- Doors and Seats
3 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
1.6i, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
74kW, 146Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (91) 6.6L/100KM
- Manufacturer
FWD
- Transmission
Manual
- Warranty
3 Yr, 100000 KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
Used car review: Ford Fiesta
For a company with a reputation in Europe for bringing exciting small cars to the market, Ford hasn't had such a great run here. Perhaps the low point was in the 1990s when Ford's entrant in an increasingly popular market segment was the entirely forgettable Festiva.
More or less a rebadged Kia, the Festiva defined terrible, with iffy build quality, questionable safety and less-than-bland dynamics.
Things improved somewhat about the turn of the century when the funky-looking Ka arrived.
European in its look and feel, the Ka was only really let down by its tiny cabin and antiquated driveline.
So it was something of a relief for everybody concerned when Ford finally got hold of the Fiesta.
The European-designed Fiesta, which arrived here in 2004, is definitely a small car. If you wanted more space, you bought a Focus, leaving the Fiesta to the hordes of first-car buyers and those who simply wanted the cheapest set of new wheels.
The most popular model sold at that time was the base LX. And while standard equipment isn't too sparse, there's plenty of plastic trim to remind you that it's the price-leader. So, you won't get leather trim and sat nav but you will get remote central locking, power front windows and reasonable audio.
Safety was covered by dual front airbags and seatbelt pretensioners but thanks to the vagaries of supply from a foreign factory, only the automatic versions of the LX came with the benefit of anti-lock brakes and brake-force distribution.
The LX was also the only version of the Fiesta that sold in both three and five-door forms. But since the three-door was $1500 cheaper when new, not many five-doors were sold.
If you need the extra doors, the range-topping Ghia model is the way to go. The step up to the Ghia also ensured the superior braking package, regardless of what transmission was fitted. Ford also added standard air-conditioning, alloy wheels and a CD stacker. Splitting the LX and the Ghia on price was the Zetec, which offered an allegedly sportier package despite being mechanically the same.
It was all in the presentation. The three-door Zetec aimed higher with standard air-conditioning and its own alloy wheels.
While many cars in its class struggled along with 1.3-litre engines, the Fiesta scored some points by offering a 1.6-litre powerplant as standard.
Its 74kW output was about right and it was relatively smooth and more flexible than many of its competitors.
The performance catch, however, was that it was a better match to the five-speed manual version because the four-speed automatic was at least a gear shy of where it should have been and took the edge off the car's sprinting ability.
That said, the automatic was always an adequate performer - again thanks mainly to the engine's work ethic.
Where the Fiesta's Euro heritage really showed up was in its combination of ride and handling.
Cornering was tidy and the steering accurate, yet the car rode like it was almost a size bigger than it was, with a decent level of noise suppression.
Coarse surfaces could make the tyres pretty rowdy but they offered more grip than their skinny dimensions suggested.
Cars built during a short period in October 2006 were subject to a recall to check a potentially faulty universal joint in the steering column. Mishandling of these components before they had even arrived at Ford's production plant meant there was a chance the joints had been damaged and had the potential to fail, leading to a loss of steering control. A dealer will be able to identify the affected cars and whether they've been checked.
Some later cars were also fitted with a batch of suspect belts that drive the power steering and engine's water pump. The weak belts should have shown up by now but a car driven after the belt broke could have overheated and may now have severe internal problems.
Check that the head gasket is sealed properly and that there's no oil in the coolant or vice versa.
When inspecting the car, check that the orange engine-check light comes on with the ignition and goes out shortly after the engine starts.
If the light stays on once the engine is running but there are no other symptoms, then the fault probably lies with a dud sensor somewhere on the engine management system.
If the engine idles roughly or there's a misfire, the problem could be the ignition coil packs. These need to be replaced, as driving the car in this condition can destroy the catalytic converter.
Many manual versions of the Fiesta were bought as first cars by drivers who had a fairly rudimentary grasp of driving a self-shifting gearbox and tended to work the clutch hard.
We've heard of a few clutches dying young, so make sure the clutch on manual versions engages and disengages smoothly with no shudder.
The take-up point should not be too far off the floor and there also shouldn't be rumbling noises when you slip the car into neutral and let the clutch out.
Need to know
Don't pay too much. The Fiesta has been a discount favourite since it was released (Ford itself ripped $500 out of the price in the second year to boost sales). Make sure you know exactly what model and year you're getting and what options are fitted. And then haggle like fury.
A couple of recalls apply to the Fiesta. If in doubt, contact a Ford dealer.
Small, cheap cars tend to be bought by young drivers, who also tend to park them against hard objects from time to time. Check panel gaps and paint quality. Overspray on window rubbers is a dead giveaway that the vehicle was crunched at some time.