The Ford Fiesta ST200 was launched this summer and it has already claimed some rather glorious reviews. Building up on the success of the ‘regular’ ST, the new car brings a few changes to the table. But are the changes enough to challenge the MINI JCW hardtop? The guys from Auto Express wanted to see, first of all, how the two compared in a straight up drag race and we have the results.
Compared to the normal ST, the new Fiesta has a bit more power under its belt. As the name suggests, the 1.6-liter engine under the hood was tweaked a little and now makes 200 HP. There’s also 236 lb-ft (320 Nm) of torque, a figure that’s impressive for a car this size. Another change is the arrival of a shorter final-drive ratio (4.06:1, replacing 3.82:1) that, in effect, closes up the gearing of the six-speed manual transmission. The ST200 also has a better suspension as well as new torsion bars but let’s not digress.
On the other side of this race you’ll find the already familiar MINI JCW. The hardtop has been around for quite some time and we’ve gotten used to it by now. Under its hood you’ll find a 2-liter 4-cylinder engine with 231 HP and the same amount of torque as the Fiesta. It uses either a six-speed manual or an automatic gearbox to get around and it’s quite fast off the line.
How fast? Well, you’re about to see. There’s a reason why the MINI is considered the best hatch in the segment and it seems like the guys from Auto Express are pointing it out quite obviously in this drag race.
