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.....the car. Such progression in the degradation of grip is, to say the least, impressive. It can, of course, be deliberately spun within its own length, entirely on demand. Quite a car for the lanes.
On the minus side, the positioning of the accelerator pedal to the brake pedal is inexcusable for such a driver-oriented car. It is virtually impossible to heel and toe (the standard Manta 400 is just as bad!). We would also prefer a quicker ratio steering rack. With nearly four turns between locks it is not too surprising that it lacks response to minor steering corrections around the straight-ahead position.
In its present understated form, the Kadett 1.6SR will probably always be the bridesmaid. You have to know just how beautifully the car will react to hard driving to appreciate it. Jump into it as a stranger and it will give a false picture: too Family and, when considered as a performance car, desperately deserving of a five-speed gearbox (which is coming). It appears bland, without the character of the Fiat 105TC, or the immediate eagerness of the GTi. It deserves better. Come on GM, give it the power it is truly crying out for, tell some people about it, and give yourself a brand leader into the bargain. Currently a Kadett 1.6SR costs £5867 which puts it right in the middle of our duelling bunch.
The other car which didn't arrive in time to be sampled as part of this month's major supplement feature was Ford's And Then There Were Two Fiesta XR2; little brother of the confused Escort XR3. We were really looking forward to this hotshoe, for with a price tag of £5150 on a car which is one full size smaller than the other members of our multi-test, it would have to be good.
Perhaps we were expecting too much. Overall, the XR2 was a slight disappointment. We drove the Series X prototype back in 1980 (CCC, September '80) and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It came complete with adjustable front suspension. It wasn't particularly quick in a straight line (a tired engine gave zero - 60mph in 10.5s) but that deficit was more than made up for around corners. The productionised XR2 was certainly quicker (9.0s to 60mph) in a straight line but was less of a delight to handle. To be fair, there might well have been something wrong with our press car. It enjoyed turning right and loathed turning left, and it also suffered from the off-side front wheel fouling on the front bib spoiler in left handers. Definitely an alignment problem.
Uninspiring is probably the best way we can describe the power delivery of the pushrod Kent-based 1.6 litre engine. Luckily it is a slogger, with a wide power band, which helps to compensate for the unsuitable gear ratios of the standard four speed Fiesta transmission. We think that the XR2, with more compact dimensions and a similar engine capacity to the XR3, should be the quicker car. Ford obviously thinks otherwise.
Where the XR2 undoubtedly scores is in its ability to turn heads. If it is your desire to be noticed, then the XR2 acts like a mobile go-faster billboard. Our scarlet example never failed to wow the passers-by with its entire lower body sides covered with graduated colour tone decals, its black spoilers and wheel arch extensions, and the tough-looking Ford Rallye Sport alloy wheels. The exhibitionist theme is carried over to the interior with seats which look promising but turn out to be less inviting to sit on, and an excellent four spoke. Ford X Pack steering wheel. A lack of additional instrumentation is a disappointment.
In terms of ride and noise levels the XR2 is below par, while the steering requires fiddly corrections to keep an arrow straight course, with bumps and ruts able to undermine the car's poise all too easily.
We prefer it to the XR3, but it isn't a car on which we'd be happy to spend over £5000.
Captions -
Bottom-Right - Above: wet road or dry, the Opel is a delight to handle. Fiesta XR2 below, is nothing if not a very skilful packaging job.
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