Ford’s 1.0-litre 3-cylinder Ecoboost motor has been a revelation since it was introduced some years ago – dominating its class at the International Engine of the Year Awards, and bringing home the gold every year.
However, despite the American-automakers immense success with their 1.0-litre Ecoboost motor, Ford has copped a lot of slack from ST owners by fitting a 1.5-litre turbocharged 3-cylinder into their latest Fiesta ST.
When it comes to engine specification though, the new powerplant actually produces superior output to the previous generation ST’s 1.6-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder motor. The Mk7 ST produced 134kw and 240nm (the limited edition ST200 produced 147kw and 290nm), while the new Mk8 ST produces 147kw and 290nm and allows the little hatch to sprint from 0-100kph in a little over 6.5 seconds.
While downsizing has been a contentious issue, Carwow has decided to put the two generations of Fiesta ST up against each other in a series of tests, to answer the question of whether downsizing has hurt the performance of the highly-acclaimed sporty hatch.
On a side note, Ford South Africa has confirmed that they will not be bringing the new Fiesta ST to South Africa, citing incompatibility with our fuel.
