Hi Colin - I'm sure Jay's recommendation of the shorter final drive rear axle for the Ford gearbox 4/4 is a good one, as this box has ratios that are otherwise a touch too high in my opinion, esp. 5th
However, after Summer 2012 4/4s came with a Mazda MX5 gearbox on which the ratios suit the engine well in my view (added to which the shift is a lot sweeter to use, so you don't mind being very busy with the gearbox).
I would endorse Jay's views on the Sigma being a smooth engine that loves revving. I was initially surprised that having driven all of the (recent) engine range in the Trad models, the humble 1.6 was the one that I had the most fun extracting the performance from.
