Fiesta moves into overdrive

Aug 28 2008 Steve Hughes

Fiesta moves into overdrive

THE wheel of fortune looks set to switch into overdive for the UK's favourite car with the impending arrival of the all-new Ford Fiesta.

Rarely has it been possible to describe a new automotive product as being the right car, at the right time, in the right place and at the right price - but it is with the latest offering from the Blue Oval.

It looks drop-dead-gorgeous, is aimed at a new generation of younger buyers and has all of the green credentials that are likely to appeal to the discerning private buyers who make small cars profitable.

The Fiesta has been one of the world's greatest automotive success stories and the latest incarnation is better in every respect, whilst promising to be more cost-effective in the process.

Ford decided to make the massive investment in the new model range before the current credit crunch began to bite and now stands in good stead to take advantage of its huge investment, whether by design or accident.

The basic concept was to create a small car that would be just as good in terms of quality, safety and in every other respect, as the company's larger models just in case the unlikley prediction of downsizing ever became reality.

No sooner had the latest Fiesta been perfected in the image of the larger Focus and Mondeo models than the credit crunch arrived and small cars suddenly looked like manna from heaven.

Designed to appeal to a younger generation than the fortysomething buyers of the current Fiesta, the latest model is revolutionary in the same way that the current and previous models have always been evolutionary.

The styling is cutting-edge whilst the build quality sets new standards and in terms of safety Ford expects the latest Fiesta to achieve top marks in every category when the announcement of its crash test results is made by EuroNCAP in November.

For example, the body uses high-strength steel and is ten per cent stiffer yet the car is signigicantly lighter, which aids economy.

Every model has at least five air bags, some have seven air bags and it is the first car in its sector to come with a driver's knee air bag.

Diesel models produce an average of 110g/km of carbon dioxide in comparison to an average of between 119g/km and 124g/km for its rivals. Petrol models with the high-performance Sport pertrol engine average 139g/km in comparison to 166g/km for their competitors.

The 1.25-litre petrol Fiesta is 22 per cent quicker to 60mph than the current model yet uses no more fuel and has lower CO2 emissions. It also has the distinction of earning the lowest possible Group 1 insurance rating and is expected to gain the highest possible safety scores in the October EuroNCAP crash test results including top marks for pedestrian safety.

Hybrid cars that use a combination of petrol and battery power are being hailed as the saviours of the planet, yet the 1.6-litre diesel Fiesta ECOnetic is more environmentally-friendly than any hybrid car on the market.

The new Fiesta is no larger on the outside than the current car yet is significantly more spacious inside and offers more luggage space to boot.

It boasts a host of new features including an advanced entertainment system with a USB port that enables users to invest the princely sum of £10 in a memory stick capable of carrying 2,000 tunes that can be operated via the steering wheel controls whilst on the move and can be removed for safety when the vehicle is parked.

To date almost three and a half million Fiestas have been sold world-wide and are currently snapped-up in the UK at the phenomenal rate of more than 100,000 a year. The current split is 50/50 between three and five-door models and about 80/20 in favour of petrol models in preference to diesels. This is expeccted to switch to about 73/27 in the short term and then gradually move in favour of diesels during coming months and years.

When the newcomer goes on sale here in October it will cost from just £8,695 in basic Studio guise with manually-operated windows although the range proper will start with the Style and Style+ models that will account for almost half of all sales.

The Zetec model will take a third of sales and the flagship Titanium will attract about ten per cent of buyers. There will also be Sport versions available in both petrol and diesel forms to attract younger buyers, reinforced by a wild and wacky range of daring new colours including a striking purple shade refered to as hot magenta.

Ford believes that it is the combination of all these virtues that has prompted CAP to give the car its highest-ever retained value rating, which is one of the reasons why the company says it confidently predicts that the latest Fiesta will be by far the most successful incarnation of the supermini in its 33-year history.