Car manufacturers are increasingly looking at 3-cylinder engines in an effort to boost economy and beat ever-more stringent emissions guidelines. You’d be forgiven for associating 3-cylinder engines with poverty-spec superminis and city cars (think Corsa 1.0,  Citreon C1) and the tiny Japanese Kei cars. That is set to change as manufacturers respond to...

Having announced that the Ford Fiesta ST is to be put on hold, there is further bad news from Ford. After the success of the previous model Fiesta ST there had been high hopes of an upcoming RS version. Well, according to Jost Capito the project was ditched quite some time ago. After the RS Concept was shown a year ago dealers were quizzed about how many cars...

Ford are planning to take the new Focus RS to the Nurburgring to try and grab the hot hatch lap record, having being beaten to the punch by Renault and the Megane R26.R last year. The Focus RS was spotted at an industry pool day last week, an event where manufacturers share time on the ‘Ring testing their prototypes. The belief is that Ford were setting...

While Ford have announced their intention to postpone the development of a Fiesta ST for the new model, there is still hope if you want a hotter Fiesta. Mountune, the tuning company that has have given the Fiesta ST185 and Focus ST260, have turned their attention to the latest Fiesta. By tinkering with the 1.6 Ti-VCT engine (found in Zetec S and Titanium trim)...

The previous generation Ford Fiesta was hardly a looker – even after a mid-life facelift it was a bit plain in comparison to some of the competition – but the latest Fiesta model is a good looking car straight out of the showroom, especially in Zetec S trim. However, that hasn’t stopped Bavarian company Loder1899 from having a go at improving...

Thanks to a lack of people willing to buy a new car unless it does does 100mpg and only emits rose petals from the exhaust, Ford have decided to put plans for their latest Fiesta ST on hold. There was an expectation that Ford might have the car ready for later this year, but with plummeting sales and increasing concerns amongst buyers about running costs, Ford...

Fifth Gear have got their hands on the new Ford Focus RS. Watch the video below, as Jason Plato takes the new 163mph super hatch on a test drive around some fantastic mountain roads. “Ooh, she’s a bit nervous on entry … but that’s not a bad thing, is it?” Does he like it? Of course he does. Does he think it’s the best hot...

Mountune Performance, the people responsible for the Ford Fiesta ST185 and Focus ST260, are having an open day on Sunday 18th January. If you can make it you’ll be able to have a look around their workshop and be one of the first to see the new product in their 2009 line up. Performance Ford magazine will be attending to report on the day. You’ll...