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| Ford
Fiesta 2.0 ST |
Broadcast
dates : 28th August 2005
3rd September 2005 |
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It
seems like ages since Ford has made any major performance
statement in South Africa. But there’s a spirit of change
issuing from the Silverton factory near Pretoria.
The Fiesta ST has all the visual attributes needed to a cut
a dash at Melrose Arch or Camps Bay Drive.
The special performance issue of the Fiesta brings to life
the clean, crisp essence of the basic design.
Standard go-faster fair includes roof spoiler,
seventeen-inch alloy wheels and low-profile tyres, and
enlarged air intakes on the restyled bumper.
To nudge the handling towards the Ferrari – rather than
Minardi - direction, the suspension has been lowered and
firmed up, and the ST gets a two-litre engine to move it
closer to the front of the grid.
The vast expanse of plastic on the air-bag-equipped steering
wheel has the effect of making the entire ST cabin look too
ordinary.
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This
is a pity because there are some nice touches, like the
bright metal trim on the gauges and console, the
high-quality STY rally seats, and the dual-tone upholstery.
Dynamically the Fiesta is also a bit of a mixed bag. It
offers exceptional race-track-like handling and the
performance is good.
Marrying the two-litre Duratec engine to the Fiesta has
certainly resulted in a great value-for-money package. At
its price of just under R170 000, it’s way ahead of its
competitors on a bang-for-buck basis.
The main criticism of the engine is that it sounds so
ordinary, emitting a flat drone rather than a raucous
scream. The handling package, though, is at the opposite end
of the spectrum.
The billiard-board smooth surface of Zwartkops Raceway shows
up the tenacious grip of the ST. But it also masks the fact
that the ST lacks the compliance of a truly sorted hot hatch
such as a Volkswagen GTi. The harshness could prove
irritating on a daily basis.
Ford Fiesta 2.0i ST
- Engine:
Four-cylinder petrol, 1 999cc
- Power: 110 kW@
6000 rpm
- Torque: 190 Nm @
4 500 rpm
- Transmission:
Five-speed manual, front-wheel-drive
- 0-100 km/h: 8,65
seconds
- Top speed: 203
km/h
- Fuel consumption:
9,1 litres/100 km
- Price: R169 500
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