Ford Fiesta XR4 2007 Review

WHAT WE LIKED
>> Well-honed chassis
>> Torquey, 2.0-litre power
>> WRC-derived looks

NOT SO MUCH
>> SUV driving position
>> No external hatch release or cruise
>> Some trim 'blemishes'

OVERVIEW
Ford's Fiesta light car family has a new flagship. And in the process of launching the Fiesta XR4 hot hatch, the Blue Oval has completed its XR family -- 4, 5, 6, 6T and 8… All that remains now is a '16' -- well, Territorys are 4x4, aren't they?

Like its Focus-based five-cylinder XR5 stablemate, the Fiesta XR4 is the handiwork of Ford Europe's TeamRS performance haus. Save for the localized XR badges, it arrives Down Under as the same vehicle that is sold on the Continent and throughout the UK as the Fiesta ST.

And that's good news, for the baby hot hatch is one of Europe's best small cars. It arrives via Broadmeadows with the same grunty, naturally-aspirated big-bore four and a chassis and suspension tune that is wieldy and yet flattering. Fast Ford fans with a 1970s heritage might like to think of it as a modern day RS2000!

Circa 2007, however, it far surpasses the Escort in terms of creature comforts and also gets a noteworthy suite of passive and active safety features.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT
The Fiesta range kicks off at $15,990. Priced at $24,990 therefore, at first glance, the XR4 looks like big money.

Consider, however, that the car has the wherewithal to take on and beat (we'd wager) the likes of Volkswagen's Polo GTi ($26,990) and the Mitsubishi Colt Ralliart ($29,990) -- and even the over-$30K Peugeot 207 GTI or naturally-aspirated MINI Cooper -- and the value consideration changes. This is an impressive car.

The XR4 is set apart from its plain Jane siblings by a multi-piece body kit that's aggressive without being 'tarty'. There's a new face with re-styled grille and deep, lipped front valance that has more than a hint of WRC racer about it. Side skirts and colour-coded mirrors and bodyside mouldings continue the theme, while at the rear there's a hefty single-element roof spoiler -- which in traffic sets the XR4 instantly apart from lesser Fiestas.

And then there's those stripes! Offered as both factory and dealer fit options, the Ford GT style contrasting graphics give the XR4 a serious dose of boy-racer attitude.

They are, in fact, the only option offered on the XR4. From the factory, each of the XR4's six body colours are matched to one of the three stripe colours offered. If you choose to order your XR4 unadorned, you can play a little of the customizing game by getting your dealer to fit your choice of stripe colour. Either way you'll pay $300 for the privilege.

Inside, the XR4 gets special sports buckets with contrasting cloth and leather elements. They're good looking seats that give some extra support but serious sports drivers will want a little more.

There's the requisite thick-rimmed steering wheel and leather highlights around the cabin as well as added brightwork on the handbrake and door pulls. Also standard is a quality six-disc audio system (MP3 compatible), alloy sports pedals and special, but fussy, TeamRS instrumentation.

An oversight, particularly on our over-policed roads is cruise control. It's not offered, even as an option on Fiesta. That those fussy instruments mentioned above have odd speed graduations makes complying with urban limits even harder.

Those buyers that opt for the Ford RS hero colours of Performance Blue or Frozen White also get the extra differentiation of colour matched dash highlights. These take the form of blue panels ahead of both the driver and passenger. Alas the colour doesn't go near to matching the external blue and grates with the black plastic of the door tops. It's a good thought guys, but the execution needs some polish.

The 2.0-litre naturally-aspirated DOHC Duratec four is the same base engine that is used in Focus Zetec. It features a variable intake system (VIS) to boost torque and is optimised for 95 RON fuel.

VIS uses butterfly valves in the intake runners to change the effective length of the inlet tract. The longer the tract, the torquier the engine -- or so the theory goes… Thus at low revs the inlet charge follows a more circuitous route. At high revs, the air gets a straighter shot at the head.

It must work, Ford says the new powerplant produces more than 80 per cent of its peak torque from just 1500rpm. Coupled with the Fiesta's relatively light kerb weight it promises (and delivers) lusty performance. Fuel economy is listed at 7.4lt/100km combined.

Coupled with VIS and a unique sports exhaust, the XR4's engine gains 3kW and 5Nm over its Zetec guise, for a claimed maximum output of 110kW at 6000rpm and 190Nm of torque at 4500rpm. This is the same power figure as the Polo GTI and Pug GT. Torque figures for the two turbo Euros are 220 and 240Nm respectively.

The XR4's power is channeled to the front wheels via close-ratio five-speed manual gearbox sourced from the Fiesta Zetec. Internal ratios are unchanged, however, the XR4's final drive is taller (3.82:1 versus 4.06) to take advantage of the engine's extra oomph.

The XR4 rolls on multi-spoke 17-inch alloys shod with premium soft-compound Pirelli P-Zero Nero rubber. The asymmetric 205/40 section rubber was developed specifically for the XR4 and delivers strong grip and warms quickly -- they even worked well on the gravel sections of the test route. Can't imagine they'll last all that long though. The spare is a space saver.

There's more to the chassis tune than just flash wheels, however. The XR4 front springs have been substantially uprated (close to 50 per cent stiffer) while the rears are just a touch harder than the standard car. Dampers have been upgraded and recalibrated front and rear.

There's also been a revision to the front-end geometry (more camber for more grip, and less toe-in for sharper turn-in) and the rear twist beam has been stiffened by approximately 40 per cent. In addition, the XR4 gets a quicker steering rack and a stiffer front subframe. Like we said, more than just bolting on a set of flash wheels…

Finally, the brake package has been upgraded, befitting the car's performance potential. At the front there's 278mm x 22mm ventilated discs and upgraded calipers while the rear also gets discs -- for the first time on a Fiesta. ABS with EBD is standard.

PACKAGING
Built at Ford's Niehl plant near Cologne, Germany, the XR4 is offered in a three-door hatch body style only.

Like the base car, the XR4's interior layout is neat and the sporty add-ons noted above don't hurt the cause either. Fiesta has been criticised in the past for its tight front footwells but we didn't find this an issue during our 250km launch drive.

No reach adjustability is offered on the wheel, but we managed to find a comfortable driving position. That said, we're not overly enamored with the rather elevated driving position of the standard Fiesta and it's even more incongruous in this little hottie. It's like Ford grafted a MINI-SUV hip point into this hot hatch.

There's sufficient incidental storage and splitfold rear seats ensure there's some practicality. In this respect the XR4's pure light car/hatch.

Look into the rear luggage space, however, and you'll note the car's (very) humble roots. Compared to the more polished finish of, say, the Polo, here the XR4 shows bare metal seat backs and a flimsy carpet mat in lieu of the GTI's fully carpeted surfaces and better execution overall.

While we're grizzling, we'll mention the absence of an external rear hatch release. You must either use the ignition key or the dash-mounted remote release.

SAFETY
The Fiesta's base structure has scored well in crash testing in Europe and the XR4 comes with all the add-ons you'd expect from a halo model -- six airbags including side curtain and thorax bags as well as antilock brakes and Dynamic Stability Control.

Ford goes to some pains to point out it has specially tuned the DSC system for the XR4's sports role. And indeed, the company's claims hold water when the system rarely makes its presence felt -- at least until fairly high levels of commitment are reached and exceeded.

Unlike some other systems, the XR4's nanny can be disabled fully too.

COMPETITORS
As noted in our introduction, the XR4 is priced well under the likes of performance equivalents such as the Polo GTi and Mitsubishi Colt Ralliart.

Of the Euro light hotties, only the Citroen C2 VTS is in the ball park ($23,990) but the Frenchie has considerably less power than the Ford. We'd back the XR4 to keep Peugeot's $31,490 207 GT honest too.

Toyota is yet to offer a truly hot Yaris, though the sporty YRX might attract some comparison. Though available only as a five-door, the $23,990 Suzuki Swift Sport will tempt potential XR4 buyers though it too is well down on neddies.

Holden has naught to offer in this segment save for a flashed-up Barina. It'll take HSV to import the Vauxhall Corsa VXR to keep this blue baby in sight.

To check out our preconfigured new car comparator including the XR4 and the above mentioned models click here.

Not the standout handler in the class, the base Fiesta has been sharpened considerably in its evolution into a RS/XR model. Turn-in is sharp– even at silly speeds -- and you really have to be hamfisted to promote any appreciable understeer. Mid-corner grip is good too, even on bumpy bitumen and there's more than the average dose of feedback -- both though the reasonably meaty steering and the seat of your pants.

On smooth bitumen you can pitch the little Ford into corners at quite elevated speeds and, if needs be, tighten your line with a quick lift of throttle. That said, it's not as aggressively responsive as, say, a Renault Clio Sport.

On the test route through the Yarra ranges to the northeast of Melbourne the XR4 revelled in the tight, twisty bitumen, its meaty 2.0-litre four's midrange allowing you to leave the car in third gear and concentrate on making the most of the strong fade-free and predictable middle pedal. Point to point it's a remarkably quick and capable car.

The engine and gearbox ratios are well matched. Second gear gets you out of the very slow hairpins without a hint of clutch and the wide spread of torque means power is put to the ground without wheelspin or DSC histrionics. The shift has a good 'snickety' quality to it as well.

On the highway you're occasionally looking for a sixth ratio but that's more a function of wanting to revel in the lazy timbre of the engine, rather than any need to escape any buzziness. No, it's not the most sonorous of engines, but nor is it totally lacking in character.

And the frugal out there will be happy to know that even with some very enthusiastic use, the XR4 never used more than 8.7lt/100km during our drive. We've ridden motorbikes that use more juice!

We've already commented that we'd prefer a more sporting (read: lower) driving position and how much the lack of an external hatch release annoys us. These nitpicks do little to erode the enthusiasm we have for this pocket rocket.

Living with the car for a week or so might show up some compromises its sporting ability has forced but in our initial drive impressions we've been hard pressed finding any. In the cut and thrust of city traffic it takes some beating.

High-tech performance solutions like turbocharging (and even twincharging in the case of the recently released Golf GT) are all the rage in these days of environmental concerns and high fuel prices. In a way, the XR4 eschews this up-to-date approach and is a return to the old school method of fitting a big engine in a little car. It might not be Greenpeace-approved but it certainly delivers real world performance.

In a light car hot hatch segment that by Ford's reckoning will grow from less than 800 units (in 2005) to almost 2000 in 2007, the maker says it would like to put around 40 XR4s in new owners' driveways every month.

We've reckon they're undercalling the demand for the car that's just replaced VW's Polo GTI as our favourite pocket rocket.

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