Zetec S, Titanium, Diesel Or Petrol

[Mr R]

First post here, so be gentle. :D

Have been looking for quite a bit at a new Zetec S TDCi (some really good lease deals out there), but after reading a few posts on here I'm wondering if this is the best model.

Is it really the case that the street pack isn't available on the diesel and only the petrol... the Ford website seems to suggest this, but looking on eBay, pretty much every Zetec S TDCi has the 17" alloys and rear tints (= street pack)

Im also wondering whether the Titanium with the X pack and dress up kit might be a better option, since it has more toys, although chances of getting a car with that spec "off the shelf" is pretty slim I guess.

I was also certain I wanted the diesel for the higher mpg, but there seems to be some doubts about this over the petrol...?

The last thing is that the colour has to be white!! B)

Any other bits of advice or things to look out for would be apreciated.

[iNath]

I've just (well, last month) bought a white Zetec-S TCDi.

You used to be able to get the street pack on the diesel but earlier this year when the increased the engine from 90 > 95 they removed this option.

Obviously I'm still wearing this engine in and currently getting ~55mpg.

[Jason Tierney]

Ive got a White Zetec S 1.6 Petrol, Goes great, smooth, not had any problems done 7000miles in around 6months. averaging 40.2 mpg spends 75% of its time in city and I certainly dont drive like a slouch.

Im sure the tdci is also a good drive as well. I chose the Zetec S over tit as I dont need the car to tell me when to put wipers on or turn lights on or what speed to drive or how to park, I wouldnt use any of the toys so it would of been wasted, I prefer to have the "sport" model rather than the luxury one, just me though, a twenty year old boy :)

Jay

[RCJ]

I'd say go for the Zetec S in Petrol. You get decent mpg anyway. And it'll be fun .... more toys more chance of things to go wrong....

[sparticus5]

Was in exactly the same situation as you, which to go for? Initially I wanted a 5dr 1.6tdci Titanium, I ended up with a 3dr 1.6 petrol Zetec S :D

I'd defo would have used the 'toys' on the Titanium - I really miss the auto headlights, cruise and climate in my cars. But the Titanium was dismissed because 1: the seats were all wrong for me - the base was too short and the whole seat was too cushioned and 2: there was more give in the suspension which is bad for my back. The supportive seats in the Zetec S are far superior IMO and the harder ride from the suspension got my vote over those 'toys'.

Tdci or Petrol? I came from a diesel and I prefer the way a diesel delivers it's power and of course the economy. But I managed to get a much better deal on the petrol model and given that I only drive approx 8k per year, I could never claw back that extra outlay. The petrol engine is super quiet for a 1.6 and I'm getting an average of 45mpg. That said the car has only done 450 miles and I've never had it over 3000 revs (I won't do for the first 1000 miles), but for such a new engine, I'm pretty happy with 45mpg.

As a rule I never add optional extras on my cars as you never get that money back come trade-in, but I added bluetooth and the street pack as I think most buyers will want these. A Zetec S that doesn't look sporty? I'm betting on a Zetec S without street pack will be worth less than the £250 difference it costs as an option.

Hope that helps.

[tez1990]

i have bought a titanium tdci with full dress up kit on and all the extras i can say it is worth it the car is outstanding and them little extra toys do make driving better . also the titanium tdci holds it value better then other models

[Mr R]

Thanks for this info guys! Starting to sway a bit towards the petrol now, since a couple of you say its pretty quiet and smooth. The lease price on Nationwide Vehicle Contracts is a tiny bit more on both the Titanium and Zetec S petrol models (only about £15 per month) which seems a bit strange...

Should a dealer be able to retrofit the street pack? Found this deal which is actually very tempting:

http://www.machargs.com/detail.html?ac_reg=blk_cwe8cv58usbpw72g&$get_results=View%2054%20Cars&$ac_make=Ford&$ac_type=&$ac_model=Fiesta&$ac_trans=&$ac_cc=&$ac_od=DESC&$ac_body=&$ac_year=&$ac_ob=Price&$ac_miles=&$ac_variant=&$ac_color=&$ac_min=&$ac_fuel=&$ac_doors=&$ac_max=&$ac_sr=0&$ac_pp=10

but I wouldn't buy it without the rear tints and 17" alloys... and it must be white! :D

Do all the Zetec S models come with the metal pedal covers now? Seen a few on eBay that didn't have them...

Sorry for all the questions! :D

[boggyb68]

I don't think you can rerally get a bad model Fez...

I need 5 doors so the Zetec-S was out.. I like toys so it has to be a Titanium.. I found a dealer demo 1.6 tdci in Leeds that came with the USB/B'Tooth, keyless entry-button start/Xpack 17" Alloys/Leather seats/Rear electric windows/Spare wheel and all the ususal Tit stuff like the auto wipers/lights/elec folding mirrors/climate/auto dipping mirror etc.. in Panther Black..

It still handles great, rides excellent and is just an all round great car..

Like all car purchases, it's what you need from the car that should sway you one way or another..

tbh if I didn't need a 5 door and I was looking now I wld prob have a S1600 as I like stripes.. :)

You can't go wrong whichever model you go for..

Chers

B.

[Our willie]

Bought my wife a 2010 white fiesta zetec s 1.6 petrol , one owner with 21000 , full ford service history , street pack and bluetooth , got it back in July 2013 for £7600 , private sale , nice bloke , cars fantastic, he bought it new, n REALY looked after it , the local ford dealer had the same car 60 plate white, without the bluetooth for 9750. With 27000 on the clock .

My daughter has bought a 2013 focus 1.6cdti zetec, it's a lovely car, but god it's underpowered! Is it the same engine they put in the diesel fiesta? If it is the petrol car is a much better car to drive , much more responsive, you have to REALY give the focus a lot to get up to speed, and also to overtake, so if your doing B road driving , going up and down the box , as you will have to , you will never get anywhere near the mpg that's quoted for the diesel, it all depends what your looking for, the fiesta is a smaller and lighter car than the focus , but I found my wife's petrol fiesta much more responsive than my daughters 1.6 tdci focus

Hope this helps, whatever engine you go for, your getting a fantastic little car , that is by far the best in its class

[potter18]

Petrol v diesel the age old argument well generally it depends on the mileage that you do if you do a lot of motorway miles then a diesel is the best bet , low miles then go for petrol a diesel cars are usually more expensive to buy and the fuel is also dearer than petrol so you have to do the miles to recoup the extra outlay also diesels that do low miles can have problems with the diesel particulate filters clogging ( usually can be cleared by driving for 20min or so at speed (70) ) and can be expensive to fix , as for which model thats down to personal choice and what you'll use it for

[iNath]

Thanks for the input guys, but 3.5 years later I hope they've made their decision by now ;)

[Ru4hie]

Be interesting to see what they went for. I read through all the posts without seeing the first date

[Our willie]

Me to about the dates ! But it's still a very relevant topic today ! Especially with fords new lean burn high bhp per cc petrol units, they say the new 1.0 turbo petrol is a fantastic engine , at 125 bhp n over 50 mpg! 25 years ago that was rs turbo power! Don't think there's a Diesel engine made wit such low cc but high power n high mpg !