New Ford Fiesta ST Edition is 'most agile' Fiesta ever

Bright paint and carbon details mark out the limited edition.

By: James Fossdyke

Oct 6, 2020 at 4:20am ET

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Ford has announced a new, special-edition version of the Fiesta ST hot hatch that promises to be the most agile variant yet. Limited to just 300 examples in the UK, the Fiesta ST Edition will come with bright blue paint, modified adjustable suspension and a price tag of just over £27,000.

Immediately distinguished by the bold Azura Blue paintwork, the Edition also comes with glossy black touches on the rear diffuser and roof spoiler, as well as around the ‘ST’ badges. It gets black door mirrors and black alloy wheels, too, along with puddle lamps that project the ST logo onto the ground when unlocking.

Inside, you’ll find carbon fibre-effect detailing and bespoke blue stitching for the ST-branded Recaro heated sports seats. The blue stitching also appears on the gear knob and handbrake, as well as the new Ford Performance steering wheel, which comes with a dedicated button for the ‘Sport’ mode.

Also included in the £27,075 asking price is the FordPass Connect modem, which allows drivers to control some vehicle features from their smartphones. For example, the doors can be locked or unlocked, while the driver can check parameters including the alarm status, fuel level and tyre pressures.

The car also gets the Sync 3 touchscreen communications and entertainment system, which has been modified in a bid to become more intuitive. The eight-inch screen now has a new interface and the Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity systems, as well as a wireless charging pad.

Perhaps more importantly, though, splashing out on the Edition model buys you some mechanical upgrades, including tweaked suspension. The two-way adjustable coilover system lowers the ride height by 15 mm at the front and 10 mm at the rear, while offering 12 ‘bump’ settings and 16 rebound settings, allowing drivers to control the upward movement allowed when the wheel hits a bump and the speed at which it returns to its previous position.

Combined with the Ford Performance flow-formed 18-inch alloy wheels, which offer a weight reduction of almost two kilograms each, the revised suspension is designed to improve the tyre contact with the road and increase grip, traction and steering response.

The Quaife limited-slip differential (LSD) also helps on that front, offering Ford’s Torque Vectoring Control technology apply braking force to the inside front wheel when cornering. This means the car will turn more sharply and offer maximum grip, reducing understeer. What’s more, the Edition continues to offer the Fiesta ST’s selectable drive modes, while launch control is also available.

And under the bonnet, the Fiesta ST’s 1.5-litre EcoBoost petrol engine remains in situ, offering 197 bhp and a 0-62 mph time of 6.5 seconds. The top speed is 143 mph.

“Our new Fiesta ST Edition squeezes even more excitement out of the best-handling compact hot-hatch on the road,” said Stefan Muenzinger, Ford Performance manager for Europe. “The Edition model puts drivers firmly in control with the ability to manually adjust the feel of their car and fine-tune the handling to suit their personal preference.”