Ford’s Fiesta is one of the most successful cars of all time – and with good reason.
It’s affordable, terrific to drive, and keeps getting better with every generation.
The latest, eighth gen model is just as much fun on the twisty stuff but adds another level of refinement that makes it a surprisingly good long distance car.
Ford has fitted a mild hybrid system to its 1.0 litre petrol engine.
This is not a plug-in hybrid so you don’t have to worry about wrestling with cables every night.
Instead it captures energy that would be lost during braking and uses that to nudge power and economy in the right direction. That means it gets a healthy 125hp – enough for 0-62 to be accomplished in a zippy 9.4 seconds – and hits an official fuel economy figure of 55.4. Those are not rookie numbers.
Fiesta prices start at a little over £16,000 and my mild hybrid model in high-spec Titanium trim version cost £20,000. It comes fairly well kitted out, with an excellent touchscreen, keyless entry and startup, sat nav and three driving modes (Eco, Normal and Sport) among its attributes.
With the Scottish winter days more than a little chilly I wouldn’t have said no to heated seats, but the little petrol engine warms up very fast and it’s not long before the car is toasty.
It also comes with Ford’s superb Quickclear system, which defrosts your windscreen in moments, saving a lot of tedious scraping.
Fords have always been easy and fun to drive and the Fiesta is one of the best models the blue oval produces in this regard.
It really is a joy to jump into and head off down a country lane. I found myself taking the Fife back roads home to Dundee instead of the A92, simply so I could have a bit more fun in it.
Motorways are not normally comfortable territory for superminis but here the Fiesta acquits itself better than I could have expected.
On a 90 minute round trip to Brechin it sat easily at 70mph without me needing to turn the radio up. Wind and road noise are admirably muted.
Rear passenger space and boot room are both reasonable, if not exceptional. I really am struggling to find anything to criticise the Fiesta for. It deserves to be top of your list if you’re shopping for a small car.
