FIESTA GETS A BOOST (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

The seventh generation Ford Fiesta is arguably still at its most appealing in conventional three cylinder 1.0 EcoBoost petrol form. Jonathan Crouch takes a look at the revised model.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 31

Ford's latest Fiesta is a useful development over what went before. What hasn't changed is the 1.0-litre EcoBoost turbo petrol unit that most buyers will probably want. That's a good thing.

Backgroundword count: 128

Ford knows what it's doing when it comes to developing small cars for a demanding clientele and the improved version of the seventh generation Fiesta is no exception. This current car is effectively an update of the MK7 model we first saw in 2017 and, as with that model, one of the strongest weapons this one has is its 1.0-litre three cylinder EcoBoost petrol engine. Since we first saw this unit back in 2012, virtually every other rival has developed its own downsized three cylinder 1.0 or 1.2-litre petrol turbo engine to try and compete. This Ford powerplant still feels a cut above most of them though and was updated in 2020 with mild hybrid technology. It's the conventional non-hybrid 100PS base unit we look at here though.

Driving Experienceword count: 217

Certain realities exist in the supermini market. The additional cost of diesel engines rarely makes them big sellers, so this is where the state of the art in petrol engines is often played out. For some years now, Ford's 1.0-litre Ecoboost three-cylinder unit has been in the box seat in this regard. It's available in the conventional 100PS guise that's our focus here. And can also be had with mHEV mild hybrid tech in 125 and 155PS forms. Either way, it's pretty vivid. In 100PS form, 62mph from rest takes 10.8s en route to 112mph. In the 125PS mild hybrid model, those figures improve to 9.4s and 124mph, while with the 155PS derivative, you're looking at 8.9s and 136mph. Variations on the Fiesta theme may come and go but before driving any version of Ford's definitive supermini, there's one thing you almost always know for certain: that it'll be a great steer. This current generation model is 15% stiffer than its pre-2017 predecessor and both front and rear track measurements are wider. The engineers tell us that the chassis offers 10% more cornering grip than that old generation car, supported by Electronic Torque Vectoring Control, which enhances the driving experience by applying a small amount of braking to inside wheels to assist traction and stability when cornering.

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