Ford Fiesta 2011 Review

Down in "Tiddlerville" Ford has a cracker of a competitor with its recently revamped Fiesta. Now available in sedan and five-door hatch, Fiesta has also shifted up a gear in terms of drive-feel and appearance.

It comes out of Thailand now, off the same line as the Mazda2 but don't hold that against it. This little puppy has plenty in its favour not the least being price and style.

We got hold of the base CL sedan but that includes Ford's excellent six-speed Powershift dual-clutch "auto" as standard.

It makes this light car a treat to drive, even if you miss out on power rear windows and a spare tyre.

VALUE

You can't argue with $18,990 for the CL sedan - it has plenty of kit for the dosh, offering up Bluetooth (not in Mazda2) impressive audio, aircon, a decent trip computer, power front windows and exterior mirrors and that six-speed "manumatic" as standard _ a master stroke from Ford as Fiesta will be bought mostly by urban females who are generally not fussed shifting cogs by hand. They can now have their cake and eat it too because the Powershift transmission offers a sequential change mode as well as D. Capped price servicing is a big plus.

TECHNOLOGY

Targeting a young audience, Fiesta has plenty of connectivity to make them happy including voice control of some electronic functions. There are multiple plugs for iPods and MP3s and standard Bluetooth is a bonus this far down the food chain.

The plucky 1.6-litre four cylinder engine offers plenty of pep thanks in part to variable valve timing which also aids fuel economy rated at 6.1-litres/100km. Maximum output is 88kW/151Nm. And it runs on anything from 91-98 octane fuel.

DESIGN

Fiesta is an example of Ford's current "Kinetic Design"" styling theme  - inside and out. It's a cute little beast with a high bum and wedgey profile. The front has an assertive look to it but not too tough. The inside has some soft feel surfaces and an eye grabbing, V-shaped metallic centre applique that livens up the look no end.

All controls are legible and easy to find and use.

The interior has plenty of room for four, five at a pinch and the boot is huge for a car this size - 430 litres.

SAFETY

Nothing less than five stars for the latest Fiesta thanks in part to seven air bags and stability control as well as the strong body/chassis.

Even the base model we drove with the skinny tyres has inherent safety thanks to its sporty dynamics that would help avert a crash in the first place. It steers like a sports car.

DRIVING

We have been big turbodiesel fans for yonks but this car made us think again about petrol and it isn't even turbo charged.

The CL sedan is a hoot to drive any way you like - cruisin', commuting, even having a bit of a crack on a winding road -Fiesta puts its best foot forward - within limits.

You don't have to be going fast to have fun partly because of the sporty drive feel. It has reasonable seats and plenty of kit to keep you informed and entertained.

VERDICT

Really impressive. We'd have it on a short list in this segment especially considering the six-speed "auto" is standard. The temporary mobility kit is a problem as are the wind up rear windows but overall, the CL sedan is right up with best in class.