Triple Play
MOTOR Magazine Australia|June 2018

Ford Is Tempting Fate by Messing With the Winning Fiesta St Formula. However, Sometimes Change Begets Greatness

Matt Saunders
Triple Play
REMEMBER when hot hatchbacks felt like a break from the rigorous commercial norm of the car business? The modern descendants of these cars might still be fun to drive but, at least as far as the industry is concerned, they’re now not only serious cars, but also serious money-making machines.

Being seen as key ‘brand-builders’ by the companies producing them, hot hatches are now, ahem, hot property. So much so that critical acclaim and buyer demand persuaded Ford Australia to ship in the new, third-generation Fiesta ST from Germany. For quite some time it was looking like we’d miss out altogether Down Under. As a result of its global popularity, it’s evident that time and effort has been lavished on it by in-house tuning department Ford Performance.

Coming along just a year after the launch of the seventh-generation Fiesta hatchback on which it’s based, the new ST has a list of hardware upgrades and performance features more lengthy and impressive, in many ways, than that of the car with which ‘Team RS’ built its modern reputation: the 2002 Focus RS. That it’s the first fast Fiesta to be available with a helical limited-slip differential for its driven front axle will be the headline-grabbing titbit plucked by many from its specification sheet (it’s expected to be standard in Oz and supplied by Quaife).

But this is actually a car with so much new and interesting technical content that I’ll do well to cover all of it and find enough room for driving impressions over the following pages.

The car’s departure point is a Fiesta chassis braced in key areas on the underside of the body-in-white, which is itself 14 percent more rigid than that of the standard car. The new ST also has the fastest steering rack and the stiffest torsion beam yet to be fitted to a performance Ford.

This story is from the June 2018 edition of MOTOR Magazine Australia.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the June 2018 edition of MOTOR Magazine Australia.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM MOTOR MAGAZINE AUSTRALIAView All
Ged Bulmer
MOTOR Magazine Australia

Ged Bulmer

THE ACCOMPANYING YARN WAS A RIB TICKLER, BUT THE SUITS AT PORSCHE DIDN'T SEE IT THAT WAY

time-read
5 mins  |
July 2022
Dylan Campbell
MOTOR Magazine Australia

Dylan Campbell

WE WERE LIVING THE DREAM. WE ALL WANTED TO WORK FOR MOTOR AS TEENAGERS

time-read
5 mins  |
July 2022
HONDA NSX
MOTOR Magazine Australia

HONDA NSX

Honda's alloy missile - a friendly firecracker

time-read
8 mins  |
July 2022
TESLA MODEL S
MOTOR Magazine Australia

TESLA MODEL S

Looking back on the automobile's iPhone moment | TESLA AIMS TO ELEVATE THE ELECTRIC CAR FROM INTRIGUING CURIOUSITY TO A VIABLE MEANS OF EVERYDAY TRANSPORT

time-read
5 mins  |
July 2022
PORSCHE 959
MOTOR Magazine Australia

PORSCHE 959

Weissach rethinks the supercar

time-read
6 mins  |
July 2022
PCOTY LEGENDS - 1996-2022
MOTOR Magazine Australia

PCOTY LEGENDS - 1996-2022

HOW THE ANNUAL QUEST FOR AUSTRALIA'S BEST PERFORMANCE CARS HAS DELIVERED A ROLL CALL OF EXCELLENCE

time-read
10+ mins  |
July 2022
THE UNDEFEATED
MOTOR Magazine Australia

THE UNDEFEATED

HONDA'S FK8 CIVIC TYPE R IS OUR LINEAL CHAMP, WINNING EVERY MOTOR COMPARISON AS WELL AS BOTH PERFORMANCE CAR OF THE YEAR AND BANG FOR YOUR BUCKS. WE PAY OUR RESPECTS WITH A FINAL DRIVE IN THE END-OF-THE-LINE LE SPECIAL

time-read
6 mins  |
July 2022
THESE ARE OUR PEOPLE
MOTOR Magazine Australia

THESE ARE OUR PEOPLE

IN A CULTURE OVERFLOWING WITH POSERS AND TRY-HARDS, WE FIND A HAVEN FOR THOSE THAT LOVE DRIVING ABOVE ALL ELSE

time-read
8 mins  |
June 2022
OPEN WIDE, SAY R
MOTOR Magazine Australia

OPEN WIDE, SAY R

VOLKSWAGEN'S GOLF R LANDS IN AUSTRALIA AND IT ALREADY HAS THE SWAGGER OF A GIANTKILLER ABOUT IT. WE LINE UP SOME ASYMMETRIC ALTERNATIVES TO SEE IF THE GOLF HAS THEIR RESPECTIVE TALENTS COVERED

time-read
10+ mins  |
June 2022
SING FOR YOUR DINNER
MOTOR Magazine Australia

SING FOR YOUR DINNER

As the motoring world undergoes seismic shifts in focus, Rob Dickinson's vision for Singer remains clear

time-read
3 mins  |
June 2022