So, how does it compare to the Fiesta ST?
Well, I’ve driven both cars in the Peak District, on lots of local roads that I
know far better than the back of my hand (although really, who has an intimate
knowledge of the back of their hand?) and for several hours on the motorway. In
everyday driving the Mini is a remarkable thing– so quiet and relaxing at
multi-lane cruising speeds that you forget you’re in a small car. It would put
some executive barges to shame, so it’s no surprise that it beats the Ford on
that score. However, when the road turns interesting it is the Fiesta that has
the edge.
The
Mini’s boot is still small, but the rear seats fold to increase its load
capacity
The little Ford has beautifully controlled
damping that feels somewhere between the two settings of the Mini but with
slightly longer travel to the suspension. The steering is quick and accurate
from the moment you turn the wheel and then it feeds back more and more information
as it loads up the outside-front in a corner. In the Mini you now feel like
you’re sitting further down in the chassis compared to the old one, while in
the Fiesta you feel like you’re sitting comparatively high up, with the ST’s
centre of gravity a little higher too. This is then reflected in the way the
cars corner, with the Mini’s multi-link rear remaining relatively at while the
Ford, with its torsion beam rear axle, seems to naturally fall into that
classic hot hatch pose, dangling a motionless inside-rear alloy in the air as
you scoot round bends.
The
Fiesta ST’s boot will hold 960 litres with the rear seats down
The 179 bhp 1.6-litre engine in the Fiesta
is a cracker. It revs with zeal and if it wasn’t for the obvious swell of
flexible low-down torque in the higher gears, you would be very hard-pushed to
tell that it was turbocharged. Mated to a gearshift that can be thrown around
the gate with as much speed as you can move your hand, it is a fantastically
fun drivetrain. What’s more, its 214lb ft feels enough but never too much for
the front suspension, so you can get back on the throttle remarkably early in
bends and the front tyres will take it despite the absence of any limited-slip
diff. Add in brakes that have great power and feel and you have a car that
responds to any input with an alacrity that makes it feel wonderfully light on
its feet and an absolute joy to drive quickly. You can simply fling it down the
road and the car stays with you every step of the way, encouraging you and feeding
back more information just at the point where the Mini starts to feel a touch
woolly.
The
Mini Cooper S is powered by a 189bhp turbocharged four-cylinder engine
The gap between these cars’ base prices is
not as wide as you might imagine, with the Fiesta starting just below $28,840
and the Cooper S at $31,640. However, while you can get a fully loaded‘ST3’
for$32,660, the well-optioned Mini you see here would set you back over
$39,870.
On
the Fiesta ST, the 1.6-litre Ecoboost's maximum outputs are 197bhp and 177lb ft
Both are ultimately very good and great fun
to drive, and some customers will undoubtedly be wooed by the Mini’s razzmatazz
(although I suspect the new face with those odd lower intakes might put a few
off). But by the same margin that the Cooper S is arguably the nicer day-to-day
car, the Fiesta remains the more fun drivers’ car. It wins this twin test as a
result.
