Even if you ignore all the combinations of optional extras, which I urgently advise you to because it will make the sums ever so much more complicated, there are more than fifty different types of Ford Fiesta on the market right now, and it stands to reason that nobody in the world would consider them all to be equally good. Everyone will consider some of them to be preferable to others.I'm not sure that I could point at a single Fiesta and say, "That's it! That is the best one. All the rest are inferior in ways I will be happy to explain if you would only stay and listen." But I must say I'm very keen on the EcoBoost Powershift.For those of you not familiar with those terms, EcoBoost in this case refers to Ford's award-winning one-litre three-cylinder petrol engine, tested here in 99bhp form. That's as much power as an everyday supermini needs, and although you have to rev to 6000rpm (which you're not going to do except on very special occasions) to get access to it, there's enough poke at much lower speeds for this Fiesta never to feel unduly slow.Powershift, once the name of a now discontinued Government grant designed to persuade us to convert from petrol or diesel to LPG, refers here to the Fiesta's six-speed automatic - or, strictly speaking, twin-clutch semi-automatic - gearbox, which makes this car £1250 more expensive than the manual but may nevertheless appeal to people with restricted mobility or restrictive licences of whatever the case may be.And not only to them. The only flaw I've experienced with Powershift is that it engages first gear very jerkily if you slow down to around walking pace, for example at a roundabout, but don't actually stop. In all other ways it's very good, and there's no reason why any driver should fail to appreciate its unobtrusively smooth changes.Powershift has no effect on straightline performance, but it brings the official combined fuel economy figure down by 8mpg to 57.7mpg and raises CO2 emissions to the point where you have to pay Vehicle Excise Duty, which you don't if you have the same car with a manual gearbox.And there's more to it than that, because EcoBoost is one of those apparently very economical small-capacity petrol engines (Fiat's TwinAir is another) which always seems to use far more fuel in real life than it does on the EU test.I drove this car for something over 1100 miles in one week, and the trip computer said I averaged 44mpg. Manual measurement suggested, as it nearly always does with Fords, that the computer was optimistic by 1mpg, so let's call it 43.That's a far cry from 57.7, but it's okay for a petrol-fuelled supermini. And more than half the total distance was achieved on motorways, and for about 180 miles the car was loaded with enough luggage to keep me going for three days, plus four spare wheels and tyres from another car altogether. I couldn't really complain about my 43mpg after all that.Nor about the ride comfort, nor the seats or the unsuperminilike sense of quality or the smooth operation of the major controls, all of which meant that while I certainly drove while tired during a significant portion of this test, it was due to lack of sleep and not at all to physical discomfort.In standard form this is a very fine Fiesta, but some of the more appealing aspects of the test car were optional and you have to pay extra for them. Notable examples include heated front seats, Active City Stop (a wise choice if you care about other people and want to minimise the risk of running them over), DAB digital radio and Ford's SYNC connectivity system.And, indeed, the City Convenience Pack, largely because of the reversing camera whose display is located in the interior mirror. It would be a good idea to specify this when placing your order, because while not all Fiestas are equally good, rear visibility is one area in which they are all equally rubbish. Engine 999cc, 3 cylinders Power 99bhp Transmission 6-speed semi-automatic Fuel/CO2 57.7mpg / 114g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 11.2 seconds Top speed 112mph Price £16,195 Details correct at publication date
Our Rating
