Autoblog

Refreshed 2013 Ford Fiesta revealed in Amsterdam [w/video]

Seyth Miersma — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 00:01:00 EST

Set for a live reveal at a special product event in Amsterdam this afternoon, the 2013 Ford Fiesta offers freshened looks, a host of new technology and a lot more for global small car drivers.

Sharp-eyed readers will quickly notice that Ford has downsized its trapezoidal front grille - as seen on the revised Fusion and Taurus - to augment the aggressiveness of the new Fiesta's schnoz. Angular headlights offer LED elements while bracketing a new "power-dome" design on the car's hood.

For the European market - Ford is still mum on the details for U.S.-specification Fiesta models - the company is touting its three-cylinder 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine as the bread-and-butter powerplant. That frugal turbo mill is expected to give the Fiesta best-in-class fuel economy in the highly competitive European small car market, though the automaker has yet to report official consumption figures.

The revised Fiesta brings with it, happily, a new version of the pocket-rocket Fiesta ST, too. That little speed machine will make use of a 182-horsepower turbocharged 1.6-liter engine, as well as electronic torque vectoring, and looks like it will be a total hoot to drive for old-world hoons.

The 2013 Fiesta is set to be packed with premium technologies, as well. Ford's well-known SYNC infotainment system will be available, of course, along with such niceties as the Active City Stop system, which proposes to help drivers avoid low-speed collisions. What's more, the MyKey system will be available for Euro customers for the first time. This technology allows owners to configure maximum speed limits, audio controls and enables all safety aids - ostensibly to be used by protective parents to rein in unseasoned young drivers. (And to think, all our parents had were threats of violence and cheap gas.)

Again, all of the specifications listed here and in the press release below are for the European version of the new Fiesta only. Expect to see details for our version of the new Fiesta as they are made available later this year.

Continue reading Refreshed 2013 Ford Fiesta revealed in Amsterdam [w/video]

Refreshed 2013 Ford Fiesta revealed in Amsterdam [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 05 Sep 2012 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford Fiesta ST gets U.S. go ahead?

Steven J. Ewing — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 10:13:00 EST

Filed under: Performance, Hatchback, Ford

Ford certainly teased us last year by bringing a five-door Fiesta ST concept to the Los Angeles Auto Show. Shortly thereafter, the production Euro-spec three-door ST was revealed in Geneva, but Ford's lips were still sealed about whether or not the pint-sized hot hatch would make its way to the United States.

Speaking to AutoGuide recently at an event in California, Ford Marketing Manager Steve Ling stated that "the Fiesta is the next to get the [ST] treatment." That said, when Motor Trend reached out to Ford for comment, a representative from the automaker simply stated that a decision had not yet been made for other markets, including North America.

In Europe, the Fiesta ST is powered by a 1.6-liter four-cylinder EcoBoost engine, good for 177 horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque. Assuming the car is green-lit for U.S. consumption, we don't expect those numbers to change. All we can say for now is, cross your fingers.

Ford Fiesta ST gets U.S. go ahead? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 22 Aug 2012 10:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2013 Ford Fiesta ST delivers a pint-sized punch

Steven J. Ewing — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 09:01:00 EST

Filed under: Performance, Geneva Motor Show, Europe, Hatchback, Ford

We Americans may only be a few calendar flips away from the launch of the 250-horsepower Ford Focus ST, but in Europe, an even more pint-sized hot hatch is about to be unleashed. Here at the Geneva Motor Show, the Blue Oval's European counterparts have just unveiled the 2013 Fiesta ST, a three-door version of the five-door ST concept that we saw at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show last November. And while Ford executives have said that they're "open to the idea" of bringing this model to the States, we'll wait for official confirmation before we get too excited.

Just like the concept, the production Fiesta ST is powered by a 1.6-liter EcoBoost inline-four delivering 177 horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque. That grunt runs to the front wheels via a six-speed manual transmission (no word about an optional dual-clutch unit), and Ford claims that the Fiesta ST will be able to shuffle to 60 miles per hour in less than seven seconds on its way to a top speed somewhere just below the 140-mph mark.

The Fiesta ST will launch in Europe sometime in early 2013. All we can say is, if Ford is going to tease us Americans with ST concepts at U.S. auto shows, it had better be prepared to deliver.

Continue reading 2013 Ford Fiesta ST delivers a pint-sized punch

2013 Ford Fiesta ST delivers a pint-sized punch originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 06 Mar 2012 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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