Ford were slow to adopt the transverse front engine, front wheel drive layout. The BMC Mini appeared in 1959 and during the course of the 1960s most of the other manufacturers followed suit. Ford remained aloof, eventually saying that they would not move to this design until they could produce a gearchange that was as positive and direct, as the one they currently had in their smallest model, the Escort.
News of a new small Ford began to emerge in the middle 1970s and I was excited by the prospect and sceptical as to what Ford would produce. I was convinced that the new front wheel drive small Ford would have a beam rear axle suspended on semi-elliptic leaf springs, as that was the cheapest way of doing it and as we all knew, Ford was all about producing cars as cheaply as possible.
I was at a Ford function in Killarney towards the end of 1976 and after the event, the stage curtains rolled back and there was the new Fiesta. I dashed up onto the stage and looked underneath. It did have a beam axle, but located by trailing arms and panhard rod, with coil springs and telescopic dampers. Early in 1977 we were invited to Monaco to drive the new Fiesta and once again I was delighted with every aspect of the car, including its smooth precise gearchange. I have been a Fiesta fan ever since.
I got my first look at what would become this latest generation Fiesta at the Frankfurt Motor Show towards the end of 2007. Then in Geneva early in 2008 I got a much closer look and feel, so it was with a great deal of enthusiasm that I looked forward to my road test here at home.

The previous week I had been driving a really superb small car, the Suzuki Splash, so this Fiesta was really going to be put to the test to make a good impression. The two cars, incidentally could not have been more different. The Splash was high and upright, whereas this new Fiesta is low, sleek and sporty. Indeed my twenty eight year old son remarked that this was a great improvement for Ford over the dowdy, conservative previous model.
I am old fashioned in that expect a steering wheel to be round and the rim to have a circular cross section. Apart from the lower seating position, which caused me no difficulty, whatsoever, the first thing I noticed was the irregular shape of the steering wheel. It is round overall, but the rim is broad and flat in places and thin and sharp in others. Just above the two horizontal spokes the rim is broad and flat, presumably so you can rest the palms of your hands on it. You get used to this, but then you come to turn and the rim is thin, with a pointed edge and a complete contrast to what you have become accustomed to. I found this to be totally unsettling and uncomfortable.

I headed off from Dublin in the direction of Galway. It had been a frosty night, but now the sun was shining, making the road damp as the frost melted. In these conditions the vehicles in front, naturally throw up a lot of muck onto your windscreen. No bother I thought, as I activated the windscreen washers. The problem was the washers were not working, so my actions simply smeared the muck across the windscreen. This did nothing for my visibility, which was trying enough on my eyes, but when the road happened to head into the sun, low in the winter sky, it became impossible, as it created a massive reflection in the windscreen.
I did fill the washer reservoir, which appeared to be empty, but still no washers. I covered over 70 miles (112 km) before I got home, very tired and disillusioned with this latest Ford. Logic suggested to me, that obviously the fuse for the washers must be blown, so I had better check the fuse box. I found the fuse box under the bonnet, but it did not house any fuses for the windscreen washers. Years ago I remember seeing a notice in a photographic shop - “When all else fails, read the instruction book !” - so I got out the driver’s handbook.
Apparently the Fiesta has two fuse boxes, one under the bonnet and the other behind the glovebox. You are directed to empty the glovebox of its contents, pull the sides in towards each other and the glovebox will drop down into a vertical position towards the floor. There are two varieties of fusebox used, Type 1 and Type 2, but there is no illustration to show you what either type looks like. Fuse number 7 in both types services the washer pump. Unfortunately on accessing the internal fuse box, there is absolutely no indication as to the numbering of the different fuses. If the fusebox had been in a more accessible spot, I could have checked all the 10 amp fuses, but kneeling on the ground with the front passenger door open, then bending down so that you can look upwards into a black space, is not all that inviting or comfortable. Thus for the duration of the test I had no windscreen washers, which hardly adds to the driving pleasure !

As I mentioned earlier, I am old fashioned, so when it comes to cars I place functionality ahead of trendy funkiness. There is no point in a thing looking absolutely gorgeous if it doesn’t work. Some time ago I was testing a stunning looking Italian coupe, with very fancy, upward slanting, exterior rear view mirrors. They may have looked good, but they were completely useless for their intended purpose.
This new Fiesta has fancy pear shaped rear view mirrors, tapering up to a point on their outer extremities. This same shape is used in the instrument binnacle. Whatever they may look like, the view they give to the driver is very markedly inferior to that provided by less fancy rectangular items. Safety demands that the driver has the best all round visibility at all times. You need to be able to see the situation, with just a very quick glance in the mirror. You do not have the time to take your eyes off the road so that you can stare into a mirror, to get the full picture of what is happening on either side of your car.
Last year I was at a new model launch in Dunboyne and one of the company’s executives was explaining to me how particular that manufacturer was about getting their panel gaps uniform, small and lined up accurately. They were working on a maximum panel gap of 3 mm. Looking at this Fiesta I measured panel gaps of 7 mm, 5 mm and 1.5 mm ! What drew my attention to it in the first place, was the muck and road spray covering the top of the engine. Kneeling at the offside front wheel I looked through the gap between the bonnet and the panel below it and to my amazement I could see the top of the headlamp on the other side. Thus a lot of the muck thrown up by the traffic ahead, simply went under the bonnet and settled on the top of everything in the engine compartment. To highlight it even further, at the rear a gap of 7 mm between the roof and the hatchback, contrasted strongly with a gap of 1.5 mm between the rear door and the rear quarter panel.
When examining the suspension, I was surprised to find the offside front hub carrier completely covered in rust. I had the same nasty shock with a 1 series BMW coupe I was road testing last year, so perhaps this is becoming a funky new trend. Whatever it is, I am not favourably disposed towards it.

Above : RUST on an 08 registered car ! - Is this acceptable ?
Below left : 5 mm panel gap at rear of light with 3 mm towards the front of bonnet

Above right : Notice gap between lamp glass and black surround

Looking at the spare wheel I was delighted to find a full size wheel and tyre, BUT not the same size wheel as fitted to the car. The spare wheel was on a fourteen inch rim, while the car rode on fifteen inch rims. A full size tyre is certainly a lot better than a Spacesaver, but why supply one of a different size to the road wheels ? This seems to be a Ford thing, as I have come across it before in other Fords I have tested. It does not save weight, which is the argument for the Spacesaver and there was plenty of room under the boot floor for a larger wheel. Then there is the matter of the screw that holds it in place. Ford’s designers have obviously never had to replace a spare wheel and secure it in position themselves in their lives. It is by far one of the most awkward and difficult operations I have ever come across in this area.
The problem is that you have to lean in, thus blocking any light and get a thin threaded rod to find a small threaded hole at the bottom of the well to accept it. All the while you are holding up a large black plastic contraption fitted to the rod, which means that any visibility you may have, is at an angle, thus compounding the problem. Throw in the fact that you could be stressed as a result of the puncture and you may be able to see what I am getting at !

So far, this new Fiesta has made anything but a favourable impression. Fortunately it is not all bad. Under the bonnet, all covered in muck, is a superb one and a quarter litre petrol engine. Known as the Zetec SE when it was introduced over twelve years ago, it is smooth, quiet and refined. It is a real gem of modern motor engineering. Perhaps it is showing its age a bit now, with a specific output of just 48.309 kW/lt, but does that really matter ?
Driving through a smooth five speed manual gearbox, it delivers a top speed of 168 kph (104 mph), which is well above the national speed limit. Its 0-100 kph acceleration time is 13.3 seconds, which is certainly not the fastest in this class, but most buyers will probably find it more than satisfactory. Certainly, at no stage in the test, did I find it to be uncomfortably slow. It keeps up with the urban traffic smoothly and effortlessly, which is all most buyers want. On the open road the car glides along comfortably and I never felt that it was in any way lacking in power or performance. The gearchange is smooth and precise, although it did baulk at going into reverse from time to time.
In this day and age, where the opportunity to use all the available performance to the full, is severely restricted by the pathetic quality of the road surfaces and the complete inability of the roads themselves, to handle the volume of traffic they are expected to carry, velocity is of far less interest than fuel consumption. On the urban cycle this model is credited with 37 mpg (7.5 lt/100 km), rising to 61 mpg (4.6 lt/100 km) on the extra urban cycle. This gives a combined cycle average of 49 mpg (5.7 lt/100 km). I think that most buyers will find that to be satisfactory.
The quality of our road surfaces are a disgrace in the civilised world, so it is to the Fiesta’s great credit, that it manages to deliver a smooth comfortable ride most of the time. Likewise it handles easily and precisely, with a sporty 2.65 turns from lock to lock of the steering wheel. The large sloping windscreen gives a good visibility of the road ahead.
Front and rear seats are comfortable and supportive. The driver’s seat adjusts for both reach and height, as does the steering wheel, so drivers of all shapes and sizes should be able to find a comfortable position. As with all cars of this size, the rear seat will accommodate three adults abreast in discomfort, but reduce the number to two and both travel in comfort.
The test car was finished to Style specification, which included things like, heated, electrically adjustable rear view mirrors, front fog lamps, electric front windows and remote controlled central locking as standard. The audio equipment comprised a radio/CD, with MP3 compatibility and four speakers. It has extra controls on the left hand arm of the steering wheel. In addition there is an accessory socket for other equipment you may like to use in the car.

The two main, round, analogue instruments are housed in a binnacle behind the steering wheel. They have black faces with white lettering, so are easy to see when necessary. They also house various warning lights, which show up with red symbols when activated. Between the two at the lower edge of the binnacle, there is an analogue fuel gauge, which is also easy to see when required. A digital panel at the top gives trip and total distance recorders, outside air temperature and other information. A large rectangular screen at the top centre of the facia houses a digital clock and displays information relating to the audio system. A very fancy panel below that has all the main controls for the audio system. A separate panel below the audio controls has three dial type selectors for the heating/ventilating equipment. It is all convenient for use by both the driver and front passenger, easy to see and easy to use.
A small panel on the lower right of the facia, below the circular air outlet, has the rotary switch for the lights as well as the controls for headlamp levelling. Controls for the exterior rear view mirrors are on a panel ahead of the interior door handle on the driver’s door.

The two outer positions on the rear bench seat, are fitted with ISOfix fittings for child safety seats. The seat itself is divided 60/40 to facilitate the carrying of awkward items and to expand the normal luggage capacity.
Luggage capacity between the luggage floor and the underside of the rear shelf, when all seats are in use, is 0.281 cubic metres, which is good for a car of this size. When only two seats are required and you load to the roof, this expands to 0.965 cubic metres. If the boot is not big enough, you can carry up to 50 kg in a box on the roof, but remember that the 50 kg includes the weight of the box itself and the all necessary mountings. If trailer towing is what you have in mind, the Fiesta can take a braked trailer of up to 600 kg. No mention is made of unbraked trailers.

A major service is required every two years or 40,000 km (25,000 miles), which ever comes first. A minor service is necessary at intervals of 20,000 km (12,500 miles) or 1 year, which ever comes first. Ford give buyers a two years, unlimited mileage warranty, with two years roadside assistance and two years paint cover. The anti-perforation guaranteed lasts for twelve years.

Technical data