| The New Ford Fiesta | ||
 |
||
|
(Fri 11 Jul 08) How important is the soon-to-be-launched Fiesta to Ford? "It's our most significant global vehicle project since the Model T," says Ford of Europe's Executive Director of Small Cars, Marin Burela.
That's quite a claim, and it highlights the fact that the latest Fiesta is intended for customers around the world. "Regionally tailored" versions will be on sale in Asia, South Africa, Australia and the Americas by 2010, though Europe will get the car first, with UK sales expected to start this autumn. We'll have more details nearer the introduction date, but it's already known that the Fiesta (like the very similar Mazda2) will be 40kg lighter than its predecessor, which is good news for acceleration, braking, handling, fuel economy and CO2 emissions. Despite the lower weight it's also 10% stiffer. The range is divided into six trim levels - from the bottom up, Studio, Style, Style Plus, Zetec, Zetec S and Titanium - and there's a choice of four petrol and two turbo diesel engines. Key models include the ECOnetic, which has revised engine settings, lowered suspension and a few aerodynamic tweaks and has a "target" CO2 output of 99g/km, and the 118bhp Zetec S ("for driving enthusiasts") which will be the quickest car in the line-up, at least to begin with. New features include keyless entry, powered door mirrors, a "mobile phone-inspired entertainment system" with non-traditional switchgear and, on Zetec and Titanium models, an Aesthetic Lighting Pack which bathes the interior in a warm red glow. |
