There’s nothing wrong with predictability. In fact, predictability is good when it comes to money matters or your grandmother’s cooking.
However, when it comes to cute little hatchbacks, I’d like to think the words “fun” and “exciting” would at some stage come into play.
The cute Fiesta range has just had a facelift, and while the exterior changes are rather insignificant, the revisions to the interior are world-class. I was particularly thrilled by the look and feel of the new dashboard whose neat styling and functionality seem almost out of place in a car of this size.
Gauges, especially the tailgate release, are all placed within easy reach on the soft-touch dashboard, and the test unit’s facia was thankfully finished in a sobering beige colour, rather than a loud two-tone effect to match its bright red paintwork. High quality plastics were also welcome.
The driver’s seat is adjustable for height, though it feels positively MPV-like, even at its lowest setting. Seats could also be a touch more supportive.
The turbodiesel’s three-door body certainly looks sporty, and its form is complemented by tidy on-road ability.
Ford’s 1,6-litre turbodiesel can hardly be faulted and it displayed a lively easy performance at all times. However, I found the little diesel’s persistent clatter to be very disconcerting and a fair amount of audio interference (manipulated by means of the handy stalk controls) was needed to drown out the sound.
