Over two generations, the Ford Fiesta XR2 captured a healthy slice of the fast hatch market between full-blown GTIs and ‘warm’ models such as the Citroën AX GT.
For the follow-up XR2i, however, the sporty hatch gained fuel injection as well as a price tag of almost £10,000 – about £1200 more than the XR2. Suddenly the fast Ford Fiesta was positioned against the Renault 5 GT Turbo, Peugeot 205 GTI and Volkswagen Golf GTI.
Read our Ford Fiesta ST200 review here
Under its bonnet was a new version of the CVH 1.6-litre engine, a development of the unit found in the Escort XR3i, with a power output of 110bhp giving it a 14bhp advantage over the outgoing XR2. Backing it up was 102lb ft at 2800rpm.
Those figures placed the £9995 hot Ford mid-way up the performance ladder, about a rung down from the most accomplished contender, the 115bhp, £9835 Peugeot 205 GTI 1.6. It was that six-year-old model, in many respects still the pacesetter, that Autocar lined up as a rival for a comparison test on Dartmoor.
“The XR2i has certainly got what it takes to stay with the 205 in any bar-room contest and comfortably shadows the French car on the road,” wrote our testers. “The 205 holds a 5bhp power advantage, the Ford a 4lb ft torque advantage. These are small margins but accurate pointers to how the pair feel in practice: the XR2i is more energetic low down, the 205 crisper high up.
“On the road, the Fiesta is far from outclassed. Its low-end torque actually makes for more effortless progress, as it allows the driver the luxury of foregoing the occasional downchange and revelling in the bubbly, Alfa-esque exhaust note the engine produces as it hauls up to peak torque at 2800rpm.
“But as the pace goes up, the enjoyment of using the CVH engine goes down. At 4000rpm, when the Peugeot’s XU engine is hitting its stride, the Ford’s motor becomes harsh and thrashy. And while the 205 spins eagerly to its redline, the Fiesta driver is deciding whether to endure the din beyond 5000rpm.”
When it came to handling, the 205 GTI ran rings around the Ford. “The XR2i’s troubles begin with its steering. Ford gives it a low ratio – 4.25 turns lock to lock – but the steering is still heavy at parking speeds and demands energetic twirling on fast, twisting roads. It is a compromise that doesn’t work.
“The 205 isn’t dogged by such indecision; its steering is hard work at low speeds but high-speed precision is superb. It is not particularly fast-geared at 3.75 turns across locks, but turn-in is razor sharp and the chassis’ fine balance virtually eliminates understeer, so all movement at the steering wheel is resolved at the front wheels.
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I did chuckle to myself when
I remember driving both the Peugeot and Fiesta models shown back in the day and the XR2i was rubbish by any standard. The Mk3 Fiesta was one of Ford's rough periods, when they produced cars that drove awfully.
The Fiesta felt like it was made from wet paper mache, it felt heavy, stodgy and squidgy (no doubt not helped by Fords innovative single moulded foam seat). The Peugeot by comparison was a light weight and felt lithe, although it's build quality and flimsiness really did live up to the hype.
Most cars from this era have a charm and driving them now-a-days leaves you wondering where manufacturers went wrong..... but not the XR2i. I know some people will stick the rose tinted specs on and disagree with me but this car really was a turd!
Fiesta vs 205
Zs
The Zetec S was a mk5. Some people used to put the Puma Racing engine in their mk4/mk5 fiestas, I think you are right it could have always done with a bit more power. I had the Zetec S, lots of fun.