp as, say, a Civic Type R - but beneath a thin layer of slush, you do find clearly defined gates and shouldn’t be missing shifts.

The brakes have a very strong initial bite however, beyond the initial grab, perhaps lack a little feel in trail braking or transient braking circumstances. Initial rebound can be a little harsh on speed bumps or larger pots in the road, however these are more keenly felt by rear passengers. There is an underlying compliance to the ST however, and offers an attractive duality in its ability to simply be a Fiesta when the inner-city speed limits call for it. But when the metro speed limit goes bush, and Melbourne’s grid-like street system turns into tight Victorian mountain hairpins, the feisty Fiesta comes alive.

Steering is very nicely weighted, communicating well through the pleasantly sculpted heated steering wheel, through to a razor sharp and accurate front end. Once you edge towards where you think that threshold of grip and understeer is; more steering angle, more throttle, earlier; you quickly learn that the Fiesta’s mechanical grip levels are significantly beyond what you may have initially thought.

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There is some occasional force feedback through the steering if you power on early enough out of a corner as its front paws scramble to pull forward 1217kgs of heated hatch. But on the tightest of twisties, you’d be hard pressed to find a car - at any price point - that would walk away from the Fiesta ST. Editor Enright anecdotally spoke of one PCOTY moment, of having to turn the effort up a bit in an A45 S in order to catch back our resident madman Scott Newman at the wheel of the Fiesta ST.

And even if you do find a car as capable in the bends, it would be harder again to find one more fun.

It’s a supremely impressive hatch that scores tremendously well on first impressions. But the open roads of PCOTY may as well be another world and the harsh reality of getting stuck behind caravans and Friday afternoon traffic on the way home from our week of testing was a sobering return to earth.

Will the Fiesta ST continue to impress as it graduates from a week-long fling to a live-in companion? Thankfully I’ve got the entire hustle and bustle of the holidays to find out! More to come. - AA

Things we love:

1. Fully loaded spec
2. Punchy engine
3. Exhaust note

Things we rue:

1. Harsh rebound
2. Plastic interior
3. Weightless shift

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Update 1: star athlete

The heart grows fonder for Ford’s micro fighter

I’m quite precious about cars under my care, so when I see a stranger inspecting the wheels of the Fiesta ST from the window of a cafe across the road, I pay close attention from the far side of my latte.

I’d seen him before too, about 30 minutes earlier, after I’d parked at a mountainous lookout to gather my thoughts. He was on a Honda CBR blasting up and down the twists of tarmac, exhaust popping on lift-off and echoing off the surrounding Victorian landscape.

Now, the sport bike rider had stopped in town for a water break – and the Fiesta ST had seemingly caught his eye.

Curiously, he was the first member of the public that’d I’d seen truly take notice of the characterful little hatchback – there’s a subtlety to its exterior which flies under the radar of most motorists.

Perhaps it was the big wheels, or the red brakes, but there was clearly some attraction as he circled the front end of the little Fiesta and crouched down to examine the snugly packaged intercooler.

There’s a certain sleeper appeal to the ST, that comes with the bonus satisfaction of earning the metaphorical ‘head nod’ from fellow road-going enthusiasts. Before I could finish my coffee, old mate was back on his bike and off to, no doubt, aim for more apexes.

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The sun had begun its descent and I still had a few hours up my sleeve before I had to head home, so I thought it best I do the same.

I slid into the deeply scalloped, heated Recaro seats whilst taking care to avoid the ball-busting bolsters (yes, I’m speaking from experience). I hit the starter button and pointed the nose further north.

The Fiesta ST is a car that gets better with speed, with quick steering weighting up nicely on long flowing corners.

The small hatch will be a revelation for drivers who previously wrestled less talented FWD hot hatches in its mind-bending ability to drastically adjust its line mid corner – either with steering or throttle – whilst maintaining levels of grip far higher than initially imagined.

As the roads tighten, I flick the Fiesta into Sport, which sharpens throttle response dramatically and adds some heft to the fast steering. The exhaust, which is subtly and inoffensively piped into the cabin, gains an even more aggressive bite with addictive crackles rearing their head under sharp lift-off.

In certain conditions, you get the sense the throaty 147kW 1.5-litre three-pot can slightly overpower the front axle, but there is a playfulness to the welterweight warrior. Despite its turbocharged nature and modest displacement, useable torque is very accessible below 4000rpm where peak torque arrives

Braking power is more than ample for the 1217kg mass; although are somewhat lacking some micro adjustable feel under transient and trail-braking circumstances. Durability is a bit of an issue too.

Race Track mode loosens the safety net and further allows the well-balanced Fiesta to rotate, even giving hints of oversteer if you manage the weight transfer in braking, turn-in and lift-off. Leaning into the throttle on early corner exit will often yield significant wheel spin as the punchy powerplant overpowers the 205-section Michelin Pilot Sport 4s. You’ll even be rewarded with a slight chirp from second to third when going flat chat.

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Speaking of shifting, Ford says the Fiesta ST is capable of no-lift flat-shifting, however, my mechanically sympathetic self has yet to try it. Last month, the weightless shift-action was perhaps my one reservation, unexpectedly numb albeit accurate and direct.

After living with the Fiesta some more, I have grown more fond of the shift action, and find it seems to respond better with more rapid changes. Like many facets of the Fiesta ST, things actually grow smoother with speed. The most satisfying is actually fourth to fifth, whereby you simply push gear lever 45 degrees north-east with an open palm, and it effortlessly slots in.

As the road straightens out and proximity to metro Melbourne is signalled by the increasing number of caravans and tourists, I put the drive mode back to Normal and cruise back to town.

Differing drive modes make no adjustment to the damping, which underlies a frequent criticism levelled at the Fiesta ST from colleagues. The 'always-on' firm ride, to me however, hasn't been found to be a detractor as the dynamic payoff is simply that immense. The same cannot be said for other sports oriented competitors at this price point, such as the Kia Cerato GT.

Having said that, your significant other in the passenger seat will care not for any such ‘dynamic payoff’; I tried to use that excuse… but sadly, to no avail.

Just stay in the driver’s seat and you’ll be smiling for miles. - AA

Things we love:

1. Huge fun-factor
2. Sleeper appeal
3. Initial brake power

Things we rue:

1. Sometimes tinny exhaust
2. Always firm ride
3. Front-end feedback through steering

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Update 2: Never Lift

Kirby licks the stamp and sends it

Despite what you might think about automotive journalism, it’s not an endless parade of brand new cars that we thrash to within an inch of their life before returning them to a manufacturer leaking coolant and with brakes on fire.

While, yes, our testing process includes enthusiastic driving, and there are some instances where tyres and brakes are tested to their design parameters, we always intend to return press vehicles is the same condition that we picked them up in. As a result, any journalist worth their salt treats press vehicles with a respectful level of mechanical sympathy. That means ripping the handbrake at every roundabout or smashing the redline at every traffic light is a no-go.

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This puts me in a slight conundrum. You see, the Ford Fiesta ST has a feature that is often referred to as No Lift Shift, which does exactly what it says on the tin. Essentially, the system allows you to keep your right foot planted during gear changes, with the engine’s computers holding the revs steady while you engage the clutch and pluck the next ratio.

Attempt this in most other vehicles and the tacho needle will try to snap itself off against the limiter and you’ll be cremating the clutch in no time.

Talking to colleagues only served to make me nervous of the system. The consensus was that the system is effective – brilliantly so – but hard on the drivetrain if you messed it up. As a result, the No Lift Shift function has had me intrigued, but slightly beguiled since sliding into the brilliant Recaro buckets.

My heart is desperately infatuated with the idea, but a brain that is trained to be professionally sympathetic to mechanicals is deeply off-put. “If I don’t test this system I won’t be doing my job,” I told myself. That’ll help me sleep at night, right?

After pushing the sensible bit of my brain to the side, I can report that the system indeed performs as advertised. However, there is a very narrow window within which the function performs as intended; you need to be at max attack, and only engage the clutch in the final 1500rpm before redline. Start shifting too early and it’s no dice, same with if you take too long on the ratio change.

It takes a surprising amount of concentration to override the muscle memory of lifting the throttle during shifts. Even the slightest waver from pressing against the firewall with your right foot and it’ll all come undone. You need to have the accelerator absolutely planted – nothing less than 100 per cent throttle application means the computer won’t hold the revs and you’ll be banging off the redline mid shift like a boy racer try-hard.

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So while regular road use relegates No Lift Shift to a cool thing to tell your mates about at the pub, the Fiesta ST has been superb as a commuter car.

Okay, so the ride isn’t as refined as something like a base Mazda3, but it’s not unbearable, and actually quite amenable in all but the most potholed portions of road. To Ford’s credit they’ve rammed the Fiesta ST with every conceivable feature you’d ever want at this price point. There is an 8.0-inch infotainment screen with smartphone mirroring, heated front seats and steering wheel, dual-zone climate control, wireless phone charging, a ripper 10-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system, AEB with pedestrian and cyclist detection, and lane-keep assist.

All of these add up to a pleasant everyday experience. We’ve driven cars with six-figure price tags where some of those features are optional, but the Fiesta gives you the lot as part of a compelling $32,290 plus on-roads package. Bang for your buck? Oh hell yeah.

Enough of the love-in, time for the dirty splotches on the Fiesta’s record during the day-to-day grind. First off, the start-stop function is clunky and intrusive. With the Fiesta sitting at an 800-900rpm idle (depending on temperature), the fuel-saving feature is juddery in its execution, making it feel like the car has stalled while sitting stationary at a set of traffic lights.

There’s also a decent amount of rev hang – It’s not enough to ruin the driving experience, but certainly present. The Fiesta ST uses a combination of both port and direct injection, the latter going some way to mitigating the situation. However, the size of the flywheel needed to keep the plucky three-cylinder going somewhat negates that benefit.

And, well, that’s kind of it so far. Two minor gripes that are either avoidable by turning the function off altogether or not really a deal breaker. There must be something else to complain about. Oh dang, I guess I’ll need to go drive it more to try and find out. What a chore. Remember, I’m doing this for you, dear readers. - CK

Things we love:

1. Torque for days
2. Rowing gears
3. Heated seats

Things we rue:

1. Stop-start
2. Bad shifts
3. Throttle hang

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Update 3: Perfect Match

Does a chance reunion recreate the magic?

The problem with giving a car a perfect score is the fact it sets a precedent of perfection. Not to mention the myriad pundits who line up primed to prove you wrong by finding fault – any fault. This has been my experience with the mighty Fiesta ST, a car I awarded a perfect five-out-of-five stars when first reviewing it last year for sister publication Wheels magazine. Scott Newman, too, granted it five stars for this very title.

The feisty five-door has been doing the rounds at MOTOR HQ, so when I got the chance to grab the keys for an extended period with the ST, I thought it a perfect way to see if my affinity remained strong.

However, about 200km north of Melbourne after fighting to escape the clutches of the Friday-night CBD exodus, I wasn’t feeling the love. En route to the Victorian High Country as the sun disappeared, the rather dim headlights frustrated, the firm Recaro seats were badgering my lower back and the excessive road noise was really beginning to grate. The buzzing country town of Bright couldn’t come soon enough.

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The B&O sound system does its best to overcome the incessant tyre roar generated at highway speeds, but this is the one area where you can tell the ST is created from a humble hatchback base. Yet, in other ways, it’s also to its benefit.

A hot hatch should be practical, too. The Fiesta easily accommodates two well-fed males and their associated paraphernalia for a weekend of driving with the boys. A Toyota Corolla hatch owner would certainly be envious of its 311-litre boot. So in terms of liveability it’s a bitter-sweet reunion, but still a sign that one of its stars is beginning to fade.

That all changes when it’s time to drive – properly. Lockdown blues are a distant memory and a round trip in and out of Bright, encompassing Omeo, Hotham, Falls Creek and Mount Beauty, is ahead of us. The Omeo Highway, passing by the quaint Blue Duck Inn, is a veritable playground for the plucky Fiesta. Although this section is relatively narrow, there’s something liberating about being able to use the entire road in a small car, and the ST’s mechanical Quaife LSD bites into the tarmac with ferocious tenacity.

We’ve spoken ad nauseam about the Fiesta’s dynamic prowess, but on the brilliant Omeo Highway it’s keen to turn in hard, cock an inside rear wheel and then power past the apex at full beans all day long. The ST becomes the bantamweight fighter that refuses to leave the rear-view mirror of more fancied machinery within the five-car convoy.

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Somewhere near Falls Creek a cheeky bag of M&Ms unleashes its contents throughout the cabin after it could no longer fight the cornering forces generated by the grippy Michelin hoops. The next rest stop involves me getting down on my hands and knees fervently searching for the scattered confectionery, unwilling to admit the 10-second rule had well expired. Damn it.

There is one Achilles heel, five-star status notwithstanding, and it’s the brakes. They’re dinky, something we noted at PCOTY, where the ST outplayed supercars to finish fourth overall. And while the brakes perform better than their dimensions suggest, pounding the middle pedal on a long section of the Omeo Highway did result in a distinct acrid smoke from the pads. Cooling time before parking up is essential, not merely a suggestion.

Surprisingly, it’s not just the bendy bits where the ST excels as the thrummy, muscular three-pot turbo defies its cubic capacity in a straight line, too. However, it drinks, rather than sips, 95-98 RON when you’re on it; a fact proven by the 12.4L/100km it returned completing the 260km loop. That’s almost double the 6.9L/100km it averaged on the Hume Highway to Bright.

Spirited driving done, and going four-up with burgers and beer in the bellies of its passengers, space isn’t really an issue in any pew. And just like a Homer Simpson groove, the heavily bolstered Recaros feel bedded in on the return trip to Melbourne the following day. I’m happy to report that the human-to-car relationship I originally formed last year is still very much intact.

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Okay, there are chinks in the armour – maybe a 4.75 rating is more apt if you’re using the Fiesta as a daily. However, for me, the biggest grin-inducing fact about the ST is that it completely dispels the myth that you need to spend big money to receive big thrills. On the roads nestled within and around Victoria’s epic Alpine region, a place any driving enthusiast must explore, I wasn’t left wanting for something more. The pint-sized Fiesta was, in many ways, perfect. Although it owes me a few M&Ms. I fear they’re lost forever. - TG

Things we love:

1. Fun factor
2. Giant-killing pace
3. Practicality

Things we rue:

1. Road noise
2. Firm Recaros
3. Hot brakes

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Update 4: Flavour of the Month

A brief sojourn in the more mature Focus puts the Fiesta into perspective

It was a slightly sad sight: ‘my’ Ford Fiesta ST sitting alone and forlorn at the back of the office carpark. I almost felt bad.
Bad not because I was stepping into some ludicrously expensive or powerful piece of automotive exotica. I felt bad because I was swapping it for another ST-badged five-door hatchback dipped in Ford Performance Blue.

Yes, that’s right, I was about to spend a week in the Ford Focus ST, a notion akin to ditching a high school crush for her older sister, one or two grades your senior.

That’s because there’s an air of maturity about the larger Focus that the pugnacious little Fiesta doesn’t quite possess.

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Its spec certainly helped that image, as this one was equipped with the seven-speed automatic gearbox. In the daily commute, this was a welcome change of pace, although the Fiesta’s ability to row gears around suburbia without breaking the speed limit should be a drawcard for the keen enthusiast.

That’s not to say that the Focus is devoid of personality and charm. In many ways, it bears much of the same fighting spirit as its smaller stablemate, but with a wider bandwidth to utilise in a more versatile package.

In comparing the 1.5-litre turbo three-pot of the Fiesta to the Focus’ 2.3-litre turbo four (borrowed and de-tuned from the four-pot Mustang), you’ll see that power peaks higher at 206kW, and earlier at 5500rpm (compared to 147kW at 6000rpm in the ST).

Even though the Focus tips the scales almost 300kgs heavier, it still outguns the Fiesta’s 123kW/tonne, coming to the party with 134kW/tonne (136kW for the manual).

I even like the noise which, like the Fiesta, is electronically symposed through the speakers. The Fiesta’s three-cylinder warble can sound tinny and hollow at times, but the fourth cylinder on the Fiesta fills out the tone and adds another dimension of refinement.

Elsewhere about town, the turbo-four offers the same low-end useable torque as the Fiesta’s deceptively tractable unit. Its bigger footprint irons out a lot of that jostling ride, and it won far more favour with my girlfriend thanks to its damper adjustment between driving modes, compared to the ‘always on’ Fiesta.

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After five days of inner-city commuting I was very much warming to the Focus so, when the weekend rolled around, I found it an opportune time to get up early on a Sunday, to head out to the hills and see if any of that ST-badge magic was lost in translation.

In summary, not much. The Focus had the same amazing front-end feel as the Fiesta, and is very adjustable throughout the corner. Its electronic differential works to great effect and, like the Fiesta, keeps plough understeer at a seemingly impossibly high threshold. Even with the auto, I can’t say I wished for a manual at any point. Would I be having as much or more fun on this road in the Fiesta? Possibly. But by no means was I left wanting in the Focus.

They execute their performance differently; whereas the Fiesta is typified by the experience of wringing its neck right up to redline with its dominant turbocharged rush, the Focus is characterised by its low and mid-range grunt while plateauing off at the top end.

And I find that to be an allegory for these two cars. While, objectively, they’re very similar in a lot of ways, their characters are distinct to each.

The Fiesta is just eager and willing, full of energy like a terrier pup. The Focus is more akin to a Golden Retriever, already a couple of years old. Still eager to play, but a lot more chilled out.

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With a $12k disparity in price between the Fiesta ST and the Focus ST, is it fair to say that you’d only pick a Fiesta if you couldn’t afford the Focus? Absolutely not.

There are genuine reasons you’d happily take the Fiesta over the Focus. And at $44,690, the larger Focus is forced to defend its pricing in the face of greats such as Hyundai’s i30 N and VW’s Golf GTI.

The Fiesta ST, conversely, is almost peerless at its price point. Although Hyundai's impending i20N may have some stern words for the affable warm hatch.

I returned the Focus to Broadmeadows on a Monday, and got back into my Fiesta that night. It felt as familiar as an old friend and, honestly, I didn’t miss the Focus until the next week when I had to slog down the Bass Highway. The Fiesta is a fantastic ball of fun in most circumstances, but an hours-long punt down the highway is not one of them. Perhaps I do miss the Focus sometimes… - AA

Things we love:

1. Compact size
2. Pop-out door guards
3. Big personality

Things we rue:

1. Highway noise
2. Always firm dampers
3. Jostling ride

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Update 5: Light, Fantastic

Fiesta out! It's been a blast

It’s check-out time for the Ford Fiesta ST in the MOTOR garage, and while it’s comfortably been the least powerful and least expensive piece of kit through the shed over the past six months – it’s also easily been one of the most beloved.

It certainly entered The Garage on a high, fresh off a fourth place finish at PCOTY 2021 and displacing some heavy-hitters such as the Audi R8 and RS6 Avant, Porsche Cayman 4.0 GTS manual and even Toyota’s GR Yaris in the process.

The question, however, remained whether the tiny terror would lose its lustre when asked to become a true live-in companion in the real world. Spoiler alert: the answer is no.

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As an urban runabout, you’d struggle to find a better package at this price-point. In fact, at $32,290, the Ford Fiesta ST is the sixth-cheapest car in our expansive Hot Source data section at the back of our magazine.

For your money, you get a practical five-door hatchback body, with useable rear seats and a 311-litre boot. The rear seats, too, fold down 60:40; transforming the Fiesta into a pseudo mini van, and providing a more vacuous acoustic chamber for the baritone exhaust to tickle your ears. It’ll make you chuckle.

Its deceptively tractable three-cylinder turbo powerplant is a hugely characterful and intoxicating lump, with a distinctive rush as the little turbo comes on boost, reaching its peak power output at 6000rpm.

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For months now, Sport mode has been my default driving setting. It wakes up the throttle response while hefting up the steering weight just so. The exhaust also seems to drop a few tones, gain a few decibels, and – once the car gets to temperature – signals off-throttle overrun with a satisfying array of pops and bangs.

Its compactness and flea-like agility are a blessing in the urban climate, able to exploit gaps in traffic – and the car park. In today’s motoring landscape, dominated by SUVs and dual-cab utes; it’s easy to forget just how fantastic it is to pedal a small car about town.

The real magic, however, of Ford’s pint-sized performance hero is the ability to row gears around suburbia without any real risk of attracting the disapproving eyes of local law enforcement.

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It’s one of those special cars that offers the sensation, and the smiles, of spirited driving without ever needing to reach truly consequential speeds around town. That’s not to say there are diminishing returns as the pace increases, on the contrary, the Fiesta ST is a car that gets better with speed.

It’s a car that truly makes almost any commute, errand or journey, a fun one. And that’s something to be celebrated in an age where most buyers are more concerned with getting the latest tech, or the flashiest cabin.

However, the Fiesta isn’t without fault. The interior isn’t the most dramatic or finely finished. Hard plastics aren’t always a big issue at this price point, but you are getting your value elsewhere.

While overseas Fiestas can be chosen in no less than three different levels of specification, plus an optional Performance Pack on top, the local offering gets no such choice –we simply get it all.

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It’s easy to recommend the Fiesta ST to the driving enthusiast. As a pint-sized performance offering, it’s virtually unmatched. All the more impressive is that it took almost two years for it to arrive in Australia, and yet still shot straight to top of its class.

Indeed, it’s all the performance car most drivers will ever want, or need.

Where it may fall flat, however, are the needs of others. My girlfriend has been a constant critic of the Fiesta’s firm (yet, always well-controlled) ride and, while the rear seats are just about okay for adults; long highway trips will grow weary no matter what seat you’re sitting in – and that includes the driver’s.

The rapid rate of technology change means the absence of features like a wireless charger are increasingly conspicuous.

Of course, all that fades away at the first turn of the wheel, and the Fiesta ST should be revered as a champion of accessible performance. Sadly, however, I’ve turned my last corner.

As the micro-fighter departs the MOTOR garage and returns to the mothership, it leaves behind big shoes to fill for whatever is to come next. Bring it on! – AA

Things we love:

1. Exhaust pops
2. Versatile interior
3. Fun withour speed

Things we rue:

1. Interior materials
2. Long-range comfort
3. Ford wants it back

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