Enough tributes have been paid to the Ford Fiesta ST of 2012-17 for us not to add to them here, save to say that if you’re looking for a class-leading hot hatch that’s also great value for money, you’ve just found it. Prices start at around £6000 for the first cars and go all the way to £14,000 for the last ST-3s with low mileage. All are powered by a 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine producing 180bhp and, thanks to an overboost function, 197bhp for a maximum of 15sec under full throttle. Lifting off briefly is sufficient to reset the timer and away you go again. This generation of Fiesta ST was the first to use torque vectoring, a system that brakes the front wheels individually to tame any incipient understeer. The ST also sits 15mm lower than standard models and has disc brakes all round. In short, it’s ready to play straight out of the box. This applies even to the most basic spec, called ST-1. Basic but still with a few welcome features, including 17in alloy wheels, a bodykit, Recaro front seats, a digital radio, air-con and twin tailpipes. An additional touch was the standard-fit ST mats but they’re probably looking a bit tired now. This version cost just £16,995 when new, but for another £1000, you could buy the ST-2 and most buyers did, attracted by its part-leather Recaros, rear privacy glass and starter button. Later on, the top-spec ST-3, costing £19,250, arrived bearing gifts such as a sat-nav, automatic headlights, climate control and power folding mirrors. Despite its price premium over the ST-2, it came a close second to it in terms of sales. As we explain below, the ST-2 is our pick. However, it’s worth pointing out that with so many used STs for sale, prices are all over the place and you could well bag a better-equipped ST-3 for the same or even less money. For example, we found a dealer-sale 2015/15-reg ST-2 with 40,000 miles for £8995 and a same-age, dealer-sale ST-3 with 45,000 miles for the same price. As always, the devil’s in the detail, with the ST-2 finished in Performance Blue and with upgraded alloys, and the ST-3 in less eye-catching red and standard alloys. The lesson when buying is to look around, compare prices and pay attention to colours and extras. Also, be particular about service history and tyres. Being so cheap, many Fiesta STs fell into the hands of those less able to afford to run them. Servicing, tyres and brakes were among the first casualties and that’s assuming the car wasn’t thrashed or crashed to destruction. Checking shut lines, crouching down and peering along the car’s sides for signs of body repairs and fresh paint, and scrutinising the underside for speed bump damage is vital. And as with all used car purchases, check the car’s finance and ownership status, too. But get a good one, and you’ll be laughing – especially on a B-road. Need to know The ST was launched as a three-door but a five-door version, costing £585 more when new, became available in 2016. A 31,000-mile 2017 ST-2 five-door is around £12,000 compared with about £11,000 for a three-door. In 2018, a recall was issued for early STs. It concerned the possibility of the cylinder head cracking due to localised overheating. Rectification included fitment of a new coolant level sensor with an alarm providing an audible and visual warning. Look out for STs fitted with the ST Style pack (£275 extra when new). It brings dark grey alloys, rear privacy glass (standard on ST-2), red brake calipers and illuminated ST sill plates. Servicing is every year or 12,500 miles and shouldn’t break the bank. The cambelt requires changing at 125,000 miles. Top spec pick With 212bhp on overboost, a shortened final drive ratio for quicker acceleration and tweaked suspension and steering, the limited-edition ST200 is the enthusiast’s ST. Our pick ST-2: This mid-range spec has heated part-leather Recaros, LED running lights, an upgraded stereo and privacy glass. It’s the best value and plentiful, too, so you’re sure to find a good one. Wild card Mountune’s power upgrade kit arrived in 2013. It cost £599 and increased performance by 33bhp to 213bhp. We spotted a tuned 67,000-mile 2014-reg ST-2 Mountune for £6700. Ones we found 2013 ST-2 63,000 miles, £6200 2015 ST-2 40,000 miles, £8995 2016 ST-2 50,000 miles, £9495 2017 ST200 43,000 miles,
Origin: Nearly-new buying guide: Ford Fiesta ST
Fiesta
James Ruppert: In celebration of the long-reigning Ford Fiesta
You can rely on the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) to pump out some statistics on a regular basis. I’m just not sure whether they are on the side of Bangernomics and appreciate the importance of the used car market. They seem genuinely surprised when it is doing well. However, the used car market does seem to be down, by just 0.6%, year on year with more than two million transactions. There is inevitably a 30.7% growth in demand for hybrid, plug-in hybrid and pure-electric cars, as a trifling 32,272 change hands. As ever, superminis are by far the most popular used buy, at 676,395, accounting for a third of sales and 6000 up on last year’s period. I won’t bore you with the most popular colour, but I will with the top-of-the-pops model: the perennial Ford Fiesta. A total of 92,798 Fiestas found homes and it is easy to see why: they are great little buses. Obviously, I cannot resist travelling back in time to find a 2001 1.3 Flight with a full service history and just 35,000 miles. You might think it would be £20,000 or something based on recent trends but, no, it’s a very reasonable £365. Not the prettiest Fiesta, but not a fish face. Those are a few hundred quid and becoming ironic classics. Mind you, a 1997 Fiesta 1.25 LX with a ‘pensioner owner’ (their words) and another one of those full service histories is just £495. Another point to bear in mind is the Fiesta remains a performance icon and an old-fashioned category D 2.0 ST from 2008 would, in the seller’s words, make an “ideal track project” and costs just £799. Otherwise, it is a 2016 ST-Line Fiesta with 41,000 miles at £9500, which certainly looks the part. Or you can up your game to a 2018 1.5-litre Ecoboost ST-2 with 5000 miles for £19,400. Then again, a 2006 2.0 ST with 100,000 miles is just £1795. Today, we’d call it a compact SUV or a crossover, but back in 2003 when the Streetwise was launched, it was called an urban on-roader. It was based on the Rover 25 hatchback and, to justify its name, was jacked up and given a tough-looking bodykit. This 2005-reg example is a one-owner car in immaculate condition. It has just 32,000 miles on the clock and is £995. Tales from Ruppert’s garage The Cooper doesn’t have any front suspension. You know that already if you’ve driven an old one, but mine has actually broken. The strut on both sides has busted, so that’s down to rubbish parts because these are just a few years old. Effectively, I have modern sports suspension. It is still drivable and nippy with added ‘slammed’ suspension. I can barely get a finger between tyre and wheel arch. It is a good look, but just when I thought all the traumas were over for 2019, the little car will have to be sorted out again. Reader’s ride Jim McKinney likes his bangers. “Our main car is an 04-reg RAV4 3dr petrol automatic,” he says. “We bought it in January this year. It’s our sixth RAV4 since 2002. Apart from being extremely reliable and reasonably cheap to maintain, they drive very well. They are really durable and very rust resistant, too. “Ours may be 15 years old, but with only 33,000 miles, one previous owner and a full Toyota service history, it drives and looks like a new car. It averages 32mpg-plus, which is pretty good considering.” Readers’ questions Question: Can you point me towards cars with cooled seats, because last year, my car’s air-con system was totally overwhelmed. I have around £15,000 to spend. David Hopgood, Chester Answer: You should have no trouble finding a new or used car with ventilated seats these days. They include the Premium-spec Hyundai i40, Ford Mondeo and Edge in Titanium and Vignale trims, Kia Optima 3 and Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport Elite Nav. High-spec Mondeos have had them for some years and £15,000 will buy a 2017 2.0 TDCi Titanium 5dr with 15,000 miles. John Evans Question: Naturally, as a loyal customer, my motor insurance renewal has gone up. Have you any tips for reducing my premium, other than going elsewhere? Sue Baker, Wimbledon Answer: First, if your insurer is listed on a comparison website, get a fresh quote on your current terms. Doubtless, it’ll be lower than you’re paying at present as the system thinks you’re new business. Next, armed with the website’s quote, contact your insurer direct and tell them their renewal is too high and that you’re considering leaving. Then hit them with their much lower online quote and see if that stirs them into action. It has certainly worked for me. John
Origin: James Ruppert: In celebration of the long-reigning Ford Fiesta
US$4 billion class-action leveled at Ford over Focus, Fiesta transmissions
The 2015 Ford Focus.Handout Ford is facing some serious legal drama as consumer fraud cases in the U.S. gather steam, reports the Detroit Free Press. Over 1.9 million people worldwide who purchased a Focus or Fiesta could take part in a class-action suit accusing Ford of lying to move the faulty vehicles, and then not taking ownership of the problem when it arose. The complaints center around the dual-clutch transmissions found in the 2012 through 2016 Focus and 2011 through 2016 Fiesta. Legal filings describe customers experiencing “shuddering, slipping, bucking, jerking, hesitation while changing gears, premature internal wear, delays in downshifting and, in some cases, sudden or delayed acceleration.” In April 2019, Ford’s lawyer Ryan Wu appealed to have the settlement amount lowered to US$35 million from US$4 billion. Judges are in the process of deciding whether to uphold the settlement. “If history is any indication, the situation facing Ford is grim, suggests the Free Press. A California jury awarded Ariel Myers of Los Angeles $550,000 after finding that Ford acted with malice and committed fraud by concealing that the transmission in his 2014 Ford Focus was seriously defective, inducing him to purchase the car, despite a history of massive numbers of transmission failures, according a news release after the April 6, 2018, verdict from the nonprofit Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety based in Sacramento.” Judges are expected to reach a conclusion on the by the end of the year.
Origin: US$4 billion class-action leveled at Ford over Focus, Fiesta transmissions
All about car 