The Ford Fiesta has a long and proud history of reliability, affordability and comfort; and don't get me wrong, these are all sterling qualities that it is right, nay, essential to demand of a compact hatchback; but for too long aesthetic appeal has been conspicuously absent from this lineage. That's not to say that its ancestors were not once a bunch of lookers, the Mk1 and Mk2 iterations of the Fiesta had charm all of their own, boxy good looks, an aggressive stance...
But the Mk3 however, built on the more practical appeals of the vehicle and styling, sadly, took a back seat (in the Fiesta's case, a surprisingly comfortable and spacious rear bench with a 60:40 split) and by the time the Mk4 hit dealership forecourts across the country, styling had taken a nose-dive and had quite clearly been relegated to the boot (next to the shopping, which incidentally was a priority for the designers, which was still clad in the now oh-so-unfashionable 'carrier bag'. You know the Mk4, the very...rounded version. Not so much curvy but rather, dumpy. Not a good look for a car).
1995 was the year my interest in the Fiesta died. Anyone could get increasingly similar reliability but with better looks from rivals such as the Volkswagen Polo, Renault Clio, even from Citroen with their sizzling Saxo! The Fiesta, though still one of the best-selling superminis, had lost its sex appeal, its mojo, its...'Va Va Voom' and others had found it. It sold on its practicality, which for a petrol-headed learner driver, made it invisible.
Imagine if you will, some ten years later on, my absolute delight then, to be presented with a nearly new 04 plate Mk6 fiesta as a courtesy car one morning when my Toyota Yaris* was in for a service. The man whose job it is to design Fiestas must have lost his set of French curves or something, and all he had left was a ruler. And what a ruler. The change between this sexy - yet distinctly menacing model, and the one it replaced was enormous. It was the difference between Comic Sans and Times New Roman: this car meant business.
Rugged good looks were achieved through flared wheel arches and a threatening new posture; the pot-belly of the recent versions had been replaced by a lean, toned physique, one that recaptured my heart and once again had me lusting after the marque. 'Fiesta' no longer rhymed with 'Siesta'; now it rhymed with 'Awesome'.
Which brings me very tidily, I think you'll agree, to the All New Fiesta. An evolution of the Mk6, built on the strengths of the car that brought me back into the blue, oval shaped fold: style, performance, reliability, and affordability. The new car, however, adds to the mix, introducing the staple of twenty-first century living: high technology. Ford has cannily managed to integrate features usually only found in vehicles from the luxury segment of the market, commanding far higher price tags, in the new Fiesta, which swings in at as little £9195 for a base model. Of course, expect to pay a little more for such goodies as rain-sensing wipers and automatic headlamps, park assist, or the 'FordKeyFree-System', but even the base level 'Studio' Fiesta includes a high level of standard spec, including side airbags and an MP3 compatible Radio/CD player.
With the new Fiesta, Ford have put together such a complete car, such an all round performer, that it's difficult to come up with any reasons not to run down to your nearest dealership to buy one right away. So it seems Ford can do no wrong with their new supermini, it has everything you could want, it's cheap, it's pretty and it's cleaning up at automotive industry awards ceremonies all over Europe. But they have. Ford has stumbled at the very final hurdle, with an almost elementary mistake. Have you seen the advertising campaign that accompanies the car? The car in the ad is pink. PINK. Technically 'Hot Magenta', but basically pink. How much for one in BLACK for goodness sake...
*Beggars it turns out, can't be choosers
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