Going is good to firm in the Ford Fiesta ST

A FEMALE colleague treated her daughter and herself to a week’s holiday in Spain recently. Ostensibly the holiday was a reward for the daughter, who achieved the required number of points in her Leaving Cert to get the place she wanted in college, but I reckon the mother was also happy to get away for a break.

That holiday idea came back to me last week when I was thinking about just who would buy the new Ford Fiesta ST. The Fiesta has been a great seller for Ford since it was launched in 1976 and has long been regarded as a car for females; earlier this year it was named

‘Women’s Car of the Year.’

However, not many women are likely to opt for the sporty ST version and the car could be more of a hit with boy racers. Then it struck me, wouldn’t the ST be an ideal present for a

‘yummy mummy’ to buy for her off spring who do well in exams?

This was the second week in a row that I was driving a sporty-looking car. The Fiesta had only two doors compared to the four in the Juke Nismo the previous week, but the ST is

?¬4,000 cheaper. Once again speed off the block is not a problem and with 182 horses working under the bonnet the ST can get you from zero to 100km/h in just under seven seconds, making it the fastest Fiesta ever produced. The top speed in this 1.6 EcoBoost engine is 220 kmh, but there are not many places in Ireland where you can you legally check that out.

The ST version is much the same shape as the new version of the regular Fiesta which Ford unveiled earlier this year. However, a trapezoidal honeycomb grille, rear diffuser and spoiler all combine to give you the impression that you are definitely driving a hot hatch.

On the road there was a fair bit of noise, but it depended on the type of road surface I was driving on. I found the suspension a bit firm and if you were using horse racing parlance, I would describe the going as

‘good to firm.’

ST in this instance stands for Sport Technologies and inside, the Recaro front seats certainly add to the sporty look. My wife loved her Recaro seat. There is room in the back for three people at a squeeze, but the rear windows don’t open. The boot is a decent size and you get a

‘mini’ spare wheel.

Prices start a

?¬25,760, but thanks to the excellent EcoBoost engine the ST is not as thirsty as other hot hatches I have driven.

No complaints from my family then, they would have preferred four doors, but then they always do. It’s a real pocket rocket, but who will buy it I’m not sure.

My 26 year-old daughter, who is thinking of changing her car, was really impressed with the spirit blue version I drove, but she says she will probably wait for a 141 or 142 registration plate. Her exam days are thankfully over; otherwise I might be coaxed into helping her buy an ST!