Ford Fiesta ST200 vs Mini Cooper S twin test

Hot hatches offer it all: fabulous straight-line speed, grin-inducing handling and a dose of practicality when you need it, all for a reasonable price. They’re the perfect one-stop shop for performance fans.

Ford’s newly launched, £22,745 Fiesta ST200 range-topper builds on what is already one of our favourite models, with engine and suspension tweaks, plus distinctive styling touches, all promising even more smiles per mile. However, the established Mini Cooper S has a similar price, performance and spec, but offers a more premium feel. Can the £22,780 Chilli Media XL see off the newcomer?

First up in our test came the straight-line performance comparison, and with it something of a surprise, as the Mini trumped the Fiesta by nearly half a second from 0-60mph despite the latter’s indicated superiority on paper. The Ford’s shorter gearing meant it clawed back ground in most of the other in-gear tests, however – and we loved its wonderfully precise, short-throw shift action compared with its rival’s slightly notchy and rubbery one, too. The Fiesta’s racier, revvier engine encourages you to really thrash it, too.

Through the twisties, the blue oval reigns supreme once again. Its body control is great, and its superior neutrality and precision when approaching grip limits makes it far more playful without ever being intimidating. Meanwhile, the Mini’s initial promise, with quick steering and eager turn-in, wears off the faster you go. It leans more than its rival and has a less willing response, and the front end is more eager to run wide. In short, it’s just not as exciting.

Both cars’ sporty platforms mean you can feel all but the smoothest roads, but the Mini’s £375 optional adaptive dampers make it slightly more comfortable in town. At a cruise, it’s marginally noisier.

The racy feel continues through to these models’ cabins. The ST200's Recaros grip the body well but are little high set, whereas the Mini’s lower sports seats give a more involved feel, even if the driver’s one doesn’t slide forward as far as we’d like. The Cooper S’s pedals are offset too far to the right, as well.

We prefer the overall feel of the Mini’s interior, thanks to its abundance of soft-touch materials, precise controls and high build standards. The Fiesta has a few too many hard surfaces, and lower-quality buttons and dials. Neither does its infotainment impress as much, with a smaller screen and clunkier button interface. At least DAB radio, sat-nav and Bluetooth are standard fit. Meanwhile, our Cooper S’s £1,400 Media XL pack provides a variant of BMW’s great iDrive set-up and sat-nav, with intuitive menus and pin-sharp graphics. The cars’ three-door bodystyles mean rear head and legroom aren’t great. The Ford seats five, not four, though, and its load space is bigger.

When it comes to ownership costs, the Cooper S atones for its more expensive showroom price (by nearly £2,000 after discounts), with better residual values plus cheaper insurance and servicing costs over three years. You can also extend its £349 five-year service pack by a further three years for £275 more. The Fiesta returns better economy, however, by over 2mpg.

Both cars boasts generous kit, with climate control (the Ford’s is dual-zone), DAB, sat-nav, cruise control, steering wheel controls, plus auto lights and wipers. The Mini adds LEDs and an adjustable load space floor.