Cocky little lighties

Can the Ford Fiesta ST upsurge its peers in the pocket rocket crowd — the Mini Cooper, Citroen C2 and Fiat Punto HGT?

If you came of age in the 1960s, chances are you would have aspired to own a Mini Cooper, to name just one of many pocket rockets of the time. Young upstarts of the 1970s might have drooled over cars like the Ford Escort BDA, while the hot hatch to have in the 1980s would have been a Golf GTi or Escort XR3.

That's just to say that the idea of shoehorning a relatively powerful engine into a small, lightweight bodyshell is certainly nothing new. Fast-forward to the new millennium and the latest Golf GTI is still regarded as the hot hatch to have, but it's not the lightweight performance bargain that the Mk1 was.

Mini, Ford, Citroen and Fiat slug it out

Today, the spirit of the original GTI is more apparent in the four three-door hatchbacks you see here. Ain't it funny how Mini and Ford are back in the ring, while Citroen and Fiat are hardly strangers to the pocket rocket segment.

At the moment, Ford has its sights set on stealing the pocket rocket crown with its new Fiesta ST, and it has the credentials to make its rivals here quiver in their rubber.

» Check out their comparative specs

That's because the trendy Fiesta 3-door shell is now home to a powerful 2.0-litre engine, which commands a wholesome 110kW to pull little more than a ton. The ST is also kitted out with a bold body kit — 17-inch alloy wheels and numerous chassis and steering mods that help it harness the urge.

You might consider it unfair to pit a powerful 2.0-litre against an 1800 and two 1600s, but the Fiesta's price of R169 500 is on par with what Mini charges for its bog-standard Cooper and between R20 000 and R25 000 dearer than the remaining pair.

Ford worth its premium?

But to what extent is the Ford worth its premium?

In performance terms, it's little surprise that the Fiesta ST goes unrivalled here. It outruns them all from 0-100km/h and over a quarter mile, with more than a second to play with in most cases, and it's the more consistently tractable once on the go, also by quite a margin. Short gear ratios are responsible for much of the Fiesta's verve off the mark, but with only five cogs, it does feel slightly under-geared at high speeds.

Expectedly, the Mini found itself somewhat out of its depth in this crowd, powered along by 1.6-litre mill that offers nothing special in terms of output. Yet it proved surprisingly brisk against our clock, posting the second best 0-100km/h acceleration and quarter mile times, but it will have you working the gears more frequently at higher speeds.

Despite possessing a sophisticated variable-cam-timed 1.8-litre motor, the Fiat Punto HGT was slowest from 0-100km/h, but ample torque from really low down makes it a pleasure to blast around urban roads and overtake at lower speeds.

Overall driving experience

It takes more than just straight-line performance to make a really enjoyable hot hatchback; it's the driving experience as a whole that often cracks the deal.

The Fiesta rates highly in this regard. Its throttle responds with a sense of urgency, and the raspy exhaust note really begs you to floor it. The gear-change has a pleasantly short throw and feels solid and sporty through the cogs, even if its operation is not the smoothest. The drilled-alloy pedals are well spaced, but there's no room to plonk your left foot after disengaging the clutch. Also, the multi-adjustable drivers' seat won't sink as low as we'd like it to, a big downer in any sporty car.

Despite its performance disadvantage, the Mini is still a delight to drive. Its crackling exhaust note never fails to inspire, while shifting cogs through its solid, thunky gear stick is a smooth and pleasant experience. This is the only car here that sits you low to the ground, go-kart style; but in the end, you're still going to be a twinkle in the Fiesta's rear-view mirror.

The Fiat is not so peachy behind the wheel, especially after you've stepped out of the Mini or Ford. The cramped footwell houses pedals that are way too closely spaced and there's sweet little room to rest the clutch foot. Nothing about the driving position or gear shifting inspires enthusiastic driving. You sit even higher up than in the Fiesta and, while the gear change is light and acceptably smooth, it feels too rubbery and the tall gear-stick is decidedly un-sporting.

The Citroen C2 feels nice to punt around, its driving position is fairly low and the gear-change feels light and solid; but as with the Mini, you're left wishing that the right pedal could procure more might.

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