Compare two cars

Compare any two cars and get our Virtual Adviser™ opinion

Car #1
Make
Model
Variant
Engine
Car #2
Make
Model
Variant
Engine

compare selected cars
1999. - 2003.
B - City car
hatchback, 3 door
front
Badges
Production
Vehicle class
Body style
Wheel drive
Safety
1999. - 2002.
B - City car
hatchback, 3 door
front

Marketing

Dimensons & Outlines

3718 mm
1595 mm
1379 mm
280 liters
953 liters
45 liters
Length
Width
Height
Boot (min)
Boot (max)
Fuel tank
3828 mm
1634 mm
1320 mm
250 liters
929 liters
40 liters
1999 Citroen Saxo
1999 Ford Fiesta

Engine

Peugeot
1.5 TUD5
Diesel
4 - Inline, 2 valves per cylinder
Nat. Asp.
1527 cc
58 hp
95 Nm
Engine
Fuel
Configuration
Aspiration
Displacement
Power
Torque
Diesel
4 - Inline, 2 valves per cylinder
Nat. Asp.
1753 cc
60 hp
105 Nm

Performance (manual gearbox)

manual gearbox - 5 gears
865 kg
18.3 s
158 km/h
6.8 l/100km
4.3 l/100km
5.2 l/100km
138 g/km
Gearbox type
Vehicle weight
Acc. 0-100
Top speed
Cons. (urban)
Cons. (highway)
Cons. (average)
CO2 emissions
manual gearbox - 5 gears
980 kg
17.5 s
155 km/h
7.9 l/100km
5.0 l/100km
6.1 l/100km
161 g/km

Performance (automatic gearbox)

 
kg
s
km/h
l/100km
l/100km
l/100km
g/km
Gearbox type
Vehicle weight
Acc. 0-100
Top speed
Cons. (urban)
Cons. (highway)
Cons. (average)
CO2 emissions
 
kg
s
km/h
l/100km
l/100km
l/100km
g/km

Expenses

500 EUR
Price from
450 EUR

Virtual Adviser's™ opinion

Overview

Well, these are two pretty similar cars we have here! It's only details that could potentially make the difference. Considering they both belong to the city car segment and utilize the same 3-door hatchback body style and the front wheel drive system, it all comes up to the specific diesel engine choice they offer. The first one has a Peugeot-engineered powertrain under the hood, a 4-cylinder, 8-valves 58hp unit, while the other one gets its power and torque from a 4-cylinder, 8-valves 60hp engine designed by Ford.

Safety

The first thing to look into here would be the results from European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) tests performed on the two cars. Good thing is that both vehicles got tested, with the Ford being a slightly better choice apparently. Moving further on, let's take a closer look at some additional safety-related facts. Both vehicles belong to the city car segment, which is generally not a very good thing safety-wise, but that fact doesn't break the tie between the two cars. On the other hand, when it comes to weight, a factor that most people underestimate, the American car offers a considerable difference of 13% more metal.

Reliability

I don't like generalizing things when it comes to reliability, although it does seem that Ford does have a slight advantage, all the models observed together. These are the official statistics, while our visitors describe reliability of Citroen with an average rating of 4.1, and models under the Ford badge with 4.5 out of 5. Independent research findings rank Saxo as average reliability-wise, and Fiesta is more or less at the same level.We should definitely mention that owners of cars with the same powertrain as the French car rank it on average as 3.7, while the one under the competitor's bonnet gets 3.0 out of 5.

Performance & Fuel economy

Ford is a bit more agile, reaching 100km/h in 0.8 seconds less than its competitor. Still, it lacks the power to win the top speed competition, topping at 155 kilometers per hour, 3km/h less than the other car. When it comes to fuel economy the winner has to be the French car, averaging around 5.2 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers (54 mpg), in combined cycle. We can't ignore that 17% difference compared to the American car.


Verdict

Citroen appears just a bit more reliable, although the difference is truly marginal. The most important thing when deciding between any two vehicles should always be safety, both passive and active. In my opinion, everything taken into account, the American car beats the other contender by far, making it the best choice without even considering other things. It all continues in the same direction, with Ford offering somewhat better performance, just enough to call it quicker. It does come at a cost though, and that's the fuel consumption... It's really tough to make a final decision here, but if I'd need to, I'd say Ford. Anyway, that's the most objective conclusion I could've came up with and it's based solely on the information found on this website. Aspects such as design, practicality, brand value and driving experience are there for you to measure them out. Also, you could use the oportunity to find out which car, everything taken into account, would be the perfect choice for you in the eyes of the virtual adviser, among more than 12.000 different ones in our database.

Check a car by its VIN number

Follow us

AutoManiac Instagram

AutoManiac Facebook

AutoManiac database currently covers:

47worldwide automotive brands
1.565different vehicle models
2.275engines
14.080specific cars