Ford Fiesta 1.0 - You’re Given An Arse For A Face

What happens when you’re given an arse for a face? Well, the new Fiesta knows exactly how it feels…

A condition of employment as a road-tester stipulates that you always refer to what the car industry calls a ‘mid-cycle enhancement’ by using terms derived from cosmetic surgery. You know: facelift, nip ’n’ tuck, nose job. Since I don’t want to lose my job in the middle of a recession, I’ll have to describe the six and a half generation Fiesta as having received a… well, what is it? A complete facial reconstruction and inversion, really, the nose and mouth having been hacked off and swapped over. Where there was a slit beneath the bonnet is now a big trapezoid grille. In place of the big grille, below the number plate, now lives the smaller slit. There’s been a narrowing of the eyes… oops, headlamps, too.

The Fiesta has always been brilliant to drive, and nothing has changed in that respect

It might sound like the stuff of a horror movie, but you know what? It’s actually very comely indeed.

All Fiestas get this restyle. Only some of them get Ford’s excellent little 3cyl 1.0-liter petrol engine. It comes in a non-turbo 82bhp, and turbo 100 and 125bhp versions. They all make just 99g/km CO₂ equating to 65.7mpg. If that sounds like a coincidence, remember that the official measurement cycle never reaches the higher boost of the 125 (so it won’t be as real-world economical as the 100), and that the non-turbo needs shorter gear ratios, which is why it tests no better than the blown ones.

Recalibrated steering feels a bit gluey

We’re in the 125. It sound endearingly off-beat, and though you do hear it more loudly than in the equivalent Focus, it’s not disagreeable. To get decent economy, you have to keep the revs down and munch the torque. Rev higher and it’s no slug. And you can have fun, because the Fiesta is always one of the most agile, willing and superb-cornering baby cars of all. For some unknown reason, they’ve recalibrated the steering and made it a bit gluey around the straight-ahead, but that’s no biggie. And the ride remains supple and beautifully damped.

New too is a voice-controlled dialing and entertainment system that, unusually, understands me reasonably well. Finally, MyKey, which lets a parent (or fleet boss) program the car to limit itself when it’s being driven on their kid’s (or employee’s) key. Restrictions include an 80mph top speed, warning chimes at various other speeds, and an interlock to prevent you disabling the active city stop and ESP sensible enough. Even if it might make having the 125 bhp engine feel a bit frustrating.