Used Ford Fiesta ST Review (2018-2023)

Ford is excellent at making fast versions of normal cars. It has decades of motorsport experience to call upon, and thousands of loyal fans who grew up with hot Sierras, Escorts, Fiestas and Focuses.

But when the Fiesta was taken off sale – still a strange decision in our book – the Fiesta ST went with it. Even the manual Puma ST isn’t available any more, so hot hatch fans have few choices these days.

Now is the perfect time to buy a used Fiesta ST, because it’s still new enough to feel contemporary. And it feels like a bit of a naughty treat when everything says we should be buying EVs and nothing else.

The Fiesta ST takes some very normal-sounding ingredients – a 1.5-litre, three-cylinder engine, 17-inch alloy wheels and a practical hatchback body – and, with a sprinkle of magic, ends up as a car lauded by keen drivers. It’s not the most powerful car ever produced, but it’s light and, more importantly, fun. You can have a good time at low speeds – although it can also give licence-losing speed if you go looking for it.

And yet, when you can resist the temptation to drive like a hooligan, the ST is still a Fiesta. Yes, the ride is firm, but not overly so, and there’s easily enough room for four adults and a weekly shop. It’s reasonably affordable for a hot hatch, and apparently 40mpg is achievable. Just not on our watch.

The Fiesta ST stands out above the normal Fiesta range with a red-stitched flat-bottomed steering wheel and some seriously huggy Ford Performance seats. It feels suitably sporty without going over the top like some versions of the Abarth 595. There’s carbon fibre-effect trim on the dash, too, but that got mixed reviews in our team.

While still a massive improvement over the pre-2017 Fiesta, the Fiesta’s interior leaves a bit to be desired. The eight-inch touchscreen just looks a bit cheap and basic, although it’s mostly easy to use and has Apple CarPlay/Android Auto to let you use your phone’s familiar interface instead.

Material quality is okay, with a few chrome-effect trim pieces managing to lift what’s otherwise quite a dull environment. The interior is built from various grades of plastic – a few more soft-touch materials would give it a more upmarket vibe. Perhaps fittingly, the Fiesta ST’s interior is better than the Suzuki Swift Sport and Volkswagen Up GTI, but it’s beaten by the VW Polo GTI, Hyundai i20 N and Mini Cooper S.

Two trim levels are available for the Fiesta ST – ST-2 and ST-3. The former has a reversing camera, climate control and 17-inch alloy wheels, while ST-3 adds a digital instrument cluster, keyless entry, red brake calipers, bigger wheels and upgraded headlights with the ability to offer full-beam power without blinding other road users.

The Fiesta is decent enough for most people when it comes to practicality. There’s space in the rear seats for adults to sit behind adults in the front, and a 300-litre boot that’ll snugly fit a couple of suitcases or a smallish pram.

Three-door and five-door cars are both available – the latter being much easier to get into the rear seats. The three-door model arguably looks sportier, but its long doors can be a bit tricky to use in tight car parks, and it obviously reduces the amount of space to clamber into the back seats.

It’s worth remembering that the back seats are pretty flat, unlike the sculpted front seats. Your passengers will soon tell you that they’re being thrown around if you drive like the Fiesta ST should be driven. For carrying children, the Fiesta’s Isofix points are easily accessible and, again, the five-door model is much easier to fit child seats into. Your back will thank you for picking the extra doors.

Against its rivals, the Fiesta is one of the better options for carrying people and stuff. It’s only really beaten by the Polo GTI – the Mini Cooper S and Suzuki Swift Sport are both a bit more cramped. The Hyundai i20 N is roughly as practical as the Fiesta.

There’s only one engine available in the Fiesta ST, but it’s a peach. Ford’s 1.5-litre EcoBoost petrol engine packs a nice, round 200hp. The 0-62mph sprint takes a zippy 6.5 seconds.

It’s certainly eager. Put your foot down and the rev counter needle races towards the limiter, and the turbocharger gives you a lot of mid-range shove. Getting up to motorway speeds is alarmingly easy, and there’s still a bit in reserve when you get there.

Mind you, the engine runs out of ideas a little before the rev limiter, so it’s not worth wringing it out to its extremes. The only place we can think that this might be a little frustrating is on a track day – in normal driving there’s plenty of power across most of the rev range.

Unlike the Puma ST, the Fiesta ST doesn’t get an automatic gearbox option. Good. The six-speed manual gearshift is sublime, and it’s deliciously easy to rev match when you’re dropping down a gear.

Our test car had the Performance Pack that’s standard on the ST-3 and optional on the ST-2. This adds launch control for fast starts, performance-focused gearshift indicators and a Quaife limited-slip differential for better cornering. And, judging by our car in particular, a very snappy clutch that lets you change gears very quickly, if not the most smoothly.

Even the standard Ford Fiesta is good to drive, but the Fiesta ST takes things up several notches. The steering is very responsive, and there’s actually some feedback through the wheel to let you know what’s going on underneath – a real rarity in modern cars.

Body control is top-notch, keeping the Fiesta ST flat through corners and feeling strong and secure. As a result, the ride is firm. You probably expected that. It’s part and parcel of a hot hatch, and the ST isn’t usually uncomfortable – just sometimes a bit jiggly. The ride’s better than an Abarth 595 or the hottest Minis, but a Polo GTI is a bit more composed over rough surfaces.

Dial the ST into Sport mode – instantly accessed by the S button on the steering wheel – and the exhaust pops and bangs when you take your foot off the accelerator. It’s fun for you, and not too noisy that you risk upsetting the Neighbourhood Watch.

In a world where the remaining hot hatches are augmented and synthesised, perhaps the biggest compliment to the ST is how authentic it feels. Amazing what a fizzy engine, decent suspension components and a lightweight body can do.