some almost two years on from when Ford gave them the chop. In contrast to the all-but-barron small hot hatch market of today, the Mk8 Fiesta ST faced stiff competition on its launch in 2017.

And when the Mk8 arrived, we longed for the clarity of ... and not as engaging to drive as a Ford Kuga or Seat Ateca, but the balance between the two is well judged." ...

The Mk8 has several competitors including the Honda Civic Type R, Chevrolet Cobalt SS, BMW 128ti, 4 Skoda Octavia vRS, Ford Fiesta ST, Mini Cooper JCW GP, and the Hyundai i30 N among others.