In July 2018, we broke the news that the new Ford Fiesta ST is not destined for South Africa. Now, the folks over at Spanish publication km77 have put the new three-cylinder model through the dreaded Moose Test, with the little hot hatch earning a “good” rating.
In the video below, the Fiesta ST – which is powered by a new turbocharged 1,5-litre three-cylinder engine delivering 147 kW and 290 N.m to the front axle – is subjected to one of the toughest handling tests out there, designed to simulate an animal suddenly running in front of a moving vehicle.
As we’ve pointed out before, though, whereas the Swedes usually perform the evaluation at about 60 km/h, this test from the Spaniards is conducted at higher speeds.
The Fiesta ST (in this instance running on 18-inch alloys wrapped in 205/40 R18 Michelin Pilot Super Sport rubber) was put through the test first at 77 km/h, with the publication describing the result as “completely satisfactory”.
The best successful attempt was achieved at 80 km/h, with km77 billing the hot hatch’s responses as “excellent” despite the presence of a little more understeer than before.
Watch the clip below, which includes a slalom test, to see just how the Fiesta ST performed (take note that the commentary is in Spanish)…
