Hasta la Fiesta, baby It may be knocking on, but Ford's gem still

0 Comments | Sunday Herald, The, Apr 17, 2005 | by Phil Vaughan

LONG live the Fiesta. It's 29 years old, and still going strong, with the name as enduring as old Henry Ford's replacement for the horse - the Model T.

The blue oval's frequent freshening-up exercises keep the Fiesta flying out of the showrooms, and the latest sport versions keep the range flying around the roads, too.

There's always intense pressure on volume car makers to offer as much variety as possible from one basic platform, and Ford has diversified the latest very fine Fiesta range from the demure 1.2 Finesse to the super-quick ST.

Sitting amidships are a couple of nippy newcomers which, in a nutshell, means that Ford's take on a sporty supermini now ranges from the affordable - the Zetec-S is pounds-11,595 - to the awesome - the 2.0 litre Fiesta ST, at pounds-13,595.

The sports models are the newest additions to the supermini's line-up, and they mostly come in three or five-door form.

The Zetec-S houses a 1,596cc, four-cylinder petrol unit under the bonnet, a spring-heeled operator that produces 98bhp.

The standard gearbox is a close-ratio five-speed manual, and the combined fuel figure runs to 41.5mpg. The 114mph top speed and 0 to 60mph time of 9.9 seconds point to decent performance and response, and it's hard to knock points off the Fiesta for handling and roadholding.

The interior is utilitarian, but going towards the gloomy on the colour-scheme side, although the cabin's overall presentation and practicality can't be downmarked, either.

Ford has added a few sporting touches, starting with 16-inch alloys, special fog lights, and high rear spoiler on the outside, and continuing inside with front bucket seats and a satin alloy- gaited gear lever.

On top of a high standard of basic equipment, the Zetec-S also gets air conditioning.

The supplied three-door model didn't throw up any access problems to the rear seats, with the flip-lever on front seat shoulders easy to use, and leg and head-room at the back are of fair adult-sized proportions. The two doors open from the outside at the push of the key-fob button, but the key itself is needed for the rear hatch door, which can be a real pain in pouring rain.

Ford has paid the expected close attention to passenger safety, but side impact and side curtain airbags are an extracost option.

The Zetec-S may not zoom into the distance as dynamically as some hot superminis, but it's still a very competent, quality small car for the price.

Given the little Ford's enduring success, there's more than a little irony in the fact that troubled MG Rover's predecessor, British Leyland, went into state ownership the year the Fiesta first went into production - 1976.

CAR FACTS Ford Fiesta Zetec-S three-door, pounds-11,595 1596cc, 98bhp fourcylinder engine, driving front wheels through 5-speed manual gearbox Top speed: 114mph, 0-60mph in 9.9 seconds Fuel economy: city:

30.7mpg; country: 52.3mpg;

combined: 41.5mpg Insurance group: seven