Good breeding, clever design and cool colours – surely this is a winning recipe?
What you need to know: Ford’s Fiesta carries some pleasant beliefs. Firstly – as pushed by the hit TV show Top Gear – it’s quite an agile and fun little number to drive. Next up is the car’s hip design and funky colour palette, evidenced by the many bright hues I witnessed at its 2013 launch. Just look at this press car. Look at it!
More facts: I’m unsure if it’s turquoise or teal but I’ll admit that I specifically asked for this colour when booking the car. Most people liked it, some weren’t too sure about it (probably accountants) and a select few were horrified by this vibrant metallic paint. No doubt they only wear white socks and make love with the lights off.
Where we went: Town, suburbs, a highway or two, the office and a shopping mall. Space and versatility are good; it turns on a dime and is fairly easy to park with standard rear park sensors. This Fiesta’s ride is on the firm side of comfortable, especially at village speeds with these handsome 205/45R17 wheels.
This Titanium model offers plenty of gadgets like climate and cruise control, power windows and mirrors, front seat heaters, auto wipers, keyless entry and start as well as a touch-screen media system with USB, Bluetooth and voice commands.
Watch out for: Ford’s award-winning 1-litre turbo-petrol 3-cylinder engine is reasonably feisty (74kW, 170Nm) but this six-shot automatic gearbox isn’t. There are Sport and Manual modes, it hangs onto ratios nicely (especially ‘round corners) but tends to hunt at highway speeds. Sporty drivers, move along to the manual Fiesta, please.
Ford South Africa claims just above 5L/100km (or 20km/L) from the 42L tank but, as with most turbo cars, the average around town was at least three litres higher. Our performance runs were impressive though: 0-100km/h fell in 11.7 seconds while reversing the process took a commendable 2.83 seconds and just 39.4 metres.
Why you’ll want one: The looks, agility and packaging of a Fiesta, driven by a commuter-friendly slush-o-matic gearbox, wrapped in luxurious Titanium trim and garnished with this hypnotizing colour. Warranty and service plan are four years each with 60,000km worth of services and 120k for the warranty.
FULL SPECLIST
- Engine: 1L i-3 turbo-petrol
- Transmission: 6-speed Automatic, FWD
- Max. Power: 74kW
- Max. Torque: 170Nm
- Avg cons.: Approx. 8.5L/100km (claimed 5.2)
- 0-100km/h: 11.70 seconds (claimed 12.2)
- Top Speed: Claimed 180km/h
- List Price: R319,900
Performance:
0-10km/h: 0,51 seconds
0-20km/h: 1,25 seconds
0-30km/h: 1,92 seconds
0-40km/h: 2,79 seconds
0-50km/h: 3,92 seconds
0-60km/h: 5,07 seconds
0-70km/h: 6,37 seconds
0-80km/h: 8,02 seconds
0-90km/h: 9,70 seconds
0-100km/h: 11,70 seconds
0-110km/h: 14,09 seconds
0-120km/h: 17,14 seconds
0-130km/h: 20,84 seconds
0-140km/h: 25,53 seconds
0-150km/h: 31,05 seconds
0-100m: 7,71 seconds @ 78,17km/h
0-200m: 11,72 seconds @ 100,12km/h
0-300m: 15,08 seconds @ 113,63km/h
0-400m: 18,13 seconds @ 123,03km/h
100-0km/h: 2,83 seconds @ 39,40 metres (once-off)
Maximum deceleration G-force: 1.12G
0-10mph: 0,96 seconds
0-20mph: 2,11 seconds
0-30mph: 3,72 seconds
0-40mph: 5,62 seconds
0-50mph: 8,08 seconds
0-60mph: 10,97 seconds
0-70mph: 14,80 seconds
0-80mph: 20,34 seconds
0-90mph: 28,07 seconds
1/4 mile: 18,19 seconds @ 76,55 mph
Maximum acceleration G-force: 0.49G
Altitude: 60m
All data captured by Racelogic® Performance Box