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Polo GTi vs Ford Fiesta 2.0i ST |
Broadcast
date : 24th December 2006 |
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The Ford Fiesta ST has
spear-headed Ford’s revival in the youth-performance end of
the market for a couple of good reasons.
It has an excellent chassis, it has a sporty image with a
funky three door bodyshell off-set by large diameter alloy
wheels, spoilers and scoops, and a willing 2.0 litre mill
which gives it a good power-to-weight ratio.
The Polo Gti has been configured to take some of that glory
away from the Fiesta.
What it brings to the party are alloy wheels which are too
small to be really sporty, a five-door body-shell that is more
family orientated than funky, a tasty rendition of the VW
rhombus Grille which is its styling highlight and a 110 kW
version of the VW/Audi 1.8-litre turbo, which is the car’s
strong point
But the vital component on a
performance car is the engine. On paper the Fiesta looks good,
with 112 kiloWatts, an 8.something 0-100 and a 200-plus top
speed.
The problem from our point of view is that the engine just
doesn’t talk the walk, so to speak. It isn’t sweet at any
spot in the rev range.
The Polo mill, on the other hand, is The Bizz. It’s a tried
and tested turbo with modest peak power for a 1.8, but its 110
kW gives 0-100's competitive to the Fiesta and a claimed top
speed some 20 km/h faster.
The bald figures are one thing, but it’s in the feel that
the Volkswagen scores. It likes to sing for its supper, this
motor, which is probably why Gugu was so critical of the
suspension. Actually, the rest of the Car Torque team
preferred the Polo’s ride on rough surfaces.
When it comes to a feature-for-feature shoot out in the
interior, we have a mixed bag with these two cars.
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The Ford Fiesta ST has the funk
factor, especially with its contrasting dashboard top, strong,
bold instrumentation and racy seats.
The Polo has played it safer. Volkswagen have gone for a
heritage look with the plaid check upholstery drawing on
original Golf Gti roots. Its dashboard and steering wheel look
classier than the Ford’s set-up, but not as much fun.
It’s as if Volkswagen wasn’t prepared to commit fully to
the youth market with the performance Polo.
Volkswagen Polo GTi
- Engine:
Four-cylinder petrol turbo 1 781 cc
- Power: 110 kW @ 5
800 rpm
- Torque: 220 Nm @ 1
950 rpm
- Transmission:
Five-speed manual, front-wheel-drive
- 0-100 km/h: 8,6
seconds(claimed)
- Top speed: 220 km/h
(claimed)
- Fuel consumption:
9,0 litres/100 km (estimated)
- Price: R188 700
Ford Fiesta 2,0i ST
- Engine:
Four-cylinder petrol 1 999 cc
- Power: 112 kW @ 6
500 rpm
- Torque: 190 Nm @ 4
500 rpm
- Transmission:
Five-speed manual, front-wheel-drive
- 0-100 km/h: 8,6
seconds (claimed)
- Top speed: 203 km/h
(claimed)
- Fuel consumption:
9,1litres/100 km (estimated)
- Price: R171 950
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