Ford announces pricing for Fiesta ST hot-hatch
$22,195. That’s all you’ll need to get into the seat of Ford’s newest -- and smallest -- hot hatch, the Fiesta ST.
The automaker added the ST to its online configurator for the 2014 version of the four-door hatchback Tuesday. While the base Fiesta starts at $15,395, the extra cash for the ST gets you a turbocharged EcoBoost engine making 197 horsepower and 214 pound-feet of torque, mated to a six-speed manual transmission.
Ford says the Fiesta ST, which was introduced at the 2012 L.A. Auto Show, will also come with electronic torque vectoring, three-mode stability control, dual exhaust tips, 17-inch alloy wheels, and a 6.5-inch touchscreen housing SYNC and MyFordTouch. The automaker says it expects the ST to get 34 miles per gallon on the highway.
When the Fiesta ST goes on sale this year, it will bring stiff competition to the also-tiny Fiat 500 Abarth. The Fiat’s base price is within sneezing distance to that of the Fiesta ST, though it’s down by 37 horsepower and one transmission speed. Both cars can hit the $27,000 mark when fully loaded.
The Fiesta ST is the second small Ford to wear the ST badge; it joins the larger Focus ST that Highway 1 tested recently.
Ford’s entire range of the Fiesta got a refreshed look for the 2014 model year. The automaker also added a new turbocharged three-cylinder, 1.0-liter engine with a five-speed manual transmission.
Ford says this EcoBoost engine and manual transmission combination will give drivers more than 40 mpg on the highway without needing a hybrid drivetrain. While these claims are similar to those of numerous automakers touting the efficient benefits of turbo engines, remember that Consumer Reports recently found that many such engines don’t live up the EPA economy claims in real-world driving.
ALSO:
First Drive: Ford’s new 3-cylinder Fiesta
Consumer Reports: Turbocharged engines’ fuel economy not as advertised
