About the Ford Fiesta
Steve P purchased this Ford Fiesta new with additional options for $37,000 (including all on-road costs). Steve P would buy this car again because: “Yes definitely. It’s so much fun to drive and there aren’t many of them on the road which I like. They look great also.”
How reliable has your car been? Tell us about any issues.
The car has been very reliable with no major issues to report. Having said that one quirky issue I had was that the proximity sensor on the passenger side door stopped working and I couldn’t lock/unlock the car from that door.
At the same time the stop/start feature (eg. when stopped at the lights) would no longer work. Turned out to be a faulty battery, which Ford eventually replaced under warranty. Took a fair bit of arguing with Ford for them to replace it under warranty. Bit strange after only owning the car for 10 months.
What do you think of the ownership experience with your car?
I love the car. It looks great and is so much fun to drive. Heaps of power and torque from the little three-cylinder. I love the tone and the cracks and pops from the exhaust when in sports mode.
It’s jam packed full of features which makes it great value for money. Love the Recaro buckets seats and the fact that it’s a manual.
I also really liked the fact that in Australia we only got the one spec that has everything (except a sunroof). In the UK there are like three different models to choose from.
The only add-on I paid for was tinted windows.
Apart from the weird battery issue I can’t fault it.
How has the purchase and aftercare experience been with your car?
The purchase experience was fine. I had done all my research already so the dealership didn’t have to sell it to me. I already knew this was the car I wanted and I knew more about the car than they did. Took it for a test drive. I was trading in another car so it was just negotiating the trade in figures.
I was really lucky as there was only two of these in stock in Brisbane at the time so was able to pick it up really quickly without any long waiting period.
Aftercare experience has been okay. I have heard from others that Ford service can be questionable and my experience with the battery proved that not so good experience, as they were pushing back on replacing it under warranty.
Are you happy with the price and features of your car?
Yes. This little car is jam packed full of features and technology and I think is great value for money.
What do you think of the performance and economy of your car?
I’m really happy with the performance. It’s really responsive on the throttle for a little three-cylinder with heaps of torque and minimal to no turbo lag. Corners really nicely on the grippy Michelin tyres. I love taking it for a spin up the mountains around Mt Glorious and Mt Nebo.
Driving it in sport mode with the exhaust tones and handling adds to the fun factor. As mentioned previously I love the fact that it’s a manual also.
Fuel economy is great also, as you would expect from a three-cylinder. Even when you do give it a bit when in sport mode.
What do you think of the technology in your car?
Technology is great. I can’t think of much that is missing (if anything) for a car of this size and price point. It’s great that all the tech comes standard in the Australian model, unlike overseas. Great audio system with 10 speakers.
Wireless Apple Car Play would be nice. I think the MY20.75 has this.
What do you think of the ride comfort and handling of your car?
You would expect a little sporty car like this to be a bit on the bumpy side. But you get used to it. This is my daily commuter and it doesn’t bother me.
The Recaro sport seats would probably get pretty uncomfortable if you were driving long distance. Can’t complain about the handling but I don’t drive it super long distances.