The other day I was poking about outside a Ford dealership (contemplating
asking if they might be able to decode my Fiesta radio for a fair price,
like less than a tenner, the answer was no btw) and I saw this Focus, with a
screen price of £14995 (might have been £15995). Anyway, my initial
thoughts were "that's bloody pricey for a Focus" and then I looked around
the back and it had a badge that I first thought said "TDCi" but it turned
out to say "ST170", but in the same style lettering as the TDCi badges.

Then it gave me an idea - diesels are big sellers, kids like hot hatches,
kids like cheap running costs, diesel hot hatches have been successful in
the past - various Peugeot DTurbo models, the Golf GT TDI 150bhp, Fabia vRS
etc etc., so how about a new series of Fords entitled S-TDCi ??

The 115bhp 1.8TDCi surely has the potential to be tuned to be, let's say,
around 130bhp without too much major modifications (possibly more?), and
surely the 1.4TDCi in the Fiesta and the 2.0TDCi in the Mondeo have more
potential - combine this with bodykits, sporty interiors (something more
akin to the ST series than the Zetec trim levels) and bingo, one big seller.

I mean, I've heard the 2.2HDi engine is reliably tunable to around 200bhp,
so surely the 130bhp 2.0TDCi should reach a good 160-170bhp, no?

What do you lot reckon? A good idea, or have I lost the plot completely?

Peter

P.S. If anyone from Ford is reading this, please email me for the postal
address to send royalty cheques to - ta.

"AstraVanMan" <FuckOff (AT) WithThanks (DOT) com> wrote

You mean this one m8
http://www.ford.co.uk/ie/focus/foc_e...isport/-/-/-/-

Heh! Something like that :-)

Though is that mechanically any different from a bog standard Focus TDCI,
i.e. lower gear ratios for better acceleration (though that would probably
be more of a disadvantage in some respects though). What I was thinking is
something along the lines of the 150bhp Golf GTi Diesel, where they took the
130bhp PD engine and uprated it especially for that model (AFAIK), rather
than bolted on a few sporty looking bits.

Surely there's got to be a gap in the market for a genuine high performance
Ford diesel range - STDCi ??

Peter

"AstraVanMan" <FuckOff (AT) WithThanks (DOT) com> wrote

There will be soon. A Mondeo ST220 type affair, only with a TDCi-150ish not
a 3.0 V6.

"AstraVanMan" <FuckOff (AT) WithThanks (DOT) com> wrote

Why bother when there are as you say VW, Skoda & Seat versions (the Ibiza Cupra
is also a 1.9Tdi) is there still a sporty Tdi Pug? What I would still like to
see is a 3 door fabia as I think a "sporty" hatch with 2 extra doors looks a bit
odd.

"Depresion" <blank (AT) 128 (DOT) 0.0.1> wrote

I just dont get the new fashion of sporty diesels. Sure they're quick
enough and cheapish to run but they lack everthing that to me 'makes'
a sporty hatch.

For example:

* A sporty engine note. Even the best new diesels sound awful when
cold and still sound agricultural when warmed - not exactly 'cool' at
the traffic lights no matter how nice your alloys/seats are.

* Revvy engine which pulls all through the range. Again every diesel
I've driven feels great until about 4,500rpm at which point it dies on
it's arse.

.....Soot. Not very cool IMO I understand there are additives you
can get to reduce this, surely this eats into the perceived cheap
running costs.

Surely driving one of these just labels you as someone who desparately
wants a 'proper' hot hatch but is too cheap to fork out for the fuel
to run one?

Maybe I'm odd. Most probably, they seem to sell by the bucketload!

A

PS: How quick are these modern diesels in the real world? 0-100? 1/4
mile? Only every taken them on test drives you see...

In article <ReXic.239$P43.32 (AT) newsfe1-gui (DOT) server.ntli.net>, blank@
128.0.0.1 spouted forth into uk.rec.cars.modifications...
Yep, Skoda fabia vRS (Quicker round Angelsey track than a Mini Cooper)
and Seat Ibiza Cupra version, with the Polo pd130 waiting in the wings.

People who I have spoken to, with the Fabia vRS means they can go
hunting much bigger cars, and still come away smiling, and the fuel
consumption is in the 40's after a real good thrashing, Much better when
you take it easy and just commute/cruise along.
--
Carl Robson
(The poster formerly known as Skodapilot)
http://www.bouncing-czechs.com

"AstraVanMan" <FuckOff (AT) WithThanks (DOT) com> wrote


You are quite right, I told the Ford marketing guys this soon after the
PD150 Golf came out, but it fell on partially deaf ears. Yes we do have the
TDCI Sport, - a dieselised version of the ST170- though I am unclear
whether the diesel version actually has the wider track and the 300mm brakes
that the petrol car has- anyone got one?

Anyways if Ford would bolt the 130 2 litre duratec engine into the Focus
(it will fit) with the 6 speed ST box then we'd have a cracker and could
fully mop the floor with the golf! Instead we have to put up with the lame
1.8 re-hashed endura de.- which are about fully stretched with 115brake btw.

Tim..

AstraVanMan wrote:
Your local Car Audio place will be able to do it. Mine charges £12 - take a
look in your Yellow Pages

Adam M wrote:
They're as quick as an equivalently powered petrol car, they're more
economical, and nicer to drive. If there were a 200bhp Diesel car available
for reasonable money, I'd swap my TI in a flash !

Er, I think you need to sort your priorities out !

No, that's the point where you change gear
Diesels have MUCH more pull through their (lower) range, than their petrol
counterparts, and in-gear times are usually better too. Remember all modern
Diesels are Turbocharged.

See the above comment about priorities

Same as their petrol counterparts. 150bhp of Diesel power gives pretty much
the same performance as 150bhp of Petrol power, obviously
Golf listed below :
1.9 GT TDI 150bhp 134mph, 0-60 in 8.3
2.3 V5 150bhp, 134mph, 0-60 in 8.5