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Written by Ollie Kew
Nothing too taxing for the Swift Sport this month then. Just a battle on road and on paper with the best-selling car in Britain, and Top Gear"s 2017 Supermini of the Year. The Ford Fiesta is the quintessential all things to all people" kinda car. This ST-line (sporty-looking) X (with posh kit) Ecoboost 140 (fastest one before you get to the Fiesta ST) is even more things to petrolheads. And with 138bhp, a 0-62mph of 9.0 seconds and finance deals beaming it to your driveway for a mere tenner a month more than the Swift Sport, it couldn"t be a more direct rival for Suzuki"s range-topping Swift. On paper. Unfortunately for Suzuki, we don"t drive on paper. The new Fiesta is easily the most fun-to-drive supermini money can buy, and this ST-line, thanks to slightly firmer suspension, is even sharper, keener, more agile, but with the edges rounded off the full-fat ST"s boisterous ride. Not a lot of steering summons an instant change of direction, so fast is the steering, and it grips like it"s on slicks. Even though it"s 170kg lighter, the Swift oddly struggles to match the Fiesta"s sheer verve. Its narrow Continentals relinquish grip sooner particularly at the front, and it feels more top-heavy in direction-changes. The overbearingly heavy steering is more numb, the gearchange baggier, and it"s got the least charismatic engine ever in a hot-ish hatch. A three-cylinder would"ve suited the switch to turbo much better, for my money.
Date written: 5 Jan 2019
More of this article on the Top gear website
ID: 14460
Nothing too taxing for the Swift Sport this month then. Just a battle on road and on paper with the best-selling car in Britain, and Top Gear"s 2017 Supermini of the Year. The Ford Fiesta is the quintessential all things to all people" kinda car. This ST-line (sporty-looking) X (with posh kit) Ecoboost 140 (fastest one before you get to the Fiesta ST) is even more things to petrolheads. And with 138bhp, a 0-62mph of 9.0 seconds and finance deals beaming it to your driveway for a mere tenner a month more than the Swift Sport, it couldn"t be a more direct rival for Suzuki"s range-topping Swift. On paper. Unfortunately for Suzuki, we don"t drive on paper. The new Fiesta is easily the most fun-to-drive supermini money can buy, and this ST-line, thanks to slightly firmer suspension, is even sharper, keener, more agile, but with the edges rounded off the full-fat ST"s boisterous ride. Not a lot of steering summons an instant change of direction, so fast is the steering, and it grips like it"s on slicks. Even though it"s 170kg lighter, the Swift oddly struggles to match the Fiesta"s sheer verve. Its narrow Continentals relinquish grip sooner particularly at the front, and it feels more top-heavy in direction-changes. The overbearingly heavy steering is more numb, the gearchange baggier, and it"s got the least charismatic engine ever in a hot-ish hatch. A three-cylinder would"ve suited the switch to turbo much better, for my money.
Date written: 5 Jan 2019
More of this article on the Top gear website
ID: 14460