Fiesta ST200: Ford reveals hotter version of the much-loved car

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Ford has revealed a beefed up version of its popular Fiesta ST hot hatchback ahead of its Geneva Motor Show debut.

The new ST200 gets a power hike, re-worked components and some exclusive goodies. It could even be a celebratory run-out model as the company looks set to replace the current generation Fiesta with an all-new version in 2017.

It also more or less puts to bed rumours that Ford is planning to introduce an RS version of its supermini – the most popular new car in Britain, with 133,434 registrations in 2015. The RS rumours began in early 2015, according to Auto Express, but now it seems the car-maker has settled on a milder swansong for the sixth iteration, although they call it "a future classic in the making".

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The ST200 gets 197bhp compared to the 180bhp of the standard ST and also has an upped torque figure, rising from 177lb ft to 214lb ft. It retains the overboost function, which means that for 15 seconds, the engine can squeeze out an additional 15bhp and 22lb ft of torque when floored, and the final drive ratio of the gearbox has been shortened for punchier acceleration and sharper response. Going from 0-62mph takes 6.7 seconds and top speed is 143mph.

To distance the car from the Mountune Fiesta ST, which has similar performance figures, Ford has fettled the torque vectoring unit and traction control and fitted a quicker steering rack and new damper settings both front and rear. It all adds up to give the ST200 sharper driving dynamics.

Exclusive options include a "Storm Grey" paint job, black 17ins alloys and new interior detailing, such as silver stitching on the Recaro seats.

Car Magazine says production could be limited to just 500 units, with a price tag of a little more than £20,000 when it goes on sale this summer.