Review: Tur...tur...turbo BOOST!!! Ford Fiesta ST

I have always wondered how a turbocharged car would feel like. I have always wondered how it feels when it kicks in. I even wondered if the so called 'turbo lag' would spoil the fun of driving. My questions were eventually answered when I test drove the brand new Ford Fiesta ST.

The test drive happened to be conducted in conjunction with the Asia Klasika Motor Show taking place from 31st October-2nd November 2014 at Pullman Putrajaya. Seeing that this will be the first turbocharged car that I will lay my finger on, I thought "Just do it la! Cannot afford to squander this chance!".

Before I get to the test drive, let's cover the nitty gritty bits first. The ST is powered by a 1.6L 4 cylinder Ecoboost (Ford's speak for turbo and direct fuel injection) that outputs 182PS (180hp) at 5700rpm and 240Nm at 1600-5000rpm. All those grunts are channelled to the front wheels via the 6 speed manual transmission (no automatic options).

The ST's steering is electric power steering. Stopping power is taken care of by disc brake all-round, and it rolls on 205/40R17 tires on all four corners with alloy rim. A 15" mini spare wheel is also provided.

Testament to its ST badge, the exterior is decked out with sporty bodykit that includes dual chrome exhaust and rear spoiler. Also, it comes with rear parking sensors, front fog lights, auto headlights, rain sensing wipers, daytime running lights (DRL), power adjustable side mirror and halogen projector headlamps.

The interior niceties include sports alloy pedal covers, telescopic steering adjust, power windows, leather wrapped steering and gear lever, Recaro bucket seat, manually adjustable seat and the foldable rear seat that offers 60:40 split to increase cargo space.

On the safety front, ABS with EBD (Electronic Brakeforce Distribution), ESP (Electronic Stability Program) with Brake Assists and Traction Control, front airbags, left hand and right hand side airbags plus driver's knee airbag and seat belt pretensioners for front seats take care of keeping you safe while you wring the neck of your ST.

The ST is priced at RM149,888 OTR with insurance.

   

With the nitty gritty out of the way, let's head to the test drive. As I stepped into the ST, I was greeted by the lovely bucket seat along with the multi function display flanked by the tachometer and speedometer and of course the lovely sports alloy pedal cover. The interior space is plentiful so you would not feel claustrophobic.

       

Everything set and done, the test drive started. My first impression, the gearbox is very smooth. A nice flick of the wrist is enough to hook it into gear. The clutch is nicely weighted and easy to use. 

Next impression, the acceleration. The moment I set off, the car behaved like a normally aspirated (no turbo) car. So, I was a bit put off initially. Once climbing up a steep slope outside PICC, I floored the throttle and BAM the turbo kicks in and the car literally fly. The acceleration once the turbo kicks in is just....mindblowingly crazy. The car transformed from a sedate cruiser to an absolute beast once you spool up the turbo. All this while from Pullman to the slope I was experiencing the so called 'turbo lag'! It turns out that the turbo kicks in at roughly around 3000rpm and I was below it before I got to the slope. 

Worry about all those power? Do not worry. The ST's brake is powerful enough to keep you from wrapping yourself around trees. 

As for the ride and handling, the ride is a smidge uncomfortable, most probably because of its firm sports suspension and low profile tires (they did not put the ST badge for nothing), but I do not find it jarring to the point of rattling your teeth. 

Once the test drive is over, I was completely over the moon about the car. Despite being a performance-oriented hatchback, I doubt this car will be an impractical family car. The interior space is impressively vast that it does not feel like a wardrobe on 4 wheels. 

Worry about cargo space? No worries, just fold the rear seat and voila your hot hatch becomes your loyal grocery getter. 

Overall the Fiesta ST is a decent car. It is fast, surefooted and capacious. Hats off to the blue oval.

My fun car version

Whenever the phrase 'fun to drive car' is heard among car enthusiasts, loads of different ideas of fun cars conjured up. Some would envision a fun car as a tech-laden, highly computerized supercars that make one feel like an Autobahn warrior (Bugatti Veyron with its stonking 427 kph top speed), an old school classic cars with oodles of power and physically demanding to drive (Ferrari F40 comes to mind with its twin turbo V8, no ABS, no Stability Control, no Traction Control, no power brakes, no power steering, no dual clutch wizardry and instead, its lovely open gated 6 speed manual box), rally icons (Subaru Impreza, Audi Quattro, Mitsubishi Evo), or even modern supercars with dearth electronic driver aids and massive horsepower to boot (Noble M600 with its barking 650 bhp V8, manual gearbox, no ABS and no Stability Control). Different strokes for different folks, what is considered as a fun car to one camp may not always be fun to the other camp, which leads me to my own version of 'fun to drive cars':

1) Razor sharp pick-up

Nothing beats the feel of laying on the loud pedal and feel immediate surge of acceleration. It does not matter if the car in question is Kancil or Porsche 911 GT3, there is no fun in slamming on the throttle and wait for ages for the car to build up speed. There is also no fun when it takes forever to complete an overtaking manoeuvre only because the car being driven accelerates like a lazy bum. Hence, I personally believe cars with slow pick-up is a bane to the thrill of driving.

2) Handles like a boss

Horsepower. Always the most talked about subject when discussing about 'fun to drive cars'. Now, I can see the appeal of horsepower. Fun cars are supposed to be fast, but all those brute power is meaningless if the car handles like a piece of junk. A fun car strikes the balance between sheer power and handling prowess. Imagine chucking your 1000 bhp car into a fast sweeper, only to wind up upside down in the ditch when you get back on the power. Not fun right? Furthermore, the driving aspects that fascinates me most is handling dynamic. Lots of complex but interesting forces take charge as you barrel down your favourite roads which can affect the car's handling, ranging from the change in suspension geometry, change in weight distribution over the front axle relative to the rear and sundry more stuff at play in the handling department.

3) Manual transmission

I have to admit. Today's automatics are so brilliant that the performance advantages and stellar fuel efficiency that manuals used to enjoy are going out the window, especially if you are speaking of highly sophisticated 8 speed automatic or the highly vaunted dual clutch transmission. Pit two cars of the same models, year, brand and specs, but one is manual and the other is automatic, the latter is going to be faster as computers can shift way faster than any humans. But, nothing beats the tactile pleasure of feeling the cogs meshing under your arm, timing the coordination of the clutch and throttle and nailing a smooth heel toe downshift as you approach your favourite turns, things that cannot be replicated with automatics. Now before you get any wrong ideas, I am no way claiming that manual is the only means of upping the pleasure of driving. I have driven my mum's BMW which is an automatic and I have so much fun driving that thing. The argument on which is fun, manual or automatic, is highly subjective. But, if given the choice between manual or automatic, I personally crave for the engaging driving experience (subjective) of the manual.