BEHIND THE WHEEL: Ford Fiesta S v Ecoboost v ST
MONDAY DECEMBER 12, 2016
​The fiesta trio, I've been waiting for a long time to write those words because life always gets in their way resulting in multiple delays for this gathering. In Malaysia, tyres do get punctured rather frequently so a dire replacement was needed which resulted in more setback.
Hatchbacks are adored for their agility on top of ease of drive in Kuala Lumpur says the person with less than adequate parking skills. I wondered why there are so many of these pesky Fiestas running about and they are a popular choice in my circle of friends. So I decided to gather them all to see what’s what.
FIESTA S
1.5-litre 4-cylinder
110 hp 140Nm
6-speed Dual Clutch
0-100 km/h: 11s
Top speed: 210 km/h
RM 88,388
FIESTA ECOBOOST
1-litre 4-cylinder
125hp 170Nm
6-speed Dual Clutch
0-100 km/h: 9.4s
Top speed: 200 km/h
RM 98,488
FIESTA ST
1.6-litre 4-cylinder
180hp 240Nm
(overboost 197hp 290Nm)
6-speed manual
0-100 km/h: 6.9s
Top speed: 220 km/h
RM 149,888
First into the old school natural breather. In the case of linear power delivery, it will be needing all the revs to keep up with its other sisters. Into the Ecoboost, there was an immediate difference to how power is delivered. Its engine is quiet when ignited while shove is spritely, especially so for a 3 cylinder.
Near identical to its naturally aspirated sibling, the steering is light but responsive to inputs, better than an Audi A4. However, being electrically assisted there is not much in the feedback department. The suspension setup is compliant even on rough patches without any compromise made to its agile nature.
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Then we had a drag race between the two to see which is quicker, more importantly by how much. On that day, the naturally aspirated Fiesta had a perfect launch while the Ecoboost took time for its turbo to spool and the rest was history. The margin was a car’s length when approaching the century mark which was quite an amazing find.
If neither the S nor the Ecoboost is good for you, there is always the meaty ST. Packing a slightly bigger engine at 1.6 litres (still milk carton sized according to Shiang), stiffer suspensions at all corners, beefy brakes, sound symposer piping in the right notes and the defining feature; a manual transmission which amplifies the driving experience by ten folds.
" There is little wonder why
Fiestas are popular"
While the Fiesta ST may look like Ip Man taking down 10 men with ease, it too comes with compromises. One, the ride is bouncy on most surfaces whereby I'm constantly given a belly massage. Then, it gets tiring after hours in traffic jams as with all manual transmissions but nothing beats the Megane RS in this aspect.
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I’m not going to crown the ST as a clear winner in this comparison because if someone can only have one car in their garage, he or she is better off with the Ecoboost. Not only is it decently quick as well as being appropriately comfortable but the most economical of the three.