The Ford Fiesta XR2 Was The Boy Racer's Favourite (1988 Mk2 XR2 Road Test)
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- Опубликовано: 10 янв 2023
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Ford’s evergreen Fiesta was a million-seller within its first generation, but despite rallying success from the likes of Roger Clark, there was no true hot version. That was, until the XR2, a sporty pocket rocket with chunky styling, sports suspension and more power. Come the Mk2 version, the XR2 gained the more powerful CVH engine from its Escort XR3 big brother, granting it more power as well as revised styling. How does it stack up as a classic, an 80s throwback, a hot hatchback icon and in comparison to today’s Fiesta ST? Jeff went for a drive to find out!
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My mum had a red one in the late 80's ... she loved it however she found the steering a bit rubbish and said it manoeuvred at slow speed like an oil tanker. Upon taking it to the dealer for a service one day, she remarked about it to the salesman at the desk who suggested "perhaps you aren't used to a car with that performance" (the inference being that because she was a woman....) My mother, a quiet and kindly woman by nature, gave him a hard 'Paddington' stare the likes of which i had rarely seen before, and calmly said "well, my last car was a Lotus Sunbeam, so i do know how to handle a car of its (ahem) 'performance', thank you". He looked more sheepish than a sheep after that ... :)
The XR2 mk2 had very few
turns lock to lock. It made it a pain at low speeds because it required more effort to three point turn etc. That same characteristic made it a joy at higher speeds where the car was very responsive to the steering inputs.
My mate had a lotus sunbeam, it was a beast 2.2 engine I think.
The ultimate MK2 XR2 that you could buy as new was the British produced XR2 Turbo Technics. This kept the engine and gearbox as is but with the addition of a light pressure turbo brought the BHP up to about 130 BHP and brought acceleration times tumbling with no lag. It also changed 5th gear from essentially an overdrive into an accelerating gear. the torque also increased making it able to easily drive around in a higher gear and thus on paper make it more economical. I was luckily enough to own one which had been converted pre-registration by Turbo Technics and it was one of the most exciting and capable cars of its era , easily out performing GTi's of all makes. A very light tinkering saw the 0-60 time tumble to 6.5 seconds on a dry day (logged by calibrated racelogic gear) . Oh how I miss it.
Interesting I never knew about that!! Would be worth serious money today if there’s even any left out there
I have a xr2 turbo Technic it's original
My mum used to race these in the british hot hatch series. My short term dream is to buy one of these, and turn up unannounced at her house and show her the car she used to race in the 90s. My mum sold it years before I could appreciate it due to it falling into disrepair because it had sat in a barn for about a decade, and we were moving so there was nowhere for it to go. Even though we don't have long left for petrol cars, I will have one soon. Great road test! :)
I have a 1300 Mk1, and is super fun, 40mph feels like 100mph, you can have a lot of fun without getting in trouble. The road feeling, the noise, the smells, getting groceries is a true experience.
Had a few of these back on the day. Absolutely loved the little kick at 3.5k revs from the 2nd choke opening 😎
I had a 1984 black one engine wasn't bad but the gearing was too tall to make It a better performer it needs xr3 I final drive ratio stiffer suspensions and some 10 hp more... Turbo technics made a turbo version but was quite expensive
My first car after passing my test was a fully colour coded MK2 XR2 (B294 AVW) in diamond white.. Sold it to my sister a few years later when i bought a sierra sapphire 2000E.. Roll on to 13-14 years ago, i bagged what must be one of the last registered MK2 XR2's going.. an 89 Mercury Grey example for very little money, but was in absolute original condition with dealer fitted date stamped RS 7 spoke alloys from the parts brochure.. spare included. Its been in suspended restoration since..
I worked for Ford when the unleaded fuel came in, those lean burn CVH engines.... everything over about 80hp....just broke...I remember the cylinder heads...I was amazed a scandal was averted.
Traded my 1987 XR2 in 1994, 157,000 miles driven (still original complete exhaust underneath) still sweet. Many, many cars later, now driving Ford Sportka; Complete driver's car. On a tight twisty road, don't need 3 x power, but go kart traction.
SportKa is a very much underrated car, nice one!
My dad had a Breg XR2 in Pais blue and it was my favourite car of my childhood.
That opening shot is a great demonstration of how much bigger cars have become over the years.
I had one and really enjoyed it.
My first ever brand new car was a 1986, C reg XR2 in Paris blue. £5750 otr. The alloys and sunroof were an extra £500 taking the price to £6250. I preferred the steel wheels.
Happy days.
Best colour. I couldn’t find one in “86. Ended up in white. Had the rainbow trim which I’ve always preferred.
My dad bought one for me in 2004 in Cheltenham the man wanted to use it for hillclimb racing but it was too heavy for it’s class and he gave it to me for my christening present and I still have it to this day
Back in 86 I had a new C reg in diamond white and rainbow trim. It had the better clock and no draw thing in centre console.
Absolutely loved it. Unfortunately it went the way of many and was stolen never recovered. C798REW. Miss it still. 😢
Had one from new for three years. The toughest fight was to get one with steel wheels (3.31 in the video) the salesmen were so geared up to tick the alloy wheel box on the order form, and the steel wheels were a hidden secret.
I remember being in the back of one with my teen friends that was slammed to the floor with a huge bass box in the back...yeah we were THOSE guys 😂😂
Aged so well these MK2 XR2's
We had a fully white one's , 1986 , which LOVELY CAR was absyolutely nice and dream car during the 90's in Sofia. I love this largely underestimated car 🚗💨
I always volunteered to take my dad's F reg to the carwash. It was quick, tight steering but choppy ride on a twisty B road. And it torque steered like a bitch under hard acceleration. Happy days
I remember going out in mine thinking ‘I will be sensible’ next thing I know I’m flying along country lanes at 95moh again 🤦♂️
I really miss my F reg Fiesta XR2 which I purchased in 1995. It was 6 years ago when I purchased it and I remember clearly the number plate which was F51PJD. I really enjoyed the car back then because it was very fast and nippy even though the XR2s came with 1.6 engines. The Horse power was so great for such a car average engine size but I believe it was because the XR2s had tiny bodies. I remember purchasing my XR2 jus before meeting and dating my first serious girlfriend. We went places i in my XR2 and still have fond memories today in 2024!!! The only problem back then was that the XR2s got stolen a lot, so I had to get an immobiliser and alarm i in other to be able to insure the car.
My best friend had one in white with the full ford white body kit and ford RS wheels. It was and still is the coolest looking car I know
the XR2 was my first car at the age of 19yrs!! LOVED IT!!!
What a first car to have!
I had the 1.4 super sport as my first car. Loved it so much i wish i still had it. Good days.
I had a grey one back in the 90s followed by a blue one which had Spax suspension Kent cams k,n filter and a straight through scorpion exhaust absolutely loved it , also has a st150 and a mk7 st all brilliant cars
I had two of them, both red, 1985 and a 1988 one. Still my favourite car all these years on.
it’s been 20yrs since i last owned one! exactly the same as that one but on a E reg!👍
By some strange miracle I was given one of these by a rental company back in the days, when I was spending 3 weeks in Cardiff for work. On the weekends, I did road trips, first up to the lake district/Scotland and then down to Cornwall in the following. I thoroughly enjoyed the little car and think back on those two drives as some of the best in my life :)
the official 'stats' dont tell the fully story of these wonderful lil cars. Alot of them came out of the factory with quite abit more than the advertised HP, I had one that was clocking 60 in under 7 seconds and it only had a K&N filter as mods, they seriously flew with a 4 branch manifold. Fun little pocket rockets for sure :)
As a kid in the the eighties i fell in love with hot hatches. They were like toy cars a kid would design. Passed my test in '97 my first car was a c plate white 1.1 fiesta and i put pepper pop wheels on it. No money for anything else mod wise. But i loved it. Remember doing a handbrake turn then driving off with the handbrake still up haha. 6x9's in the back blaring oasis out ahh what times they were. Popped my cherry in my fezzar aswell 😅
I had a MK2 fiesta XR2 metallic grey D831KNX . from January 1991 when I was 19 . Great car to drive, then in 1995 when I was 24 I sold my XR2 for Peugeot 205 1.6 H310BNX which I had for 3years then sold in 1997, I must say both cars were great to have in my twenties in the 1990s and I'm glad I had them . But I do wish I had kept them both, but hindsight is an amazing thing. I needed the money to get on the property market to buy a house.
As a matter of interest, how much was your insurance? I had a 1.1 Fiesta aged 23 in the mid-nineties and I was paying about 500 odd quid a year.
Fantastic review. I remember them as a kid. Everyone wanted a xr or equivalent. Simple better times. 👍
I had a C plate example XR2 back in the early 90s and I guess it was about 9 years old at the time… I remember jacking it up when I had a flat and the car stayed on the ground while the jack went up lol, Apparently the Spanish built Fiestas didn’t get rust proofing, but it was a nippy little thing.
My friend also had a beautiful F plate example but I lent him my earlier thrashed example and you could tell the difference in performance on the earlier car although his car did have brakes which seemed to be an option on mine lol
I sold mine for £150 as a parts car, but I saw it driving around 3 years later and I think the only that was off my rotten XR was the logbook lol.
I also had an identical one park next to mine in the work car park most days and one snowy evening I removed the the snow enough to get inside and see out the screen and thought the locks might of frozen slightly but got the XR2 started and drove away only to find I was in the wrong car lol
The owner was impressed though when I spoke to him, as he didn’t have to de ice his car when he finished his shift lol.
I did my XR2 ownership the wrong way round though as I had a beautiful 3 year old MkIII XR2i beforehand and sold it when I bought my first house for the down payment and needed something cheap and the cheerful and back then you could pick up a MKII XR2 with a ticket for £500.
Nice review. I used to work for Guy Salmon car rentals in the 80’s. We used to thrash them ruthlessly driving between branches etc. and we could rent them at weekends for £11 a day😊many great Welsh trips
When I were a lad I fancied one if these,of course nowadays finding a decent one might be a task🤣
Tried buying one in 1990 but ended up with a rarer car, especially today.
A MK1 MG Metro Turbo, an awesome car and a XR2 and XR3 beater on the back roads of the Lake District.
I had one brand new on an F plate 1988 crystal blue with the alloy wheels absolutely superb car to own and drive! This brings back a lot of memories thanks
These were literally everywhere in the late 80's and you could pick one up for next to nothing. Not the quickest, dynamically outclassed by a lot of the competitors but I wish I had one now.
Great back to basics driving appeal that’s lost in almost every car these days. It was like walking in bare feet
You could pick one up for free if you removed the window seal and popped the door open🤣
I had 3 of them and tbh the MK1 was better in every way
My 1st car bk in 1988 when i had just passed my test was a mk 1 xr2... and not with 84 bhp frm the factory, but a full blueprinted burtonwood fast road engine running around 135 bhp in 875 kg... im sad to say, i had it 5 days and it ended upside down in a farmers field. I blame being a crazy 17 yr old with not much driving experience 😂😂😂
Learnt to drive in one of these. In red. Best sounding exhaust ever made.
Had a black Turbo Technics one back in 1992 and with the extra power it was quick.
Just written a bit about my XR2 TT such an amazing car.
I sold my D plate XR2 to the RS dealer in Boston, Lincs for a brand new J plate Fiesta RS Turbo. Both cars were fantastic. I loved driving with my thumbs in the holes on the steering wheel on the XR2, and I loved the clock above the rear mirror.
Had 2 of these 'back in the day'. A red C plate, that a traded in for a Nova SR - what a mistake that was! Sold that 6 months later and got a black D plate. Great cars - stuck to the road like limpets and cornered like on rails. Lamented the day that had to go. God I loved those XR2's!
B270 SCL my first XR2. White with the chequered motorsport graphics on it back in 94. Good memories 😋
Very cool!
I learnt to drive in a 1985 C reg a silver one
The instructor was a retired police sergeant
I had two at different times, both red and absolutely loved them. Wish I kept one, but never had the room.
Nice festa fella , i have a one owner 1986 Escort Turbo with 19k on the clock from new , I have had it over 15 years and have never even driven it will pull it out this year for an mot.
Absolutely classic! Had em all! Xr2 xr2i Rs 1800 rs turbo st150 now running an st200! Thanks for that random vid that popped up on my feed! Subscribed!! 💪
Thanks Lee!
Thanks, I remember the hot hatch days, as well as the Fiesta, we had the 205, Golf GTI, Astra gte, even a Nova gte. Move up a bit to the XR3 and the fuel injection days, eventually the XR4 and the Cosworths.
Motoring seems a bit dull these days, maybe I am too old.
Had a b reg white one ,best colour....not fast but fun
I miss my xr2 it was a great car just wish it had abs breaks😢
I had a white B reg Xr2 just like this when I was 17. Mine also had hot rock burns on the seat as well! 4:34 😂
Haha I also had a b reg white one with exactly the same holes
@@covidwasacon I never once insured mine. I used to get the documents in case of a producer and then immediately cancel it. I couldn’t afford it. Everyone did it before the internet and ANPR as I’m sure you know . Old bill pulled me over once, mates in car, McDonald’s tray under the drivers seat with the gear on. No tax or insurance. He shined his torch at the out of date tax disc, then at the McDonald’s tray. I could see he couldn’t be bothered with it, “get that tax sorted please” and left. I loved the 90s. I got lots of great memories in that motor.
Love the mk2 fiesta, my friends 1st car was a 1.4 ghia. Always wanted the xr2
I had that exact XR2 in the late 80’s, I had to sell it because my wife was expecting twins. I sold it and bought a Sierra 2.0GL instead, which I absolutely hated.
I’ve still not forgiven them, 30 years on!!
Thanks for putting this video together.
Me too, an E reg XR2 in white was my first newish car in 1989, I took it from 15,000 to 58,000 over three years and loved it. Then the news broke that hot hatch insurance was going to rocket and I bought a Sierra Sapphire 2.0i GLS. The space was useful but overall I regretted making the change.
@@johnf5817 ‘the space was useful’ made me chuckle. I remember my wife saying, this car (Sierra) is so much roomier for the kids. F’in kids I thought! 😂
@@markl5681 lol, no kids here, but the Sierra did allow three mates and myself to have a camping holiday in Berlin, which wouldn't have been so easy with the Fiesta. Only kept the Sierra for a year though, then replaced it with a Jetta GTi. Now that was a nice motor!
Had exactly the same xr2 but with MK3 fiesta xr2i wheels & I put MK4 RS turbo running gear into it 👍
I can't believe you hadn't driven one before. These things were the nuts to drive. Maybe not the best hot hatch of the time but great fun. You compared it to the Golf and 205 but really it was a class below the Golf. This was more Polo than Golf. Infact I seem to remember a relatively low spec Polo being similar money back then.
Probably one of the nicest things on the mk2 xr2 was what killed most of them, the skirting and wheel arch kit that locked all the dirt and water behind and rotted them out just like my D reg one I had 😒
I once bought a minter from auction it was a lovely crystal blue pretty rare colour I think.
I had a F reg XR2 in white.
It takes you back to better times, things were simpler, we'll just skip the bit about who was prime-minister at the time hey
A good summary.
Ford's success in the '70s & '80s was to offer basic-tech cars with appealing styling and enough kit to keep most people happy.
BL tried to be clever with innovative tech, which often brought cost & unreliability. They were often wide of the mark with regards to appealing styling too.
End of the day, people, with their hard-earnt £££s, would rather look at a Mk2 Escort on their driveway, with cart-spring rear suspension, than a podgy Allegro.
The XR2 never was 'the boy racers' favourite' back in its day. It, and to a slightly less extent the XR3/XR3i were pretty. And that was about the end of it. They sold to people who wanted the sporty looks. The 'boy racers' wanted Golf GTi's and Peugeot 205 GTI's. I had a Mk2 Golf GTI 16V.
Nice review.... ✌️😎
Thanks ✌️
Everything you say mate is true ! My first car was mk1 fiesta finesse but then got into the mk1 golf gti 's and was racing and beating theses xr2 's in everyday, but got to drive many xr2's. Back then if you were a lad you were either into Ford with its xr 2 or 3 or rs turbo , vauxhall astra gte , etc, vw with its gti 's or Peugeot with its 205 gti some lads had Renault 5 gt turbo! , not so common but still about was fiat uno turbo. It was all competitive stuff,lol . The mk1 golf gti was the first time you had very noticeable better superb better build quality and was rigid and solid feeling as hell (was the funest to drive and handled insanely incredible. If I'm honest the 205 gti could get round a bend very marginally quicker . But it had that kind of cheaper french feel to it same as Renault 5 gt turbo and the Italian fiat uno . Only reason people went for uno it was cheaper on insurance but still had fun little 1.3 turbo which made it very zappy feeling . This was such a great period . Getting your first cars was major part of life back then ! Then when about 22 you'd feel more grown up so then it would be about the bmw 325i (e30,of course) or the merc 190e (had to have the zener body kit) lol.
Pasted from my other account as this is relevant :)
"Love Love Love this. The older Fiestas are by far a nicer looking car to the latest mk8. Sorry to say. Just think they had so much more character and also i love the boxy look. I have the mk6 Fiesta ST150. Love how its smaller to the moder marks and also the lower power 2.0L NA engine is great. The sound, power delivery and go kart handling is just great. Its mad that the MK6 is smaller than the neweer shaped KA's which is just crazy"
Oh how I wish I had mine back 😥
My mother had a MK2 GHIA model it was posh out especially after coming from a Rust Riddled Fiat 127. My first car was a Mk1 Fiesta (957) I much preferred the Mk1 to the Mk2
Lovely old car 🚘🚙🚗👍👍👍👍👍👍⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Loved the old XR2 but how small cars have grown in size
I had the white one, I remember the steering heavy, no power steering.
I had an XR2 in mk 2 and managed 132 mph but sadly the car never ran the same after that as it juddered and kept jerking at 70mph and above and sold it because the insurance went through the roof.
My xr2 was slow but it did have over 100kg of amps n subwoofers 🤪
Had an f reg one for 14 years had to sell it due to a bike accident
F211klg
i called it uncle festa
Had a black one for 8 years black tints massive bass box peco big bore 2 exhaust, spent fortune on welding new engine then sold it for £250 in 2001 dohhhhhhh😢
I had 1 in early 2000s with 60k on the clock paid 120 pound for it then sold it for 500 😭
I'd like one... if I was still able to drive. 👍
I started my working life just around the time this car and others like it were being stolen a lot….the insurance for them went thru the roof. Could never afford the insurance, so never had one.
And fiesta will be no more, in any form from this summer onwards.
The torque steer was horrific. I used to never steer around cars when I overtook them. You just had to floor it and it pulled you right out into the other side of the road. Great handling wee things though.
Had a 87 E plate XR2 in white. Sold it to an ex girlfriend when i went back to a ford Capri.
"It takes you back to when things were simpler" ? ... Fantastic grammar.
Almost bought a white one for my first car but ended up with a Citroen AX Gti for my sins 😂
Those cheap door locks made it one of most favourite car's to steal .
Mine was perl mk1
1"6crossflow 😁with spaxs
I had a B plate one back in 92 . I loved the look but bloody unreliable, I had 3 starter motors in 2 years .
Blimey, some of the panel gaps there are a bit ropey!
Not sure the 205 gti was a rival cost more may be an mg metro the golf was way more may be nova Sr
I hated my xr2 with a passion. Fun wee handling things but very unrefined for a ford. Moved on to 205's and Golf Gti's and never looked back.
People today who mod newer ST’s are just making unmolested examples more valuable in the future. I can’t stand seeing 4D plates and a popping exhaust on a newer Fiesta. Stinks of chavness.
Better than any vw golf but not as good as the 205gti
"Just got absolutely teamed passed by a 320D" What does that mean?? I saw the car simply passing by. You weren't drag racing. 🤨
I had one and hated it.
XR2 was a terrible car i got one after my X3RI got robbed I kept it for roughly one month and sold it to my mum. It was never a Boy Racers favourite it was a girlie car and I I've never had another girlie Fiesta since. I Got a Grey 16v Astra GTE after my Girl Racer XR2 and never looked back.
the 1.4 sport was better
Worst car I ever owned, body rot, fuel filler rot, valve seals failed and replaced 3 times
Had one brand new, was absolute garbage