The latest Ford Fiesta ST has been known as one of the biggest bargains of the decade, but in its first major update since being launched in 2013 Ford Australia has jacked up the price.
Customers needn’t be too concerned though as Ford has added some worthy technology enhancements to the compact hot hatch to justify the price hike. So, what are we talking here? Prices have risen from $25,990 to $27,490 (excluding on-roads).
For the additional $1500 Ford has thrown in a much-needed new infotainment system including a 5.0-inch LCD display. The screen, up from the outgoing 4.2-inch setup, includes sat-nav and a rear-view camera as standard.
Most of the latest Ford vehicles come with a fairly comprehensive interface system, and the Fiesta ST has always been a bit behind. Even with the new layout Ford has decided to stick with the old SYNC 1 operating system and not gone with its improved 2 or 3 system.
Aside from the updated old technology, the 2017 Fiesta ST receives a number of discreet styling revisions including new grey-coloured 17-inch alloy wheels, red brakes, and new illuminated sill plates with “ST” logos.
Power comes from the same potent little 1.6-litre turbo engine producing 134kW of power (147kW during overboost) and 240Nm. PerformanceDrive has timed 0-100km/h in 6.9 seconds.
The new model arrives in Australia in September.
This is a bit dissapointing, the infotainment unit is the one weakness on the Fiesta ST, it just looks awful compared to the ones fitted in other Ford Models. And a reversing camera? For a Fiesta? They’re not that hard to see out of. Red brakes and illuminated sill plates are kind of just dressing and don’t add any real value or substance to the car and most Fiesta ST drivers will change the wheels anyway. The good news is at least the Mountune MP215 option, available at Ford dealers in Europe, is now available here and definitely an option most potential buyers will really want to boost power and torque. And if you bought a Fiesta ST secondhand they can retrofit the upgrade without ruining their remaining factory warranty. How is that for win-win. Now if only the Fiesta ST could look as nice inside as say the Mazda 2 Genki it’d be perfect, well that and perhaps the option of having the chrome lined grill on other fiestas it’s a bit more subtle and gives a bit more of an upmarket look. But that’s just a personal preference.