1991 Ford Fiesta RS Turbo from UK and Ireland - Comments

New front wheel bearings and steering rack were needed at 100,000 miles.

Head gasket needed rebuilding at 85,000 miles.

Turbo had to be replaced at 90,000 miles.

Had some minor electrical problems mainly due to old wiring and connectors.

Some rust is starting to appear under the filler cap and near the doors.

I have only owned my RS Turbo for a few months and although a few repairs have been needed it's been well worth it!

Performance doesn't get much better for such a small car, the turbo'd 1.6 engine kicks out 132bhp as standard (not bad for a little fiesta!). Power can easily be increased with modifications such as an exhaust, air filter and chip. The RS Turbo will beat virtually all other hatches from a standstill and does 0-60 in a quick 7.8 seconds.

The handling is raw, it is very true and communicative although there is no power steering so it can be hard work turning at low speeds. Handling can be improved further with a lowered suspension kit.

The standard spec for the RS Turbo is very impressive. It comes with full bodykit, alloys, front fogs, ABS brakes, heated front windscreen, electric windows and sunroof.

The interior is very nice with Recaro seats as standard and a sporty steering wheel. All buttons are nice and clear to use. Rear space is also pretty good for a small car.

The RS Turbo is a very nice sporty car which is a great raw drive with impressive performance. Due to their age they are becoming quite rare now which makes it even nicer to own one, just make sure it's in good nick!

ABS brakes were always a cost option along with a heated windscreen. The prices during the second half of 1991 were £250 for the heated screen and £400 for the ABS. An interesting point is that the RS Turbo and the XR2i had the same braking system, same front vented disc's and same rear drums. A very good review.

Although the RS Turbo comes with very nice spanky interior it only breaks at 20 bhp more than the xr2i.

I have always wondered is it really worth spending the extra £1500 pound on the car then the extra money on insurance not to mention the cost of repairing a turbo!

A set of billy's, Straight through comp exhaust, air filter and possibly chip would make the xr2i almost untouchable during road rally's.

In my opininon there is a lot of emphasis put on the word "turbo" when fitted as standard does not give much boost and just complicates fault finding and upgrading.

Although the RS Turbo is a great car, if you are thinking of buying one please sit down and have a long hard think about other cars that can do the same job and are more reliable for a cheaper price.

If your talking about the fastest hatch in the rs turbo's class, then would the saxo vts not be a very close match for the rs turbo?, in terms of both acceleration and top speed.

I think it might well be.

The main thing is that most people who own these cars now are enthusiasts or Ford lovers. They have the car because it is going to be a future classic or they have always wanted one.

I have an Escort RS and have wanted one since I was 8 now I have one I will be rebuilding it.

The fiesta RS Turbo, for me this is the best hot hatch... OK your got you you pug 205 gti's, clio williams, R5 turbo, even too todays motors, saxo vts, pug 106 gti, clio 182 etc...

I have had 3 fiesta turbo's and they are by far so fun to drive. But also they are not too expensive tune (but they can be, depending how mad you wanna go).

The only draw back about them is either you buy one and nothing goes wrong or you buy one and everything will go wrong.

Before buying a fiesta turbo, you have to see how deep your pockets are.

If you want to own one, but don't really wanna spend to much on it, then try and get one with the engine being re-built, a newish turbo, a few mods such as exhaust, suspension and alarm...

Also look for rust round the fuel cap, rear wiper surround, a pillars, bottom of doors and the body sills.

But if you get a good FRST you will not ne dissapointed.

My last one I had before I sold it on, I had it pushing out 195bhp... even at this not many things could touch it. It surprised many people.

I own a saxo vts at the mo... does do it for me!!! gonna sell it to buy another fiesta rs turbo.

As soon as you own a turbo you get turbillitis... much better than N/A enigne IMO!!!

Well that's my 2 pence worth.

RS Turbos are unreliable, but are great cars. The 133bhp is not bad. Don't forget these cars are over 14 years old. If you want power then it's a good idea to fit the bigger T3 turbo from the Escort as the standard T2 will crap itself at any more than about 8psi of boost. The XR2i was one of the best hot-hatches of its time, but will need a few mods to compete with todays VTSs etc. The 8v CVH engine will only see NA power to 160bhp-170bhp, although this is enough to see off a VTS. But the Escort RS Turbo is the one if you want big power!!

By the way the crx looks a lot better, the rs looks like a banger.