A Synopsis of the Ford Fiesta

Ford dealers will have three models to push from their showrooms: the entry CL, mid-range LX and range-topping sports Zetec model with the 1.6-litre Duratec Ti-VCT four cylinder. The LX will only be available as a five door hatchback while the CL and Zetec will come in both three and five-door guises.

The new Fiesta is certainly a striking looker with the distinctive bold Ford front fascia seen on other recent Ford vehicles. The inverted trapezoidal lower grille gives the Fiesta a sporty appeal and the wheel arches exude muscularity. The roofline extends back from the front A pillar to endow the car with a sleek look, while the rising body line along the side underscores the modern wedge shape.

Into the car’s interior, the new Fiesta gets a classy, European feel and exudes a quality way beyond that expected of a small car considering its price range. The car looks and feels more expensive than it really is. The cockpit is well laid out with the driver in mind. The steering is both reach and height-adjustable which is a rarity in the small car market. The seats are supportive and comfortable; you sit some distance back from the windscreen, thereby providing excellent visibility. In the centre of the dash, the mobile-phone inspired design works perfectly for all the audio controls. Designers at Ford skillfully managed to use slush-moulded soft-touch plastics for the top of the instrument panel but the lower surfaces retain hard plastics.

Standard equipment include keyless entry and a start button, 16-inch alloys, Ford’s human machine interface, air conditioning, anti-skid brakes, CD stereo with MP3 compatibility, Bluetooth connectivity and a USB port. The new Fiesta offers a horde of safety features with its extensive array of airbags including knee, head and thorax side airbags, ABS braking, Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD), Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), Emergency Brake Assist (EBA) and Traction Control. The Fiesta also scored a maximum 5 star European NCAP safety rating.

On the road, Ford engineers made the new Fiesta both smooth and quiet while providing a superb driving experience. The electronic power steering is accurate while the five-speed gearbox is slick and highly intuitive. Moreover, Ford's initial claims of more precise high-speed stability and better low-speed maneuverability appear to be right on the money. It maybe unknown to many but the new Fiesta was based on the Verve concept car unveiled at the Frankfurt Auto Show, and the seventh-generation Fiesta shares about 20 percent of its hardware with the Mazda2, as part of Ford's global product development program. However, Ford engineers altered the dynamics, steering and suspension of the car. More importantly, the Fiesta gets Ford's DNA even though both vehicles were developed side-by-side.

With all the upgrades and refinements that Ford incorporated to its new Fiesta, it could seriously challenge the supremacy of the other vehicles in its class and it won’t be surprising that it may eventually end up as the class leader.