Hot new Fiesta dazzles

Sep 1 2008 Bill McCarthy

IT would be one hell of a guessing game to determine what Henry Ford would have made of the new Fiesta.

Described by the company as the most important car since the Model T, the car designed by Henry himself, the new car has been given a lot to live up to.

Henry said you could have any colour you liked with the Model T, so long as it was black.

The new Fiesta offers more colours than several shades of several rainbows, dazzlingly breaking the mould of often drab and dreary colours.

The range now includes a funky new green and the spectacular hot magenta and the car boasts stunning styling and an array of new innovations.

The car also offers an array of new innovations, is 40kg lighter than the old car, but has a stiffer frame, has more interior room, is greener with emissions cut to the bone and cheaper than the outgoing model by a substantial £155

It adds up to quite a package for customers old and new.

The Fiesta has been around for quite a while now, 32 years in fact, selling 12 million models, but in its latest incarnation Ford has decided the car will go global, selling on all five continents, thus justifying comparisons to the Model T.

The new sharp styling of the car evokes comparisons with the Focus and arch-rival the Vauxhall Corsa, but there is no doubt the car has its own style and with a price of £8,695 for the entry level model, there is a lot of car for the money.

This model offers a proven 1.25-litre engine and clever features like sacrificial parts around bumper and headlights which can be cheaply repaired after a minor shunt, so insurers have accordingly graded the base model at group 1.

Excellent fuel economy and standard features like five airbags make it an even more attractive proposition., while seven airbags are available on higher spec models.

The car is expected to score maximum in Euro NCAP safety tests.

Also on the horizon is the super-green ECOnetic version which breaks the 100g/km CO2 emissions barrier, which should make that particular model exempt from road fund tax.

Some compelling financial reasons to look at the Fiesta, but there is plenty of other stuff on offer as well.

Styling on the Fiesta was looking a bit tired.

The new model is a breath of fresh air with sharp, aerodynamic lines giving the car a sleeker and sporty look. This is no accident as Ford are aiming to attract you younger buyers as well as retaining their core customers.

The interior is also a leap forward, again trying to attract the younger customer.

To this end the centre console has been designed replicate the usability of a mobile phone, a menu on one side and numeric selection buttons on the right for the various entertainment modes. You can see what the company is getting at, but in reality, to me the console looks a little bit like one of those children¿s Transformer toys.

There are other nice touches like damped, rotary air conditioning controls that are intuitive and easy to use.

Standard levels of equipment are good although the entry level has powered mirrors, but manual window winders.

But for the money, equipment levels are good with nice soft touch plastics giving the car a sturdy and quality feel.

Build quality is definitely better and the seats are both comfortable and supportive for at least four occupants. A fifth would feel cramped over any extended journey.

Headroom and legroom is good at the front, but slightly compromised at the rear by the sloping roofline, while boot space is generous for this type of car.

The test drive only allowed for a couple of models, the 1.6-litre Duratec S and the 1.6-litre Duratorq diesel.

Both had plenty to offer, with a new 120bhp 1.6 a free-revving petrol powerhouse in the Sport version and a torquey and refined 1.6 diesel unit in the Titanium that offers plenty of pull at low revs with decent economy.

Both are mated to five-speed gearboxes that could perhaps do with an extra gear, that offer a decent driving experience and both return CO2 emissions of 139 and 110g/km respectively and impressive fuel economy.

Suspension set ups depend on the model, but both coped admirably on potholed and sometimes treacherous Tuscan roads with the Sport version proving a particularly enjoyable drive.

Motorway cruising is also refined with the more than comfortable and composed at motorway speed limits. Here the diesel scores highly for comfort and composure.

All the while you would believe you were in a much more expensive car, such is the quality of engineering with the Ford.

You can also maximise useage of the sound system by inserting a £10 USB memory stick that will hold 2,000 tunes. No security issues there when you just drop the stick back into your pocket or purse.

The Model T it ain¿t and despite all the colours, Henry Ford would glow with pride at the new Fiesta. It continues to set the standard.

The new Fiesta goes on sale in October and will be priced from £8,695. There will be five trim levels, the Studio, the Style, Style Plus, Zetec and flagship Titanium, with a range of engines.

The ECOnetic goes on sale early next year.