Driven: all new Ford Fiesta
By khulekani / on August 30th, 2018 / in Car Reviews, featuredBy Fortune Digomo
In today’s economy here in South Africa, many consumers are consistently faced with the dilemma of gaining value for their money. Rising fuel costs have compounded issues. Ford thinks they have an answer to all these dilemmas with the all-new Ford Fiesta. The Fiesta is one of the leading b –segment cars on the market and recently I spent time with it to see whether the new model can be the answer to the customer’s requirement for value for money in these tough times.
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Exterior and Interior design
The exterior of the Fiesta has definitely evolved into a more sleek and modern design with a wider grille and headlamps in the front of the car as well as new LED lights at the front of the car giving it a more modern aesthetic feel. At the back of the car Ford has removed their old vertical rear lights and has replaced them with new horizontal rear lights which follow a new signature C-shaped design. In terms of the space, the Fiesta has definitely become bigger. It has gained an additional 71 mm in body length and 12 mm additional width, which gives the car a broader stance.
The interior design changes made to the new Fiesta are truly incredible. These include the removal of the old school Nokia inspired display screen to a new modern 6.5 inch touch screen in the Trend models and 8 – inch infotainment screen in the Titanium models which incorporates SYNC ® 3 with an extremely good navigator. These changes have resulted in a less busy centre console. This gives the car a more simple but appealing design. The interior has also been improved with a 16 mm increase in knee room at the backseats and the addition of all new slim-back seats.
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Technology and safety
The Fiesta has really transformed into a safer yet smarter car which will definitely help them grow their market share. The fiesta now features 6 airbags (front, side and curtain) within the car and the new designed door now further protects those in the car from side impact collisions. Many new technological features have been added such as a rear parking assistance system, an all-new 8 – inch colour touchscreen at the centre console which includes SYNC ® 3 with navigation allowing drivers to connect their phones using Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, using Bluetooth or USB connectivity.
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The drive and performance
I was fortunate enough to spend a few days with the Fiesta Titanium 1.0 EcoBoost and I must say it is truly a remarkable car. I found the car to strike a good balance between fun and practicality. With74kw of power and 170Nm of torque at its disposal, the car packs a mean punch. This is especially evident at take-off. The car rides very smoothly and feels more confident cornering with the chassis now offering 10 percent more cornering grip. The 1.0 Ecoboost engine lives up to the fuel efficiency promise and is extremely frugal. This is aided by the precise stop/start system.
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The new Ford Fiesta is priced from R261,900. All models come standard with Ford Protect which comprises of a 4-year/120 000km warranty, 3- year/unlimited distance roadside assistance and a 5-year/unlimited km corrosion warranty. A 4-year/60000km service plan is included with 15000 km service intervals