Motorists with a keen focus on speed could soup-up their Ford Fiesta by buying a Mountune performance pack to add to their vehicle, it has been suggested.
Writing for Top Gear, Sam Philip states that the pack, which costs around £1,600, consists of a "big new exhaust system and a bunch of ECU tweaks", but does not have any impact on a driver’s warranty.
When supplemented to the Fiesta Zetec S fitted with a 1.6-litre engine, the pack adds 20 brake horsepower to the vehicle, enabling it to accelerate to 60 miles per hour from still in 7.9 seconds, two seconds quicker than when the pack is absent.
Alongside the extra speed, the pack also has additional benefits, according to Mr Philip, as it sounds "bloody marvellous", while handling well on the standard Ford Fiesta chassis.
Mr Philip does remark that there is a lot more potential in the Mountune, with a "hot" version similar to the upcoming Renaultsport Clio touted as sounding like a model that could unlock the hidden talent.
Alternatively, motorists could choose to buy a Fiesta under the ECOnetic umbrella, which offers a fuel economy of 88.3 miles to the gallon on an extra urban cycle.
The popularity of the Ford Fiesta played a pivotal role in the manufacturer increasing its share in the April car market, it has been revealed.
Compared with April 2008, Ford improved its market share by 3.9 percentage points last month, with the brand holding 18.4 per cent of the overall registrations.
According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers, some 28,314 Ford cars and commercial vehicles were registered by Ford last month.
This was heavily aided by the Ford Fiesta, which sold 37.2 per cent more vehicles than in the same month last year, while the Ford Focus remained the top-selling vehicle overall across all manufacturers.
Nigel Sharp, Ford of Britain managing director, said: "Ford’s rising share in April has been achieved in the most challenging conditions of weaker industry demand and an unfavourable exchange rate.
"Ford has taken the position expected of a market leader by announcing attractive supplementary offers to help motorists afford safer, greener and more efficient new vehicles."
Among the features of the latest Ford Fiesta are the fitting of rain-sensing window wipers and Ford Easy Fuel, which prevents the wrong fuel nozzle being inserted into the car by mistake.
Vehicles from the Ford fleet, including the Ford Fiesta, are at the forefront of the battle to reduce carbon dioxide levels in cars, it has been stated.
Environmental website Clean Green Cars has revealed that the latest low-carbon cars from Ford have helped the manufacturer to lead the way when it comes to reducing the emissions of its fleet.
Among the vehicles to help in this mission was the Ford Fiesta ECOnetic, which generates CO2 emissions of 98g/km and allows a driver to complete 76.3 miles to the gallon.
Buyers of this car also get the added luxury of not having to pay any road tax.
Jay Nagley, Clean Green Cars publisher, said: "New car carbon dioxide emissions are falling at an unprecedented rate and Ford is more than playing its part.
Until last year, car CO2 output had been falling at less than two per cent a year. Now real gains are being made with advanced technology, as demonstrated by Ford’s ECOnetic range."
What Car? magazine voted the Ford Fiesta as the Car of the Year for 2009, alongside it being crowned the Best Supermini.
Motorists looking for a popular car that is going to maintain a high level of safety may want to take a look at the all-new Ford Fiesta.
The vehicle comes kitted with an advanced steering technology that helps to compensate for the tyres and suspension when they begin to suffer from general wear and tear.
Called the Electric Power Assist Steering (EPAS) system, the technology can be especially helpful if a car comes into contact with potholes and kerb stones, which could cause heavy changes in tyre pressure.
This could then make a slight variation to the suspension which could cause the steering to go out of synch, but the EPAS system intervenes to prevent this problem.
Professor Dr Pim van der Jagt, of Ford Vehicle Dynamics, said: "Research tells us that drivers can be irritated by minor pulling or drifting on their vehicle.
"This technology helps us to avoid this, while retaining all of the positive benefits offered by Ford’s EPAS system."
Among the styling features on the outside of the Ford Fiesta are the inclusions of "sleek, swept-back headlights" and a "large, inverted trapezoid grille".
Buyers who opt for the biggest petrol offering in the Ford Fiesta range will be driving a vehicle that is "powerful enough to be amusing", according to one reviewer.
Writing for Car Keys, David Finlay states that the Ford Fiesta 1.6 Titanium five-door provides a driver with excellent grip on the road, which is boosted by the inclusion of a softly-sprung suspension.
He also indicated that this grip means that the Fiesta is an "astonishingly capable car for fast driving over difficult roads".
A further remark made by Mr Finlay is that in the past he has been accustomed to driving petrol versions of the Ford Fiesta, with this drive leading to the conclusion that petrol offerings are "several steps ahead" in terms of handling.
Meanwhile, Mr Finlay also mirrored other comments on the Fiesta that the quality offered is superior to past models in the range and the vehicle is "comfortable up front".
At the What Car? awards, the Ford Fiesta was crowned ‘Car of the Year’ for 2009, alongside being voted as the ‘Best Supermini’.
"The Fiesta is simply the best small diesel car available on the market right now" was the concluding comment after the vehicle was recently given an award.
What Diesel magazine recently crowned the Fiesta the ‘Car of the Year’ for 2009, with the vehicle beating off the challenges of 26 fellow contenders to scoop the accolade.
The popular vehicle has already sold 36,000 units in the UK, despite only being introduced onto the market in September last year.
Ian Robertson, editor of What Diesel magazine, said: "It feels solid, well-built and is great to drive."
Meanwhile, Nigel Sharp, managing director of Ford of Britain, added the company is already "delighted" by the way that motorists have taken to the vehicle.
Motorists will also be able to easily take advantage of a host of new gadgets and gizmos when inside the model.
According to Ford, the interior has been influenced by "contemporary fashion", while all switches and buttons are simple and ideally placed for a motorist to use.
A number of Ford Fiesta models changed hands for an average of 85 per cent of their new car value at a recent auction, it has been revealed.
Earlier this month in Nottingham, Ford of Britain and British Car Auctions put 200 used cars up for grabs for motorists to offer for, with 15 of these being Ford Fiesta vehicles.
Among the highlights of the Fiesta exchanges was a Fiesta 1.4 Titanium 3dr petrol, which traded for 87 per cent of its new car value and a Fiesta 1.6 Zetec S petrol for 86 per cent of its cost from new.
Jon Wellsman, sales director at Ford of Britain, said: "The prices we achieved were our best result at a first-time launch action, reflecting the quality and style of the new Fiesta.
"We were hoping for around 75 per cent and so the results exceeded our expectations and confirmed that we have a desirable small-car line up."
Recent figures revealed by cleangreencars.co.uk showed that the Fiesta has decreased the amount of CO2 emissions it generates in the last year, with the vehicle now giving off 130.27g/km.
Strong sales in Germany and Italy in particular have helped the Ford Fiesta become the most sought after vehicle in Europe, according to new data.
JATO Dynamics’ monthly analysis has revealed that the Fiesta has overtaken the Volkswagen Golf as the top vehicle in the European new car market.
In the year between March 2008 and 2009, the Fiesta witnessed a 15.5 per cent improvement in volume sales, selling 52,805 vehicles last month.
David Di Girolamo, head of JATO Consult, said: "It’s interesting to see the continued effect that the government scrapping incentives have had in certain markets.
"Germany and Italy are big markets for new cars, and we’re really seeing the commercial benefits brought about by the new incentives."
Mr Di Girolamo added that he is interested to see if the incentives were only causing a short-term reaction from motorists or whether it is more of a long-term situation.
The Ford Fiesta picked up the Car of the Year for 2009 and the Best Supermini accolades at the What Car? awards recently.
Although he has driven cars such as a Dodge Viper and a Mercedes-Benz over time, Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick began his time behind the wheel in a Ford Fiesta.
According to the Daily Mail, the dual English Premier League winner has stated that he passed his driving test when a youth at West Ham and he opted for a used Ford Fiesta Ghia as his first car.
He told the publication: "It didn’t even have a CD player. I had one of those tapes with the wires that go in and I’d have my little personal stereo sitting on the passenger seat."
Carrick added that one of his first expeditions in the car was a drive back to his homeland in Newcastle, where he took some stick for some of his bad driving from friends.
"I kept kangarooing up the road. I took a lot of stick from them," the England midfielder remarked.
After two years of owning the Fiesta, Carrick opted to pass it on to his dad, while he went out and bought a BMW 3-Series.
Tottenham Hotspur is among the other clubs that Carrick has played for in his career.
One of the significant changes of the Ford Fiesta Zetec S Mountune is its ability to carry on producing the goods when a driver has their foot to the floor, it has been stated.
Richard Meadon has indicated when writing for Drivers Republic that it is hard to notice any performance developments from the Mountune over the standard Zetec S because the original vehicle is "quite lively" in itself.
However, he remarked that it can instantly be told that the Mountune vehicle has been "breathed upon" and after giving it a little bit of time, the developments can be noted and appreciated.
According to Mr Meadon, "Both cars deliver a usefully broad spread of power and torque, but where the standard car tails off at the top end the Mountune car keeps on kicking".
Furthermore, he concluded that "Mountune has done a typically polished job of stoking the Zetec S into a quick and characterful hot hatch".
The introduction of the Mountune performance kit allows motorists to accelerate to 60 miles per hour from standstill in 7.9 seconds, which is two seconds faster than a Fiesta without the kit.
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