You may be running out of time to buy a new Fiesta, but this well-priced, generously equipped small hatchback still makes a brilliant used buy
Mark Pearson Mark.Pearson@haymarket.com
BUYING GUIDE
In production 2017-present Price from £6000 Our favourite version 1.0 Ecoboost 100 Titanium
THE TIMES THEY are a-changing, as Bob Dylan once observed – and a classic example of this is the fate of the Ford Fiesta.
Through its various iterations, this small hatchback has consistently been one of the best-selling cars in the UK – loved by generations of owners, learner drivers, motor traders, fleet buyers and hard-bitten motoring journalists alike. Now, though, the Fiesta has reached the end of the line, with production stopping for good this June as Ford shifts towards electrification.
Still, it goes out on a high, because this final incarnation upped the refinement level while retaining all the driving qualities that made previous generations so rewarding. Its popularity over the years also means that there are plenty out there on the used market.
There’s a good spread of engines to choose from, including 69bhp and 84bhp 1.1-litre petrols, followed by 99bhp, 123bhp and 138bhp turbocharged 1.0-litre Ecoboost units. Some later versions of these incorporated fuel-saving mild hybrid technology. There’s also a 197bhp 1.5-litre version for the ST hot hatch. The 84bhp and 118bhp 1.5 diesels were dropped in 2020.
The range initially kicked off with Style trim, which got air-con and electric front windows but missed out on the 8.0in infotainment screen and heated windscreen that came with all other models. Style and next-rung Zetec were replaced by Trend trim when the engine line-up was revised in 2020.
Titanium trim added cruise control, automatic lights and wipers, and climate control (although this changed slightly on later versions), while B&O variants came with an upgraded 10-speaker, 675-watt sound system. The B&O sound system was standard with Titanium X trim, along with heated front seats. ST-Line and ST-line X were similar in spec to the Zetec and Titanium respectively but got sportier looks and sports suspension. The top-of-the-range Vignale had plush leather seats, a panoramic glass roof and a reversing camera.
WHAT’S IT LIKE?
The 1.1-litre petrol engines are a bit gutless, whereas the thrummy three-cylinder 1.0 Ecoboost, in any of its states of tune, is smooth and pulls well from low revs. Even the 99bhp version delivers energetic performance.
The Fiesta’s real party trick, though, is its agi
