Autobytel 2014 Compact Car of the Year: Ford Fiesta ST

by Michelle Naranjo

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January 2, 2014

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3 min. Reading Time

Last year's Compact Car of the Year finalists were like an episode of Sesame Street, brought to you by the letters B,R,Z,F,R,S,T,S,T,G, and another T. A true testament to how sporty and fun the compact car segment has become and how far it has moved from the days of econoboxes.

This year, another ST made the grade to the Final Three and won the Autobytel 2014 Compact Car of the Year: the Ford Fiesta ST. The runners up are also of the fun-to-drive size and also meet the rest of the criteria: easy to park, affordable to buy, and easier to fill up than anything with more than 250 horsepower.

Read on to see how the cards fell in the Autobytel 2014 Compact Car of the Year category.

Autobytel 2014 Compact Car of the Year: Ford Fiesta ST

Back in 2011, the amped up ST version of the Ford Fiesta was just a dream for North American drivers. It was available in Europe, but official statements repeatedly asserted that the little speed demon would never touch our shores. Fast forward to 2013, and the dream became a reailty for American drivers and the Autobytel 2014 Compact Car of the Year is the Ford Fiesta ST.

The Fiesta ST only comes in the (hotter) hatch variation but it is performance-tuned to achieve 197 horsepower and 202 lb.-ft. of torque from its tiny 1.6-liter EcoBoost 4-cylinder engine. Even with all of that fun under the hood, the Fiesta ST gets about 29 miles per gallon on the highway, making commuting time a lot more fun, and easier on the wallet.

Autobytel 2014 Compact Car of the Year Finalist: Mazda3

This year, the Mazda3 offers consumers a complete redesign that gives both the Mazda3 sedan and 5-door hatchback version a modern face, fuel efficiency improvements, and more safety and connectivity tech than you can shake a stick at.

The sedan version of the Mazda3 has refined definitions that reflect a larger class of car. Truly the little sibling to the elegant Mazda6 sedan in its lines. The hatch version of the Mazda3 – if you squint a little – has a touch of (gasp) the sporty, Ferrari FF-inspired stance and profile. And the little darling starts under $17K.

Autobytel 2014 Compact Car of the Year Finalist: Dodge Dart

Also riding bigger and better than ever, the Dodge Dart made the final list to be included in the Top 3 Autobytel Compact Cars of the Year. The compacted sedan Dodge Dart is one of just a few vehicles in its class to receive a “Top Safety Pick+” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. In addition, the Dart gets some features offered that are far easier on the pocket than they sound: reversing camera, rear parking assist sensors, a Rear Cross-Path Detection system, Blind Spot Monitoring, a reconfigurable gauge cluster, and an 8.4-inch Uconnect color touchscreen infotainment system. The Dart also comes in a GT trim level, keeping it clearly in the Challenger/Charger fun family.

Autobytel 2014 Compact Car of the Year: Ford Fiesta ST

The editorial team of Autobytel has chosen the previous vehicles as the best of what we have seen in the category for 2014, and while there are many others in this class that probably deserve some kudos as well, we'd love to hear which you would choose for yourself. Let us know on the Autobytel Twitter or the Autobytel Facebook pages.

More of the Autobytel 2014 Car, Truck and category of the Year winners can be found by browsing the collection below.

Autobytel 2014 Car of the Year

Autobytel 2014 Truck of the Year

Autobytel 2014 Compact Car of the Year

Autobytel 2014 Convertible of the Year

Autobytel 2014 Sedan of the Year

Autobytel 2014 Luxury Car of the Year

Autobytel 2014 SUV of the Year

Autobytel 2014 Luxury SUV of the Year

Autobytel 2014 Crossover of the Year

Autobytel 2014 Sports Car of the Year

Autobytel 2014 Alternative Fuel Car of the Year