BUYING GUIDE: Fiesta XR2i

Often ignored in favour of the earlier cars, the Mk3 XR2i makes for a great, well-equipped faster Fiesta. Here’s what to look for.

What you need to know if you’re buying the Mk3.

Given the popularity of earlier XR2s, there was no way the performance version wouldn’t figure in Ford’s new Mk3 Fiesta line-up, but the manufacturer made hot hatchback fans wait until October 1989 for the XR2i — a whole 10 months after the debut of the rest of the range.

It wasn’t down to late development either, as the XR2i’s specification was thrashed out at the same time as the cooking models. Instead, it was simply due to Ford concentrating production on the more in-demand versions.

Shrewdly, the Blue Oval’s marketing bods had kept the news of a forthcoming XR version simmering away and if any fast Fiesta fan had become a little disgruntled in the interim, they soon perked up on sight of the new XR2i.

The Mk3 Fiesta was neater than the Mk2, but the XR2i took its sharper style to an even higher level with the addition of a colour-coded bodykit featuring a quartet of driving lights sunk into the front bumper. Its fresh looks were complemented by distinctive Zolda trim and a decent level of equipment.

Dynamically, the XR2i wasn’t quite as sharp, though. Although the newly fuel-injected 1596cc CVH motor pushed the Fiesta from 0-60 mph in only 8.9 seconds and onto a respectable top speed of 119 mph, its suspension and steering let the side down. In a nod to refinement the springs and dampers had been softened, while the low-geared rack blunted steering response.

Ford subsequently addressed any resulting criticism with the fitment of the Fiesta RS Turbo’s stiffer suspension, but the change was a pre-cursor to a much bigger improvement in May 1992 when the CVH motor was ousted in favour of the 105 bhp, 16-valve Zetec engine. Together with a revised version of the B5 gearbox, the new XR2i also received a new leather steering wheel and winged seats, while its profile was enhanced with the deletion of the side rubbing strips and the availability of larger 5.5x14 inch alloy wheels.

The later car never had the impact of the original though — the older, more outlandish CVH-powered Fiesta seemingly more sought-after than the newer XR2i. Regardless of what’s under the bonnet though, there’s one thing that’s certain — it’s still the cheapest way to get into an XR-badged Fiesta.

“THE MK3 WAS NEATER THAN THE MK2, BUT THE XR2i TOOK ITS SHARPER STYLE TO AN EVER HIGHER LEVEL”