For all you doubters...

A large part of why the FiST is so good is the price point. That's the reason I bought one over all the other sport compact hatches I shopped. Nothing comes close in terms of performance per dollar in the 2015 model year. If I'm a shopper spending 27-29K instead of 22K then then suddenly there are lot more options with the same performance per dollar value without some of the shortcomings of the Fiesta platform, and the Fiesta is no longer the slam dunk it was at 22K.

Also the one ford policy isn't as stringent as it would have you believe. First, it's an executive policy that came about during a global recession, and will change based on market performance and reaction to different products. Ford won't spend a bunch of money to safety certify and emissions test different drivetrain combinations if they aren't sure it will sell in a given market.

And I see very little parity in what is available from Ford in the EU compared to what is available in the US regardless of the one ford policy. While yes the Mustang is available in the EU it is only available in 4 different body/drivetrain configurations compared to the 12 domestically. And no the 16 GT350 isn't going to be available in the UK.

If (and it's a really big if no matter how you look at it) Ford brings a fiesta RS here I'd be really happy, I really love small fast cars. I won't hold my breath though. There is only so much room for low margin Halo cars in any manufacturers lineup, and a lot more Americans will buy a special Mustang than a special Fiesta.

CSM said:

Sorry to disappoint, but that's just a test mule for a future 1.0T Fiesta...no RS here...

Click to expand...

Yupp, look at the front end..

They can 'mutter quietly' all they want. Sure, there's room for improvement. No one has yet made the perfect car. But if I were a bean counter at Ford, I wouldn't be convinced as to the business case for a Fiesta RS, much less in a market generally unfriendly to small cars. This is largely the same reason that Toyota-Scion-Subaru has not made a factory turbocharged or supercharged FRS/BRZ/GT86. Pretty much everyone who was going to buy one, already has (and sales have slumped accordingly). That niche is saturated. And the people who said they'd have bought it, had it more power, like always, had no real intentions of doing so to begin with.

I'm a fan of the idea of a Fiesta RS. I would love to see one. But I think the case is difficult to make. A lot like the Focus RS, a Fiesta RS would be a limited production car, and as it is, a good number of the people who 'are going to buy an RS' aren't. I'd wager the percentages will translate to any potential Fiesta RS. This isn't like selling someone a good video game and making a hit sequel. Cars are too big an investment, even cheapish cars. To be a step up worthy of getting away from a Fiesta ST, an RS would have to be a lot more hardcore and higher performance--something you can't replicate with off-the-shelf aftermarket parts like bigger turbo kits, forged internals, and a quaife. An AWD system with a mechanical rear diff, and a handbuilt engine would be mandatory.

To anyone who thinks that's a realistic expectation, think of the cost, and then just look at how many whiners we have that the Fiesta ST is too expensive for 'what it is'. A Fiesta RS of that sort would be a triumph of performance vision over making money.