2004 Ford Fiesta LX 1.25 petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

In short, if you're looking for a great little hatch then the Fiesta should be on your shortlist

Faults:

The bonnet doesn't always close first time.

General Comments:

Besides the bonnet thing, the car is fantastic. I traded my 1996 Clio in for it and got the car on Xmas Eve '05 when I was back home in Scotland. Since then I've driven back down to Bournemouth for university and the 450 mile journey was much much more satisfying than the Clio - which must be expected - though I was more impressed because my expectations weren't that high.

I really love my new car and I feel really proud to be driving it, the stereo system is great and has a cool feature known as AVC (auto volume control) where the music volume changes in sync with how you drive the car.

Performance wise, it is pretty quick off the line and is comfortable and reasonably quiet at motorway speed. Gear-changes are effortless and road handling is great (I've had great fun on the country roads back in Scotland over Xmas!!).

Fuel consumption is pretty good, but I've not really been driving it long enough to properly assess how it compares with my Clio.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 2nd January, 2006

3rd Jan 2006, 20:38

I've been lent one of these by my insurance company, and I'd like to say "what a load of c**p". Slow, stodgy, poor handling and the best thing on this car is the standard stereo you get with it.

2004 Ford Fiesta finesse 1.25 16v durotec from UK and Ireland

Summary:

You will be getting out with a big smile on your face!!

Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong with our ford.

General Comments:

We were not expecting much when we bought our Ford. But when we got the car we were very very surprised in how the car feels, it feels very solid and very well put together it feels German.

The seats are very comfortable.

The leg room in the back is OK, but the room in the front leg-room is very good.

The handling of the car is very good this is were the Fiesta comes into play really. In the wet in the dry you can just stick it in a bend and it will go even with the standard suspension it will easily put a smile on your face.

The engine pulls good in first and second, but it is very gutless in 3rd gear upwards and the fiesta does not like hills with this engine.

Very pleased with this car. We were not expecting it to be as good as this. We are thinking about purchasing a bigger engine next time.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th July, 2005

2004 Ford Fiesta ST 2.0 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

A high performance sports hatch with loads of torque, awesome handling and a bold rally look

Faults:

No faults to report.

General Comments:

This is a fast little car with loads of torque and precise handling.

The interior rally style seats are the Fiesta's trademark. They are very comfortable and hold you firmly when most required.

I was very impressed with the large front and rear disk breaks which really give the car serious stopping power.

The engine sounds very sporty and can sometimes like a top of the range sports car.

The driving position is very high and you always know what is happening on the outside.

First and second gears are not really quick although when you change into 3rd and 4th the car accelerates like a rocket. The car has so much confidence at high speeds and there is no body roll whatsoever.

The sound system is top quality, for standard, with a 6 disk in-dash CD changer.

The car comes with a set of side skirts and rear spoiler which do make the car look good. The spoiler does actually function at high speeds which improve aerodynamics.

Fuel consumption is OK, as long as you keep the revs low. When the car is tested to the limits, it uses a lot of fuel. This should be expected of a hot hatch, especially with it being powered by a 2.0.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 11th January, 2005

17th Feb 2005, 06:40

I couldn't agree more with the comments. I purchased one this week and love it to bits. I was a Honda man before buying this car. I used to say I would never ever buy a Ford and after 5 years with a Japanese car, I changed my mind. It's a superb "get around town car" and when it comes to it, A perfect long run car as well. I love the ST to bits.

Chris.

6th May 2005, 13:56

What a car! drove it for the 2nd time today, mine has been ordered and I have a three day wait.

Matthew Muir.

23rd Jun 2005, 14:24

The ST is a fair car. I have owned a Clio 172 which was not very well built, however was extremely quick.

I am disappointed with the lack of power from my ST, so many people thinks it's fast, am I missing something?

24th Apr 2006, 19:22

Fiesta is a supermini.

25th Apr 2006, 09:19

Evo figured it at 0-60 in 7.9 against 7.1 for the Clio 172.

Its laptime round the Nurburgring when tested by Auto Bild (German magazine) was only half a second slower than the Clio 182.

The Clio is a performance bargain, and a blinding hot hatch overall, but Renault's build quality and reliability across their entire range is a joke. Would you want to own one for 40,000 miles?

13th Oct 2009, 12:19

I don't know where the 1/2 a second difference was found or who by, but sounds very unlikely to be honest! The Clio variants are both lighter and more powerful. The Fiesta is about 135 bhp per ton (the same as a Saxo VTS), and the Clios are from about 165-175 per ton, depending on which model (the same as a Civic Type R). The 0-60 is about a second faster for the Clios at about 7 seconds, and the Fiesta at 8. There will be more in it than half a second over a circuit that long!!

22nd Dec 2009, 18:09

After 200 yards the Clio would be 1 second ahead, so no it's not half a second behind the Clio. I think the Fiesta is a better looking car and better built. I would still choose the ST over the 182.