Now, the only proof of their time spent together is pint-sized Mazda2 which is basically a Fiesta hatch with different body and interior, but with pretty much the same basic mechanical bits underneath (not including the engines; Mazda has its own).
Now, after launching the old 3 which was basically the same as the 2 in that it used a Ford platform (this time the one from the larger Focus) and even shared its 1.6-liter (PSA-sourced) diesel engines on certain markets, Mazda has gone its own way, with a car that’s very different from the current Focus, and all the better for it, as the Car and Driver video posted here reveals.
I recently had a chance to take a quick test drive of the new 3, and while the Focus is an old friend, I must concede that the Japanese car was better in every single way, from the looks, to the drive and the interior – not even the low 120 hp output of the detuned 2.0-liter petrol engine put me off it, as it proved pokey and surprisingly frugal. Those who say it’s a borderline-luxury vehicle do make some sense, especially if the car comes with leather and all the toys that the one I drove had.
Make no mistake, the Focus is not bad either, but it felt inferior to the 3 in almost every respect. Now, do check out the video too – it’s posted after the virtual jump.
By Andrei Nedelea
While the BMW i3 did well in terms of adult occupant protection (86 percent) and child occupant protection (81 percent), it was penalized for a rather low score on pedestrian protection (57 percent) and for the lack of safety assist systems like a speed assistance system - although BMW offers an optional sign recognition speed limit system, EuroNCAP said it doesn’t reach its minimum fitment rate to be assessed. The score of 55 percent for safety assist (shared with the Ford EcoSport) is the lowest from this latest crash test session.
Speaking of the Ford EcoSport, the small SUV got a good rating for adult occupant protection (93 percent), managed 77 percent for child occupant protection and only 58 percent for pedestrian protection.
The Nissan Note scored 86 percent on adult occupant protection, 82 percent on child occupant protection, but only 58 percent for pedestrian protection. However, it got the highest rating for safety assist (70 percent) of the 4-star rated cars, together with the Mercedes-Benz Citan, thanks to the availability of a speed assistance system.
The Mercedes-Benz Citan returned for a reassessment after only getting 3 stars in May this year. It did better this time, getting a 4-star overall rating with a score of 79 percent for adult occupant protection, 81 percent for child occupant protection, 56 percent for pedestrian protection and 70 percent for safety assist.
Finally, the facelifted VW T5 accepted 4 stars, although it was the worst in terms of pedestrian protection, with a low rating of 32 percent. Adult occupant protection and child occupant protection were reasonable at 79 percent and 74 percent, respectively, while safety assist was rated at 57 percent.
By Dan Mihalascu
In order to squeeze extra juice from the 1.6-liter turbocharged engine, the tuning firm used a combination consisting of a new intercooler, exhaust system, chip tuning and a sport catalytic converter.
The Fiesta RS fitted with the Loder1899 upgrades thus produces 232hp (235PS) and 335 Nm (247 lb-ft) of torque, and sprints from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 6.5 seconds – 0.4 seconds quicker than the standard car. Top speed also increases by 15 km/h (9 mph) to 235 km/h (146 mph), while average fuel consumption is slightly worse at 6 l/100 km (39.2 mpg US), compared with 5.9 l/100 km (39.8 mpg US) on the standard Fiesta ST.
The tuner offers an improved braking system with 318mm (12.5in) discs, a 25mm (0.98in) lowered suspension thanks to new springs and a Bilstein suspension kit, plus two new alloy wheel models.
While Loder1899 didn’t touch the Fiesta ST’s styling, it offers a body kit for regular Fiesta models including new bumpers, sills, wheels and an integrated exhaust system.
By Dan Mihalascu
