FINALLY we have the Mk8 Fiesta ST in Australia. I found one available for a test drive and drive it I did. Thank you to Brenton at Sinclair Ford in Penrith, Western Sydney. If you are looking to drive one, they have one, it is a demonstrator and they want you to drive it!

Looking beyond the fact that we only get them in 4 door and 2 years late what is it like?

In just about every way, the Mk8 Fiesta ST is an upgrade of the Mk7. The ride is much more comfortable but retains excellent handling. The power and torque is up from a standard Mk7 Fiesta ST and as you go through Sport and Race modes, the throttle response increases with it. I will add I don't feel the throttle response (even is race) is as responsive as the Mk7 albeit marginal, same can be said for the steering. The 1.5L 3cyl is surprisingly torquey although there is a tiny bit more "lag" than the outgoing 1.6L ecoboost. This is more noticeable when cruising and you want to overtake people e.g is you are driving at 2000rpm, the 1.5L will take longer than the 1.6L to really get into spooling up. More notable in sport and race mode are the subtle pops and bangs when changing 1st-2nd and 2nd-3rd with 3/4 or more throttle and above 4000rpm as tested. It is more tollerable than the aftermarket map additions in the Mk7 but would likely get louder with an exhaust upgrade.

Gearing has been altered to match the 1.5L torque delivery. Where you could get away with being in 4th in a 50km/h zone, you really need to be in 3rd to sit just above 2000rpm. The same can be said with 80km/h and being in 5th instead of 6th, even then if you are going uphill you may want to be in 4th to prevent the engine from labouring.

The ride is much more comfortable than the Mk7. You still get a lot of feedback through the seat and steering wheel without the bone jarring effect of the tiniest bump in the Mk7.The 18 inch wheels come wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres and linked the factory standard LSD it makes for some great fun pulling itself out of a corner.... Quickly.

The interior is superior in EVERY way. It is just a nice place to sit and drive. The seating, steering and pedal positioning seems very familiar to the Mk7. The seats are Recaros wrapped in black leather and black suede inserts. The are very nice indeed. They feel wider and more comfortable but after some reflection, this is morning notable on the lower backrest where the seat does not seem to hug your sides as the Mk7 Recaros do. Oh, and both front seats have a 3 setting heater! Sync 3 is a breeze and being a touch screen, does away with buttons and scroll dials like you got in the 1990's. The dash is vastly improved also with an LCD screen in between the tacho and speedo where you select different screens to view and also access your drive assists and other vehicle settings through buttons on the very nicely trimmed and comfortable steering wheel which is also heated - life changing for cold mornings. Gone are the mismatched plastics (for the most part) with the dash being consistent with a nice "carbon look" facia, the door cards are still plastic but the same as the dash aside from the door handle and the elbow pad is now leather, as is the handbrake handle and boot, also the centre console lid. The B&O Steroe is fantastic delivering quality sound and it turns up very loud (for a standard stereo) without distortion when set up well. An upgrade in a big in every way.

All in all, the Mk8 would be a better car to live with every day due to the ride, the upgraded interior and overall feel of the car. Would I buy one? Yep. Would I pay over $36,000 Aussie Dollerydoos drive away? No. I see the upgrades, I see that it is a better car in almost every way. I would enjoy this car more as a daily as would passengers.

I think once the car has gone through it's sales life a little and prices drop with sales and towards the end, I would likely be tempted to get one as this would be an amazing commuter car, fun, sporty, economical and comfortable with lots of creature comforts. I am not in a rush to be one of the first in country to pay the most and get one however if you have bought one already, you are definitely enjoying the car and possibly not worried about the purchase price!

Thanks for watching, please let me know if you liked my first ever new car review. I'd love to hear your thoughts if you have a Mk8 as a daily, thinking of upgrading or changing brands to get one.

Again, Thank You to Brenton at Sinclair Ford in Penrith for allowing me to take the car on a PROPER test drive and permission to film. Please make the trip if you want to test drive one. Tell them I sent you, for no discount lol.