• Five-door option available
• Useful size boot, but not as large as Polo GTI
• Plenty of standard safety equipment 

How much space is there?

The Fiesta ST offers the same level of practicality and space as the regular hatch. Be aware that on three-door cars as the doors are quite long, which can make getting in and out in tight spaces more of a challenge. It’s worth noting the orange-coloured Performance Edition is three-door only.

You do get courtesy lights in the rear, map pockets behind the rear seats and a small storage area beside the seat base, but you won’t get a centre armrest or air vents in either bodystyle. This is typical for cars of this size though.

The 292-litre boot in the ST isn’t any different to the regular Fiesta hatch, with the same high loading lip and 60:40-split folding back seats. It’s easily large enough for a few suitcases, however, and we don’t envisage many people complaining about storage space once they get driving – this is one of the most entertaining cars around.

Is it easy to park?

The Fiesta ST suffers with a problem many fast Fords have had over the years: its 11.0m turning circle is relatively huge, which makes it slightly more difficult to park. This isn’t the end of the world by any measure, but on occasion you may find yourself doing a five-point turn when in other cars three manoeuvres would have been enough.

If you’re really concerned then go for an ST-3, though, which gets rear acoustic parking sensors and a rear-view camera as standard. You can spec these separately if you don’t want the rest of the kit on the top ST, though.

How big is it?

Fiesta ST models differ slightly from the regular Fiesta models, but we are talking millimetres here.

How safe is the Fiesta ST?

• Extensive standard safety kit
• Plenty of driver-assistance options
• Five-star crash test score 

The ST is part of the Fiesta family, meaning it can boast the same five-star Euro NCAP crash test rating as the regular hatchback. That’s why we’ve included the hatch’s test video below. All Fiesta STs get six airbags and what Ford calls an NCAP Pack, which comprises lane-keeping assistance, a speed limiter, a rear seatbelt use indicator and automatic headlights. 

You can also option LED headlights which offer a better spread of light and range over the standard halogen ones.

At ST-3 level buyers can also expect traffic sign recognition, automatic high beam headlamps and a driver fatigue alert system.

Standard or optional Fiesta ST safety kit includes: 

• Blindspot monitor
• Pre-collision assist – prepares the car for an impending collision if it detects one
• Automatic emergency braking with two-stage sensitivity
• Distance alert – tells the driver if the car thinks you’re travelling too close to the vehicle in front

Read about how useful the Fiesta ST's safety technology is in the real world in our long-term report.