Ford Fiesta CL 2009 review: road test

Marin Burela believes it's the imports, and the global Focus that will be built here from 2011, which are the real key to the future success of the blue oval downunder.

The first time we met, at the Paris Motor Show the week he was confirmed at Broadmeadows, Burela pointed to the all-new Fiesta on the Ford stand and promised it would be a future star. And he was right.

The baby Ford is as good as it gets in the compact class, with great looks and a driving experience that is way beyond the bargain-basement bumblers which do most of the $15,000-ish showroom business in Australia.

Explore the 2009 Ford Fiesta range

• Ford Fiesta 2009 review
• Ford Fiesta Zetec 2009 review
• Ford Fiesta CL 2009 review: road test
• Ford Fiesta CL 2009 review

The new Fiesta is priced from $15,750 yet delivers a premium drive, even as a basic five-door CL.

Yes, there are a few shortcuts and we are not happy that buyers have to pay an extra $1000 for a full set of airbags and ESP stability control. But that is the way things work in the light-car class, and even the benchmark Toyota Yaris fails to deliver all the safety standards that buyers should expect in 2009.

The new Fiesta is part of a new global product push by Ford that is doing the job the keeping the company profitable and successful in Europe and beyond, despite all the troubles at home in the USA. It is has just been joined by the latest Ka, which is not looking good for Australia, and the next Focus is also coming up fast.

If it looks familiar it's partly because it has an under-the-skin link to the Mazda2, which shares many of its key components and engineering thinking.

But what makes the Fiesta so good - as I have come to expect from imported Fords - is the focus on driving enjoyment. The car is more than just a basic box for city commuting and that is always a welcome when something new hits the Carsguide test fleet.

Drivetrains

The Fiesta range is the usual run of three and five-door hatches, with a standard 1.6 litre engine, two airbags and anti-skid brakes. But the automatic only gets a 1.4 in the nose, to hold the torque back to the level of the self-shifter gearbox.

Pricing

Prices open at $15,750, which is about right in 2009 with everything new on the import line heading for exchange-rate rises, and goes up to $22,490 for the loaded Zetec auto.

Standard equipment is good, with air-con and CD sound and power steer and the rest, although the big spend brings the predictable upgrades to alloy rims and upmarket sound and an airbag package including protection for the driver's knees.

"The all-new Fiesta will be the hottest property in the light car segment," says Burela.

He is probably right, and the car should be a huge hit with the young women who are Ford's primary target, but the company still has to prove it can convert quality cars into the sort of sales which have Toyota looking over its shoulder. Driving

The new Fiesta is a tight little package.

It looks good, has a quality feel, and drives as well, or better than, anything in its price and size class.

For my money, it's the benchmark. And genuinely better than the Toyota Yaris which leads light-car sales in Australia.

The new Fiesta is even better than the first model I drove in Australia. And that means it is very, very good.

There are people who will say it is just a Mazda2 with a Ford badge, but that is not right. And it undervalues the work done by Ford of Europe engineers on the way their baby feels and drives.

Benchmarked against the latest 2, which is up at the top of the class with the Honda Jazz, the Fiesta feels more substantial, more planted, and more enjoyable to drive.

The styling of the Fiesta reflects the blue oval's latest direction, with a shape that cuts through traffic and a cabin which is stylish and quality for the class. I'm not a fan of the extra-window look at the bottom of the windscreen pillar, even though it improves visibility, but it moves the car away from the 2 and is typical of a lot of Euro newcomers.

The dash is well designed and the controls are good to use, with a mini computer for sound controls, although there was an annoying squeak in the test car which was impossible to trace.

Running through the basics, the seats are comfy and supportive, the gearshift is light and direct, the power steering is good and the car is fairly easy to park. It's a bit pinched for rear vision, and there is no radar park assist in the CL starter, but it is fine at the supermarket.

The boot is about average for the class, but nothing special, and the back seat is really only for two adults. I also found the CL steering wheel a strange shape and feel, and some of the finishing work - on things like the carpet in the boot - shows Ford has been pushing hard to restrain its costs.

But drive the Fiesta and you forget any minor niggles. It gets along crisply, has great cornering grip and balance, and feels as meaty and planted as anything under $20,000.

There is road noise from the tyres on some coarse surfaces, a common complaint on a lot of Euro cars, but that is the only thing to fault in the dynamic package. The brakes are good, the headlamps are fine, and it feels as if it will stay tough for the long run.

Up against its rivals, the Fiesta is not as clever as the Jazz or as edgy as the Mazda2, and the Yaris is just the Yaris and the default choice for a lot of Toyota fans, but it is the best car in the class and the one that everyone should drive before they buy.