If you’re looking for an affordable small car that’s also excellent to drive, comfortable and comes with plenty of kit, the Ford Fiesta could be the car for you.
Other cars to consider include the Volkswagen Polo, Vauxhall Corsa and Peugeot 208, but there’s a reason the Fiesta has, until recently, been the UK’s most popular car, and that’s because it represents such good value and is so easy to live with.
It helps that there’s so much choice within the Fiesta range. Although there’s no three-door any more, there’s the regular five-door, rugged Active versions, sporty-looking ST-Lines and good value Titaniums, each with a higher-specification X version. There’s even a small hot hatch called Fiesta ST. It’s a bit like Mike Myers in the Austin Powers movies, playing lots of different characters and nailing each one.
Your regular, run-of-the-mill Fiestas are the Trend and Titanium versions, which are smart enough and fairly well-equipped as you go up the price range. But step up to the ST-Line and you get sporty looks inspired by the proper ST, while Active versions get chunky black bumpers and a raised ride height that give off baby off-roader vibes.
Inside, the design isn’t as funky as something like the Citroen C3, but the subtler design feels a bit more grown up, and you get some soft-touch plastics and high quality materials that make it feel well put together. The 8.0-inch infotainment display is standard across the range and sits proud of the dashboard, but it’s starting to look rather dated now, especially when you consider how good the larger Focus’s updated setup looks. At least it’s pretty easy to use.
Regardless of how the cabin looks, you want to know how spacious it is, and it’s a tale of two halves. For those in the front, the Fiesta is pretty roomy, but those in the rear will find it rather cramped. Both the SEAT Ibiza and Volkswagen Polo have more spacious rear seats, while the Fiesta’s boot is smaller than those two, too.