Ford Fiesta 1.6 TDCi

In the 1970s Ford were producing the best selling cars in the UK, that was despite having only four models to offer, the Escort, Cortina, Capri & Consul/Granada.
Their models were pretty conservative, rear wheel drive with a choice of two & four door saloons & estate cars except for the sporty Capri. They were modern looking, reasonable reliable, cheap to run & they held their value quite well.

Ford could no wrong in the 1970s with a successful rally programme & a sporty image most car makers would die for, but there were problems ahead & they came from foreign countries.

Companies such as Fiat in Italy, VW in Germany, Renault in France & Datsun (Nissan) in Japan were importing small front wheel drive cars, some with hatchbacks that were proving very popular with British buyers. Although smaller on the outside than an Escort they were just as roomy, easier to park & very adaptable.

Clearly if Ford wanted to remain the UK best seller of cars they had to produce a similar vehicle. However with a conservative management based in the USA it would be a tough job convincing them.

In 1972 they took the brave step to authorise the design of project ‘Bobcat’ a small front wheel drive car (Fords first) for the European market which would be built in Spain.
Big companies with large fleets shied away from front wheel drive cars as they were more costly to maintain & repair, so Ford who traditional sold their cars to big fleets would have a mammoth job on their hands convincing them that their new car would be cheap & simple to maintain & repair.

In 1976 the new small Ford called Fiesta was released for an anticipated audience, it lost out to the Rover 3500 as car of the year but in February 1977 it went on sale in the UK & was instantly liked.

It was modern, light weight, easy to drive, easy to repair, roomy & a right blast to drive, best of all it was cheap to run & insure & became a big seller. More models followed & during the 1980s it was one of the most popular cars on the road. I owned two early models & found them to be very reliable & great for town use.

In the 1990s the Fiesta became bigger & lost its way to stiffer competition such as the brilliant Nissan Micra but it always remained a big seller.

THE NEW FORD FIESTA

This latest Fiesta which was released in 2008 has catapulted the Fiesta back to the top in its segment of the market. No longer is it just a box on wheels but a very streamlined small car, thanks in part to some very eye catching colours. Ford has successfully managed to keep the Fiesta ahead of the competition in the ‘looks’ department.

Ford call it ‘kinetic’ engineering that makes the car look like its moving when it’s standing still……………….quite! I beg to differ but there is no doubt that the new Fiesta is eye catching.

It has grown quite considerably from the size of the original Fiesta & is more like the original Escort size. From the outside the general finish is excellent with loads of neat chrome effect which gives the Fiesta a classy look. The front doors on the two door model are large & heavy with nice chunky door handles. Paintwork finish is good & all the gaps around the panels are even & tight.

Step inside & you quickly realise that the interior is just a stylish as the outside. As soon as you open the door the instruments light up & there are handy foot well lights.
The centre of the dash (pictured) looks like a giant mobile phone with similar functions which with all the best intentions doesn’t work so well in a car. There is loads of well finished fake aluminium on the dash which looks good. At the top of the centre of the dash is a readout for information regarding radio channels, outside temperature, fuel consumption etc. The languages can be changed but my only criticism is the red display which maybe easy on the eye when it’s dark but fails to impress me otherwise.

Front seats are very comfortable & come with height adjuster; with an adjustable steering column it is very easy to get a comfortable driving position. Room in the back is acceptable but the rear seats not so comfy. Oddment space could be better but at least there is a decent sized glove box & a cubby hole to store an ipod with a socket nearby. General finish inside in very good, the dash top is fitted with a decent plastic cover although lower dash plastics are not so good they are of a better quality than many of the Fiestas competitors.

The boot is a good size for a small car & the rear seats can folded down to increase space. Although some models come with a spare tyre, the diesel model I tested didn’t, Ford provide a ‘get you home’ repair kit & electric tyre pump, this won’t be to everyone’s satisfaction.

Equipment levels are decent on the model I drove with air condition, alloy wheel, driving lamps, ipod connection & a decent radio CD.

DRIVING THE FIESTA

Although I have driven quieter diesel cars the Fiesta only becomes noisy when you accelerate hard, otherwise engine noise levels are reasonably subdued. The engine gives great acceleration for a diesel model & would leave many similar sized petrol engines standing. Needless to say it keeps up with the flow of traffic without any problems.
Gear change is very slick thanks to the cable operated gear change & the clutch is very smooth, however after I drove a number of models they all suffered form an annoying creak when the clutch pedal was depressed.

Steering feels good, not to light or heavy at parking speeds which contributed to the Fiesta’s excellent handling on country roads. This is a car that could be driven quite enthusiastly without many problems. The general ride is very smooth & only gets caught out on severe pot holed roads.

CONCLUSION

With its stunning looks & general decent build quality the Fiesta is once again leader of the pack. Running costs are likely to be very low, emission levels are very good indeed & if reliability can be sustained then Ford has a real ‘cracker’ of a car on offer.