Fierce Fiestas spotted in Sweden.

[Leonidae]

*click*

Yup, that would be the 800bhp shoebox with a huge wing on it's back.

 

[lpb-nissan-gt-r]

Pikes peaks one .

 

[Moglet]

They really need to make a Fiesta RS with the same bodywork as that car, minus the front and rear spoilers.

 

[Omnis]

Please tell me they swapped out the motor. What'd they put in?

 

[Moglet]

Please tell me they swapped out the motor.

No it's a standard 1.4 setup

 

[lpb-nissan-gt-r]

They really need to make a Fiesta RS with the same bodywork as that car, minus the front and rear spoilers.

In a way they have done the complete opposite as they have cancelled the ST.

 

[RUFin]

Marcus Gronholm drives it.

 

[Leonidae]

Please tell me they swapped out the motor. What'd they put in?

2l Duratec R. it can be seen in the pictures.

 

[YSSMAN]

A good way to introduce the car in racing to the United States. Although, they need to do a one-make-race with it here. Please.

RE: Fiesta ST, RS

I believe there is a Sport model coming out in the UK soon, isn't there? I'd still venture a guess that a tighter suspension with the 120 BHP 118BHP 1.4L 1.6L would be more than sufficient with being a fun car to drive.

OH AND:

There be more!

According to Autoblog, they'll be running the modified Fiestas at the X Games. Considering the cars won't be here until "Spring 2010," this is a lot of press for a model we don't even have yet.

 

[Keef]

Wow, that thing is gnarly. I'd call Pike's Peak on it, but the wings still aren't big enough.

 

[Jondot]

RE: Fiesta ST, RS

I believe there is a Sport model coming out in the UK soon, isn't there?

Christ knows. We're still waiting for the last Fiesta RS that Ford promised us.

That never materialised, and I wouldn't be surprised if this new one went the same way. I'm not holding my breath, put it that way. Particularly when Ford can now simply blame either emissions regulations or the credit crunch for the lack of an RS, depending on what mood they're in that day.

 

[YSSMAN]

If I'm honest, I'd say that an actual RS version of the Fiesta is completely unnecessary. A properly done "Sport" or ST model would be more than sufficient to get the enthusiast juices flowing, and furthermore, its much more friendly to a much larger group of people. Assuming the Fiesta "Sport" drops out at $15K, a ST or RS would add at least $3-5K on top of that... And that's when you have to start asking yourself about how much car you can get for the same price.

 

[Philly]

I'd rock it.

 

[Paulie]

I've driven new Fiestas a lot and really disliked them, I think they look good from the back but hideous from the front, and I don't like the looks of this Pikes Peak car either, get the Suzuki back.

PS- WTF is with the big blue dash in some Fiesta trims?

 

[Jondot]

If I'm honest, I'd say that an actual RS version of the Fiesta is completely unnecessary. A properly done "Sport" or ST model would be more than sufficient to get the enthusiast juices flowing, and furthermore, its much more friendly to a much larger group of people. Assuming the Fiesta "Sport" drops out at $15K, a ST or RS would add at least $3-5K on top of that... And that's when you have to start asking yourself about how much car you can get for the same price.

Well that's the thing. The above Fiesta RS was going to be put on sale for £17,000. And considering this new Fiesta costs a fair bit more than the old one, I wouldn't be surprised if they sold it at nearer £19k, which is getting perilously close to the Focus ST.

I've driven new Fiestas a lot and really disliked them, I think they look good from the back but hideous from the front, and I don't like the looks of this Pikes Peak car either, get the Suzuki back.

PS- WTF is with the big blue dash in some Fiesta trims?

Forget the blue, I sat in a pink one once. They have a magenta-vomit blend for a dashboard colour scheme. What was wrong with black ffs?!


I do quite like the look of them though. But only from the outside, in bright green, with the 17 inch alloys. In other words, the one costing £14,000. Hmm.

 

[Eric.]

Oh cool, we're getting the Fiesta RS.

 

[Jim Prower]

I read the entry list on the PPIHC website: there's TWO Fiestas, FROM Sweden....competing...in the unlimited class.

Against record-holder Tajima in an SX-4.

 

[Paulie]

Forget the blue, I sat in a pink one once. They have a magenta-vomit blend for a dashboard colour scheme. What was wrong with black ffs?!


I do quite like the look of them though. But only from the outside, in bright green, with the 17 inch alloys. In other words, the one costing £14,000. Hmm.

Oh yeah I've seen the Magenta dash too.

 

[JohnBM01]

I saw something like this when I saw yesterday's installment of Fast Lane Daily ( http://www.youtube.com/FastLaneDaily ). That's a wicked looking Fiesta. That is a small car with a big attitude.

 

[Dave A]

I've driven new Fiestas a lot and really disliked them, I think they look good from the back but hideous from the front, and I don't like the looks of this Pikes Peak car either, get the Suzuki back.

PS- WTF is with the big blue dash in some Fiesta trims?

So you drove them and disliked them? That's fair enough but you've not mentioned anything about driving them, looks are subjective and I agree they arn't the prettiest small cars around but to me that has nothing to do with driving them. I've not drivien the new Fiesta and I really don't intend to either but I would be interested to hear what they are like. My next car is most likely to be a second hand Lexus IS or a newer Focus.

 

[Paulie]

So you drove them and disliked them? That's fair enough but you've not mentioned anything about driving them, looks are subjective and I agree they arn't the prettiest small cars around but to me that has nothing to do with driving them. I've not drivien the new Fiesta and I really don't intend to either but I would be interested to hear what they are like. My next car is most likely to be a second hand Lexus IS or a newer Focus.

My mistake, I did not mention the driving experience. First, let me explain I haven't driven a manual 1.6L which will have severely marred my impression of the car. So next, let me say that a 1.4L 4spd auto at full throttle is slower than a base model Falcon at 1/4 throttle, or it feels slower anyway. I mean you can literally put your foot right down in traffic and nobody will probably even notice you're gunning it. In one scenario I almost lost an uphill drag to a truck at 100km/hr on the highway. I also don't like the general shape of the interior, the way they've put bulges in the centre stack and steering wheel.....I don't know.......almost makes me feel like the car is trying to help the driver compensate for something. That's not to mention the rediculously long dash in what ever horrible colour it's in today either. The interior controls (i.e. centre console, power mirrors etc), in an effort to look modern and cool, are all over the shop and difficult to use when you're driving. A big thing I realised immediately when driving it too was it had electric steering (I didn't know before driving it then confirming it on the parts catalogue back at work), the steering is light as a feather, like REALLY light, lightest I've ever had, power assisted or not. I now know just how valuable well weighted steering is in a car. The auto, in manual mode, is barely manual at all, the car does not understand "short shifting" through corners. Going through a corner at 50km/hr in 2nd gear, put your foot down and it decides to shift back to first (this is in manual mode remember), and you're almost instantly redlining needing to change back to 2nd, not to mention the massive change in weight distribution the tyres just experienced. Falcon autos don't do this. (I'd buy a manual in any car anyway, but that's not the point). I'm sure there's other things I'm forgetting about it right now too, but they're probably small things, like the boot space. (Get it? Small?)

Edit: PS- Go the IS, get a recent one if you can with the DI 3.5L V6, that's a nice car IMHO.

Edit 2: Although I have driven WP/WQ 1.6L manuals, the shifter feels like plastic, and overall it's still a pretty sorry car IMO.

 

[Leonidae]

I could had told you that it's rubbish from the beginning. It shares too much with Fiats. Same applies to Ka. You have to remember that most modern cars are fashion accessories, and some are even environmental statements. Fiesta and Ka are citycars, hyperminis, and excellent at that but not much else until the bigger engines come into picture.

 

[in.s@ne]

I'd have one. I think it'd fit in the driveway... just

 

[Jondot]

I could had told you that it's rubbish from the beginning. It shares too much with Fiats. Same applies to Ka.

There's nothing wrong with Fiat these days. Except the utterly pointless Sedici. In fact the Ka is basically a Fiat 500, which is fine except that it doesn't feel like a Ford should.

...apparently. In the advert for it over here they spend 10 minutes deliberately delaying you from showing the thing - for obvious reasons, let's be honest.

You have to remember that most modern cars are fashion accessories, and some are even environmental statements. Fiesta and Ka are citycars, hyperminis, and excellent at that but not much else until the bigger engines come into picture.

The thing is though, if you pay upwards of £12,000 for a car (which you need to if you want a decent spec), you expect it to work sort of... outside the city too. Well I do anyway.

 

[Leonidae]

There's nothing wrong with Fiat these days. Except the utterly pointless Sedici. In fact the Ka is basically a Fiat 500, which is fine except that it doesn't feel like a Ford should.

Well, personally I dislike modern Fiats.. for example, the powersteering with city and normal mode is ridiculous, because the city mode makes the steering so light that a baby could turn the steeringwheel with the pinkie. in addition, when I adjust the seat so I have comfortable position and reach the pedals and controls nicely, my knees are pretty much pinched between the seat and dash. and I'm 5'5.

 

[mafia_boy]

Marcus Gronholm drives it.

That was the #3 Fiesta that Gronholm was driving. 👍 I'm surprised he's not teaming up with bro-in-law Timo Rautianen like they did in WRC, but regardless, Gronholm driving your car = EPIC WIN!!

I would LOVE to see Gronholm racing Pikes Peak. Gronholm vs Tajima is almost a match-up made in heaven!!

*added bit* I just went on the PPIHC site myself.....look at the line-up for Unlimited.

Driver Co-Driver Division 2WD/4WD Vehicle # Rookie Vehicle Year Make Model Demographics

1 Rennison Mark Unlimited 4WD 200 Y 1999 Ford RS 200 Darlington, UK

2 Eriksson, Andrea Svensson Per Ola Unlimited 4WD 5 Y 2009 Ford Fiesta Osmo, Sweden

3 Gronholm, Marcus Alanne, Timo Unlimited 4WD 3 Y 2009 Ford Fiesta Osmo, Sweden

4 Tajima Nobuhiro Unlimited 4WD 1 N 2009 Suzuki SX4 Shubuya Tokyo, Japan

Oooooh yeah!!

 

[Leonidae]

Monster Tajima will be defeated.

 

[mafia_boy]

BIG CALL there Leo. BIG BIG call actually. Gronholm is a master, I'm the first to admit that....but to beat Monster, on his first go, AT Monster's playground (Pikes Peak)....doubt that's going to happen.

And what's 800hp of Fiesta going to do......Monster has had nearly 1000hp in his previous Escudo & XL7 as we already know. I hope this SX4 is a return back to his psychotic twin-engined 800hp Cultus (Swift GTi), because to me, THAT is still the ultimate Pikes Peak car, not the Escudo.....or any of Rod Millen's examples for that matter.

 

[Leonidae]

Mmhmm.. if only some of the old group B-era Finns would still be driving.. Vatanen, Salonen, Kankkunen.. I'm sure that they could put a spectacular display how the turbo nutters should really be driven.

 

[mafia_boy]

They do. Search on YouTube for the run with Ari Vatanen. That is 10 minutes of pure enjoyable Pikes Peak action. 👍