Because Ford Fiesta pickup trucks are better than you might think.
The other day I posted a little article about the Ford Fiesta Bebop concept, a Ranchero-ized version of the otherwise dull Mk3 Fiesta. I wished Ford had made the car, and then reader Rpadula reminded me they did! Well, kinda.
The later Mk5 Fiesta became the Ford Courier down in Brazil and it was actually a very well-received vehicle. Oddly, it does not share its design with the Ford Bantam, a South Africa/Australian Mk5 Fiesta pickup, but I'm getting away from the point.
Basically, these things were better to drive than they had any right to be. Rpadula explains.
These thing were amazing, MK5 fiestas are know to handle very well. Then you make they a little longer and lighter, put a 1.6L 110 hp engine in it, excellent gear ratios and the most inspired work you ever done in your life at the suspension. Great times going from Rio de Janeiro to São Paulo in one of those, they're out of this world.
They we're relatively cheap to keep and tune, that here in Brazil we had for a while a small championship solely based on Couriers called "Pick-up DTM"
Closed gear ratios, 160˜170 hp out of the same 1.6L (stock internals, epic cams and flowed heads), aero and slick tires.
Ok yeah, this is awesome.