[a1ex88]

My friend wants to get a fiesta zetec s because he doesnt like the styling on the puma but i was just wondering if anyone had tried both cars, is the puma much quicker and does it handle better?

thanks, alex

[eldoodarino]

when i was in Vas's ZS i was very suprised how nippy it was..... very similar performance to a puma....

altho i do think the 1.7 puma does have the edge slightly....

i'm sure vas and others will add their two penneth...

[newpumaboy]

A 1.7 pooma should kick a zetec s's ass really. a lot of the zetec s's are being modded now so that can change things a bit.

M

[MattJ]

Depends on what version you mean? Mk4 or Mk5?

I test drove a brand new Mk4 ZetecS a long time ago, but a few months after that I bought a Saxo VTR instead as it felt a lot more lively and exciting.

The ZetecS was a really nice car to drive, I enjoyed the drive. It was definitely sporty and handling etc was good, however compared with the VTR it did seem to feel heavy.

Compared with a Puma though, they are on the same chassis, but the Puma wins, purely for its all-round performance, handling and they do look great, the ZetecS is just another Fiesta.

I'd say to your friend to just go and test drive two or three Puma's and two or three ZetecS' and see what he thinks.

My money is on him to join us as a Puma driver!

This post has been edited by MattJ: 17 May 2007 - 06:45 PM

[Neil]

Isn't the Zetec S essentially a 1.6 Puma?

[scottwatkins]

My friend wants to get a fiesta zetec s because he doesnt like the styling on the puma but i was just wondering if anyone had tried both cars, is the puma much quicker and does it handle better?

thanks, alex

theres no comparison the 1.7 has 25 bhp more than the zetec s and handles much better, as quoted by jeremy clarkson its 1 of best handling cars ford has ever built...

[a1ex88]

thanks for your speedy posts guys.

he currently has a 1.2 corsa sri and wants abit more uhhh bite lol. we're both 19 now and iv just come from a megane coup 1.6e (the boring 90bhp version) and im much happier with the puma, handles like a kart and isnt fast but is nippy enought to overtake the dawdellers on the road and embaress the silly boy racers around my area

no one from the south wales area on here? soon to be moving to cheltenham / gloucester area in the summer wooo

alex

[tommobot]

For a few days I had both the FRP & my old Zetec S (completely standard) at my disposal. Still wasnt quite used to the FRP yet but the Puma handled and brake, and just generally drove alot better than the Fiesta, however when I got back in my Fiesta after a few days I couldnt belive how blumin' eager it felt! Unlike the Puma which has very little pull low down in the revs the Fiesta had lots and felt like you were trying to hold it back when you just wanted to cruise along at 40!

On a plus note for the Fiesta; its got MUCH better rear visibility. And looked pretty tasty too aswell:



Miss her lots tbh

[scottwatkins]

thanks for your speedy posts guys.

he currently has a 1.2 corsa sri and wants abit more uhhh bite lol. we're both 19 now and iv just come from a megane coup 1.6e (the boring 90bhp version) and im much happier with the puma, handles like a kart and isnt fast but is nippy enought to overtake the dawdellers on the road and embaress the silly boy racers around my area

no one from the south wales area on here? soon to be moving to cheltenham / gloucester area in the summer wooo

alex

yeah i'm from s.wales Merthyr

[a1ex88]

heyhey, im from brecon matey. pleased to meet you

ps tommobot, surprised you felt the fiesta had more pull than the frp, on paper its only a one car race

[scottwatkins]

heyhey, im from brecon matey. pleased to meet you

ps tommobot, surprised you felt the fiesta had more pull than the frp, on paper its only a one car race

pleased to mrrt you to fella theres nothing better i like most than having a blast in brecon on a sunday morning. loving brecon jazz.

[a1ex88]

sorry corsa sxi not sri... appologies

[Midnight Blue]

I had a W reg ZS. It was a great little car but the Puma is heaps better.

[101]

Isn't the Zetec S essentially a 1.6 Puma?

Other way round

[tommobot]

heyhey, im from brecon matey. pleased to meet you

ps tommobot, surprised you felt the fiesta had more pull than the frp, on paper its only a one car race

In my opinion Pre 3500rpm the Puma doesnt really do much, but go past 3500rpm and it really gets going. If you want to get somewhere fast you really have to rev it.

Whereas in the Fiesta it seemed to have bags of grunt upto about 3500rpm, then it pulled quite well until about 6000rpm but unlike the Puma if you wanted you could shortshift in it and still feel like your making a good pace. For instance on a road with lots of roundabouts this would be most noticeable.

Watch this at 25seconds to see what I mean, it seems to have lots of grunt and gets going very smoothly

[pumapilot]

A 1.6 Zetec wont have VCT.

[vaspetrol]

Like Tomobot says, the ZS is a lot more eager and nimble than an FRP. I noticed that on my first ZS. Not sure how it would be compared to a 1.6 Puma, I would say the Puma will handle better due to being lower, and stiffer. But a 1.7 Puma should pull away much faster.

The ZS is a fantastic little car, which is why I've had 2 of them, and also chose to have one as my 2nd car instead of a standard Puma. I'm just happy and lucky to have the FRP and the ZS

This post has been edited by vaspetrol: 17 May 2007 - 09:08 PM

[newpumaboy]

You do have to bear in mind Tommobot that the fiesta in that video is not standard, sounds like it has at least a zorst and an induction kit.

I think the Pooma will also look much fresher in 3 years from now, but the fiesta, well it will be replaced so often that it is bound to look older sooner. I do think it is difficult comparing 102bhp with 123bhp. It is a bit like comparing a VTR to a VTS (98 and 120 horse respectively).

Got to be the Pooma mate.

[AGT]

From what I've been told:

The 1.6L (100bhp ish) engine used in the Fiesta Zetec-S, was introduced to the Puma engine range when the 1.4L Puma was discontinued. So, the same engine used in the 1.6L Puma is that of the Fiesta Zetec-S.

However, the difference is that Puma chassis has been tweeked along with the suspension, brakes, steering etc to give the Puma a better & more 'planted' feel.

a 1.6 Puma should in theory be just as fast as the Fiesta Zetec-S, however the puma will out handle the Fiesta on the twisty bits by a mile

[glover]

i thought that the mk5 z-s and puma shared exactly the same chasis (trailing arms, dampers, springs, etc)
the zs has 103 bhp whereas the puma has 123, but the zs is around 970ish kg and the puma 1039kg
it was my understanding that ford just nicked all the puma stuff and stuck it on the zs....if so cant see zs handling worse?