What is that?
The phrase “Britain’s best-selling car” is regularly found in a sentence containing a reference to the Ford Fiesta. But not more. Last year it didn’t even make the top 10 and was passed even in the Blue Oval showrooms by the Ford Puma.
The shortage of semiconductors was to blame for the drop in sales, as Ford diverted more of the chips it had to more profitable models like the Puma, which competes in the same class. Yet rather than letting the Fiesta’s long reign as Britain’s number one be followed by a period of returning to the ranks, it has made a series of changes to the car as part of this mid-life facelift. to bring it back into the sell charts when the tokens are no longer down.
The changes aren’t the biggest, of course. Remember: the Fiesta enters this facelift from a position of strength as one of the most successful superminis that remains a compelling ownership proposition.
How does it look?
These changes, then. Visually, the biggest changes are at the front, where there’s a new design for the bonnet, headlights and grille, where the Ford badge is moved. There are new color and wheel designs as well as a mix of trim levels.
However, there are no mechanical changes to the chassis (which isn’t a bad thing at all, given how smooth the Fiesta is to drive) and the engine range remains unchanged.
It starts with a 99hp version of Ford’s ubiquitous 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine, which further up the range gets belt-integrated hybrid soft starter-generator (MHEV) technology which will be offered in 123hp. or 153 hp, the latter tested here.
The familiarity of that engine and chassis means, unsurprisingly, it’s more of the same as the Fiesta on the dynamic front. Handling is simply a pleasure at any speed; it’s a car that can bring a smile, no matter how mundane the turn or maneuver required.
As before, none of this involving handling comes at the expense of comfort or ride quality. The car conveys to the driver exactly what the road surface is doing while absorbing and isolating bumps with a sophistication that a car of this class really doesn’t have the right to.
All supported by an engine that remains one of the most characteristic on the market. The 1.0-litre triple is vocal but sounds enthusiastic, rather than unrefined, and delivers excellent levels of performance, particularly above 2000rpm when the turbocharger kicks in.
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Source: www.autocar.co.uk
This notice was published: 2022-03-29 23:01:24
