CAR REVIEW | Ford Fiesta 2013 Econetic

The car which was first unleashed upon the world in 1976 has gone through a number of guises from essentially a cheap run-around, to mum’s best friend, a first timer’s to boy racer – The new Fiesta gives a nod to all of its predecessor and adds something new to the list – maturity. The new Fiesta is the baby car that grew up. It’s an extraordinary car, with tonnes of hidden extras that will leave you smiling.

Since the launch of the Fiesta, Ford has sold over 15 million of the little car, but you won’t find much to link the original to the latest mach. Gone are the cheap looking fittings, the uncomfortable seat fabrics and the vastly unpowered engines and hideous pea green or insipid browns finishes. That’s all been replaced by sleek lines, fresh modern colours and a cabin that is as exciting as it is relaxing.

The Drive

The Fiesta delivers incredible power and economy for its class, we tested a Titanium Econetic 5 door 1.6 TDCi 95 PS in Copper Pulse – and we found it surprisingly zippy and at home in London traffic or on the motorway.

The ride was smooth, agile and solid and the car almost wants you to chuck it around corners, with it’s crisp and clean steering. The ESP systems ensure that you won’t over or under steer – and keeps all four tyres safely in contact with the road, even in slippier environments.

Ford has hidden a few neat tricks up the Fiesta’s sleeve – like the hill start assist, which ensures that you don’t roll back while waiting at the lights.

On the version we tested the car also has a camera at the back, which turns on automatically when you select the reverse gear. A clever guidance graphic helps you park perfectly, every time

The built in SatNav can calculate your route’s destination in 3 different types of journey: fast, most direct and eco. And some of our favourite features include: the easy to select Cruise Control, the auto engine stop, which helps the eco credentials as it switches off the engine at traffic lights and the Active City Stop – which makes sure you won’t bump into the car in front.

My only complaint would be that at lower speeds, in the car we tested, you require a number of gear changes and you find that you’ll have to rev quite a bit to get the power you really want when coming out of country road corners, it really doesn’t enjoy sitting in 3rd or even 2nd where other cars might be quite happy – but this is a minor quibble as you remind yourself you’re driving a diesel.

The Fitout.

We have to say that we wholly approve of Ford’s attention to detail – the cabin feels huge up front- complete with LED mood lighting, this car feels a million miles away from a first timer’s car. It’s seductive lines and textures actually beg for tactility. The seats feel solid and allow you to maintain a good posture, ensuring that even after a long haul in the 2013 Fiesta you step out feeling alive.

We loved the in car entertainment – especially on the version we tried out – which included Ford’s revolutionary SYNC system, which can play your phone’s music list, read texts, place phone calls and in an crisis situation can even call the emergency services – all via Bluetooth connection.

The Fiesta comes in a 3 door and 5 door version, with plenty of room – although the longer legged of us, might struggle in the back – and the boot space is impressive, but not quite big enough for an all out camping trip to North Wales Pride.

The positive

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Looks great in its class of car

Safety features

In car entertainment and extras

Great responsive steering and suspension

The Negative

Legroom for back seats

1.0 Eco Boost Diesel needs constant gear changes at lower speeds

Pricier than other models in its class

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About the author: Jake Hook

The editor and chief of THEGAYUK. All in a previous life wrote and produced songs on multi-platinum records.