Ford_News
03-26-2013, 10:54 AM
Filed under: Performance (http://www.autoblog.com/category/sports/), Hatchback (http://www.autoblog.com/category/hatchbacks/), Ford (http://www.autoblog.com/ford/), First Drives (http://www.autoblog.com/category/driving/)
Concentrated ST Formula Proves Just As Potent
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2013/03/2014-ford-fiesta-st-fd.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2014-ford-fiesta-st-first-drive/)
I'm not the jealous type... usually. But I will fully admit to being somewhat of a Pouty Polly when I read executive editor Chris Paukert's report (http://www.autoblog.com/2012/06/25/2013-ford-focus-st-first-drive-review/) after driving the then-new 2013 Ford Focus ST (http://www.autoblog.com/ford/focus+st/) through the impossibly pretty southern French Alps region last June. I feel like a broken record saying this yet again, but hot hatchbacks hold a special place in my heart. And while I'm always giddy to drive any sort of small, turbocharged three- or five-door at home in Detroit, my jealousy was indeed piqued after hearing Paukert tell about the challenging yet breathtaking roads he encountered while driving the flamin' yellow Focus (http://www.autoblog.com/ford/focus/). You know, the sort of roads that, from above, look like carelessly drizzled lines of icing on the frosted Alpen caps.
Several months later, I found myself piloting a Focus ST just west of metro Detroit, pitting it head-to-head (http://www.autoblog.com/2012/11/20/2013-ford-focus-st-vs-2012-volkswagen-gti-comparison-review/) against one of Autoblog's perennial favorite cars, the Volkswagen GTI (http://www.autoblog.com/volkswagen/gti/). It was fantastic - enough so that I fully stand behind my statement that in terms of balls-out performance, the Focus ST cannot be beat as far as today's front-wheel-drive hatches are concerned.
But I can't be jealous of Paukert any longer. I've just returned from driving the new Ford Fiesta ST (http://www.autoblog.com/ford/fiesta/) - in European-spec three-door guise - along many of those same roads in southern France. And while I really do love the larger Focus ST, my experience in the Fiesta has led me to believe that I, perhaps, had the better time.Continue reading 2014 Ford Fiesta ST (http://www.autoblog.com/2013/03/26/2014-ford-fiesta-st-first-drive-review/)
2014 Ford Fiesta ST (http://www.autoblog.com/2013/03/26/2014-ford-fiesta-st-first-drive-review/) originally appeared on Autoblog (http://www.autoblog.com) on Tue, 26 Mar 2013 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds (http://www.mnfords.com/rss-term-of-use/).
Permalink (http://www.autoblog.com/2013/03/26/2014-ford-fiesta-st-first-drive-review/) | Email this (http://www.autoblog.com/forward/20517381/) | Comments (http://www.autoblog.com/2013/03/26/2014-ford-fiesta-st-first-drive-review/#comments)
More... (http://www.autoblog.com/2013/03/26/2014-ford-fiesta-st-first-drive-review/)
Concentrated ST Formula Proves Just As Potent
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2013/03/2014-ford-fiesta-st-fd.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2014-ford-fiesta-st-first-drive/)
I'm not the jealous type... usually. But I will fully admit to being somewhat of a Pouty Polly when I read executive editor Chris Paukert's report (http://www.autoblog.com/2012/06/25/2013-ford-focus-st-first-drive-review/) after driving the then-new 2013 Ford Focus ST (http://www.autoblog.com/ford/focus+st/) through the impossibly pretty southern French Alps region last June. I feel like a broken record saying this yet again, but hot hatchbacks hold a special place in my heart. And while I'm always giddy to drive any sort of small, turbocharged three- or five-door at home in Detroit, my jealousy was indeed piqued after hearing Paukert tell about the challenging yet breathtaking roads he encountered while driving the flamin' yellow Focus (http://www.autoblog.com/ford/focus/). You know, the sort of roads that, from above, look like carelessly drizzled lines of icing on the frosted Alpen caps.
Several months later, I found myself piloting a Focus ST just west of metro Detroit, pitting it head-to-head (http://www.autoblog.com/2012/11/20/2013-ford-focus-st-vs-2012-volkswagen-gti-comparison-review/) against one of Autoblog's perennial favorite cars, the Volkswagen GTI (http://www.autoblog.com/volkswagen/gti/). It was fantastic - enough so that I fully stand behind my statement that in terms of balls-out performance, the Focus ST cannot be beat as far as today's front-wheel-drive hatches are concerned.
But I can't be jealous of Paukert any longer. I've just returned from driving the new Ford Fiesta ST (http://www.autoblog.com/ford/fiesta/) - in European-spec three-door guise - along many of those same roads in southern France. And while I really do love the larger Focus ST, my experience in the Fiesta has led me to believe that I, perhaps, had the better time.Continue reading 2014 Ford Fiesta ST (http://www.autoblog.com/2013/03/26/2014-ford-fiesta-st-first-drive-review/)
2014 Ford Fiesta ST (http://www.autoblog.com/2013/03/26/2014-ford-fiesta-st-first-drive-review/) originally appeared on Autoblog (http://www.autoblog.com) on Tue, 26 Mar 2013 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds (http://www.mnfords.com/rss-term-of-use/).
Permalink (http://www.autoblog.com/2013/03/26/2014-ford-fiesta-st-first-drive-review/) | Email this (http://www.autoblog.com/forward/20517381/) | Comments (http://www.autoblog.com/2013/03/26/2014-ford-fiesta-st-first-drive-review/#comments)
More... (http://www.autoblog.com/2013/03/26/2014-ford-fiesta-st-first-drive-review/)