Ford Motor Company has unveiled the Fiesta ST that we've always wanted - the one with more power than the current 180hp/240Nm. I loved the car when I drove it but that car had a chassis that was dying for an engine that had more power. Let's call the old one the ST180 and the new one, as what Ford calls it, the ST200 (obviously).
So the Ford Fiesta ST200 addresses the shortfall in power of the earlier car. The chassis was set up so sweetly that it could dance around roundabouts, bends, turns and corners like a ballerina. But as great as that chassis was you could feel that Ford held back a little. The car was merely fast at 7 secs flat in the 0-100kmh dash. The power delivery from the 1.6liter Ecoboost was flat and linear, with not much of a rush felt even at the end of it. It may actually a car with nearly the right amount of everything in terms of performance and handling but when I drove the 208GTI that car felt fast and all exciting. I think the ST180 had a marvellous chassis that needed power in order to give me that added rush that we can also find in terms of outright acceleration and speed.
The new Fiesta ST200 with its uprated 1.6liter Ecoboost that haas 200hp and 288Nm torque should do just that. It would enable it to trounce its rivals in not only the handling aspect but now the performance figures too. 0-100kmh in 6.7seconds and a top speed of about 230kmh. The 0-100kmh time trumps the 208GTI by an all important 0.1second.
The interior looks the same with those grippy and wonderful looking Recaro front seats and the same futuristic dashboard. I think the interior is very good to look at but softer plastics to touch would make it better. I cannot tell from the photos. And it needs a proper infotainment unit with a larger screen than that 5inch and a bit more tiny thing in the center of the dash. Maybe next time Ford will give us that.
The exterior gets wheels that look almost the same but with a different colour. Every other bit looks the same. If they are not. Who cares. Ford has probably fixed this car with what actually matters. Extra power and torque. It needed more torque and power which it now has.
Hail to the new junior hot hatch king.
The exterior gets wheels that look almost the same but with a different colour. Every other bit looks the same. If they are not. Who cares. Ford has probably fixed this car with what actually matters. Extra power and torque. It needed more torque and power which it now has.
Hail to the new junior hot hatch king.
The photos were unveiled prior to its launch at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show and sales over in Europe start in June 2016. I do hope Ford Malaysia brings in a batch for hot hatch enthusiasts to savour.
Click here for my review of the Ford Fiesta ST 180hp (June 2015)
Click here for the list of the Top Five Junior Hot Hatches on Sale in Malaysia (circa 2015)
Click here for my review of the Ford Fiesta ST 180hp (June 2015)
Click here for the list of the Top Five Junior Hot Hatches on Sale in Malaysia (circa 2015)
No comments:
Post a Comment