Put simply, it looks awesome. That massive Aston Martin-esque grille looks good enough as it is, but in gloss black it looks properly menacing. Those honeycomb holes will be gulping up bugs by the bucket load.
An ST badge nestles on the lower right corner of the grille, while the foglight surrounds flare out on the bottom corners – they remind me of Predator’s jaw, and is exacerbated further by a particular mod (see below)
The car is lowered by 15mm, an extra 5mm over the Zetec S to bring out the best stance from those 17″ alloys.
The Style Pack means they’re Rado Grey too, with red brake callipers behind them. Not quite as pretty as the old Street Pack alloys, but hopefully these are less likely to buckle!
And around the back, we have a large rear spoiler and a rear diffuser designed specifically for the ST housing a set of twin exhausts. The ‘Fiesta’ badge also makes way for an ‘ST’ one.
For some it’s not quite different enough since it shares the same rear spoiler and side skirts as the Zetec S – there are no stripes to be had either this time round I’m afraid! – but if you have the ST-2, you at least get the LED daytime lights to mark it out too.
Unless its in the sun, our Molten Orange isn’t particularly orange – its definitely not as vibrant as the Electric Orange of the previous Focus ST’s, which might be gutting for those who’d paid extra, but it looks more upmarket; almost peachy – an orange with a yellow/gold undercoat. Shame we don’t see much of that though with the weather!
Inside
It’s more your typical Fiesta in here which isn’t a major downer really. There may not be a great smattering of ST badges to exude itself or a full set of gloss black trim as found on Zetec / Titanium models, but it’s already a nicer place than the old Fiesta ST.
The basics are spot on and thankfully, you won’t be paying much attention to the small centre screen anyway or the overly fussy Sony headunit.
The main differences over a Zetec S are: the black headlining, plain grey mats, the ST-badged steering wheel, a short, stubby gearlever, ST-specific dials with a red and white theme, the big, bolstered Recaro seats (in matching orange for us too), and that ESP button.
With the optional Style Pack we have the illuminated scuff plates too and they’ve simultaneously won and lost a few non-car fans.
Spec: Fiesta ST-2 Engine: 1.6T Petrol, 197bhp, 214lb ft Transmission: 6 Speed Manual Mpg: Official: 47.9mpg Achieved: 39mpg Performance: 0-62mph: 6.9 Secs, 139mph Colour: Molten Orange Running Period: Summer 2013 - Autumn 2014, 17,500 Miles Options: Cruise Control, 15" Spare Wheel, Rear Centre Head Restraint, Adjustable Boot Floor, Style Pack (Rado Grey Alloys, Red Brake Calipers, Illuminated Scuff Plates), Convenience Pack (Keyless Entry, Folding Door Mirrors & Puddle Lights), Auto-Lights/Wipers, Auto-dimming Rear View Mirror.
