Fast Fiestas: a history lesson

Four hot Fords in a day gives a chance to experience the best (and worst) of the breed

What's the best thing to come out of Dagenham? The answer depends on whether you're a 1970s comedian or not. If so then "the A13", followed by a drum roll from your house band and an admonition to try the veal. If not, then quite possibly one of the many Ford products to have been produced in this corner of Essex, a couple of which have brought us here, along with a pair of their German descendants.

The journey into Ford's vast Dagenham complex is one that gives off distinct Detroit vibes - a fair amount of the site is currently being cleared, with Ford's Heritage Collection housed in a nondescript (and leaky) industrial unit which is now pretty much at the edge of the complex. Inside it contains what's probably the best collection of old and interesting Fords in the world, but today it's all about Fiestas. The official unveiling of the ST200 has given a tangential, but acceptable, excuse to invite us along for a go in some of its predecessors. There's a 1989 XR2, a 1993 XR2i, a 2005 ST and a current Ecoboost ST. Time then for a condensed history lesson...

Mk2 XR2
We can't start at the beginning because Ford doesn't have a Mk1 XR2. Most of the collection has been donated over the years, and obviously no owner has felt generous enough. Or maybe they've all rusted to pieces. It's a shame because the 1981 XR2 was a genuine pioneer, one of the earliest hot superminis in the UK and sold with an 84hp version of Ford's familiar Kent overhead valve engine. With a 0-60mph time that dipped under 10 seconds it was seriously rapid by mainstream standards.

840kg kerbweight is a boon on the road

Instead I start with the Mk2 XR2, introduced in 1984, and which was basically a heavy facelift of the original. It turns gurning reminiscence as soon as I get in - the first car I ever drove was by grandmother's 1.1L of the same era. The XR2 is positively plush by comparison - there's a rev counter, a sunroof, internally adjustable door mirrors and even a five-speed box. But the tiny cabin is instantly familiar, as are the notchy gearchange and low-geared, unassisted steering.

It's impressively rapid. The Mk2 XR2 binned the Mk1's Kent for a more advanced 1.6-litre overhead cam engine, a member of the CVH clan that were infamous for both crude manners and blowing up at higher mileages, but which were easily tweaked. Despite breathing through a carburettor the XR2's 96hp compared well to posher fuel-injected rivals, especially working against its 840kg kerbweight. Ford claimed an 8.6-second 60mph time, pretty much identical to the more powerful 205 GTI 1.6. It still feels plenty rapid, especially given the difficulty the front end has in finding grip to match the output, with nice throttle response and a rorty exhaust note to add to the impression of enthusiasm.

Interiors have come a way since the 80s

The CVH's lack of breeding eventually shows: it starts to feel tight and sound strained as the 6,000rpm redline approaches. The steering delivers some actual feel, but the slow rack makes for lots of arm twirling and the gearbox doesn't like to be hurried. The brakes are especially bad, managing to feel both over-firm and mushy at the same time - right-hand drive Fiestas had a crude mechanism to transfer pedal pressure to the left-hand mounted brake servo.

Yet none of this really mattered. With its chunky wheels, driving lights and bodykit, the XR2 was a classic example of lots of flash for not much cash, undercutting its major rivals. It was seriously popular back in its heyday; indeed for a couple of years it made up 25 per cent of UK Fiesta sales. If Ford could manage the same trick with the current car it would be selling 33,000 STs a year...

Mk3 XR2i
Onwards, but not upwards, to the XR2i. Which has long been regarded as the Aston Villa of hot Fiestas, sitting abjectly at the bottom of the table. Contemporary road tests ranged from the underwhelming to the downright rude, with the Independent describing it as the "hot hatchback for people who know nothing about hot hatchbacks."

The bad old days, sadly

Having never driven one before I get in hoping to prove some of the doubters wrong and to declare it to be an underrated performance hero. But within half a mile it's clear that it's as billed: underwhelming and unexciting. It looks boring compared to the pumped-up XR2, with just the bizarre quad-lamped front bumper really distinguishing it from its lesser brethren. Inside it's bigger and better assembled than the Mk2 - something that could also be said for a Happy Meal box - but it's also dark, dreary and completely lacking any sort of excitement.

This is a later XR2i, meaning it has an early version of Ford's long lived Zetec engine - the one that went onto have a spec level named after it - plus the cachet that came from having 16 valves and a boot badge to boast about it. With 105hp it was slightly down on power from the earlier CVH-engined XR2i, which had 110hp, and its 965kg kerbweight means it actually has an inferior power-to-weight ratio to the XR2. Ford also sold a more powerful RS1800 with a 130hp version of the Zetec engine, so award yourself some geek points if you knew that.

On the plus side the engine is keener to rev and the gearbox is more precise, although the clutch bites high on this 99,000-mile example. The ride is punishingly firm, setting up some sympathetic squeaking in the cabin trim over bumps, and the heavy unassisted steering feels, if anything, to be lower-geared than the XR2's leisurely rack. Together with a strong understeer balance it makes this Fiesta pretty much allergic to apexes. Time to move on...

Mk6 ST
Sadly Ford doesn't have an Mk5 Zetec S in the heritage collection. With just 103hp it was more tepid than hot, but I remember it fondly as being - basically - the Puma's more sensible sister. Instead we move straight onto the 2005 Mk6 ST which, after the XR2i, feels like getting into the best handling car in the history of the world.

A revelation after previous efforts

Indeed for the first couple of miles it's hard to remember that, when it was new, this ST always struggled to be taken seriously thanks to a price tag that put it into uncomfortably close contention with more powerful rivals like the Mini Cooper S and Renault Clio 182. For all the chassis magic it was seriously lacking in showroom appeal as well, with a desperately grey interior and a five-speed gearbox in an era when people were already expecting six.

The 148hp 2.0-litre engine isn't the nicest sounding unit, and has to be walloped with a riding crop to deliver its best. Wound fully up it's quick enough, but there's a distinct lack of mid-range punch and even short gearing can't do much to disguise its lack of enthusiasm. The chassis is a peach, though - instant proof that, in the decade that separates the unmourned death of the XR2i and the arrival of the ST, Ford had discovered the importance of driving dynamics. It's grippy-yet-slippy, with steering that feels like a Lotus Exige after the earlier cars and a playful enthusiasm for taking cornering instruction from the throttle pedal as well.

Mk7 ST
Leading, inevitably, to the current ST. Which, as Ford presumably hoped, feels like a scalpel-sharp rocket ship when compared to its predecessors. Hardly surprising given that - even without its overboost function - its turbocharged engine has pretty much twice the power of the XR2.

Some highs and some lows in the family tree

What's more impressive is the way it manages to feel much more refined and comfortable while still feeling practically as agile and responsive as the first ST. It's not a comfy limo by any stretch, but its proof that - unlike the good old bad old days - you don't need to make a car feel crude to also handle. While the XRs are clumpy and loud this Fiesta stays impressively pliant over broken surfaces, and the Ecoboost is rorty without ever getting harsh. It's good enough to leave me wondering how the ST200 is going to be noticeably better.

It's good to be able to write a story including both heroes and, in the case of the XR2i, a villain. Ford should make sure the Heritage Collection keeps the Mk3 in tip-top condition for the rest of time, so it can remind future generations of the company's ride and handling engineers just how badly wrong it can go. But although the STs are massively more accomplished, I find the car that made the biggest impression on me was actually the XR2. Nostalgia is a powerful force.

Photos: Luc Lacey

OP Posts Only

Prev 2 3...6 7 Next

OP Posts Only

Author

Discussion

patmahe

Original Poster

5,750 posts

204 months