New Ford Fiesta Review

For many years, the Ford Fiesta has been one of the top-selling cars in the UK, and with this latest version it’s easy to see why: it’s a good-looking, good-value small car that gives you the best of both worlds. On the one hand, it has some high-tech features you normally only find on more expensive, bigger cars, but at the same time you can enjoy all the benefits of a small car: it’s economical, nippy and easy to manoeuvre.

It’s well over 40 years since Ford started selling the Fiesta, but this most recent model only arrived in 2017. It’s an alternative to other big-selling small cars, such as the Vauxhall Corsa, Renault Clio, Seat Ibiza and Volkswagen Polo, and is available as both a three- and five-door hatchback. In due course, the range will also expand to include the Fiesta Active, a more rugged-looking version of the car, with SUV-inspired looks.

Even without that, there’s plenty of variety in the way the regular hatchback looks. In Zetec guise, the Ford Fiesta looks smart but unassuming, Vignale models get a fancy chrome grille and ST-Line versions have a sporty makeover, with more aggressive bumpers and a little spoiler on the boot. If you want your Ford Fiesta to look as cool as possible, then get the three-door version, but go for the five-door if you need to regularly use the back seats.

The Ford Fiesta’s interior doesn’t look quite as trendy – if you want a small car that feels properly funky then the Citroen C3 is a better bet. But, on the plus side, the Ford Fiesta’s dashboard is covered in soft-touch plastics that feel way more expensive than the rock-hard materials you’ll find in a SEAT Ibiza, and the Ford’s top-spec eight-inch colour infotainment system is really bright and sharp. However, its menus are a bit fiddly to navigate – unlike the system in the VW Polo.

What you might not expect from such a relatively inexpensive small car is the Bang & Olufsen sound system, which is a fairly cheap option on much of the range. It sounds far better than the stereo in any other car of this size and price, and it’s worth buying if you like your tunes and like them loud.

Things are pretty rosy for anyone in the front seats, but you won’t be blown away by the Ford Fiesta’s back-seat practicality. In fact, the rear seats are fairly cramped, even in five-door models, and the VW Polo and SEAT Ibiza are much better bets if you’re going to carry passengers regularly.

The Ford Fiesta’s boot isn’t as big as the Polo’s or Ibiza’s, either, but there’s still room for a big suitcase. Mind you, it’s worth remembering the Ford Fiesta is a small car, so you can’t expect to get all that much stuff in the boot.