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" Most new performance hatchbacks are fun but flawed, either overweight or underpowered. The fatties pack on the calories in creature comforts, while the weaklings put on a brave face but fall flat in the race from stoplight to stoplight. These cars should be fun. Lord knows they used to be. And Ford, thank God, seems to grasp the plot. The 2014 Fiesta ST breaks down the barrier between the overweight and anemic, balancing features and performance on a terrific chassis.  Spry but not spine-jarring, the Fiesta ST effortlessly carves third and fourth-gear corners with no hint of of understeer thanks to Ford&amp;#039;s enhanced Torque Vectoring Control (eTVC) system. Yes, the steering is electric, but response is immediate, there&amp;#039;s plenty of feedback, and wheel effort is just heavy enough to make you work for the apexes from your bolstered Recaro perch.  The 1.6-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder churns out 180 hp, but the ST&amp;#039;s party piece is a full throttle &amp;quot;overboost&amp;quot; function that allows 20 PSI of boost to pump the number to 197 hp in 20-second intervals. That, combined with a curb weight just shy of 2600 pounds, means this little mouse can scurry.   Ford thankfully keeps the important things simple. The ST is only available with a 6-speed manual gearbox. Enthusiasts, rejoice. Poseurs, look elsewhere. Powertrains are shared between U.S. and foreign-market STs, but the five-door body is the sole Stateside offering.  Markets change, niches evolve, and consumers get it. Hell, they&amp;#039;re the ones responsible for it. Iterative improvement is necessary in product development. The Fiesta St and its ilk are no exception; improvements to differential technologies alone have helped to make sense of front wheel drive performance cars. Fortunately, in a marketplace loaded with affordable bolt-on enhancements, Ford understands that less is more. The Fiesta ST is an easy daily driver that springs right to life when you&amp;#039;re in the mood for a back-road blast. A healthy exhaust note with a hint of blow-off valve tickles the senses. All the right buttons get pushed. It&amp;#039;s fun.   Starting at $21,400, the ST is noticeably more affordable than the larger Focus ST or VW GTI, but is nearly equally paired with the Hyundai Veloster Turbo. While the Veloster may look like the Fiesta&amp;#039;s equal on paper, on pavement it&amp;#039;s a different story. A few spirited turns and it&amp;#039;s won you over. It&amp;#039;s an enthusiast&amp;#039;s car that should appeal to everybody. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/first-drives/reviews/a4158/2014-ford-fiesta-st-first-drive-review/?src=global_footer>