Practical experience Ford Fiesta: will owners miss the party?

In 2017 we were introduced to this car, which was given a facelift in 2022. The facelifted model is relatively rare, because the plug was pulled about a year and a half after introduction. Speaking of plugs: the Fiesta successor would be an electric crossover. The outgoing model led a completely plug-free existence, although a mild hybrid powertrain has been available since 2020.

Fiesta: space and seating comfort

It soon becomes clear that the space available is not a purchasing argument for the Fiesta, but fortunately users do share their experiences. “For someone who often travels alone, space is of course never an issue. A good sitting position is then much more essential. And that seating position is active yet relaxed. The interplay of steering wheel, pedals and seat is top notch,” writes an enthusiastic Fiesta ST Line driver. He continues: “With four adults in it, it’s a different story. I made a ride of over 100 kilometers there and back. That did require some flexibility. A Skoda Fabia, to name but a few, is really more spacious. The same applies to the trunk. Not small, but if you are looking for a family car to also go on holiday with, there are better options.”

The chairs themselves also score positive reviews. “The seats are comfortably shaped and give you good lateral support,” writes the owner of a Fiesta ST Line. “The chairs have lumbar support, can be adjusted in height and fit perfectly for me. They have slightly less lateral support than I was used to, but still more than sufficient,” writes a Fiesta Titanium driver. “The chairs are on the compact side. Not an issue for me, but this may be a drawback for people with a larger build.”

The Fiesta scores less well in terms of finish, many drivers notice noises in the interior. “The hard plastic used in the car is not completely without cracks. For example, if you lean your left leg against the door and put some force on it, you will hear the plastic creak slightly while driving,” writes one of them. The owner of a Fiesta ST built in 2020 is also not satisfied in this area. “In the cold weather, the dashboard creaks somewhere near the meter unit and something crackles above the B-pillar on the passenger side. Fortunately, after warming up, the cracking noises in the dashboard and other noises disappear. I still think it’s a shame.”

Infotainment and controls

The Ford Fiesta is equipped with the Sync 3 infotainment system, which features a touchscreen on top of the dashboard. “The infotainment screen is nice and high, so you don’t have to take your eyes off the road too much,” writes the owner of a Fiesta Titanium, who later indicates that he finds the screen edges a bit thick. A Vignale driver goes into more detail: “The navigation system, satisfied with it so far. Searching is easy, you don’t have to select a country or city first. Simply enter the street name and city or zip code and click ‘search’. Directions are clear and turns are also clearly displayed in both the large screen and the information display between the speedometer and the tachometer.” Not everyone is happy with the infotainment system: “I’m not very enthusiastic about this. The system is slow. Sometimes so slow to start up, so you can only adjust your volume after a good 100 meters and that is downright annoying.”

The facelift in 2022 brought a new system, which seems to be more popular. “The car has Sync 3.4 and shows slightly more animations in the settings, looks great. The screen is not as large and cool as the new Focus, but it works very quickly and easily. The menu is clear and nothing is hidden deeply. Personally, we prefer to use Android Auto with Google Maps, a matter of getting used to it I think,” writes the driver of a Fiesta ST Line Vignale. Yes, these two previously separate versions could also be combined since the facelift.

How does the Fiesta drive?

“Let’s start at the highest point. The driving experience that this Ford brings. Let’s be short and concise about this. The handling is sublime. The car steers directly and quickly, with sufficient communication to inspire a lot of confidence. The Michelin Primacy 3s have sufficient grip and clearly indicate when they are in danger of losing control of the road surface,” the driver writes about the handling of his 95 hp 1.0 EcoBoost ST Line X. “The suspension comfort is sensitive to taste,” he continues. “The car has quite a firm suspension and can be quite jerky at times. If suspension comfort is what you are looking for, I recommend shopping elsewhere.”

It is just one of the jubilant reactions about the handling of the compact Ford. No matter which review you read, they are almost all equally positive in this area. “If you happen to come across a nice winding country road and you sit down for a moment, you can really have a lot of fun. The tires have a lot of grip and the car is very predictable. If you slow down a bit in a corner because you have some understeer, you will feel the rear coming a bit. This way you can have fun playing without having to drive faster than allowed, fantastic,” says the ST Line Vignale driver.

Although many Fiestas are designed as an ST Line, there is also a ‘normal’ Titanium, without the sports suspension that is sometimes found very punishing. “I experience the handling of the Titanium version as a compromise between sporty and comfortable,” writes the owner of such a car. “Imperfections are well filtered out. The chassis remains very stable at higher speeds and also in bends, I am very positive about this.”

Most reviewers drive a Fiesta 1.0 EcoBoost, a three-cylinder with 95, 100 or 125 hp. “That 1.0 coffee grinder, isn’t that extremely disappointing in such a nice-steering car?” the owner of a 95 hp copy is already asking himself your question. The answer: “In short, no. I come from a Seat Ibiza with 140 hp. This was a different driving experience of course, the torque and power are unmatched. This does not mean that I do not find it sufficient in this car. You never have the feeling of being shortchanged and the car is just smooth enough.” This is also the experience of a Fiesta ST Line driver who chose the version with 125 hp. “On the German Autobahn I was of course able to give a little more gas, the Fiesta remains stable and what is further noticeable is that it does not become noisy. It really has a nice motor in it! At 100 km/h it turns 2,200 rpm, which gives peace in the tent.”

Maintenance, malfunctions and irritations

Another point on which the Fiesta scores well is its sensitivity to interference. These are of course not statistics, but our reviewers have few problems. However, the aforementioned rattles in the interior are irritation points, and some owners also report jamming of the Sync 3 system. One rider had to deal with a defective steering system several times, while another had to deal with leakage in a camshaft adjuster. Since other users do not report this, they appear to be incidents, which fortunately have been neatly resolved.

What will owners miss about the Fiesta? That will probably mainly be the handling. Without exception, people are very pleased with the steering and the chassis, although the ST Line is sometimes found very stiff. They did not choose a Fiesta for the space, but the space that is available does not seem to be disappointing. There also seems to be little to complain about in terms of reliability. Whichever model will succeed the Fiesta, it is clear that it has big shoes to fill.