Ford Fiesta | Video Review | CarsIreland.ie

Published on 23 March, 2018

An accomplished, fun and affordable little car - new Ford Fiesta is still the one to beat on the road

Overview

Overview

Ford have just introduced the latest version of their much-loved Fiesta and are hoping that a new colour pallet, a host of new technology, and a trim line-up that includes ‘a version for everyone’ will help to widen its already huge appeal.

The exterior makeover has been subtle to say the least, and the reason is simple – customers liked the previous one. Changes may be microscopic but they are still there. If you look closely you will notice that the grille has been tampered with ever so slightly – the spotlights are now vertical rather than horizontal, and the bottom part of that fishmouth face now points downwards rather than up.

What you definitely won’t miss is the new colour pallet, and Ford have added some very Instagram-friendly new shades to the line-up including a striking teal ‘Blue Wave’, the traditional ‘Race Red’ and an interesting ‘Chrome Copper’ shade.

The new Fiesta is slightly longer and wider than before. They’ve used the extra space to eek out a little more legroom for backseat passengers, and some more functional updates include additional storage areas and a wider boot opening. The boot capacity has grown to 290 litres.

The efforts to please the young and trendy continue inside the cabin, where the most impressive changes have been made. Gone is the clustered centre console of the last model, with its many buttons and slightly dated interface, and in its place is a new user-friendly floating touchscreen display. Naturally it comes with all the latest smartphone connectivity including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Depending on which trim you go for you can add SatNav, a reversing camera, and even a 10 speaker Bang and Olufsen sound system that provides 675 watts for a truly bone-rattling sound

Other high-tech features available include a host of parking aids, like a 360 surround-view camera and an ultrasonic system which will detect and guide the car into tight spots. Safety kit has been upgraded to include a pedestrian detection system. This will react to and avoid anything that crosses the cars path, and will automatically apply the brakes if the driver doesn’t respond to warnings.

The variety of models available is now wider than ever, with a choice between some very distinctive trim lines – each one, Ford tell us, with a different type of customer in mind. This includes the sophisticated Titanium spec with its upgraded styling including a chrome waistline, 15 inch alloy wheels, and Ford SYNC 3 in the cabin.

There's also the sporty ST line which gives the appearance of a hot hatch with its sporty body kit and sports seats, minus the hot hatch performance (and running costs).

For the first time we are introduced to the Fiesta Vignale – a premium offering recognisable by a bespoke front grille with ‘flying Vs’, 17 inch alloy wheels, a sumptuous quilted leather interior and upgraded infotainment system incorporating that ear-splitting B&O sound system.

All very nice features for the hardcore Fiesta fans out there, but the favourite will continue to be the trusty entry level Zetec. Starting at €16,550 for the three door model, it will continue to be all the Fiesta most drivers need. With it you still get a decent level of standard equipment including (manual) air con and automatic headlamps, as well as some impressive standard safety kit like lane departure warning and a speed limiter. Missing from the interior will be the touchscreen, replaced instead by a more basic TFT display.

The engine line-up has been rejigged and now includes a higher-powered 1.5 diesel, not that there will be huge demand for that here. Petrol power will still reign supreme – mainly in the shape of the 70ps 1.1 litre petrol, representing basic no-frills motoring at its finest. There's also a nippier 85ps version available, as well as the terrific 1.0l 100ps EcoBoost that comes paired with the ST line model.

That famous Fiesta grip prevails, as does the sharp, responsive steering and reminds us why it’s constantly labelled ‘the fun one’ in any supermini line-up. This latest model is still the one to beat on the road.

The Fiesta is never a car that needed any help out of the showrooms and this latest model will be no different. It’s as good as it ever was, but now with more technology on board than ever before.

That’s not to say it’s without fierce competition from Volkswagen’s new Polo and the new Nissan Micra which is turning plenty heads with it’s dramatic new look, but this remains the one to beat on the road.

Facts & Figures

Sinead McCann

Sinéad is our resident car tester who has the unenviable (-ok, slightly enviable) task of reviewing all the latest new cars to hit the market. You can follow her on Twitter @smcani and on Instagram @whatshedrives