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Ford’s just unveiled the brand new Fiesta, the latest edition to the legendary supermini, and it’s no budget slouch either. Ford’s packed the new Fiesta with more tech than you can shake an affordable stick at, and it’s made it look like a baby Aston from the front too, while spitting out a full-blooded ST in the process.
I got a chance to drive the new Fiesta this weekend, and the first thing you notice about it is that Aston-esque grill up the front end. Ford used to own Aston, but it’s a surprise to see something that looks quite so DBS-like on a supermini. It’s certainly good looking from the front, even if the back is a tad less exotic. Apparently the new grill and shape isn’t just about looks either, as Ford’s managed to reduce the Fiesta’s drag co-efficient to just 0.328, meaning it cuts through the air a lot better. Combined with a plethora of eco-engines, auto-start-stop when idle, and smart regenerative charging of the car’s battery, the Fiesta’s even greener for the planet and your wallet.
With the Fiesta, Ford’s finally brought its innovative and possibly useful Ford Sync to a car you might actually be able to afford to buy in the UK. OK, the new Focus has it, and the B-Max has had it for a little while now, but who really wants a mini-MPV? For those who don’t keep up with in-car tech, Sync is Ford’s smart car interface and device integration tech, created in partnership with Microsoft. Now, I know what you’re thinking — hell no, I don’t want Microsoft anywhere near my car; imagine if it performed an illegal operation in the middle of the bloody M1 — but don’t fret, Microsoft’s not got its hooks into anything other than the in-car entertainment system here; a hardware firewall takes care of that.
Essentially, Sync allows you to hook up your phone or media device via USB or Bluetooth and control it all with your voice. It’ll make calls by pulling down your address book; read texts, including support for a sampling of text speak and smileys, and browse your music by just shouting at your car. It’s not natural language speech recognition, such as the likes of Siri or Google Voice assistant, but in practice it’s pretty accurate. It managed to decipher what we were saying, even when we spoke to it in a pretend drunken slur, so rest assured if you’ve had a few too many you can still blare out the right tunes in your new Fiesta, even if you can’t actually drive it. Ford reckons that it’s reduced the time it takes to switch tracks or artists down to just 1.8 seconds, so it’s quicker, and a heck of a lot safer, than trying to change the track on your phone while driving.
A big advantage Sync has over attempting to use Siri or its ilk in the car, is that it doesn’t require a data connection to work, which is a real bonus. It currently supports most modern smartphones, with 290 tested and working, including Android, BlackBery, iOS, Windows Phone, and even Symbian, for what it’s worth. Ford and Microsoft are continuing to develop Sync too, which is updatable via flash drive, and will soon support control of third-party apps on both Android and iOS. In our testing, Spotify worked fine with the current iteration of Sync, although only commands like next track, pause and play were valid.
That’s not all the tech Ford’s shoe-horned into the Fiesta for this generation, it’s got Ford’s personalised ‘MyKey’ driving setup, as well as ‘Active City Stop’ to correct your horrendous, no-look driving.
MyKey allows you to program particular keys with certain driving setups. Say you want your driving experience to always be as fast, responsive, and uninhibited as possible, but you want your car-borrowing little sprogs to have a safer, limited driving setup — no problem, just use Ford’s new MyKey system. You can customise in-car alerts for things like seat belts, the low-fuel warning, speed warnings, and even electronically limit the car’s top speed, as well as disable the radio should little Jimmy decide he’s not going to wear his seat belt. Not only that, but you can also limit the actual volume of the radio to just 45 per cent of its maximum, which should please the neighbours.
Meanwhile, if you’re a bit crap at city driving, or you’re just plain bored and concentrating on something else entirely more entertaining than the backside of a car, Active City Stop could be the answer to your crash-prone prayers. Simply put, the system stops your car even if you don’t when it detects a collision is imminent, slamming on the brakes, killing the engine, and slapping your hazard lights on to warn others that you’ve forgotten where the brake pedal is. The car uses range and light detection sensors to monitor 15 metres of the road ahead 50 times a second, and gauges whether that car in front has stopped or not. It should stop you crashing into the back of someone at up to 10mph, and reduce the impact to something like a minor bump at up to 19mph. Sadly it’s not going to recognise that pedestrian who’s just stepped out in front of you though, so you’re on your own with that one.
If the unfortunate does happen, and you do end up getting into a wreck, Ford’s got a new emergency assistance module for Sync, which automatically calls the emergency services from your Bluetooth-connected mobile phone and might just save your life. It’s pre-programmed to make that call in the native language of wherever you happen to be in Europe, too, firing over your exact location thanks to the on-board GPS — handy if you happen to be doing the whole ‘Brit’s abroad’ thing. It’s activated when an airbag goes off, or when the car’s fuel shut-off kicks in, giving you a brief window to cancel the call, should the airbag have gone off because some granny’s just hit the nose of your car with her handbag or something. It’ll bung you on speaker phone, just in case you’re incapacitated, and will even transfer the call to your phone if you happen to step out of the car. It’s a great, potentially life-saving feature that ought to be in every modern car these days, and doesn’t even need a monthly fee like other services, because it just uses your Bluetooth phone. Five different phones can be paired with the car at anyone one time, which is great for music streaming, but it also means the car will attempt to call the international emergency assistance number, 112, from each phone in turn until it gets through. Ford’s apparently done some crash tests with phones in the cabin, and found that both the Sync computer and the phones survive pretty nasty collisions.
It’s not just in-car tech Ford’s managed to pack the new Fiesta out with. Under the bonnet you have the option of Ford’s new eco-boost engine. Don’t be fooled by the name, the 1L, three-cylinder eco-boost might be small, but it packs a wallop. Eco-boost combines a turbo, direct injection, and independent variable valve timing to produce the power of a 1.6L engine with a much smaller displacement, meaning it drinks far less fuel. It’s got really good low-end torque too, which means in a relatively small and light car like the Fiesta, it accelerates fast away from the lights. After having nuked the vibration traditionally caused by a three-cylinder engine, Ford was left with a really good, aggressive-sounding engine note, so not only does the eco-boost pack a responsive-punch, it also sounds great. In fact, it’s so good that Ford’s looking into using the technology to produce a less eco-minded engine that rivals the turbo-charged beast that it’s going to shove into the new ST. Combined with responsive steering and decent road holding, the new eco-boost-equipped Ford Fiesta is an impressive little package indeed.
There’s a lot to like about the new Ford Fiesta. From much improved interiors, Ford Sync, Active City Stop, and a load more in-car gadgets, plus a great ride and decent handling, the small car has never been quite so good. I just can’t wait to see what the new Fiesta ST’s going to be like. With a 1.6L, 182bhp turbocharged engine, electronic torque vectoring control, and an even better ride, that thing’ll be one hot hatch. It’s just a shame it’ll probably come looking like a day-glow trainer just like the rest of the ST/RS line.
Bet it has the price of an Aston Martin too!
12K? This is still a Fiesat.
Fiesta*
Is that for the basic though?
yea, goes up to 16k for the Titanium.
You still get a decent amount of kit in the basic, bluetooth is now standard and the screen is also standard, I am not sure about the Fog lights on the new one, but it looks to be another standard like it is on the new Focus.
Actually, it’s the Edge from £9,495 up to 16K.
That’s a nice looking car. As a long suffering Fiesta owner, though, I can honestly say I’ve never hated a car more than the Fiesta. That means that I’ll never fully accept it’s offspring no matter how good it looks.
Loads of issues, or just hated the ride?
It’s an 08, I just hate the weight, the handling, the tracking is always pulling me left or right (it gets realligned and doesn’t last long), the economy is bad. Me and it just don’t connect!
I had a 2010 for a while, it was much better. All the manufacturers seem to have taken their ‘small car’ and made it bigger so they can fit an even smaller car in there. Toyota did it with the Yaris so they could slot in the Aygo and Ford have done it with the Feesty so they could cement the Ka as the small car in their line. I just think that sometimes all they are doing is adding weight to the same design without reworking the handling.
I’ve had a Fiesta Zetec (2001) and I’ve currently got a Fiesta Titanium (2010). The Zetec was getting on a bit and falling apart, just wasn’t comfortable any more; but my new Fiesta is great, very comfortable, decent gadgets and hasn’t gone wrong on me yet
I’ve got the 2012 Fiesta Zetec, Amazing car! Very grippy handling, good acceleration, Good Eco, Awesome entertainment system with Bluetooth voice and music streaming, voice control, USB, Aux.
I am considering selling in about a year to get one of the new beauty’s. There is a reason this is the UK’s best selling car.
I’ve tried that one, it’s much better than the 08 that I’ve got. MUCH better. I think they remodelled the body on the 08 without reworking the handling, so you got a heavier version of the earlier Fiesta models.
You obviously never owned a citroen BX
has to be my worst ever car (well every Bx owners worst car)
I really don’t like my wife’s Fiesta – I can’t get comfortable driving it, the steering wheel doesn’t suit and I can’t get a good driving position. Worst small car I’ve ever driven – I think it’s trying too hard to be like a bigger car. Probably just me though!
You can’t go wrong with a Fiesta as far as I’m concerned. It’s got everything you could need in a small car.
Yes it’s a thoroughly grown-up car, competent to the nth degree but lacking in – soul? fun? at least in basic form. I’m sure the fancy pants go-faster versions are better. My wife’s previous car was a Citroen C1, which was altogether cheaper, nastier, lighter, less powerful, and an absolute hoot to drive. That car has soul!
c1 is good to drive, not as good as the current Fiesta by any shot, the C1 isn’t as good as the KA aswell, the KA was really good to drive, very grippy, much better then the C1 I had for a few months.
Well it’s all subjective, but the Fiesta does not make me smile in basic form. The C1, with it’s bouncy, less grippy, puppy-dog handling is waaaaay more fun in my book. Will it get you from A to B faster? No. But I’ll be smiling more if I try. Fat, grippy tyres kill fun on anything less than a racetrack. The C1 is also miles easier to park (you can actually see where the corners are) and being cheaper you’re not as terrified driving through (smaller than Fiesta sized) gaps with it in town. But the Fiesta looks miles better than a C1!
Yea, for a cheap(ish)car the C1 was good and fun, But I definatly prefer the drive of the Fiesta. I’m not terrified going through gaps either? it’s still a small car that can get through gaps easily enough. I suppose it’s what you get use too in the end.
a C1 with 123BHP would be very cool.
I hope Ford put the 1.0L Eco Boost 123BHP in the smaller KA. Maybe release a new design or ST with it in, that would fly..
for when you need to wait for the AA
..
I can imagine!
I owned a Sierra back in the day, 1.8 with rear-wheel drive, even that handled better than my Feesty.
If I can ever afford to buy and Aston Martin and they look like that I’ll be devastated!
Reminds me of an Aston Cygnet
Ugh, god, that thing is an abomination.
Wasn’t it only made so that Aston Martin could say that they’ve reduced emissions across their product ranges and say their company fits into come sort of “Eco” bracket?
And you could only order one if you already had an Aston Martin or something?
I really hate the move to smaller engines with turbos. It would be fine if they just had them as an alternative, but they all too often cull the bigger/better engines leaving us with smaller turbo ones.
I know Ford’s smaller engines are still very good but even slapping a turbo onto a 1L or 1.6L engine still doesn’t allow it to compete properly with the 2L in my old car because the lag from a turbo always irritates me – I want a 2L Duratorq dammit.
It is an alternative, they still have the standard 1.6 and 1.4′s.
They do now, but they will slowly drop them as they have in higher-end vehicle segments in favour of smaller turbo because it isn’t economical to maintain three or four engine designs for both Petrol and Diesel on lower-end segments.
Your guessing?
“It would be fine if they just had them as an alternative, but they all too often cull the bigger/better engines leaving us with smaller turbo ones.” – They still are doing the standard engines.
I’m all in favor of the 1 Liter 123BHP engine.
It isn’t a guess, the current Fiesta 6 no longer has a 2L engine that the Fiesta 5 had. Instead they replaced it with smaller turbo engines. And I wouldn’t expect them to drop an engine this year because this is only a model-year change so it doesn’t make sense to make wholesale changes to the powertrain when you are still using the same chassis and the majority of the same body from the initial launch back in 2008.
The current Fiesta is Mk7, they obliviously want to get the eco number’s up. They have won awards for the new Eco-Boost engines, I dont see the problem, but then again I wouldn’t be able to afford the insurance on a 2L so I am excited by the notion of a 1 Liter engine that has 123BHP!
It is only Mk7 in the UK but it is still the sixth generation of Fiesta because the mid-cycle refresh (’99MY or ’00MY change I think) was considered a mk change here but nowhere else and not within Ford as it was still the same chassis/powertrain base.
And as I said above and below, I’m fine with them putting in the Eco engines, they are very good engines, but I really wish they didn’t substitute the bigger/better engines jsut to accommodate them.
Ahh, got you. They will do what is best and cheapest for the company in the long run. The ST will be good though, I know it’s not 2L but the way engines are going, they are getting smaller but more powerful for the size, give it a few years, a 1L will be like a 2L of today, without the obvious size and weight issues of a big 2L engine in a small car.
I can tell you that Ford’s managed to basically eliminate turbo lag from the eco-boost. Max torque from 1400 revs. Felt no sudden surge of power during the drive, just constant, smooth power delivery. Actually, it reminded me of the early Golf GTIs, although not as quick of course.
I know they’re good, Ford have some of the best engines and are certainly making some of the best vehicles but even then, I’ve yet to be converted to the smaller engine with tubro set-up and have yet to find a 1.6L which matches up to a 2L.
So glad I didn’t buy a fiesta back in September, had a feeling it was due for a change despite the dealer saying otherwise. Got a Peugeot 208 instead and love it!
Every single car has a refresh about every 18 months or less so even the Peugeot you bought will have been updated.
That is true but at least i’ll have a lot longer with the current model before that happens than I would have with the fiesta. Plus i’ll only have the 208 for 30-36 months before I can swap it for something else.
Only by about 5 months, but for future reference, it is easy enough to check online whether there is going to be a model-year change because they always show them at motor shows pre-launch and they are almost always done in spring or autumn.
208 was only released this summer so it’s highly unlikely to see any significant body changes in the time i’ll have it. Obviously they’ll be spec, equipment and trim changes in that time but they will still look like the same car to the untrained average eye.
Depends what you mean by signficant but every vehicle has a 12-18 month model year change cycle. Lights, grill, probably non-structural side body panels, rear-end, new colours, new interior, spec bump etc. It will look similar but different enough that it devalues the vehicle and as soon as you’re down a MY the signficance of the difference is irrelevant. But I hope you enjoy it while you have it.
Yep, knew all that before I bought it. Plus devaluing isn’t an issue for me. On the last car I had only the eagle eyed owner could spot the difference between a 2009 model and a 2012 model.
As an owner of a 2012 Fiesta Zetec I am very happy that you did this Sam,
I am quite gutted I didn’t wait a few months to get a new one, but I got a very good deal on my Zetec witch I couldn’t turn down. I have had it since September 1st and it is an amazing car!! I get a lot of complements about it since I am only 19 with a brand new beast of a car, with private reg.
The car itself is really good, the system (entertainment) is awesome aswell. This new Fiesta (facelift) looks really nice, and the gadgetry really speaks to me, the SYNC Voice from what I have seen looks good and the slight change in interior design looks better.
http://i1338.photobucket.com/albums/o698/joey_griffin1/Fiesta3DJG.jpg
They’ve apparently spent a lot of time on making the already good interior look and feel more premium. It was nice on the inside, although we were driving pretty high-specced models, so I can’t tell you what the lower-range cars look like.
Looking forward to the new Fiesta ST. That thing should be a beast.
Yea, the ST looks to be a beast!, even the interior on the Fiesta Edge and Style are pretty much identical to the Zetec, but the Zetec you get red mood lights and footwell lights, very nice in the dark.
I might wait until I can afford the insurance and get the ST in a few years. But yea, the new interior is very nice, love the blue lights inside now and the new screen looks better.
I used to have an 01 Fiesta, it was a rust bucket and a bit of a death trap but I loved it. I’ve now got a Mondeo which is really nice, especially for motorway driving/long journeys, but I just miss the nippiness and driveability of the Fiesta.
If I had the cash I would buy one of these new models in a heartbeat.
isnt it powered by Microsoft Auto / Microsoft Sync or w/e the new model?
Or is that only the 2014 model?
The US is getting this a year later than we are. The Fiesta should arrive in Jan 2013 in Europe and the UK. So, yes, it’s the same, as I’ve explained above, Sync here is a partnership between Ford and MS, as it’s not exactly the same as what’s available in Fiats etc.
i had to skip the text as there are loads of pictures and im in work :p haha
get a reader, takes all the pics away, Safari has one built in.
Are we getting SYNC this time? On the current model, I believe it’s only the US that uses SYNC and we have something different.
This has got to be the least subtle attempt at trying to blag a free car.
Ha, yeah right, do you really think companies give away free cars like that? And no, that’s an honest appraisal of my experience with the car. I can’t be bought. Sorry. Well, maybe for £100 million, but then I’d just take your money and do a runner.
Aston Martin? Someone has been on the sherry trife a bit to early.
Just because it has a similar shaped grille (and slim headlights) doesn’t mean it looks anything like an Aston. No doubt the feeble minded and those who only look forward will buy this; So they can sit in front of me doing 10/20mph under the limit, because It feels faster when you can’t see over the steering wheel.
How do you know when a ford driver is driving beyond his abilities?
His/Her car is moving
i like the classics like “FORD – Found On Roadside Dead”
or just “Fester”
hehe
The new Fords seem to have a very Aston Martin ish grille, maybe from some Aston Martin designers who are still with Ford.
They even mentioned this on Top Gear when they were discussing the new Mondeo.
http://www.contracthireandleasing.com/cms-images/Ford-Mondeo-2013.jpg
http://revocars.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/2011-Aston-Martin-DB9-Front-View.jpg
so they nicked the grill and moved the lights.. my first thought was mini grill, but then i guess all three are pretty much the same.. poor Aston Martin. Still i would never own a ford. every time i think about buying a new car i test drive one and every time i am shocked by the poor build, only one i ever thought was good was the S-Max titanium but im not a soccer mom and dont want an suv. great new engine design though, but after hearing from a mech that worked at Dagenham ford that the reason they are cheaper than say Seat or VW is cos things like bearings in the turbo are made from cheaper metal and thus die in half the time.. not sure im happy with that..
Sam. Were you man enough to test the stopping sensor?
I have similar tech in my VW Up! Black (a proper city car that I’ve had for about 6months) and the first thing I did was aim it straight at a wall and accelerate…