Used Ford Fiesta ST cars for sale

Used Ford Fiesta ST pros and cons

Is a second hand Ford Fiesta ST a good car?

There’s always been something of a magic about the best hot Fords, and the Ford Fiesta ST is right up there with the very best fast cars from Dagenham (even if it was actually built in Spain. Shhh!). It’s like a four-wheeled equivalent of Olympic gymnastics star Ben Whitlock — fast, fun, and perfectly poised. 

It’s also up against some impressive competition, from the Hyundai i20 N to the Mini Cooper S, and even the little-seen Volkswagen Polo GTI. 

The Fiesta doesn’t look wildly different on the outside to your gran’s 1.1 Titanium model — there are some chunky alloy wheels, and a sporty bodykit, with some subtle ST badges, but there’s none of the visual hooliganry of classic fast Fords such as the original Sierra Cosworth. A Hyundai i20 N or Mini Cooper S are more visually arresting. 

That’s true of the Fiesta’s cabin, too. There’s a lot to like in here, from ultra-grippy bucket front seats (which can be a bit pinchy for larger drivers), a flat-bottom steering wheel that’s great to hold, and an 8.0-inch touchscreen with simple menus, big, blocky graphics, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Sadly, there’s also a lot of cheap plastic and a lack of the classier touches of rivals, such as the tartan seat trim of the Polo GTI, or the Mini Cooper S’s funky dials and steering wheel. 

There’s a choice of three-door and five-door models, with the five-door being the more practical. There’s enough space in the back — just — for two adults, but anyone trying to squeeze past those sports seats to get in and out of the three-door is going to find things tricky. 

In terms of boot space, the Fiesta has more room than a Mini, but less than the VW Polo. It’s good enough for a Saturday ‘big shop’ but not the biggest boot around. 

If the boot’s underwhelming, what’s under the bonnet is anything but. The Fiesta ST uses a 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol engine tuned to provide a whopping 200hp, which is enough to propel it from standing to 60mph in 6.5 seconds. True, there are electric cars which are faster than that — check out the MG 4 X-Power — but this is still a properly quick machine, and it performs with an orchestral percussion section’s worth of pops and bangs when you lift off the throttle. Childish? Yes. Fun? Absolutely. 

It’s not all about performance and noise, though. Lift off a bit and the Fiesta ST actually shuts down one engine cylinder, turning it into a two-cylinder engine, which helps to save fuel. As long as you don’t drive everywhere like Colin McRae, you should easily average 40mpg. 

The Fiesta ST does have selectable driving modes, allowing you to pick from easy-going settings for the engine and steering, or something a bit more sporty. Sports mode sharpens everything up, and the Fiesta ST is truly thrilling to drive, with super-sharp steering and agility, helped by a system that brakes the inside front wheel to turn the nose tighter into a corner — just like a McLaren supercar.

If you want more, track down a version with the optional Performance Pack (which came as standard on Performance Edition versions) which gets a launch-control system and a limited-slip differential to help the Fiesta ST sniff out grip in tricky conditions.

You don’t really need this extra pack, though — the Fiesta ST is more than sufficiently fun in standard form, and a truly brilliant hot-hatch. Its only real failing is that it’s not as comfortable and refined in everyday driving as a VW Polo GTI.

What to look for when buying a used Ford Fiesta ST

With it being a hot hatch and often used as a track-day car, you’ll want to check any potential Fiesta ST purchase over carefully for signs of abuse. Look at the tyres, checking for uneven wear that could indicate damaged steering or suspension, while exhaust gas that’s very dark on a cold start could indicate an engine that’s been thrashed. Rumbly or grinding brakes are a bad sign, too. 

The 1.5-litre engine also suffers from the same ‘wet belt’ issue as the smaller 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine, where the cambelt passes through the engine’s oil supply, which can lead to premature belt wear, as well as block oil channels in the engine.