First drive: Ford Fiesta ST

The ST badge has had a bit of an absence on the Fiesta recently, and don't we just know it. As racy as the Zetec S looks – and as good as it is to drive – we bet we weren't the only ones pining for a proper hot Fiesta.

Thankfully, now some five years into the current shape Fiesta, Ford has introduced a full-fat meaty version. Does it live up to the high expectations? AOL Cars headed to Southern France to find out.

What is it?

The eagerly anticipated Fiesta ST – Ford's hottest supermini yet. It's got a bit of a reputation to live up to, as well, with Ford very keen to compare it to the fast Fiestas of yesteryear that proved fun didn't have to come with a silly pricetag.

And so they should: at £16,995 on the road it's significantly cheaper than rivals like the RenaultSport Clio, and Ford has already received 900 orders before the cars have even appeared in dealerships to be drooled over.

What's under the bonnet?

A version of the 1.6-litre 'Ecoboost' engine you'll also find in the Focus, C-Max and Mondeo – a rather good little turbocharged thing with 180bhp on tap. Ford says it's fiddled about with its settings to make it a bit feistier than in those, though, and it seems to have paid off.

For a start, there's buckets of torque all of the time – almost regardless of where the rev counter needle happens to be pointing. Anywhere from about 2,000 to 5,000 RPM seems to be where the ST is happiest – beyond that you really do feel like you're hammering it unnecessarily.