FIES CREATURE OR STA TURN? (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Steve Walker

Introductionword count: 87

There's a whole lot of love out there for the Ford Fiesta. Down the years, its various generations have completed more school runs, shopping trips and traffic-plagued commutes than any other UK supermini. There have been high and low points along the way but in the final reckoning, the 2008 car must surely go down as one of the best. Should buyers have as big a soft spot for the car once it's been round the block a few times and cropped up on the used market?

Modelsword count: 23

Models Covered: 3 & 5dr hatch: (1.25, 1.4, 1.6 petrol 1.4 TDCI, 1.6 TDCI diesel [Style, Studio, Edge, Zetec, Zetec S, Titanium, ECOnetic])

Historyword count: 175

The supermini market where the Fiesta competes moves at a searing pace so it would be a bit much to ask for the car to maintain class leadership throughout its lifecycle. The previous generation model had followed the familiar Fiesta trajectory, emerging at the top of the market in 2002 only to be gradually reeled in by newer rivals. By the time this MK6 car turned up in 2008, the outgoing model was lacking size and sophistication in comparison to the class best. Ford needed to come back strong in these areas and it duly did. This Fiesta was launched in the summer of 2008 with a familiar-looking line-up of engines and trim levels. Buyers could choose the affordable Style and Studio models, the sporty Zetec and Zetec S or the luxurious Titanium. Engines included the 1.25, 1.4 and 1.6-litre petrols plus 1.4 and 1.6-litre TDCi diesels. The super-economical ECOnetic versions arrived a little later and the Edge variants turned up towards the end of 2009. All Fiestas got ESP stability control from mid 2010.

What You Getword count: 247

All mk7 Fiestas share Ford's 'Kinetic' design themes as seen on the Mondeo, S-MAX, Focus and others before it but the signature features seem to gain cohesion in closer proximity on a smaller car. The eye is led along the creases, across the cutaway surfaces and the multi-angular effect is highly dynamic in total. The sporty Zetec-S model tags on a substantial rear spoiler, a body kit and 16" alloy wheels while the Titanium adds chrome detailing for the exterior and some classier trim materials inside. The economical ECOnetic has its own look with lowered suspension and aerodynamic tweaks but the same wedgy appeal is common across the range. The interior reprises the edgy and angular themes of the outside, the fascia contrasting soft-touch materials with hard silvery plastics. The car feels modern and is very nicely executed in terms of quality with a pronounced modern feel. The wedge-effect of the Fiesta in profile doesn't bode well for the rear seat passengers in the three-door car but the Fiesta surprises with decent legroom and headroom that's manageable even for a six-footer. The windows are small and set high up, so light isn't abundant in the back but the shopping bags, coats and road atlases that owners will store there most of the time won't be overly worried. The five door models fare better with a bigger glass area creating a roomier feel and all derivatives share the same easily navigable control system for their various electronic functions.

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