A fine drive (Ford Fiesta (1999 onwards) in general)

Member Name: kingsraconteur

Product:	Ford Fiesta (1999 onwards) in general
Date:	22/05/09 (143 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Much cheaper than a Focus, good handling, responsive engine, solid reliability (up to now!)

Disadvantages: Can be noisy, build quality probably not as good as some,

It was the summer of 2007 when a little black car found its way into the road next to my humble abode. There had been a delay with the delivery of my new acquisition (due to a third party) but there it was, my brand new Ford Fiesta.

I had bought the car through the internet for the first time and it wasn't long before I was coming to terms with my little box fo tricks.

Before the Fiesta I had been driving a Mondeo. Driving a Mondeo to me was like driving a metal barge! Whilst the handling was good it'd sometimes struggle with a couple of hills round my way and country lanes are a blooming nightmare when you have to try and dive into small spaces.

What a difference with the Fiesta. I'd gone for a quite high spec version and the 1.6 engine laughs at hills. With the clever fold away mirrors you can shrink your car and snuggle quite nicely into a passing point whilst the ubiquitous white vans go merrily on their way in the opposite direction.

Acceleration is zippy and the Fiesta hugs the bends with no problem at all. In fact it can be quite fun. The road seems a lot bigger in a Fiesta than a Mondeo and you get much more appreciation of speed.

Parking is a breeze. I had a rear parking sensor fitted (very useful device) and you could almost shut your eyes and wait for the beep as you reverse, not that I ever had I would quickly like to add :D Petrol consumption is pretty good if you drive sensibly. Currently I'm at 40.4 mpg and bearing in mind I often hit traffic on the A2 that aint too bad.

My version is fitted with an automatic gearbox. It selects the right gear at the right time (unlike my old Mondeo!) and there's been no problems as yet (touch wood!)

The car is surprisingly capacious inside and I swear I have just as much room as when I drove the Mondeo. The boot isn't that large though but hey, it is a Fiesta after all!

Disadvantages would be that it can be quite noisy at high speed. Undoubtedly detractors would also comment on some of the build quality as opposed to say a Civic but then this is much cheaper.

In my opinion this is a good solid car and fun to drive.

Summary: Economic and fun small car to drive.

Processing/Quality:
Reliability:
Driving comfort: