Ford Fiesta ST Concept at the 2011 L.A. Auto Show
- Looks like: The Focus ST’s pipsqueak brother
- Defining characteristics: Turbocharged four-cylinder, six-speed manual, aggressive styling
- Ridiculous features: None to speak of — it’s ready for primetime
- Chances of being mass-produced: Count on it joining the Focus ST in Ford’s lineup
Ford has made it clear that there’d be a high-performance version of the Fiesta subcompact car, and the Fiesta ST Concept is what it may look like.
Based on the much more stylish four-door hatchback body style versus the sedan, the Fiesta ST Concept wears aggressive styling cues like a gaping honeycomb mesh grille similar to the one on the Focus ST, restyled bumpers and 17-inch alloy wheels inside widened wheel arches. The car’s stance is also lower. The resulting look is considerably more aggressive than the regular hatchback.
Like the current Fiesta, there’s a 1.6-liter four-cylinder under the hood, but it’s turbocharged in the concept and rated at 180 horsepower, which is 60 hp more than the production car’s engine. Torque is up to 177 pounds-feet, an increase of 65 pounds-feet. The concept is fitted with a six-speed manual transmission.
In its regular form the Fiesta has proven to be a nimble, good-handling car, so Ford’s starting with a good foundation on which to build a performance variant that should still offer reasonable fuel efficiency.
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