Fiesta - Green, Mean, Fun Machine

Date

February 07, 2012

Full Story

So you've always fancied a nice new car. You've never looked at Fords before, least of all the Fiesta. After all, since its launch in the 1970s, it's a bit of box, isn't it?

 If that's what you always thought, join the club.

 And let me tell you: you're wrong, wrong, wrong!

 Getting the opportunity to drive the Fiesta Econetic was an eye-opener.

 Not only does it look nice, it drives like a dream. And it's packed with enough gizmos and gadgets to keep you playing happily for hours.

 And, best of all, it’s green. So green, in fact, it's a surprise there's not a vegetable patch in the boot.

 I'm not a Jeremy Clarkson, into all the technie stuff. I can tell you the engine of the Titanium Econetic I drove was a 1.6-litre 8V Duratorq TDCi 95 PS jobbie. What does that mean? No idea, you're asking the wrong person. But what I can tell you is that it is responsive, quick on the motorway, amazingly quiet (I thought all diesels chugged and spluttered like a noisy train?) - and the petrol lasted for ever. And ever. And ever.

 It gets 76.3 miles to the gallon. Yes, that's right, more than 73 miles. It's not a misprint. Amazing, eh?

 It had half a tank full of petrol when I picked it up. I drove it all over Hampshire and Sussex in the three days I borrowed - well, coveted - it. After all, when you've got the use of a nice shiny new car, you want to show it off, don't you? The needle hardly moved.

 And because the CO2 emissions are so low - the techies say 98g/km – it means the road fund licence is free. That’s right. No road tax. Zilch. £0. Nothing.

 So if the car's so green, is it boring? Is the eco thing at the expense of good, old-fashioned driving fun?

 Pah. No chance. It's great to drive. I didn't want to hand it back.

 The drive was lovely. It purred. It shot along the motorways (no, officer, I don't mean that, I stuck rigidly to every limit in those two counties). The acceleration when overtaking was delightful.

 And those gadgets. Boy, those gadgets.

 First, reversing. There's a tiny camera lens tucked away above the rear registration plate. When  the gear is selected, a little window pops up in the rear-view mirror showing what's behind you. That, coupled with the audio alert, makes reversing a dream.

 A woman I know who admits to being the world's worst parker (her words, not mine, before I'm accused of being sexist!) had a go. She reversed perfectly into a space in a school car park, perfectly parallel to the lines on the ground and nestling close to the wall behind. And if she can park, anyone can!

 Then there's the Bluetooth - no more fumbling with the phone. Once it's set up, every time you get into the car with your phone in your pocket, it reconnects. The easiest hands-free in the world.

 The Sony sound system includes digital radio, so the choice of listening is awesome.  There are automatic headlamps and wipers. Climate control. Alloy wheels and ABS with EBD and EBA (that’s anti-lock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution and emergency brake assist – no idea what it means, but it sounds impressive).

 I haven’t even mentioned the USBV, the power-operated folding door mirrors, cruise control, a gear-change indicator to improve fuel economy…

 You get the gist? Fiesta is funky and fun. And an eco dream.

 

Colin Channon

  Colin Channon is editor-in-chief of several weekly newspapers along the south coast, from Chichester to Worthing – and the papers are among the country’s biggest-selling weeklies in the country. He feels he has the perfect job – every now and again, he gets the chance to drive a posh new car for a weekend, hoping that taking it home will finally persuade his wife to smile and give in to his pitiful requests to acknowledge his mid-life crisis, and let him get a car that is newer, shinier and more exciting.