The New Ford Fiesta ST Is An £18,995 Bargain

Ford may have been busy overhauling its Fiesta ST with fancy things like an all-new engine and ‘directionally-wound’ springs, but don’t think the Blue Oval has used that to justify a big price hike. Far from it: at the ST’s press launch - where we’ll be driving the car later in the week - Ford announced that the ST will cost you from £18,995.

With the likes of the Peugeot 208 GTI and Renault Clio RS weighing in over £20,000 and the much less powerful Suzuki Swift Sport just a grand behind, that’s incredible value for money. It’s not like it’s sparsely equipped either: base ‘ST-1’ cars get hip-hugging Recaro seats, the ‘Sync3’ infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus a bunch of electronic safety systems like lane-keeping assistance.

ST-2 trim is j£1000 more, bringing with it a bigger touch-screen, a Bang & Olufsen sound system and climate control, among other things. That’s looking like the one to go for, but if you want more gear, the ST-3 starts at £21,495, throwing bigger wheels, more safety tech and sat-nav into the equation.

Most importantly, the Performance Pack is only £850. This includes a Quaife limited-slip differential, launch control and steering wheel shift lights.

The one caveat is the the five-door model can only be had as an ST-2 or ST-3. It carries a £650 premium over the three-door.

In terms of performance, you’re looking at a 0-62mph time of 6.5 seconds - a useful 0.4sec quicker than the old one - and a top speed of 144mph.

Tempted?