Focus Zetec vs Fiat Bravo

With 301bhp and a price tag of £24,995, the Ford Focus RS featured in this week’s issue and special supplement is making all the headlines. But what if your budget doesn’t quite stretch to the blue oval’s sporting flagship?

Help is at hand in the form of the new Zetec S, which provides some of the glitz of the incredible RS without all of the extra expense.

A striking front bumper and racy bodykit mean it looks the part, but it costs only £750 more than the standard Zetec model.

Better still, it’s available with a wide choice of engines, and with the financial downturn in full swing, Ford’s frugal 134bhp 2.0-litre TDCi diesel stretches the pennies further than the turbo petrol unit in the hot RS. Up against the Zetec S is a newcomer from Fiat. The Bravo is a familiar face, and with the firm’s latest 165bhp 2.0-litre Multijet diesel under the bonnet, it outmuscles the Ford.

Unlike the Focus it doesn’t shout its intentions with a big spoiler or garish trim, yet the top-of-the-range Sport model comes loaded with kit.

Ford is normally streets ahead in any performance-related test, but with style and price on its side, will the Fiat come first?

Verdict

This test was about two different approaches to hot hatches. The Ford looks and drives like a racy family car should, while the Fiat has few traces of sportiness but more power and a much lower price. So which should you go for?

The Focus is the class of the field when it comes to driving pleasure, so enthusiasts will prefer the Zetec S. But the Fiat is £2,245 cheaper and much more economical. It’s a question of whether you’d be happy to trade the extra enjoyment derived from driving the Ford for a good deal. On this evidence, the Fiat is definitely more suitable for those on a tight budget.

That’s enough to seal victory for the Bravo. We would happily pay a little more to own the Ford, but the huge price gap that’s currently between the two is too great.

The sooner the blue oval remembers its value-for-money roots, the better.