GRR Garage: Waving goodbye to our Ford Fiesta ST

Three months with a Ford Fiesta ST really isn’t enough time, six months probably wouldn’t be enough. It is a car that, with no real effort, cast a spell over the entire GRR team pretty quickly.

In the last few months our little blue beast has taken us up and down the country, visited one of the greatest race tracks in the world, and met its ancestors for what was, altogether, a pretty incredible day.

But what kinds of thoughts are we left with as the ST is ready to say goodbye? Good ones. The ST not only never presented us with any issues (even when leaving at hideous-o’clock to head off to an event) and wowed us all with the ease of its performance.

Most importantly though, it put a smile on our faces. What is the point of a hot hatch other than to make you smile? We won’t have been the first people to tell you that the ST is perhaps one of the most enjoyable cars on the road today, and we won’t be the last. We also won’t be the first to point out that pound for pound it brings probably the best performance you can realistically have on a UK road of any car available.

Saying goodbye to any long-term test car is a bit of a wrench, we spend so much time in each that they become a small part of our team. But the ST is so special, that at least two team members are wondering if they can head straight back to Ford and buy one. That’s the truest sign that a car has left a mark. If you’re thinking of buying a small hot hatch, this should be pretty high on your list.

MPG this week: 36.5.

Photography by Joe Harding and Pete Summers.