Best cars & vans

Ford Fiesta ST200 vs MINI John Cooper Works drag race

Two pocket rockets square up for a drag race shootout to see which offers the most bang for your buck

The Ford Fiesta ST is our favourite hot hatchback on sale at the moment, and the ST200 represents the pinnacle of the range. Packing 197bhp, it’s good for a 6.7-second 0-62mph sprint and a top speed of 143mph. Top speed has never been the Fiesta’s main goal, though, and it really focuses on being brilliant fun to drive.

So how does it cope against another popular (and powerful) hot hatchback – the MINI John Cooper Works? Like the ST200, this is the halo model in the MINI range, and despite its 228bhp power output and 6.3 second 0-62mph sprint, it’s more economical than the Fiesta, which could be important to buyers in this sector.

So which of these tiny terrors outperforms the other in a test of straight-line speed?

Click through the links on the side or below to see some more of the best drag races we've shot, or visit our YouTube channel to watch them all...

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