Welcome back to another edition of Car Facts, where we answer your car questions.
Today we are continuing with our series on the meanings of common badges found on cars (for reference, take a look at recent articles such as the meaning of GTI, or the meaning of RS).
Today we are looking at what ST stands for on cars.
If you see a car badged as “ST”, then what exactly does that mean?
Keep reading to find out.
ST Stands For Sports Technologies
The meaning of ST on cars is actually fairly simple.
ST – at least on Ford vehicles – stands for Sports Technologies.
This badge has most famously been used on the Ford Focus over various generations, but has also found itself on the well-regarded Fiesta and Mondeo.
In fact, the Ford Mondeo ST200 is famously one of the only cars (along with the Subaru Outback) that Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond of Top Gear fame all agreed is an excellent car:
ST/Sports Technologies variants are higher performing, with engine/suspension/brake upgrades along with visual modifications and improvements.
However, they are always a step below the RS models from Ford, although generally better “all rounder” vehicles and generally far more affordable and accessible.
Conclusion – What Does ST Stand For?
ST stands for “Sport Technologies” and is a badge used by Ford to denote higher performance variants of their cars.
ST/Sports Technology cars tend to have more power, better handling, visual modifications and other goodies added on to make them a more competitive package for the sporting driver.
The highest performing Fords (of European/UK origin, we might add) are RS models, with ST sitting underneath. This hierarchy is clearly shown in the recent Ford Focus lineup.
