Unlike the compact segment, which is saturated with high performance models, the supermini class doesn’t include that many hot hatches.
Still, customers can pick between the Renault Clio RS, Volkswagen Polo GTI and Ford Fiesta ST.
The latter premiered at last year’s Geneva Motor Show, sits on the same platform as the regular versions that were presented a few months before, only with a sportier-tuned chassis and more aggressive styling, both inside and out, which includes exclusive bumpers, a roof-mounted spoiler and Recaro front seats.
While the previous-gen Fiesta ST came with a turbocharged 1.6-liter engine, the new one has a turbo’d 1.5-liter three-pot. It also has a cylinder deactivation system, the first in the industry to be used on a three-cylinder, which can shut down or re-engage a cylinder in 14 milliseconds.
Therefore, the new engine is more fuel efficient than the one it replaces, and at 200 PS (197 hp / 147 kW) and 290 Nm (214 lb-ft) of torque, it’s also quite punchy.
In Track mode, with the Launch Control engaged, the 2018 Fiesta ST can accelerate to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 6.5 seconds, an 0.4-sec improvement over its predecessor, and will go all the way up to a top speed of 232 km/h (144 mph).
But how does the sprint look like from behind the wheel? AutoTopNL put together a video that shows the supermini hot hatch’s continuous acceleration all the way up to its top speed. It might not be as mind-bending as some extremely tuned supercars, but it’s no slouch, either, especially if you factor in the fact that it’s a supermini.