2000 Ford Fiesta Zetec S review from UK and Ireland

Blown bulb in boot light.

Thanks to steering and suspension lifted straight from the Puma, a 976kg kerbweight and a lovely growly 1.6 litre 16 valve Zetec SE engine, conservatively rated at 103PS, the Zetec S is a brilliantly capable little thrash that just keeps making you drive it harder and harder.

One of the great conspiracy theories is that Ford "underestimated" the power output to keep insurance to a lowly group 8. Believe what you will, but many tuning houses regularly see standard Zetec S's deploying upwards of 115 BHP onto their rolling roads, and their have been stories of Zetec S's matching much "faster on paper" cars.

From the driver's seat, it certainly feels quicker than the 10.2 second 0-62 time quoted, and the way it pulls past 100 mph makes Ford's 113mph claim look a bit silly, even allowing for the usual 10% speedo optimism. I think 115PS, 9 seconds 0-62 and 120 mph are much nearer the mark.

Combine this punchy, but relatively moderate performance with probably the finest FWD chassis and steering setup since the 205 GTi and you have a serious little fast road tool.

Oh, and it's extremely reliable, does 35 mpg and feels very nicely built. Only a slightly uneven bonnet gap and a blown bootlight bulb stop me rating it as perfect in this department. The aforementioned insurance group 8 is a further sweetener.