Titanium 1.0T EcoBoost 125 Start/Stop 5dr Hatchback

Pleasant, but disappointing.

I bought the Fiesta 1.0 125hp Titanium as a replacement for my five year old Fiesta 1.6 diesel, lured by claims of diesel torque and economy. I was cynical about this and rightly so. If the engine has diesel-like torque (the brochure says 200 Nm), it must be hiding somewhere; perhaps it has been crushed by the long gearing. You can do 65 in second and over 100 in third. The car cries out for a six-speed gearbox. Admittedly it makes a pleasant 3-cylinder growl as it approaches the red line, but it’s a very linear process and it takes a while to get there! If the long gearing meant good economy it would help, but come what may, and I’m a very conservative driver, I cannot get more than 46 mpg; my old diesel averaged 58 mpg. Ford warn you not to expect representative fuel consumption over the first few thousand miles. Well those miles have passed and the fuel consumption has dropped to just over 40mpg.

Gripes:

Why did Ford make the fuel tank smaller than the Mk.6 by 0.7 gallons? 400 miles on a tank is a struggle. Oh; when the dashboard display says 20 miles to go, it really means it!

The rear seat squabs don’t roll forward like the previous model thus dramatically reducing the carrying capacity.

The dashboard looks like a reject from Toy’s R Us.

Only one rear fog light; the car feels very much built down to a cost.

Positive:

At least the tyres have some profile (50%) and the car is far quieter and smoother than the previous version even if it bounces a bit.

It is extremely comfortable over long and short distances.

It is quite a pretty car if you like that sort of thing.

Despite what I have said about the car, I actually enjoy driving it and my feelings may well be tempered by reverting to the first petrol car I’ve driven in years. But as for diesel torque and economy – forget it!

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