Ford Fiesta (08 on) - Review

Review by Dan Harrison on
Last Updated: 25 August 2011
The Ford Fiesta is a small car with big ideas. As well as being stylish and good to drive, it borrows many innovations from larger Fords, such as keyless entry, Bluetooth hands-free phone compatibility and a system to prevent mis-fuelling. The Fiesta also has a few tricks of its own - it'll play MP3 files from a USB stick through the stereo, comes with a knee airbag as standard, plus has a dash inspired by a mobile phone. But that doesn't mean that it has betrayed its small car roots. It's better value than ever, cheaper to buy and costs less to run than the old car - there's even an ECOnetic model which costs nothing to tax. Overall it's one of the finest small cars you can buy.
4.5 out of 5

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Buying new

This Fiesta is cheaper to buy than the model it replaces by more than £150. The entry-level Studio model gets most of the basics, including a CD player, side and knee airbags and central locking, while stepping up to Style will add electric front windows and remote central locking. Go for Style+ to add air con and a Quickclear windscreen (its built-in heating elements clear frost in double-quick time). Fifteen colours are available.

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Buying used

The earliest Fiestas are available on 2008/08 number plates, with registrations starting in October 2008. Style, Style+ and Zetec are the most common trim levels, making up around four out of every fives cars on sale. The rarest model is the base-spec Studio while the 1.6-litre ECOnetic model grabs the headlines for its green credentials as under the 2008-2010 Road Tax system, its road fund licence costs nothing. However it’s not worth paying the extra for that reason alone as the 1.4-litre diesel models are cheaper and still only cost £35 per year to tax.

  • Boot/Load Space Ford Fiesta (08 on)
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4.5 out of 5

Selling

The Fiesta is small, affordable, easy to drive, well equipped and cheap to run - a set of attributes that’s popular with buyers. Coupled with good looks and the recognisable Fiesta name, it should ensure that buyers are plentiful. Owners of automatics should find they can shift their car even quicker – there’s strong demand for used small autos and often not enough cars to meet demand.