With its new EcoBoost engines, Ford has opened a veritable Pandora’s box of performance applications. With more horsepower and better fuel economy, EcoBoost engines will eventually be found in every vehicle wearing either a Ford or Lincoln badge. This includes the diminutive Ford Fiesta, which will give buyers the option between a tiny, 1.0 liter three-cylinder EcoBoost engine…or something a little bigger, and a lot more powerful.
Yup, it is official. Next year the Ford Fiesta ST will go on sale in the united states with a 1.6 liter EcoBoost engine cranking out an impressive 197 horsepower and 214 ft-lbs of torque, all in a lightweight, fun-to-drive compact. But will it cannibalize Focus ST sales?
The 2014 Ford Fiesta ST will only be available as a hatchback, and will have many of the same goodies found on the Focus ST. This includes Torque Vectoring Control to reduce understeer and improve handling, as well as a six-speed manual transmission and a three-mode stability control system. All of these features are sure to make the Fiesta ST plenty of fun to drive, and Ford still estimates a 34 mpg highway rating.
But the real star here is the 197 horsepower EcoBoost engine. For comparison, the standard Fiesta has 120 horsepower, a paltry amount compared to the ST. Interestingly enough, the Fiesta ST makes just 55 horsepower less than the larger (and surely more expensive) Focus ST. With all the same features, but less weight and a lower price, will buyers opt for the less-powerful Fiesta ST over the Focus ST?
It will be interesting to see how it all works out.
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