Home News Fiesta ST-Line 1.0 EcoBoost Review and Test Drive

Fiesta ST-Line 1.0 EcoBoost Review and Test Drive

Remember when you knew at least one person with the old Ford Fiesta 1.25? In every family or group of friends there was at least one person with that car and it must have taught half the country to drive during the ‘90s.

I wasn’t lucky enough to own one, but I did ride shotgun in plenty from where I remember every last drop of power being extracted from the 75PS/ 110Nm torque engine in order to maintain momentum. It wasn’t a particularly exciting engine, with peak power arriving at 5200rpm, but it still made for a good bit of fun being caned along a back road.

Twenty two years on; are Ford’s entry level Fiesta engines still providing the same slow fun? Nope.

Ford’s smallest engine is now a rocket ship compared to those of old – you can get the latest Fiesta ST-Line with a 1.0l EcoBoost engine and in 100PS, 125PS and 140PS guises. We tested the 140PS/180Nm and found that young drivers no longer need to worry about maintaining momentum.

Our Fiesta came in Deep Impact Blue with it’s ST-Line addenda (17” alloys, full bodystyling kit with ST-Line wing badges, large rear spoiler and front fog lights) meaning it looked almost like a full on Fiesta ST. This is most impressive from a car you can get from £15,165 (ours started from £17,585) and makes it stand way out in front of most of its supermini rivals.

Jumping inside the ST-Line Fiesta you are reminded that this is a model which was first released back in 2008, even if it is improved by an ST-Line 3-spoke leather-trimmed steering wheel , black headlining and sports pedals. The DAB radio with 4.2” nav screen feels like it’s a long way out of date, but it did work fine for the whole time we used it – even if this was the most difficult Bluetooth connection that I can remember having.

For some Fiesta ST-Line customers this old tech will be a deal breaker, however, for many others who just want a car that’s great to drive, this will hardly matter at all.

Anyone from 17-70 who enjoys driving can have fun in this little Fiesta. Although it’s a good bit slower than an actual ST, it’s plenty fast enough to enjoy a spirited drive down some A and B roads. It’s maybe not as satisfying as thrashing a normally aspirated engine, but the little three cylinder can be worked if you choose to. This isn’t really necessary because with 180Nm of torque it’s only 25Nm behind Toyota’s GT86 sport car and ensures the 140PS Fiesta can hit 0-62MPH in 9 seconds.

What really stands out, from both a spirited drive and a stop/start journey through town, is how much more supple the ride is in the ST-Line compared to the ST. The full fat ST has often been lauded as the king of supermini hot hatches, but one of its biggest downsides is the very harsh ride. While giving away some of the hard edged, track focussed appeal, the ST-Line is a much easier car to live with on a day to day basis. For anyone not wanting to treat the countryside as their private racetrack, I’d go as far as saying this is a better setup.

Stepping away from performance for a moment, the “little” Fiesta is actually pretty spacious inside. It really feels quite similar in size to the Ford Focus and can easily swallow baggage that a mum, dad and toddler can throw at it.

Where the Fiesta ST has a limited market for those who want to go fast, the stylish ST-Line covers a lot more bases and easily cover being a fun car, family car and good looking daily commuter.

With this iteration of Fiesta about to be replaced by the seventh generation car, the main downside of the dated internal looks and tech should be addressed.  Ford’s rivals must be worried as none of them can quite match the looks and driving prowess and still come in at such a reasonable price.

PRICE: £17,585 (£20,730 with options)

ENGINE: 1.0l EcoBoost 5-Speed manual

POWER: 140 PS

TORQUE: 180 Nm

PERFORMANCE: Top speed 125 mph, 0-62 mph 9.0 secs

CONSUMPTION: 62.8 mpg (combined)

CO2: 104 g/km

TT Rating: 

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