Supply is Running Out | Go Buy a New Fiesta ST Now!!!
I’m going to let you guys in on a little secret. The Ford Fiesta ST is dollar for dollar one of the most fun new cars you can buy today. However, that isn’t going to be true for much longer. The sad fact is that in a few short weeks the supply for brand new Fiesta STs on dealer lots in the US will be gone. According to SVTP Member @13COBRA, as of 11/12/19 there are only 195 new ones out there. In Ford’s infinite wisdom they have made the decision that the Stateside crowd will not be getting the updated 2020 Fiesta ST model with its heavily revamped interior. So if you want a new one, time is running out and here is why you should care.
“Life is too short to drive a car that sucks.” That simple maxim is just a fact. So why would you waste your time in something mundane when you could be driving a Ford Fiesta ST? The FiST, as owners have taken to calling it, is simply put has the best dollar-to-fun ratio on the market today. Don’t believe me? Just ask anyone who owns one, or take a look at this thread:
My new ST! Oxford White 2015 Content
Starting at just $21,340 the FiST is by far the least expensive performance vehicle offered by Ford in the US, but what do you get for that small stack of cash? First, you get the angry little 1.6L I-4 EcoBoost and a 6-Speed manual trans. Then there’s the aggressively tuned suspension, potent brakes, and summer tires. Add in the option of some very nice Recaro seats and you have the makings for something really special. Hell, fully loaded you’re still looking less than $27,000.
Nonetheless, it’s not just the components that make the car. The best way I can describe the FiST is as a throwback to more raw period of performance. I know this may sound insane to some, but this smallest ST reminds me of the legendary 03-04 SVT Cobra Terminator. Don’t believe me again? Just speak with SVTP Member jojomofo21 (Ryan), since he happens to own both:
Some Similarities: Modest numbers until you start modding, then the sky is the limit. The 1.6L EcoBoost can take a lot of power, and make gobs of torque.
Everyone wants a Shelby, but for half the price you can get a Terminator and have more fun. Everyone wants a Focus RS, but for half the price you can buy a FiST and have TWICE the fun.
If you love the feeling of a car that's pushing you to find its limitations but still have the time of your life, then buy a Terminator. If you want all the same , minus the alternator anxiety and poor MPGs, buy a FiST.
Everyone wants a Shelby, but for half the price you can get a Terminator and have more fun. Everyone wants a Focus RS, but for half the price you can buy a FiST and have TWICE the fun.
If you love the feeling of a car that's pushing you to find its limitations but still have the time of your life, then buy a Terminator. If you want all the same , minus the alternator anxiety and poor MPGs, buy a FiST.
The key to the visceral driving dynamic is two-fold. First, at around 2,700 pounds the Fiesta is very light weight for a modern production car. Second, the FiST appears to have been engineered with a little less regard for NVH than most Ford Performance vehicles. The engine is a bit rougher, the suspension is somewhat harsh, and brake pedal is very firm. This all adds up to a car engages the driver in a way that no other reasonably priced car can match. You can feel the car working through all the surfaces you touch. The steering in extremely precise and the power is surprising.
However, if you really want to kick your driving experience up a notch you’re going to want to start adding some mods. Over the past few months we’ve been doing just that to our SVTP 2015 Fiest ST project car. Our first round of mods were fairly simple. We added a Magnaflow Catback for a modest increase in exhaust tone, and a Montune shift reduction kit for quicker gear engagement. From there it was time for a CP-e cold-air-intake, which added quite a bit of turbo sound. All the work was performed at Pro-Dyno in Hope Mill, SC. There’s something very satisfying about an occasional ‘whoosh’ and from compressor flutter. But the pièce de résistance of any EcoBoost mod package is the tune.
For our Fiesta ST we turned to Livernois Motorports, and their owner/tuning guru, Dan Milan. We had also used Livernois tunes, with great success, on our 2015 EcoBoost Mustang project car. With the FiST Dan once again knocked it out of the park to the tune of 208HP and 263lbft with just the above mentioned bolt-ons.
So that review brings us up to present day, and the start of what I have dubbed ‘Phase II’ of the FiST mods. It’s time to get a bit more serious, so we’re going to be adding a downpipe and intercooler from CP-e and various goodies from Mountune. I suspect there will be a big turbo and brake upgrade in the not too distant future as well.