irishcar.com - Ford Fiesta first view

If, like me, you were surprised at how radical a departure the Ford Focus was when compared to the Escort it replaced, then the new Ford Fiesta may confuse you as much as it did me. Not alone is the car a brilliantly designed replacement for the current model, it is simply too big to just take over where the current one leaves off. On first sight, this car looks more like a Focus-sized car than the traditional mini from Ford. The Fiesta, in short, is not to be underestimated and it is going to provide some serious benchmarks for the competition.

The car has not gone on sale in Ireland yet and we don’t have a price, but that fact that Volkswagen’s new Polo will arrive ahead of the Fiesta means that Ford will be holding out as long as it can before committing itself on price or specification. It will be anxious to see what this very keen competitor comes onto the Irish market with in terms of standard equipment and price advantage. Then we should see how the customer might benefit from the competition between these big names.

It will be late summer when the Fiesta goes on sale here but it will be one of cars truly worth waiting for. Many of us are, of course, familiar with the Fiesta name and pedigree. Having sold in its thousands on the Irish market and proved itself down the years as being capable of everything from the school run to farm work, the car will inspire a degree of loyalty. The latest model, however, should be able to bring quite a few conquest sales and attract people away from other brands.

The new car has the same chiselled front as the new Focus but manages rather softer lines than the Focus in its overall profile. Internally and externally the car has been designed to give the driver a sense of owning and driving something very modern and something that goes beyond the usual small car parameters. The very tall driver or front seat passenger is not going to have a problem with legroom or headroom but fully extended seats challenge the internal measurements of the car. It is only when you think of this that you have to remind yourself that this is a mini-sized car and not a Focus. It is quite easy to expect too much from the Fiesta.

The car will come onto the Irish market with a choice of two engines – the eight valve 1.3 petrol engine that produces 67 horse power and the 1.4 TDCI diesel that produces the same output.

Now it is a rare thing indeed for the diesel version of a car to immediately outshine the petrol but that it exactly what happened with Fiesta during first test drives. The 1.4 diesel, which was jointly developed with Citroen and Peugeot and is being fitted to the Peugeot 307, is a cracker.

It is quiet, responsive, delivers its power evenly right through the revs and is very fuel efficient indeed. Diesel sales might be rising in Ireland but we are still a long way off appreciating diesel in the same general way as other Europeans do, so the diesel Fiesta may have to waste its sweetness on the desert air for some time longer. Unless, of course, Ford bring in the car with a less than expected price differential than is usually the case with petrol and diesel. This is something that Ford chairman and chief executive, Eddie Murphy, concedes might happen to some degree or other.

The basic equipment on this hugely important car for Ford will include twin airbags, folding rear seats and an audio cassette system. But I don’t consider myself alone in noting that if Fiat can offer a CD player as standard on a Seicento then Ford must indeed suffer by comparison when it does not really deserve to.

After the basic petrol and diesel versions, there is a 1.4-litre and a 1.6-litre petrol. These will have central locking, electric windows and the CD player as standard. Above that you have the Ghia level trim which includes air conditioning. Thus far there are no plans to introduce ABS as a standard feature on the car but, when pressed, Eddie Murphy says if it has to be done for competitive reasons then it will be done. In other words, if the competition start offering it then Ford will. I know it is an expensive piece of equipment but it is a fantastic safety feature for a small car to have. It gives great reassurance to a drive and undoubtedly can help to save lives.

Driving the basic engines gave one the feeling that Ford had managed to deliver the goods with the new Fiesta. They are both ideal engines for the car. However, it is the car’s sturdy design and reassuring solidity that really convinces one that small no longer means cheap. This car feels safe, acts predictably and has very good overall handling and ride qualities. Couple these attributes with a cleverly and attractively designed interior and you have a car that seems to offer a great deal more than expected.

We will not know the extent of the competition faced by the Fiesta, however, until we see the new Polo next month. I, for one, am keeping my fingers crossed that the first items to jump out from the Polo equipment sheet will be ABS and a CD player. Then we will likely see Ford offering one of the best and most desirable deals around.