Likes
- An absolute bang for your buck legend, especially on the used market
- Dynamically a superb package
- All the practicality and ease of use of a normal Fiesta
- Well maintained and cared for examples showing good reliability
Used Ford Fiesta ST review
2013 - 2017
Dislikes
- Seats and seating position not for everyone
- Some interior details feeling their age
- Ride quality can be harsh
- Many abused or poorly modified examples out there
Stuff you should know
The Fiesta ST represents the performance focussed member of the 6th generation Fiesta family, the Fiesta being Ford’s global small car but unlike the more conservative Fiestas sold here in Australia that have been manufactured in Thailand, the ST is built in Germany.
Also here in Australia, the ST was available from 2013 to 2017 purely as a three-door hatch but other markets have also received 5-door hatch variants.
Variants wise, here in Australia we received just the single variant however Europe was treated to an upgraded ST200 in 2016.
As far as our updates go, the ST’s major midlife refresh occurred for the 2017 model and aside from the features mentioned below, not a whole lot else changed.
Some international markets did receive other updates during the lifecycle but as the Australian cars were specced so highly from the start, Ford Australia didn’t see the need to upgrade the car prior to 2017.
Variants wise, here in Australia we received just the single variant however Europe was treated to an upgraded ST200 in 2016.
We should also mention, for those requiring more horses on Australian Fiesta ST’s, there was the option of a factory backed Mountune power upgrade which upped the power and torque figures by 24kW and 80Nm and yes, this upgrade was fabulous.
What goes wrong
Exterior:
There are some isolated and sporadic reports of key fobs not working requiring the use of the key itself to lock/unlock the car.
Inside:
There are some reports of a plastic ticking noise that comes from the dashboard which is usually an actuator for the Climate Control, however this should be relatively easy and inexpensive to resolve.
Some cars built from 2015 – 2017 can suffer from a rattling steering column, however most of the reported cars have been remedied.
Mechanically:
The engine is marketed as an Ecoboost but is a completely different engine to the Ecoboost that is featured in the Focus and other Ford models.
In saying that, it is a good little engine that, when tuned is capable of some pretty impressive numbers.There are plenty of tuned ones out there so beware of crappy tunes and poor modifications because, when they’re pushed too hard, or tuned poorly, all bets are off as to what fails first, head gaskets, piston & ring failure and even cracked blocks.
In standard, unmodified form, as a daily driver, they are ok, but you’ll need to make sure they all of the factory recalls have been executed and are up to date.In the earlier models, there is a recall relating to a localised over heating issue which in extreme cases can cause an engine bay fire.
Timing belt renewal schedule is a whopping every 240,000kms or 10 years. This may be all well and good in a perfect world but we often see the water pump leaking or worse, the bearing on the belt tensioner fail long before that and if there’s any oil leaks from the cam or crank shaft seals that will very much shorten the life of the belt. Our tip, is to have it all done at around 150,000km.The right hand engine mount tends to loose its cushioning ability after 5 years or so. And while the engine won’t fall out of the car, it does affect the NVH.
The transmission can have some issues with synchros causing a crunch into gears and there are some complaints about premature clutch failure. Some clutches were replaced under warranty in the early models.
But now, those problems do seem to more common in modified cars and cars owned by the younger folks.So this is definitely one of those cars that you get as much information as you can about the mods, the service and repair history and the previous owner.
Recalls:
- 11 January 2018 – Due to a lack of coolant circulation, localised overheating of the engine cylinder head may occur. 4,842 units were affected, across the Kuga and Fiesta ST.
Exterior:
There are some isolated and sporadic reports of key fobs not working requiring the use of the key itself to lock/unlock the car.
Inside:
There are some reports of a plastic ticking noise that comes from the dashboard which is usually an actuator for the Climate Control, however this should be relatively easy and inexpensive to resolve.
Some cars built from 2015 – 2017 can suffer from a rattling steering column, however most of the reported cars have been remedied.
Mechanically:
The engine is marketed as an Ecoboost but is a completely different engine to the Ecoboost that is featured in the Focus and other Ford models.
In saying that, it is a good little engine that, when tuned is capable of some pretty impressive numbers.There are plenty of tuned ones out there so beware of crappy tunes and poor modifications because, when they’re pushed too hard, or tuned poorly, all bets are off as to what fails first, head gaskets, piston & ring failure and even cracked blocks.
In standard, unmodified form, as a daily driver, they are ok, but you’ll need to make sure they all of the factory recalls have been executed and are up to date.In the earlier models, there is a recall relating to a localised over heating issue which in extreme cases can cause an engine bay fire.
Timing belt renewal schedule is a whopping every 240,000kms or 10 years. This may be all well and good in a perfect world but we often see the water pump leaking or worse, the bearing on the belt tensioner fail long before that and if there’s any oil leaks from the cam or crank shaft seals that will very much shorten the life of the belt. Our tip, is to have it all done at around 150,000km.The right hand engine mount tends to loose its cushioning ability after 5 years or so. And while the engine won’t fall out of the car, it does affect the NVH.
The transmission can have some issues with synchros causing a crunch into gears and there are some complaints about premature clutch failure. Some clutches were replaced under warranty in the early models.
But now, those problems do seem to more common in modified cars and cars owned by the younger folks.So this is definitely one of those cars that you get as much information as you can about the mods, the service and repair history and the previous owner.
Recalls:
- 11 January 2018 – Due to a lack of coolant circulation, localised overheating of the engine cylinder head may occur. 4,842 units were affected, across the Kuga and Fiesta ST.
Exterior:
There are some isolated and sporadic reports of key fobs not working requiring the use of the key itself to lock/unlock the car.
Inside:
There are some reports of a plastic ticking noise that comes from the dashboard which is usually an actuator for the Climate Control, however this should be relatively easy and inexpensive to resolve.
Some cars built from 2015 – 2017 can suffer from a rattling steering column, however most of the reported cars have been remedied.
Mechanically:
The engine is marketed as an Ecoboost but is a completely different engine to the Ecoboost that is featured in the Focus and other Ford models.
In saying that, it is a good little engine that, when tuned is capable of some pretty impressive numbers.There are plenty of tuned ones out there so beware of crappy tunes and poor modifications because, when they’re pushed too hard, or tuned poorly, all bets are off as to what fails first, head gaskets, piston & ring failure and even cracked blocks.
In standard, unmodified form, as a daily driver, they are ok, but you’ll need to make sure they all of the factory recalls have been executed and are up to date.In the earlier models, there is a recall relating to a localised over heating issue which in extreme cases can cause an engine bay fire.
Timing belt renewal schedule is a whopping every 240,000kms or 10 years. This may be all well and good in a perfect world but we often see the water pump leaking or worse, the bearing on the belt tensioner fail long before that and if there’s any oil leaks from the cam or crank shaft seals that will very much shorten the life of the belt. Our tip, is to have it all done at around 150,000km.The right hand engine mount tends to loose its cushioning ability after 5 years or so. And while the engine won’t fall out of the car, it does affect the NVH.
The transmission can have some issues with synchros causing a crunch into gears and there are some complaints about premature clutch failure. Some clutches were replaced under warranty in the early models.
But now, those problems do seem to more common in modified cars and cars owned by the younger folks.So this is definitely one of those cars that you get as much information as you can about the mods, the service and repair history and the previous owner.
Recalls:
- 11 January 2018 – Due to a lack of coolant circulation, localised overheating of the engine cylinder head may occur. 4,842 units were affected, across the Kuga and Fiesta ST.
Should you buy it?
There is no denying the Fiesta ST is a superb little car but if you should buy one is a tough call.
While we do recommend buying a mint condition examples that have clearly been cared for and maintained fastidiously, there are unfortunately quite a few Fiesta ST’s on the used market that have been driven with a complete disregard for mechanical sympathy and have just not been cared for.
Therefore if we’re talking near abused ST’s, sorry but it’s a clear no, do not buy one of these, the Fiesta ST isn’t a fragile car as such but they certainly don’t like to be mistreated.
But what about when it comes to the right examples, should you buy one?
It’s a cautious yes. The Fiesta ST in an awesome little car, but do please your homework and be careful.
There is no denying the Fiesta ST is a superb little car but if you should buy one is a tough call.
While we do recommend buying a mint condition examples that have clearly been cared for and maintained fastidiously, there are unfortunately quite a few Fiesta ST’s on the used market that have been driven with a complete disregard for mechanical sympathy and have just not been cared for.
Therefore if we’re talking near abused ST’s, sorry but it’s a clear no, do not buy one of these, the Fiesta ST isn’t a fragile car as such but they certainly don’t like to be mistreated.
But what about when it comes to the right examples, should you buy one?
It’s a cautious yes. The Fiesta ST in an awesome little car, but do please your homework and be careful.
Should you buy it?
There is no denying the Fiesta ST is a superb little car but if you should buy one is a tough call.
While we do recommend buying a mint condition examples that have clearly been cared for and maintained fastidiously, there are unfortunately quite a few Fiesta ST’s on the used market that have been driven with a complete disregard for mechanical sympathy and have just not been cared for.
Therefore if we’re talking near abused ST’s, sorry but it’s a clear no, do not buy one of these, the Fiesta ST isn’t a fragile car as such but they certainly don’t like to be mistreated.
But what about when it comes to the right examples, should you buy one?
It’s a cautious yes. The Fiesta ST in an awesome little car, but do please your homework and be careful.
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Models, pricing & features
Tech specs
Body style:
- 3-door hatchback
Engines:
- 1.6 litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol
Power:
- 134kW – 1.6 litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol
- 147kW (with overboost) – 1.6 litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol
Torque:
- 240Nm – 1.6 litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol
- 290Nm (with overboost) – 1.6 litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol
Transmission & drivetrains:
- 6 speed manual, front wheel drive (FWD)
Fuel consumption:
- 6.2L/100km
Length:
- 3975mm
Width:
- 1709mm
Height:
- 1495mm
Kerb Weight:
- 1197kg
Body style:
- 3-door hatchback
Engines:
- 1.6 litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol
Power:
- 134kW – 1.6 litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol
- 147kW (with overboost) – 1.6 litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol
Torque:
- 240Nm – 1.6 litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol
- 290Nm (with overboost) – 1.6 litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol
Transmission & drivetrains:
- 6 speed manual, front wheel drive (FWD)
Fuel consumption:
- 6.2L/100km
Length:
- 3975mm
Width:
- 1709mm
Height:
- 1495mm
Kerb Weight:
- 1197kg
Body style:
- 3-door hatchback
Engines:
- 1.6 litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol
Power:
- 134kW – 1.6 litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol
- 147kW (with overboost) – 1.6 litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol
Torque:
- 240Nm – 1.6 litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol
- 290Nm (with overboost) – 1.6 litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol
Transmission & drivetrains:
- 6 speed manual, front wheel drive (FWD)
Fuel consumption:
- 6.2L/100km
Length:
- 3975mm
Width:
- 1709mm
Height:
- 1495mm
Kerb Weight:
- 1197kg
Warranty & servicing
Warranty:
3 year/100,000kms
Servicing:
12 months or 15,000kms
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Disclaimer
Please note that pricing information is subject to fluctuations in the automotive market.
Information correct as of September 9, 2022.
The advice provided on this website is general advice only. It has been prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on this advice, you should consider the appropriateness of the advice, having regard to your own objectives, financial situation and needs.
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