FORD BOWS TO DEMAND WITH FIVE-DOOR FIESTA ST

Ford has given in to customer demand and released a fivedoor version of its spectacular Fiesta ST hot hatch in Europe.

The new bodystyle, which has been available in the United States for some time, will sit alongside the existing three-door ST and is expected to account for a quarter of all Fiesta ST sales across Europe.

Announcing the addition ot the ST range, Roelant de Waard, vice president of marketing, sales and service, for ford of Europe, said: “Ford has now sold more than 38,000 Fiesta STS in Europe since we introduced the acclaimed hot hatchback in 2013, and growing numbers of customers have been askin gus for a five-door version.

“The Fiesta ST with five doors makes an affordable Ford of customers.”

The five-door model retains all the features that have made the three-door version such a huge success.

That means buyers will get a 1.6-litre Ecoboost petrol engine producing 180bhp and 177lb/ft, powerful enough to propel the supermini to 62mph in just 6.9 seconds.

They will also enjoy the Ford Performance tweaks to the car’s chassis, suspension, steering and brakes which have made it the Fiesta ST a critical and commercial smash.

The five-door variant goes on sale from October in ST-2 and ST-3 trims priced from £19,495, that’s £600 more than the three-door.