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2019 Ford Fiesta ST improvements: More reasons we wish we'd get it

It's getting a limited-slip differential and launch control

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Ford has announced that the new 2019 Fiesta ST is going to be getting some great performance goodies the outgoing model didn't have. And that's great, at least for the people that will have an opportunity to get one, since the next-generation subcompact has all but been confirmed to not be coming to the States.

Perhaps the best addition to the new Fiesta is an honest-to-goodness mechanical limited-slip differential. It's optional, but at least it's available, unlike with the outgoing model. This little bit of drivetrain magic helps ensure that both wheels get power for better traction coming out of corners, and it's a part that's surprisingly scarce among the compact performance segment. It's not included with the Focus ST, Sentra Nismo, or even the base VW GTI and Juke Nismo, among others. The GTI and Juke can only have an LSD if opting for the higher-level GTI SE or Autobahn, and the Juke Nismo RS, respectively.

The new Fiesta ST also gets some fancy computer tweaks. It will now have three driving modes: Normal, Sport and Track. Each one progressively reduces the amount of electronic controls and makes things like throttle response sharper. The little car also gets launch control for the first time ever, and it works by pressing a button, flooring the throttle, and letting out the clutch fully when the car says. It helps the Fiesta ST hit 62 mph in a claimed 6.5 seconds.

Ford gave the suspension some additional attention, too. Twin-tube shocks are used up front now, with single-tube units at the back. Ford also added something called force-vectoring springs to the twistbeam rear axle, which from what we can tell, are springs that lean into the car at the top, and out toward the wheels at the bottom. The idea is that these provide additional lateral stiffness and control without needing to add a Watt's linkage, which would add extra weight. The springs are wound in different directions so they only work at their best on the side they were made for.

As we mentioned before, these are exciting new features for one of the car world's favorite hot hatches. But there's virtually no chance it will come here. Previous reports have said that the newest Fiesta is only designed for select markets, so probably won't come to America, and there aren't plans to only bring over the Fiesta ST, since it's such a niche product. And with Ford moving production of the Focus to China to make it more profitable, it's hard to imagine how the Fiesta could have a business case in the States. Still, no one at Ford in America has confirmed either way the Fiesta's future here.

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