djchocice

.....and in its place an ex-demo Fiesta ST Performamce Pack. Initially I was looking at a previous gen Fiesta ST, however after driving 2 new Fiesta's (one which I was told had the performance pack but actually didn't) and the second one which DOES have the performance pack, the decision was easy.
Highlights so far:
45-50mpg on a motorway cruise, the engine running on 2 cylinders probably has a lot to do with this.
LSD, gives immense traction and in combination with the Michelin PSS tyres it gets its power down very well and sticks like shit to a blanket.
Engine. It might only be a 3 cylinder, but it really is special, lusty & torquey in normal driving but give it death and it sounds absolutely fabulous and revs nicely and packs one hell of a punch and has some clever tech on it, I applaud Ford for not bunging in a cookie cutter 4 cylinder, I think it would be worse off without the 3 pot.
Handling is superb, sharp, nimble, agile and adjustable, yet without feeling too nervous or snappy. There's real quality in the chassis, steering & suspension, so much so I'd say it outshines any other hot hatch of the past 5 years, and even more bespoke metal. The ride is much more compliant than the old car, and this means it handles bumps better and the damping is brilliant on the pockmarked Welsh B roads.

My only gripe was after seeing the car on Wednesday, one of the valet people has parked the car and scuffed one of the wheels. Luckily, Ford Wilmslow are sorting that free of charge (and rightfully so.)

unclefester

from me

Nottm_S2

i cant get my head past a 3 cyl car .. does this have a tube piping induction sound to the cabin? my mate had a diesel TT which had fake sound.. it fooled me

martin j

Been looking at one for the wife instead of her Seat, although she has remarked"what's wrong with the car I've got" good reports al round but seems most available are white like yours, Seat is white, need a change.

arsie

Agree 3-cylinder engine sounds unfamiliar but coincidentally the missus Smart car W451 sports one. Lighter.
0-60mph in ten seconds allegedly Son-in-law borrowed it and and was quite surprised!
Though I think being cabriolet it is a tad heavier and so slower than that.

djchocice

I'm assuming it does, but drop the window and in Sport mode it sounds pretty fruity. I was worried about the 3 pot till I had a drive out and it's a cracking engine, boosty enough to give you that satisfying turbo whumph but not to so much that it frustrates, it also revs out nicely as well so it's a fun engine to thrash, polar opposite to an S though, it's happy to lope along on the big wedge of mid range torque.

Nottm_S2

i have only heard good things dude. tbh i am a luddite and love the sound of NA or SC more than i care about outright performance or mpg but i do maybe 3k miles a year in a car so anything new is inappropriate to my use and taste.

my bias is daft and based on some hire car crap years ago.. i'd have an XSR900 or a speed triple

Stevo071077

That fuel economy is not to be sniffed at, especially if you've got more than enough performance for most roads and an engaging drive. Quite a good balance for today's motoring, I'll bet we'll see a lot of these on the roads.

I've always been of the mind that fuel economy always matters, with poor fuel economy you spend the last 1/4 tank driving carefully whilst you look for a fuel station.

djchocice

agree on the NA sound thing, I do miss the bonkers wail of a fully lit S2000 a bit. But, I equally enjoy the whooshy turbo sounds and 3 cylinder growl, it's a characterful turbo engine which I really wasn't expecting. For my circumstances having only one car it's perfect, but if I was spending it on a low mileage fun car, I would have kept the S or gone into an Elise 111R or a 2ZZ swapped mk3 MR2 if I was feeling cheap haha.

djchocice

theyre selling like hot cakes and I'm not surprised. The S2000 I always found to be pretty decent on fuel for it's vintage, a damn sight cheaper than a 350Z or Boxster. I guess it shows how much development has taken place since the S was released, a 3 pot turbo back in 99 would have been rather pitiful compared to today.