Comparison Test: 2015 Ford Fiesta ST vs. Mini Cooper S 5 Door
Story by John LeBlanc
A pair of oil crises and government-mandated curbing of automobile emissions in the 1970s all but killed off the once mighty American V8 muscle car. But in the wake of neutered Ford Mustang Cobras and castrated Chevrolet Camaro Z28s rose a raft of relatively fun-to-drive small cars, led by the likes of the Volkswagen GTI and the Honda Civic Si.
Although not as popular as they were in the 1980s, more than three decades later, so-called “hot hatches” are still a great way to get a ton of performance in a small package. To see which one is more engaging and fun-to-drive for today’s hot hatch buyer, we put two of the best contenders head t0 head: the 2015 Ford Fiesta ST and the 2015 Mini Cooper S 5 Door:
FIRST PLACE: 2015 Ford Fiesta ST
The long-awaited ST version of Ford’s subcompact, front-wheel-drive, five-passenger, Fiesta hatchback arrived for 2014. And compared to the new-this-year Mini Cooper S 5 Door, the feisty Ford is not only less expensive to get into, but also more fun for keen drivers.
Inside, the Ford is all business. If not as stylish or as premium feeling as the quirky Cooper S’s interior, the Fiesta ST’s ergonomics are more intuitively accessed. Included in its $26,514 price (all prices include freight and pre-delivery inspection fees) is also a pair of torso-hugging Recaro thrones.
The Fiesta ST’s turbocharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder gas engine makes 197 horsepower and 202 pound-feet of torque, and only comes with a six-speed manual gearbox. Clutch engagement is smooth, and the stick’s shifter is easy to swap cogs with. Zero to 100 kilometres per hour takes only 6.9 seconds in the Ford — 0.1 seconds quicker than the Mini.
Sure. Some family sedans are quicker in a straight-line. Yet when the Fiesta ST gets moving is when it impresses the most.
Compared to the new Mini hot hatch, the Ford hot hatch’s all-around disc brakes bring the car to a stop in a shorter distance and offers more feel. And with a quicker steering rack than the cooking Fiesta, the ST offers more steering feel as well.
Exclusive to the hotter ST are front suspension knuckles, a redesigned rear torsion beam setup and firmer springs. But it’s the sum of those parts (and the way they’ve been tuned) that makes the Ford so much more playful than the Mini.
The Fiesta ST’s meaty and accurate steering clearly lets the driver know what’s going on at road level, allowing the hot hatch to be accurately placed in corners. With some lift-throttle oversteer antics, the Fiesta ST easily pivots on its axis, allowing the driver to point it in the right direction to exit slower corners gracefully and drift through longer, faster back road corners with confidence.
Between this pair of modern hot hatches, we could have picked that 2015 Ford Fiesta ST based on its lower price alone. But between its driver-oriented cabin and superior driving dynamics, the Ford is simply the hotter of these two hatches.
SECOND PLACE: 2015 Mini Cooper S 5 Door
Not to be confused with the larger, compact Mini Countryman or the three-door Mini Clubman, the new-this-year front-wheel-drive, four-door, five-passenger Mini Cooper 5 Door is the first quad-door version of the Cooper hatchback.
Since the brand’s modern debut for 2002, parent BMW has marketed its Mini offerings as premium small cars. And that’s certainly the case when we look at the pricing of the new Cooper S 5 Door.
While offering similar performance as the Ford from its 189 hp and 207 lb.-ft. 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder gas engine and six-speed manual transmission combo (a $1,650 autobox is optional), starting at $28,598, the Mini is already priced more than the well-equipped Fiesta ST. To match the Fiesta ST in kit, you’ll need to pay upwards of $32,295 for the Cooper S 5 Door.
For that premium, the Mini hot hatch does offer a nicer cabin, a bit more cargo space and a more comfortable ride than the Ford hot hatch.
Drivers will not get bored sitting in the Mini. The very large, central circular digital touchscreen (that has a ring of LEDs that change colour depending if you change the cabin temperature or driving modes) is just the start of a host of unique ergonomic touches (i.e. red starter toggle). And all the bits and pieces feel more substantial than in the plasticky Ford.
The Cooper S 5 Door offers more rear legroom than the two-door Cooper hatch. Yet neither the Mini or Ford subcompacts offer everyday rear seat room for adults. But at least the Mini’s 370 litres behind its rear seats offers more cargo space than the Ford’s 283 L rating.
Also more comfortable, compared to the Fiesta ST, is the Cooper S 5 Door’s ride. Although both of these hot hatches allow plenty of engine and road noise into their respective cabins, the Mini absorbs bad pavement better than the firmer Ford. And while the Fiesta ST is the hotter of these two small hatches to drive, the Cooper S 5 Door is still no slouch when driven hard on a back road.
You still sit low, like in all modern Coopers. And the torque-rich four pulls easily from rest. We wouldn’t call the Mini’s handing go-kart-like anymore. It’s too soft and slow to react in corners for that adjective.
However, for drivers who may find the Ford too hardcore, need an automatic transmission, and can afford the Mini’s premium pricing, the new 2015 Cooper S 5 Door offers a similar diving experience as its two-door hatch sibling, but with a bit more practicality.