FeatureTest WHICHEVER WAY you look ati ‘an XR2 means second best on the Kings Road cruise. As an accessory for tho posaur, its more Top Man than Benetton Forone thing. itlooksatouch too ‘garish, and for another, it simply ignitquickenough —it'sthe Golf GTis and the XR3s thatget tothe wine bar first. You won't spot Rupert and Sonia in an XR2. But if you went to see them cchoke into their Hervey Wall- angers, try turbocharging the litle Ford. Three days of under- bonnet surgery at Turbo Tech: rigs will S00 an XR2 emerging with the same muscle as two of the hot hatch league's most Potent members — the Lancia Delta HF and the Fiat Stads ‘Abarth. With 130 bhp clothed in ‘compact shell, the Turbo Tech: nies XR2 is well placed to pro vide some surprises. And not 2 {ew of these will be sean on the faces of Golf GTi drivers — the Fiesta wins the inevitable 0-60 mph drag as well as cranking ts Speedo need further reundthe Neck-stretching blasts. from the lights may have Rupert defeated, but what happens when the Fiesta encounters 2 bend? Turbo Technics has thought of that by offering @ handling pack. The company hasm't finished thinking about it yet. because only two days! development work has been ‘completad so far, but it will be ready soon, At the moment it consists of 8 stouter Panhard rod, a strengthened and ra ushed tie bar at the rear, and Uprated track control arms and firmer bushes at the front. The brakes are passed as fit for the job — XR2s have ventilated discs. But South Molton Street stiolors will be disappointed by theFiesta Turbo's stying, There's no BBS bol-on-brawn or Kamei styling kitsch for this one; just a faw turbo badges signily the change, and they might easily have been stuck there by an optimist. Ford provides most of the bodywork addenda anyway. Liquorice-black plastic drapes the Fiestas flanks, while Cibié clones thrust {rom its nose, unsubtle emblems of its aspirations ‘And these are desp and ener getic. The Northampton firm Installs 2 Garret: AlResearch TS blower complete with integral ‘wastegate and the unusual sophi- TOO HOT TO HANDLE In the hot-hatch performance stakes, Ford's baby Fiesta XR2 doesn't figure too strongly. That's until you bolt a turbocharger to it. Richard Bremner has been driving Turbo Technics’ flying Ford stication of an air-to-air inter cooler. Rupert wor't know what itis. but he wil certainly be impressed. He will probably be wowed by a “pulse separation exhaust manifold” too. The idea is 10 provide a short gas run to the turbo {it cuts lag) without allowing the gases trom one bylinder to enter another Otherwise, the engine is largely unchanged. The com pression ratio 1s lowered from 8.5109.2:1 (stil high fora blown, engine) and an underbonnet inertia switch cuts the ignition ‘and fuel supplyin the event ofan impact — a sensible precaution, as we shall see, Thus force fed — maximum boost works out at 6 psi — the 1600 CVH engine pumps out a claimed 130 bhp at 6000 rom ‘and 138 Ib feof torque at 3000 pm. Turbo Technics has aimed for a flat torque curve — hence the high compression ratio — and ithasbeen fairly successful. with 110 lb ft of torque available at 2000 fpmn,and 134 |b fat 2500 Tpm. So the promise of mid- range punch is there, but what about outright performance? Well, there's no denying that this Fiesta is quick It can hit 60 mph in 7-7 sec, and flat out its (900d far 116 Smph, TT That makes it more rapid than the 130 horse tralian duo, as well as Ruperts Golf It's also a full second faster than a standard XF2. But the ‘maximum, speed 1s disappoint ing, It isr't significantly groator than the 108.7 mph of the standard XR, and the Peugeot 205 GTis as fast, 2s are the Fiat and Lancia. Only the Golf trails. Iteould be that ourtestcar was litle ight —ithad covered only 2000 oF so miles when itarived ‘And that, to0, may be the cause (of below par 0-60 mph time if 7.7. sec can be termed below parl. because Turbo Technics claims a staggenng sub-seven second time to 60 mph, Either that, or some of the 130 horses have Bolted: our physies genius reckons that 115 bhp is nearer the mark, ‘And that mid-range muscle? Over the 30-50 mph and 50-70 mph increments the Fiesta is Fespectably brisk rather than uproariously rapid. In fourth, 30, mph turns to 50 mph in 7.6 seconds, and in fit, 70 mph comes after 60 in 95 secs Nelther of these times can better the Golf's, and more significanty, the Delta's, which with its similar power and torque but greater weight, 18 quicker too. But, like the Lancia, theFiestacomes into its own further up the rev range. The 40-00, 50-70 and 60-80 mph times are all well under seven seconds, and almost mir- ror the Goifs figures, though once again the Delta is swifter. The Italian car does have markedly shorter gearing though in fourth, pulls 16.4 moh per 1000 rpm Whereas the Ford has to cope wath a taller 18.3 mph per 1000 rpm: In fifth, tall gearing also takes its toll. A 9.5 606 timo from 50 70 mph is faily unremarkable, butthe 60-80 mph time is better: it takes 9,2 sec, as against the Golf's 1 Sec. On paper than. the Feste displays all the halimarks ofa turbocharged car — at rela tively low speeds it is unexcep: tional. but at higher velocities it shines more brightly. its a lot ‘Quicker than the standard XR2, but overthe 30-50 mphand 50. 70 mph increments it is still bettered by its more usual rival, the Peugeot 205 GTi. That's not much good on tho King’s Road. Nevertheless, the XR is stil very effective on the move because ihe turbo installation is aqcodone.IWsaneasyengineto start endits tractable and unter peramental, and turbocharging Seems to have made it smoother t00:the XR2’s top end harshness hhas gone. as has its exhaust boom. Inevitably there is some lag, buteven off-boost the engine pulls quite strongly. and once 2500 rpm is reached the effect, ofthe turbocharger can certainly be felt. Of course, its not at it best here though: itis not until 4000 rpm that the power s flow. ing freely. More than that. in fact, ‘ts spilling all over the road, The XR2 Turbo has a torque steer problem. But before con- demining the XR hendling, it should be added that Turbo Technics is some way from sort ing the suspension fo its own satisfaction — there are mare modifications to come. The dif ‘Styling ts standard iculties are caused by aver generous suspension com- pliance, Turbo Technics reckons that there ig too itl ina vertical plane and far too much move: ment fore and sft. The effects of this are dra: matic. Univanted changes of direction can be prompted by several things — white lines, camber changes or heavy right feet on the Go-pedal. On any thing other than a perfectly flat surface, the Fiasta may take a Kemikaze lunge for the wrong side of the road. Almost 2s iit has a mind of its own. This inconsistency can make for rather erratic progross, and tho driver may find t difficult to con- vineo his passengors that ho is anything ether than a collabo: Tator in Japan's Endurance TV ‘souies. I there is @car that needs a Scalextric-styie slot to guide this sit Thare isn't enough traction in the wet either. Try flooring the accelerator in second at 1800 pm, At first the Fieste gathers speed undramatically. But when the turbocharger really starts to spin, it fines itself with some. ‘compatition trom the. pait_of electric sanders up front The ‘only answer is to drive the Ford with circumspection. Driven thus, it can be very swift Thetechnique isto stayin a Right: Not even « turbo boost eandera 1 facia Below. Conversion inctudes te largely unchanged compression Halo lowered 821 TheRivals 0-80 mah Ford Fata XR2 87 Fiesta XR2 Turbo 2 Pougeot 208 GTi 87 weelen 23 Lancia Dota HF 73 Flot Seda Abarth an 2050mph 50-70. Max moh ‘nfouth iar 90. 129 1007 18 6 nes 63 22 87 57. 82 msa re al lisa et a1 mie higher gear than you might nor ‘mally, and let the turbo do the work Outright performance may be more restrained, butthe car's tendeney to dart and weave wil bbe much reduced, And it won't spin its wheels as readily either Think of it as a bossterous dog —its less troublesome when kept on a lead ‘The Fiesta becomes more en: Jjoyable when approached in this way, largely because its road manners come closer to those of the standard cer. It is perhaps most pleasing for its walling turn in and lack of understeer. Itgrips well, 100, if the accelerator isnt pressed too hard, but t stl feels Slightly eday, and lifting off in mid-bend produces rather abrupt tuckin. Ultimately. though, the Fiesta becomes a ratner wearing car to crive fast. At least it isnt raucous. Wiad and road noise are:well suppressed (despite the Ssffer suspension bushes} and the engingis. f anything, quieter than in the standard car — the turbo installation appears 10 absorb some ofthe noise Itcoes provide some rather bizarre sub> Sttutes at times though: the jarger's spinning vanes whistle like a kettle, and the fluttering wastagate wiould make a pass. able maraca. But these intru- sions are fairly slight; overall, tho XR2 Is quite refined So is the ride, at least in the ntext of a budget sporting car The stiffer bushes do make the ride @ shade knobbly at low speeds. but on the move it smooths out effectively enough ~ itis rarely uncomfortable. There is, of course, one last area inwhich the Turbo Technics conversion will have an effect, andthet's fuel consumption. The ‘ooking XR2 manages an im: pressive 30.6 mpg overall, and nly a feo) would expect the “Turbo tomatch this, But given lis performance, an overall figure of 24.4 mpg is not disastrous, and there is no doubs that i couie be improved upon with the restraint that sane pilots will inevitably display. For the rest, the Turbo is. identical to any other XR2 Except that its expensive. The engine conversion costs £1438, ‘which puts the Fiesta, at £7395, beyond the price ofthe Astra GTE and the Maestro. And tho sus pension changes are extra, They ‘might only be £250 — the prica ff dinner for four at the Fitz — but they are a necessity. and should be included as part of the package ‘And while the powerplant may be impressive, itis almost cor tainly sittng in the wrong car Because even if the suspension ‘can be tamed. the Fiesta wil stil be a mighty expensive toy. Ifyou want raw excitement. buy a Strada Abarth, Wits a truly prac: fical hot hatch you crave, then find the extra for the Golf. 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