2000 Ford Fiesta Zetec S from UK and Ireland - Comments

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.

The Fiesta Zetec S is fun, fast, and surprising.

I own one myself. It hits 0-60, in 9.0sec, and mine will do 135mph flat out, it's better then the VTS - it eats them alive.

Take my word for it! Buy one if you see one on a forecourt, you won't be disappointed. Trust me when I say go for it!

Guy Marshall, 21, Devon.

Better get to a Ford dealer and get that faulty speedo sorted. Only one production Fiesta can hit 135MPH and that is the RS Turbo. The gear ratios would need to be changed for the car to hit that sort of speed, oh yes nearly forgot would also need to up the power by around 40BHP as well!

Don't know about the above comments, but my Fiesta is great. I traded in a CBR600 for it in the hope it would slow me down and make me more sensible... no hope! 4-wheel slides round roundabouts, handbrake parking all done as if I was a pro!

I find it really sad that some people's definition of road performance and ability starts and ends with 0-60 times (that measurement actually offering very little idea of real world performance anyway). Most half decent performance cars will kill a Zetec-S off the line, but that's not exactly the be all and end all is it?

To get an idea of what I meant by giant killer, throw a Zetec-S down a good winding B-road, and then think of how many cars you've driven that will cover that road as quickly, or more to the point, quicker? I suspect the list will be short, and you will have scratched off a lot of cars costing three or four times as much. I recall a good natured duel with a BMW 330 Ci in my Zetec S along a favourite piece of road local to me. On the straights, he disappeared. Two corners into a twisty section, I was up his chuff looking for a way past. And he was going for it, make no mistake. Much more satisfying matching a car with twice the power of yours in the twisties, than beating a car with half as much power as yours off the lights.

And let's face it, traffic light drag races are for wusses.

About 2 months ago I traded in my 205gti 1.6 for the Zetec-s and so far have found that it is a better all round car. I have had 131mph from the Zetec-s and it was still pulling through the revs as if there was still more to come from it. It handles like a dream and in my view it is Fords equvilent to the highly rated Pugeout 205. OK its not as quick as the RS badged fiesta, but if you were to add the same turbo to it it would destroy the older RS's with little or no trouble.

Lets not lie, lets be honest the Zetec S cannot do 131mph. It is not physically possible.

Even if you take away the turbo from the old Fiesta RS turbo vehicle the power would still be 110bhp. The 1.6 CVH EFI has a standard output that is higher than the 1.6 Zetec SE engine. The CVH engine also has more torque available. The Zetec engine however is much more refined.

Unfortunately the CVH didn't have to meet Euro emissions regs. You will now see specific power outputs dropping on all, but the more expensive cars on the market as old models are replaced. The Saxo VTS replacement won't produce 120 bhp that's for sure.

Manufacturers now spend 80% of their development budgets on meeting crash and emissions regs. The result is heavier, less powerful and less efficient cars. At least the Zetec-S is light enough to enjoy good dynamics - give it 10 years and cars in this class will weigh 1500kg to go with their weedy, strangled engines!

Settle down people. Let's run through your points one by one, starting from the top.

1. 9 seconds to 62 does not make a car a giant killer! My old Nova TD would've been able to compete with that!

2. 35mpg from a small 1.6 16v engine is nothing. I

currently drive a 3 litre 944 and can manage 35 mpg.

3. Going back to the Nova. While going downhill (probably with a tail wind) I managed to get the speedo round to the end (127mph). There is no way I was would have been doing that speed though. Take off at least 10% and that's more like 114.

4. The Fiesta RS turbo is the only car that might have a chance against a VTS, but it would be knackered upon reaching a corner.

5. You can't just bang a turbo onto a car. It involves lowering the compression ratio and changing several components and seals inside to cope with the pressures.

6. In 10 years cars probably will weight 1500kg, but engine power is increasing too. Look how many "hot-hatches" now come with around 200bhp!

Considering you're taking the points "one by one", you don't seem to have read any of them! I will take yours individually:

1. When I said giant killer I did NOT mean straightline performance! Is it really that hard to understand?? I note you drive a 944 - a car which the current crop of 200 bhp hot hatches will beat away from the lights. But which would cover a challenging B-road quicker and more satisfyingly? Same principle with the Zetec S. Nothing special in a straight line, but show me a significantly better car for twisty lanes and I'll bet it costs more than twice the price.

2. Good for your 944. Tells me that at least it's not a Turbo model and therefore you should be extra familiar with the point I made above.

3. I don't personally care if it does 105, 120 or 150 mph. In this day and age sustained speeds over a ton just get you nicked. Fun is in the twisties.

4. The Saxo VTS vs Zetec S will run on and on. However an episode of Top Gear GTI saw the Zetec-S lap a kart circuit quicker in the hands of the delectable Vicki Butler Henderson. Considering it has a power deficit of more than 20 bhp, doesn't that tell you all you need to know about the chassis? It was also unanimously voted more involving, the engine sweeter the gearbox delightful and the best looking (the latter is subjective I will admit)

5. Depends on the turbo and boost pressure. A company called Van Aaken offer a light pressure turbocharger which they fit to the standard engine, along with some subtle ignition and fuel mapping mods. This is not a "balls out" power conversion, but is designed to just offer a small boost throughout the rev range, with the emphasis on torque and "in gear" pull. Mind you at 135 bhp, it also resolves the straight line performance issues, dropping the 0-62 time down towards 7 seconds. I know of one car with this fitted which has racked up 30,000 miles and hasn't missed a beat, so it's not a fit and blow-up job either.

6. You're obviously obsessed with power. It's elementary mathematics that you can overcome weight with power, but what you can't do is make heavy cars handle properly. Colin Chapman of Lotus realised this in the Sixties, and cars like the Elise and Exige speak for themselves. All are light. So is virtually every other car which is noted for handling. The 205GTi, the Caterham 7, the E30 BMW M3, the Porsche 968 Club Sport. All are featherweights. But if all you care about is traffic light sprints then you have nothing to worry about - just bung a bigger engine in. Surprises me for someone who owns a "proper" sports car, I have to say.

To be honest it’s people like you who cause serious accidents on the roads. Buzzing around the “twisties” far too quickly when you can’t see what’s coming, trying to make up for your lack of horsepower. Isn’t it much safer to take the corner at a reasonable speed, onto a straighter part and open her up aware of where your going? I own a race prepared 220bhp RS18 and get sick of pesky little hatches bothering you far too close round dangerous bends even once we’ve made you look silly after leaving dust and nothing else on the straight. Back to driving sensibly and there you are again……looking dafter than ever coming round the corner on two wheels.

There is only so quick you can take a corner……and as for lights racing this is the only opportunity where cars start on a equal footing – from standing!

At the end of the day, whether you believe the handling and fun capabilities of the car or not is irrelevant.

Despite modest outright performance, it has still won a place in EVO magazine's "The Knowledge" guide to the best new and secondhand drivers cars, with 4 stars out of 5, and claimed it to be "better than you'd ever believe". Its handling has had rave comments across the motoring press as a whole too. I suppose it isn't really surprising when you consider it shares its floorpan, suspension components, geometry and settings with the Puma, which has been widely praised as being one of the best affordable drivers cars of the 1990's.

Of course there are better, faster cars out there, but in pure handling terms, for value for money, and for sticking a grin on your face on the right road, it's up there with the very best, a sentiment backed up by virtually every motoring expert that has ever driven one.

If you bothered to drive one with an open mind (unlikely to happen I know), you'd agree, but you'd need to see past the badge. Clearly, a lot of people struggle with this most simple of tasks, and they miss out big time. Not just here, but with other "poverty badged" crackers. Their loss.

Yes, I know you are correct.

So I apologise.

Actual bhp is less than ps. so if its 115ps its only around 105bhp.

The difference between bhp and PS is nowhere near as big as you mention.

One PS is 98.63% of one bhp, so 115 PS would be 113 bhp.

In any case, the Zetec-S is not 115PS, but 105, so in actual fact 104 bhp.