FOR those looking for an affordable and enjoyable small hatchback, even the base Fiesta is worth a long hard look.

But what if you take this same likeable buzzbox, fettle the suspension at Germany’s infamous Nurburgring, throw a 134kW/240Nm turbocharged 1.6-litre engine under the bonnet, take away the back doors and slap a razor-sharp $25,990 (before on-road costs) sticker on it?

It all looks like a pretty tempting proposition, doesn’t it?

With small hot-hatch offerings from Peugeot, Volkswagen and Alfa-Romeo carrying a price premium of a few grand, the smallest ST-badged Ford promises to be the biggest performance car bargain since the Toyota 86.

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