Temptation
by John Fife (18 Feb 08)

Let's get one thing out of the away before I start: I happen to like high-performance, small-capacity cars. So I'm biased already. The reason is simple. In this speed-restricted, speed-camera infested, road traffic congested island we call the United Kingdom you can get closer to the limits of a well-tuned small-capacity engine than you can with some multifariously cylindered, force-fed, high-capacity lump when driving on quiet public roads.

Or put it another way, the maximum speed limit on Government roads is the same whether you are driving a Ford Fiesta ST Mountune or a Porsche 911 Turbo. On that basis, the only real difference is in the time it will take to get you from rest to 70mph. In this case, the difference is 5 seconds. And what can you do these days in only 5 seconds? Read The Sun? Fall out with the wife? So it's hardly worth bothering about then, is it?

Some of the power purists might then take up the cross-country argument that their supercar's better handling will cut journeys times on A and B roads. That may be true, but if you're not able to stretch the beast and seek out its limits then the driver satisfaction level will be much lower than in a pocket rocket which regularly trips the adrenalin pump when trying to match the entirely capable aforementioned supercar.

So if that's the case for fast shoeboxes, how does this latest version of the Ford Fiesta ST Mountune measure up? First of all it's more than a chip-shop job, and there are two versions. There is a Stage 1 option which increases the basic horsepower from 148bhp to 163bhp and a Stage 2 version which ups the power to 183bhp.

The Stage 1 oomph comes from a revised air induction system and new exhaust with subtle changes to the ECU. The faster package adds new camshafts and valve springs to help create the extra grunt. At £1435 and £1838, both plus fitting costs, the dealer-fit changes ain't exactly cheap but you do get the advantage of a 12 month/12,000 mile warranty which can be extended up to 3 years/36,000 miles.

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