1990 Ford Fiesta XR2i goes for a drive 

Loved my H reg. Had 33k on it in 2004 when I got it. Should never have let it go.

My parents Used to have one of These in black when they were about 25 years old. I'm 17 yrs old and I've got to admit that this is a beautiful Classic!

There must have been about 6 or 7 of these just on my own street in the mid 90s....mostly 1.1 or 1.3 "Popular Plus" and L/LX models. My form teacher at the time had a "posh" 1.4 Ghia version in a vivid metallic green shade which also had electric front windows and seemed pretty nice back then! LOL I guess if you could spring to an XR2i or even better an RS Turbo/RS1800 you would have been the envy of your street. Not like today where every Tom Dick and Sally has a new BMW/Audi/Merc on finance every 2 years!!

In 1992 I bought a 1989 XR3i EFI ('90 spec) and I absolutely loved it. The velour, the heated windscreen, the Cosworth-style alloys, the electric windows and mirrors and the carphone on the dashboard it came with! It did indeed get stolen several times before I had it totally de-locked! £1500 a year insurance in '92 for third party, fire and theft!

Oh! That brings back memories, had a 1991 XR2i in the early 90’s, it was the same colour as this one. I was 24 years old and the insurance was over £1,000. I could almost smell the interior while watching this, the exhaust tone was exactly the same. Thank for the trip down memory lane. 👍🏼

Fantastic! What a superb example. We are planning to film a review of a 1983 Granada Ghia Injection next month. There is a lot of love for special Fords from the 1980s and 1990s at the moment, and it is easy to see why...

I miss my 1992 mark 3 1.4 Fiesta Flight. I loved that thing. It might not have been an XR2i, but it was fun and had many of the toys.

I miss velour seats, used to love them, what happened to that material? so comfy.

Really enjoyed you talking about the 2i .. still driving mine since 2003 in silver

Love your vids reminds me of 5thgear from 20 years ago when they talked about car and not recked cars like Clarkson

This reminds me of my Mk3 Escort XR3 Last year I was looking for an late 70's / early 80's car and happened to find a rustfree '82 Mk3 Escort XR3 in sunburst red still with its first owner. (in France) When I bought it, the XR3 was nearly 36 years old, had only 68000km on the odometer and still had the factory original Pirelli tires on the phone dial rims. It also had full french MOT history from 1989 - 2014. Best of all, it is completely free of rust, and has got no signs of any welding of rust repairs. It was one of the last (carburretor) XR3's produced, and already had the 5-speed gearbox installed from factory. My XR3 is actually quite fully specced for an early 80's car. (Radio/Cassette - electric windows - sunroof - tilt rear windows - digital clock and laptimer - heated rear screen - rear whash/ whipe - brown tinted glass allround) Finding a 80's or 90's Ford is quite difficult task indeed. I always remember the Mk4 Escort, Sierra and the Mk3 Fiesta with massive rust patches all over. Luckily for me I actually just stumbled upon my XR3.

That's the smoothest sounding CVH I've ever heard.

This was my teenage dream car! Everything about it was luxurious except the insurance premium. I had a J reg red Fiesta 1.1 lead in model in radient red.

Having owned 6 ford capri's I wish I owned at least one xr2i, I came close to buying an 86 xr2 in white but it wanted a lot of work doing. I was a passenger in one and I was impressed at the way it handled and was quite lively for a 1.6.

Great car. I remember doing my work experience at a ford garage back in 1990. We had a couple of these in for repairs. They seemed very exotic at the time 😀

I have a 89 xr2i same year I was born :) best car I ever bought

I always wanted the RS Turbo in this shape when I was a kid. Lad down my road had one in black! Nice xr2i though in factory condition with the right alloys as well.

We had a basic version of this generation of fiesta when they were new, I loved this generation. Rust was a killer though as usual but such an improvement over the mk2.

My 1st car when I was 19 in 1996 was a H reg XR2i. Did loads to it but kept it quite standard looking on the outside except for the TSW Blade alloys.. Good days

What a lovely example! I passed my driving test in early 1995 and as much as a hot hatch like this xr2i or even an xr2 appealed, insuring something like this at age 17/18 would have been difficult and expensive.

Lovely old car. The xr2i with the cvh has 110bhp the xr3i cvh had 105 but 108 with the electronic fuel injection. The 16v xr2i has 105 bhp but 115 and 130 bhp versions were in later escorts.

My dad had an identical J plate one of these from new. Kept it 10 years and it was actually very very reliable. Nippy for what it was but the CVH was course when pushed beyond 4k revs.

I always liked the mark 3 rear lights. We had a 96 Classic although only basic engine but nice dark aubergine colour!

Great to see a good example of these still around. There really is no comparison between this and the wonderful 205GTI though.

I have a ‘91 Fez SX which was originally a 1.3 auto but it’s a zetec manual now, great fun down the lanes

I had a G reg in 1992 and bought a J reg in 1997 both red. Lol absolutely loved them and they both broke down at 56000 miles when alternator went. Mate had the RS Turbo which was great too. Miss those days ☹️

My first car was a low mileage Austin Metro City 1.0 and when looking to upgrade to a brand new car, I narrowed the choice to either an MG Metro or an XR2 Mk2 (the Peugeot 205 GTi was just too expensive). The MG was only 4 gears so I went for the XR2. Thirty years on, it's still going strong so reckon I made the right choice! The XR2i in this video is a cracker and Ford upped the spec over my model with improved cabin, electric windows, etc. Thanks for posting this.

I had a 1.8l XR2i (K648CAR) that I lavished oodles of money on. Over-bored, Cams, FSE Boost Valve, Ported / Gasflowed, uprated engine components, everything lightened where possible , Superchip, Magnex Exhaust, Jack Knight gearbox and loads of other power mods. 168BHP and 0-60 in approx. 6 seconds. The outside was left completely standard, I hated to see the heavily chopped versions. I part-exchanged it for a Scooby and although the Scooby was technically better in every way I still missed my old Fiesta and soon regretted selling it.

Ah man I’d love one of these, right year and colour for me. Love the sound of the CVH too!

Great video, love it! Was a great era! I miss car parks full of xr2 and 3's, Nova's Sr & gsi's, Astra's gsi's, Sunny gtr, cossies, mg & turbo Maestros, Escorts and Golf's everywhere, Renault 21 cossie killers, R5's, even the forgoten rear wheel drive hot hatch lotus Sunbeams. Personally I loved the 205 above all... I take exception to your comments on Dimma's! Not exactly a diy body kit! And worth a fortune nowadays. Plus if talking the Dimma 205, drive one compared to the brilliant standard car.... those wider track Dimma alloys made the car handle even better! I know, I've owned 50 plus 205s and currently own one of the ultra rare Dimma signatures. Still stunning to drive today, a real experience!

Very nice, love the originality.. never had the i but had a Mk1 and Mk2 XR2, and a S2 RS Turbo Escort...

Cracking motor car, thanks for this review Matt.

I remember getting lifts in one of these mid to late '90s. Ford were masters at glamming up something humdrum in visual, trim etc terms then. Reasonably rapid for the time, but the engine noise was ageing quickly at the time with smooth 16valvers coming in, and I remember the ride as awfully crashy with what looked like a fair dollop of understeer. But then I wasn't driving.

This is a really nice XR2i...!!!

Mate of mine restored a 1993 xr2 that was crashed ,except it’s in Royal blue metallic.His one is the 1.6 too !

Mk4 escourt had a short stump like stalk for indication and a twist type switch for the lights

I enjoy your channel buddy. Here in the US that's a domestic car and a wee bit dreary, but for you, it's an import. I can see how you'd appreciate it though. It's super clean and very well preserved. Thanks for taking the time to make your videos. I really enjoy them. You got me hooked on the Prinz I watched a couple weeks ago. Appreciate all your time.

I had a Mk2 1.1 Ghia (4 gears ?) that had incredibly comfy seats, followed by a 1.4 Sport, (5 gears - wow !) and hankered after an XR2, but I just couldn’t afford to buy or insure one.

What a beautiful example. How I missed this originally I don't know. PS. We all miss the velour.

My mate had an f reg mk2 xr2 in the late 90s and I was always hounding him to let me drive it luckily he was always getting pissed so I'd run him around in it alot great fun!

I loved these and the RS versions then finally the RS 1800! XR2i i never did get any though sadly.

You say about it being a battle between the Fiesta XR2i and 205 GTI. I'd also add the Renault 5 GT Turbo to that mix as well. My Dad used to have a 1989 G reg red one and it was insanely quick. Would be great if you could feature one.

Great car love the twin spot lights and the velor seats wheels are nice too .haven't seen one for a long time 👤👍👏

I had a G Reg Fiesta 1.6 S for a while, which was pretty much the XR2i without injection

The original XR2 was a peach I remember driving schools actually used them for lessons but the XR2i was a poster car

Ha ha, having some fun with a Fiesta. Never had an XR2i, think I've missed out there.

I had a white g plate one back in 1999 I used to dream of owning one as a kid I loved it I had a mondeo 2.0 si on k plate in 2001 and swapped it for a j plate 1.8 xr2i in red in 02 it had the 1.8 efi 16v 115 b.hp and I thought it was epic at the time the new cars might be seriously quicker but there's nothing better than flying round a round about in third in a 2i ide swapp my focus in a heartbeat for a good example like that

Great looking car and a credit to its owner.

I used to own a G plate 1.6 XR2i. The 1.6 was faster than the 1.8 to 60 and sounded a lot better btw. If you know how to drive them on the limit through the corners and bends they are surprisingly quick. They handle like Go karts tbh.

I remember those Ford tape holders from my dad's company Sierra!

105bhp stock seems quite low but you have to remember the car was very light weight & the way it was geared too.

I really miss my 1989 G-reg 8V XR2i. Hell of an upgrade from my 1.1 (4 speed) popular plus Fiesta!

In the park next to me there are a ton of early 90s and late 80s cars just destroyed but it’s inside a secret location that is surrounded by trees and fence inside the park they all look burnt

Ive just got one myself, J reg, 1992 xr2i in black with the recaro seats as they were an optional extra for this car from the factory. Mine also has no rust! Completely solid all the way through. But yeah, it is very heavy steering. Im swapping from a 1.2 mk1 clio 1997 to that, which also has no power steering but is still masses ligher than the xr2is steering. Though, the clio i think is like 816kg vs the xr2i being 900kg, also with the high profile while also wide tires not helping on how heavy it is

Top video as always. 👍👍👍

I had a black XR2i 1.6 with the blue trim line on the outside. It felt so quickt at the time and I loved it. Before that I had a Astra GTE 1.8 but the XR2i felt faster

I remember racing a few of these back in the day in my corolla gti. Used to smoke them quite easily (tbf i did have 120ish bhp) but i always mind getting absoluted smoked by one one night. Pulled over to chat with him and it turned out it was pushing 150ish bhp, cams, headwork etc. Anyway, cool story blah blah blah. I would give my left nut for a nice standard mk3 fezza rs turbo.

I learned how to drive in a K reg Ford Fiesta, was only a 1.1 if i remember correctly.

Loving the show

brings back memories i used to own one in white what a car the looks i used to get i cant remember could you get the the car in a turbo model ? ps i loved the ford escort turbo video i loved the turbo whistle when the turbo spooled up i used to wait a traffic light for a turbo to stop and listen to the turbo whistle .pps also owned vw golg gti 16v and a pug 205 1.9.

Watching this video sat next to my mk3 fez :)

I had a 91 Xr2i. I loved it but it hated me and loved rust and sadly died a spectacular death when it decided to drop all oil out on the motorway. Sadly had to scrap her and is that one car I wish I still had 😭

muy bonito y un buen coche y motor con serva lo bien yo tengo un RS TURBO del 90

I loved mine. Bomb-proof. Not that fast, but still quick enough.

Neat classic little run-around there! I spotted the unusual green street-name signs - you wouldn't happen to have been driving in the borough of Reigate & Banstead perchance? I'm for all purposes a local. :)

I always thought that these things lacked the character of the two previous models of XR2 and the Supersport.

4 the short time I had mine I loved it

Owned the mk2 xr2 and had a drive of my friends xr2i much prefered my mk2 xr2 Found the mk3 seating high as too the ride height

Before I watch.... My mum had one of these, in red. Bumpy as hell ride and no power steering. The good old days 👍🏻

Ford did a Turbo ,, in this model they had to slightly widen the front cross-member by 3mm

I had some mk3 and mk4 escorts a c reg xr3i for £100 and the plain ones were £20-30 quid. I know what you mean by disposable. Last one in 99 .wish I had them now all were rust free.

I miss mine great car

108 bhp for the 1.6 105 bhp was the 1.8 zetec sorry had to get that out it was bugging me. really miss my 2i :(

My ex-boss had one. He was a proper nutter when it came to driving. However, his XR2i could not pull away from my 205 1.9 GTi …...which had a knackered exhaust and a leaking head gasket.

Love the original 1990 Belfast, Northern Ireland registration

hi please can you answer me i have the same but in mine the stering is very hard to turn it when its parked(not moving) is that nonrmel because its old and the old cars dosn't have assisted stering or thers something wrong

Had a 16v 1800 version loved it not as fast as the mk2

In Aus is the Early nineties Ford gave us the TX3 laser. 1.8l double overhead cam, turbocharged and 4WD, almost 150kw ( with a little extra boost) at less than 1000kg. It was an absolute beast to drive, cornered like it was on rails and wiped the smile off the face of many V8 drivers who thought they owned the traffic light drag strip. The only downfall was the terrible gearbox.

Nova GTE vs XR2i - I preferred Nova but Fiesta 1.1 LX was hugely popular as hire car when visited UK

Yay, first time ever I've been the first to hit 'like'. I had a Mk3 Escort Ghia. 5 door, 1.6, inherited from my dad in 1997, and I loved it. It too had velour trim, which was quite posh compared to the awful rough nylon seats in most other cars. I always fancied an XR2i, but as you say, the insurance was crazy expensive for a young 20 something guy. Never really liked the Mk4 fiesta. They too used to rust in a dense fog. But I didnt like the rounded body and dashboard from a Puma.

Another great memory for me, thanks for the vids. Try and find a RS FIESTA TURBO, they must be like hens teeth to find now.

Nice car

I was six when this came out, so was a childhood car of mine, grandad had a fiesta 1.3 in 1994 and always wanted to do a xr2i replica with it if he still had it when I passed my test a few years later :) indicator stalks were in Ford's from fiesta, escorts, Ka's, Puma's only the fiesta until 95 had the horn on the indicator stalks every other model had horn on steering wheel

This used to actually be my neighbours car. It was a cracking car

I had a G reg G290 TAM RED at 19 tell me about insurence I worked just to drive that cat wish I still had it now 😅

Can you please do a review on the ford Sierra xr4i 2.8 v6 💯 absolutely adore them and nobody has seemed to do any reviews on them.

Will you do the mk 1 Ford ka 1.3 endura e car sometime watched most of your videos fantastic Kev here messaging thanks appreciate if you come up across one thanks mate

Was the MG Metro not in the same league then?

Great video but have you got any further with the Merc?

105 horses, 1 cat, no bull

The cvh in the escort rs16i imo sounded better (had 2)..mint wee fester tho..

Never was into these really. Prefer the mark 2 xr2 much better. Even in RS Turbo form. Or Rs1800i which was quite rare. Still never really did it for me

Never really likes the mk3 fiesta but I must say theirs XR2 is a beauty. Still can’t beat the mk1 XR2 though.

nice good work how about a rs turbo would be nice.

I was 10 years old when this car was new. Annoyingly, it's in much better shape than I am. Fantastic example, but boy do they want some money for it.

Was born in the same year as me lol, the only thing I would change is the colour 👍

Funny to think 105 BHP was the makings of a ' fast ford ' back in 1990.........that kinda power, in that size of car, today, would be close to ' entry level ' I would imagine.

0:17 now that is something rare! A Ford CVH that is quiet, must have been maintained religiously. Most haven't been and as a result sound tappety as hell, i know because i have owned a fair share of Escorts with CVHs...

Tyres were 195/55 R14.

My 1983 Fiat 127 had a 5 Speed. Pretty crazy really.