Ford Fiesta review

The Fiesta has never been a car bought by people who seek a premium look and feel to the interior of their car and, even in a richer trim level, it isn’t so now. While rival superminis offer more expensive-looking materials, the Ford’s interior is showing its age, and both looks and feels quite plain and hard in places.

Ford’s attempt to modernise and lift the ambience of this new car extends to the 12.3in digital instrument panel of upper trim-level cars (which is certainly clear and bright, but doesn’t offer as much configurability of layout as other systems), but also includes faux carbonfibre trim (which looks unconvincing) and some blue accent trims around the air vents. It all smacks somewhat of clutching at strawers to give a resoundingly ordinary driving environment some material lustre, and it doesn’t really work.

Ford’s automatic door-edge protectors still sound like a trapped seatbelt to me, even after so many occasions of hearing them – but they’re a great feature, especially when carrying kids in the back who are seldom careful enough when opening doors in tight spaces.

Matt Saunders

Road test editor

There isn’t much wrong with the Fiesta’s driving position, though. The front seats are a little flat and narrow (latterly only as supermini seats often tend to be), and although they don’t offer adjustable cushion angle or lumbar support (the latter is the greater annoyance on longer drives), they’re comfortable enough over average trips. The car’s raised ride height won’t really manifest in a more convenient access height for the majority of drivers, though – at least, not any more than a regular supermini with a height-adjustable driver’s seat might.

In the second row, space is only average by supermini standards. If you’re taller than 6ft, you’ll likely struggle a little for space in the back, where the Active model offers nothing more than a standard Fiesta would, and head room is especially tight. Smaller adults and kids will be able to travel comfortably enough, of course, which is the typical requirement of cars in this class.

Boot space is again only average by class standards and it isn’t designed particularly cleverly. The Fiesta’s loading lip is quite big and potentially obstructive, and likewise the hinges for its back seats. The seat backs also decline to fold away close enough to fully flat to make for a really practical expanded storage area.

In the front, Ford fits its old-generation Sync3 touchscreen infotainment system. It offers factory navigation as standard and is fairly easy to use thanks to permanent button controls for a few regularly accessed menu screens. But it lacks the connectivity features of rival systems, and although it has wireless device charging as standard, you’ll need to connect your phone via a wire anyway if you want to use smartphone mirroring.

Elsewhere, the Fiesta has physical blower controls, chunky knobs for volume and radio tuning, and useful thumb consoles on its steering wheel spokes for radio station skipping. All in all, it’s an easy car to use, and interacting with its secondary systems needn’t distract you from driving it. But it doesn’t offer the last word in style, quality, sophistication or well-packaged practicality that you might find elsewhere in the supermini class - nor really anything like it.