Faults:

When starting the car, it sometimes cuts out.

Sometimes jumps out of reverse.

General Comments:

This car would be fine for your mom with the feeling that she's in something sporty, but don't be fooled by the zetec badge. It simply has a leather steering wheel, plastic silver gear knob and 15" alloys. It has masses of head room and I have seated 3 big built lads in the back, also good for the shopping?! The car itself feels solid and proved to be after I had a bad head on crash. I later found the car was awarded 5*'s in the crash test surveys! With ford making it a safe and strong car it hasn't compromised on the cars handling. As I'm in my teens I like a thrill, I have been on the limits of the car, sharp bends the back end does seem to kick out, but that's at speed of over 50mph, it really does hold the road. (by the way, the crash previously mentioned was the other drivers fault, not mine)

Only downside is performance. You really have to rev the car to really get anything out of the 75bhp engine and it really sounds thrashy! you need to use the whole rev range (up to 6250rpm rev limit) to get any kind of peformance out of the car as there is very little torque below 3000rpm.i think the figure state 0-60 in 13.2, but I've managed high 11's. Also I use to find the gear change is clunky and has a long shifted to 3rd making the gear change awkward if I was shifting fast. Being given the fiesta free for the year because of family reasons, I have not really appreciated the car resulting in given it a good test.

Overall this car is perfect for moms and great for Pretentious lads who go by what badge it's got on the back (zetec) but at the end of the day it's a fiesta, a well built, safe and simple family car, but doesn't really put a smile on your face for the younger generation.

Faults:

Fingers crossed, but nothing so far.

No mechanical or electrical issues have occured to date.

The nose does appear to be prone to stone chipping, which will soon be rectified with a little touch-up and then some paint protection.

General Comments:

Initial impressions are good and improving with each passing day.

I bought the car as reasonably basic transport. Having owned larger cars and more performance orientated machinery, I thought that the step-down to a 1.4 might be a bit of a shock.

The local Ford dealer was very helpful, arranging a test drive in a 1.4, as they did not have one available on my initial visit. They did call back, as promised, a week later to say that they'd managed to get one on loan from another dealer.

Impressions on the test drive were pretty good, and although not the 'Black' special edition that I was looking for, the general fit and finish is far superior to my experiences of Ford's of the past. No squeaks or rattles, which is a good sign. The experience was certainly enough for me to commit to buying the 'Black' special edition.

The engine is a little harsh on start up, but seems to come up to temperature quite quickly. Although, I'm not sure how much of that can be put down to an optimistic or conservative digital gauge.

Engine does pull well through the first four gears, with no great gaps in the ratios. Fifth seems to be a little bit more of a stretch and is only really suited to a cruise. There is a definite lack of urgency in fifth, should you wish to try and nip past anything on the motorway. Overall, certainly geared for around town and lacks the longer legs for serious motorway miles. Selection is positive, but not too firm. Nicely balanced and not trying at all.

All I can say is that, I managed to rack up 450 miles travelling from Scotland to London in one day. Steady travel, with no complaints. No back ache and I'd be more than happy to do it again.

Fuel economy at a cruise is very impressive. I'll certainly be thinking twice before upgrading to a larger car again. I've still to work out the Mpg, but I didn't have to fill-up (45 litre tank?) again on my trip South.

The 'Black' special edition seems to be the perfect compromise, with full leather interior, heated front windscreen, air conditioning and few other nice touches.

Unfortunately with the special edition there was no choice as to the alloy wheels that would be fitted, and I've found the finish to be quite poor. The lacquer is already starting to show signs of premature wear on the front wheels. Easily sorted, but a little annoying.

Tyre sizes seem to be perfect. No ultra-harsh kick back from the tyres or suspension. No tram-lining or wandering either.

Ambient noise is also quite good. No nasty road noise. The ride is firm, with reasonable turn-in. Turning circle is excellent.

I'm still in two minds with regards to the weighting of the power steering. I find that the initial turn-in is positive, if a little vague to begin with. I'm sure that my confidence will grow though and this is probably more a reflection of the cars that I've been used to driving.

The only other little niggles that I can think of, are the instruments. I'm 6'2" and find that with the wheel adjusted to the correct height, to sit comfortably at the wheel; the wheel then obscures my view of the upper parts of the clocks. Nothing major, I'll get used to it.

The visibility through the rear quarter glass (rear passenger glass, when checking blind spot) is very poor. I can see almost nothing through that side without leaning over and across. I've adjusted the mirrors out a little, but may look at getting a small blind-spot insert, just in case.