LY 220 Trophy+IB PH1
After owning a PH1 172 for nearly 4 years and covering many miles, the old dog has finally been retired after just ticking over 120,000 miles.
I wanted something "fast" and special and after making a list of possible contenders, it came down to the Fiesta ST and the Trophy. For me the ST just didn't have the special factor and there's a million about, the MK4 RS is selling poorly over here from what I've read so...
Enter 220 trophy.
In LY with BOSE, Akrapovic exhaust and RS Monitor options.
First order of business was paint correction and protection. Finished in Gtechniq Crystal Serum, Gtechniq EXO and G1 on the glass.
I've been driving the PH1 and the Trophy back to back for 3 or so days now.
(It's worth mentioning I rebuilt the PH1 from the ground up 2 years ago to an OEM+ spec)
Steering:
Much quicker in the 220 trophy, probably from the rack and the smaller wheel. Much welcomed change, but took some getting used to coming from the PH1. Feels a little more assisted but all in I can't say I noticed much loss in feeling when driving in sport mode (heavier compared to normal), perhaps it would be more obvious on a track.
Suspension:
The suspension on the trophy is firm, I was surprised at just how firm. But over bumps it's far more composed and less crashy, I've found bumps that would have jarred my spine in the ph1 is soaked up rather nicely by the trophy.
I've not pushed the trophy, but I've came into corners on the brakes and I can well imagine on a track, the thing will have you in the kitty litter facing the wrong way. I got the impression of it being nervous, but in FWD land - nervous is fast.
Brakes:
The setup I have on the PH1 is very bitey, typically when I drive another car I always struggle with the brakes as they just don't bite like I'm used to. Initially I did notice the brakes reduced bite going from one car to the other, however it's not far off. And that's comparing OEM pads to a fast road pad (m1144's). I would have liked brembo's but purely for aesthetics reasons, the performance of the brakes is good.
Power:
I can honestly say the PH1 feels quicker, that said I've not been pushing the trophy hard as it needs 600 to run in and 1800 before all of the power is available (according to the book) so this will more then likely change over time.
As for the delivery, the trophy's delivery isn't as exciting as the ph1, it's much easier to overtake from low RPM but it just doesn't egg you on like the F4R does. Again this may be subject to change once the cars run in.
Update: After run in It's apparent the 220 is quicker then the ph1, especially how it carries speed through into the higher gears. I still stand by my comment of the F4R feeling more exciting, with torque boosting in higher gears the acceleration feels quite linear.
Test of the Launch Control, I've had it read as low as 6s but not sure how accurate this monitor is.
Gearbox:
I'll start by saying I don't believe the gearboxes in these cars should be compared, it's just two different ways to skin a cat. I love the gearbox in the trophy, I equally love having a gearstick.
I imagine the manual would be better on track, but the EDC box in sport manual not far behind. On the reverse for a daily commute, the EDC is leagues ahead. I thought the lack of click in the paddle would annoy me, it hasn't.
Running costs:
Mpg is lower then my ph1 (32 vs 29 - measured at the pump), but considering the car is heavier and has more power, it's not bad. Tax is £140 if you get one registered after April, £130 before. I found my insurance to be £100 more a year (£340 to £445 - I'm 27 with haystings direct)
No timing belt, clutches should last the life of the car. Tyres are expensive though compared to the PH1.
Interior:
The interior of the Trophy is a nice place to be, seats are a particular highlight, they hug in all the right places. Cabin noise is low from the outside and the tyres. The only thing that was a little disappointing is the audio controls on the column. I'm fairly sure it's the same item they fitted to models 10 years ago. There's probably not much you can do with audio controls, but it would have been nice to see something a little different. The front of the roof is rather low if you creep forward out the seat, but this is honestly picking faults.
Experience:
Much like looks, this is probably a personal preference thing. For me the PH1 is capable and wants to go fast everywhere all of the time. The trophy is a bit more of a split personality, stick it in drive and the car is quiet, easy to drive and rather reserved (yellow paint aside)
Engage sport and you get a higher idle, more exhaust (the Akra pops a lot!) heavier steering, more aggressive pedal response and a broader rev range on shifts.
One thing I've noticed where the trophy clearly excels over the PH1 is putting it's power to the ground while cornering, it's very difficult to get the trophy to spin a wheel with it planted - I suspect this is down to the E-Diff.
Issues:
It's not all been perfect, I've had a few teething issues with the trophy. Issues thus far include:
1. Low pitch static constantly coming through the front left tweeter and speaker
2. The touch screen on the nav unit stopped responding after day 3, unit still functions fully - just the touch aspect has stopped rendering the device almost useless
3. Discovered damage to rear alloy, done before I picked the car up (I should have scrutineered the car more before leaving with it)
Hoping to get these sorted at the weekend.
Getting a test drive was arduous, and to any prospective buyers - please persevere with the dealerships to get a test drive.
Cheers
Paul
I wanted something "fast" and special and after making a list of possible contenders, it came down to the Fiesta ST and the Trophy. For me the ST just didn't have the special factor and there's a million about, the MK4 RS is selling poorly over here from what I've read so...
Enter 220 trophy.
In LY with BOSE, Akrapovic exhaust and RS Monitor options.
First order of business was paint correction and protection. Finished in Gtechniq Crystal Serum, Gtechniq EXO and G1 on the glass.
I've been driving the PH1 and the Trophy back to back for 3 or so days now.
(It's worth mentioning I rebuilt the PH1 from the ground up 2 years ago to an OEM+ spec)
Steering:
Much quicker in the 220 trophy, probably from the rack and the smaller wheel. Much welcomed change, but took some getting used to coming from the PH1. Feels a little more assisted but all in I can't say I noticed much loss in feeling when driving in sport mode (heavier compared to normal), perhaps it would be more obvious on a track.
Suspension:
The suspension on the trophy is firm, I was surprised at just how firm. But over bumps it's far more composed and less crashy, I've found bumps that would have jarred my spine in the ph1 is soaked up rather nicely by the trophy.
I've not pushed the trophy, but I've came into corners on the brakes and I can well imagine on a track, the thing will have you in the kitty litter facing the wrong way. I got the impression of it being nervous, but in FWD land - nervous is fast.
Brakes:
The setup I have on the PH1 is very bitey, typically when I drive another car I always struggle with the brakes as they just don't bite like I'm used to. Initially I did notice the brakes reduced bite going from one car to the other, however it's not far off. And that's comparing OEM pads to a fast road pad (m1144's). I would have liked brembo's but purely for aesthetics reasons, the performance of the brakes is good.
Power:
I can honestly say the PH1 feels quicker, that said I've not been pushing the trophy hard as it needs 600 to run in and 1800 before all of the power is available (according to the book) so this will more then likely change over time.
As for the delivery, the trophy's delivery isn't as exciting as the ph1, it's much easier to overtake from low RPM but it just doesn't egg you on like the F4R does. Again this may be subject to change once the cars run in.
Update: After run in It's apparent the 220 is quicker then the ph1, especially how it carries speed through into the higher gears. I still stand by my comment of the F4R feeling more exciting, with torque boosting in higher gears the acceleration feels quite linear.
Test of the Launch Control, I've had it read as low as 6s but not sure how accurate this monitor is.
Gearbox:
I'll start by saying I don't believe the gearboxes in these cars should be compared, it's just two different ways to skin a cat. I love the gearbox in the trophy, I equally love having a gearstick.
I imagine the manual would be better on track, but the EDC box in sport manual not far behind. On the reverse for a daily commute, the EDC is leagues ahead. I thought the lack of click in the paddle would annoy me, it hasn't.
Running costs:
Mpg is lower then my ph1 (32 vs 29 - measured at the pump), but considering the car is heavier and has more power, it's not bad. Tax is £140 if you get one registered after April, £130 before. I found my insurance to be £100 more a year (£340 to £445 - I'm 27 with haystings direct)
No timing belt, clutches should last the life of the car. Tyres are expensive though compared to the PH1.
Interior:
The interior of the Trophy is a nice place to be, seats are a particular highlight, they hug in all the right places. Cabin noise is low from the outside and the tyres. The only thing that was a little disappointing is the audio controls on the column. I'm fairly sure it's the same item they fitted to models 10 years ago. There's probably not much you can do with audio controls, but it would have been nice to see something a little different. The front of the roof is rather low if you creep forward out the seat, but this is honestly picking faults.
Experience:
Much like looks, this is probably a personal preference thing. For me the PH1 is capable and wants to go fast everywhere all of the time. The trophy is a bit more of a split personality, stick it in drive and the car is quiet, easy to drive and rather reserved (yellow paint aside)
Engage sport and you get a higher idle, more exhaust (the Akra pops a lot!) heavier steering, more aggressive pedal response and a broader rev range on shifts.
One thing I've noticed where the trophy clearly excels over the PH1 is putting it's power to the ground while cornering, it's very difficult to get the trophy to spin a wheel with it planted - I suspect this is down to the E-Diff.
Issues:
It's not all been perfect, I've had a few teething issues with the trophy. Issues thus far include:
1. Low pitch static constantly coming through the front left tweeter and speaker
2. The touch screen on the nav unit stopped responding after day 3, unit still functions fully - just the touch aspect has stopped rendering the device almost useless
3. Discovered damage to rear alloy, done before I picked the car up (I should have scrutineered the car more before leaving with it)
Hoping to get these sorted at the weekend.
Getting a test drive was arduous, and to any prospective buyers - please persevere with the dealerships to get a test drive.
Cheers
Paul
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I'll be keeping the old gal, I'm unsure what direction to go down though - had the idea of going down the track route but I'm not sure I have the heart to gut it out !
