Not cool, but still lots to offer (Ford Fiesta Freestyle 1.25 16V)

Member Name: andy conda

Product:	Ford Fiesta Freestyle 1.25 16V
Date:	14/12/04 (6903 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: smooth powerful engine, cheap to buy and run, good sporty equipment package

Disadvantages: slightly dated looks, lack of rear legroom, quality not quite as good as the latest Fords

I bought a 2001/Y Fiesta 1.25 Freestyle approximately 4 months ago in Aug 2004, paying £2,900 for a privately advertised car with 21k miles on the clock. I was looking for a cheap-to-insure small car, and considered a Peugeot 206 and Toyota Yaris as alternatives, but the Yaris was too expensive and the Pug worried me as I'd read too many stories about dodgy electrics and water leaks (although it still looks great).

I owned a 1999/S 1.25 Fiesta about four years ago and kept it for about a year, so it was interesting to come back to a similar car after owning a Puma 1.7, a Golf GTI 1.8T and and an MX5 in the meantime! The Fiesta drives well, and feels more eager than its 12 second 0-60 time would suggest. The Zetec engine is definitely the best feature of this car - it's smooth, powerful and loves to be worked hard. Put your foot down in third or fourth, and the acceleration is excellent, while other small-engined cars will often struggle. Look closely and you'll see there's no red line on the rev counter - is this deliberate?

The handling is also great. This model comes with 14 inch alloy wheels and 185-section tyres, which are pretty wide for this class of car. As a result, grip is always good, and the car feels very stable on the motorway for its size. The car is pretty quiet at speed too, with 70mph in top gear equating to roughly 3,250rpm and only a bit of tyre roar spoiling the peace. It's not very economical for a small car (I manage 40mpg on long runs and 25-30mpg when crawling around in London traffic) but it's not too bad, and the smoothness of the engine more than compensates.

This model is very good value, as you get lots of standard equipment. As well as the alloys already mentioned, this car has central locking, electric windows and a decent 6-speaker CD player, as well as adding a sporty edge with front fog lights, tailgate spoiler and white dials. The only things you could really miss are air conditioning (fitted to later models, I think) and Ford's excellent Quickclear windscreen.

I haven't spent anything on servicing yet, but I remember my old Fiesta being pretty cheap to service. Insurance is OK at group 6 and parts are cheap too, so overall this car makes sense as a cheap runabout.

Disadvantages? Space in the rear is not great. My car is a 3-door and access to the back is reasonably easy, but if you need a car for ferrying kids about, get the 5-door which only costs a couple of hundred quid more. I've already mentioned the economy which is OK, but there are other small cars out there which get closer to 50mpg (Corsa, Micra). The car also looks a little dated as it has since been replaced by a completely redesigned Fiesta, and it doesn't match the sporty looks of cars like the Peugeot 206, even when dressed up with spoilers and alloy wheels. Finally, while I'm complaining, the quality can only be described as OK, as the interior plastics feel relatively hard and cheap, and some of the panel fit isn't great. The very latest Fords are better, but this Fiesta model dates back to 1996 and it shows in places. But this is a cheap car and you get what you pay for!

Overall, this car is definitely worth considering if rear space is not a priority. It doesn't look as cool as the Peugeot 206 or as classy as the VW Polo, but it's got a great engine, lots of standard kit, and it's very cheap to buy. With a new model now coming onto the used market in numbers, prices for the old model can only get more competitive.

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