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Ford Fiesta Review

Sam Worth
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What's good?

– Great fun to drive
– Wide choice of engines
– Gets an 8-inch infotainment system as standard

What's bad?

– Not the most practical in its class

What's the score?

9/10

Overview

At the time I reviewed this car, which was late 2018, the Fiesta had been going for over 42 years. That’s 42 years of designing, engineering, testing, manufacturing, and selling. Over time Fiestas have improved an awful lot, from the driving experience, to of course, the safety side as well. Hence why it’s been Britain’s best-selling car for the past 11 years and it still currently holds that achievement.

Let’s rewind a bit (without boring you), I started learning to drive in a Fiesta MK7.5 with the 1.6-litre petrol engine. And from a learners point of view, I loved driving it. It was, and still is a great car. I felt all the stalks, lights, adjusters, and main controls were all in a comfortable position. This may sound unfair to the Fiesta’s rivals as I hadn’t tried driving any of them at the time, but my point is, if I enjoyed driving the Fiesta back when I started learning to drive, which was what, give or take 5 years ago? There’s no denying the new Fiesta is better. In fact, 78,000 new Fiesta’s were sold in 2019, which is well over 18,000 more sales than the second best-selling car, the VW Golf.

Back to today’s world. Ford first announced the Fiesta MK8 to the public on the 29^th November 2016 over in Germany. They said it’s roomier, has more tech, is more efficient, but most importantly, it’s safer than its predecessor. Not only that, but they also released two other models, the Active which is a compact crossover and the Vignale, which is Fords luxury sub-brand. Anyway, and so to the Titanium, which you could say is the most popular model. It may not have ‘everything’, but it certainly has the main features that are commonly used in everyday life.

As for the design, it’s smart looking, maybe not so much at the rear end. But Ford has certainly done a good job with the style of the car overall. The Titanium starts at £19,140, which isn’t badly priced, and it’s only available as a five-door body style version in case you were wondering. If you want a three-door body style version you’ll need to upgrade to the ST-Line Edition, or downgrade to the base model, called the Trend.

Drive

The Titanium is available with petrol, diesel, and mild-hybrid engines. There’s the 1.0-litre three-cylinder EcoBoost engine with 94bhp, a 1.5-litre TDCI (yawn) 84bhp and two 1.0-litre EcoBoost mild-hybrid engines with both 123bhp and 153bhp outputs. All engines for the Titanium are bolted next to a six-speed manual. You’ll need to upgrade to the Titanium X to get the seven-speed auto.

Sitting under the bonnet of the Fiesta I reviewed was the 1.0-litre EcoBoost, which had 100bhp and 125lb-ft at the time. It gets 0-62mph in 10.5 seconds with a top speed of 114mph. But is that the engine you should go for? It can vary from person to person. If I chucked a 70-year-old person in the driver seat, 100bhp would be fine for pottering around or going for a Sunday drive. What about a 40-year-old person? Different story. They would most likely want the 123bhp or even pokier 153bhp engine.

You don’t have to drive it ‘hard’ to make the ride fun. Let’s face it, most buyers range between ages 17 to…well, old. If you’re not interested in 0-60mph times, and just want a Fiesta for trips out, grocery shopping and the occasional drive and what not, rest assured, it’ll suit you perfectly. Even when you’re driving down the motorway, it’s still a pleasurable, comfy place to sit in while you’re driving or as a passenger. The steering feels just right and agile around the bends.

The only thing I would say I’m not a fan of was the gear knob. When changing up gears, it just doesn’t mould properly into your hand and feels slightly uncomfortable. Some of the Fiesta’s higher spec trim levels, such as the ST-Line Edition come with a much better shaped gear knob. Alternatively, you could just buy an aftermarket gear knob off eBay if you really don’t like the feel of it of course.

When you think of the Fiesta’s rivals fitted with the same size engine, they don’t look as ‘fun’ to drive, do they? Don’t think I’m going to say the Fiesta is the most fun you’ll ever get out of a car, it isn’t. But, for what it’s built for, it’s a brilliant all-rounder car, and feels much better to drive than any of its rivals. I bet you, or a close relative of yours, has either got a Fiesta, or has had one in the past, and I also bet you they loved it.

Interior

As for the interior, you get Ebony cloth seats, as leather or even partial leather isn’t an option on the Titanium unfortunately. Front and rear electric windows come as standard, along with rear privacy glass, an arm rest with illuminated cup holders, cruise control, keyless start, a power start button, and a few more small features around the cabin.

You’ll also get the Ford Sync 3 8-inch infotainment system, which, I have to say, is brilliant and easy to use. I don’t find it overly complicated to use and it has all the main things you’ll expect to see from any modern-day car, like DAB, USB, Bluetooth, Aux, Sat Nav and it’s compatible with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. I also like the positioning of it, as it sticks out of the dash which makes it even easier to operate either while you’re driving or the passenger, as you can wrap your hand or fingers around the side of the display to change what Level 42 album you’re listening too. I know, I know, you’re not ‘meant’ to be looking at the infotainment system, as your eyes should be on the road, but we all do it every now and then, don’t we?

In the back, it’s reasonably spacious with an okay amount of leg room. I say okay as I’m not expecting to see Virgin Atlantic aeroplane leg room from a car that can be considered small. Can you fit three people in the back at once? Of course, although it may feel slightly snug. But let’s be honest, if you’re looking to fit five people in a car frequently for relatively long journeys, I very much doubt the Fiesta is for you. I think you may need to get yourself an upgrade.

The boot gets 292-litres with both rear seats folded up and 1,093-litres with them folded down, as a 60/40 split. You’ve got a few hooks and some straps either side, to keep your bits in the back secure.

Verdict

Apart from the inner part of tail lights looking naff, I’m sorry, but they just do. There’s not much else to say that’s bad about it. The Fiesta has always been a cracking car. It’s easy, fun, economical and friendly to live with. It has a few small issues, but other than that, it’s brilliant.