Of late, Fords have looked a little, well, boring. Fiesta, now in SA, looks to change that.

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The first product of Ford's new global product development process, Fiesta comes to South African shores just weeks after its international debut with a choice of three engine derivatives and three trim levels.

"The new Fiesta is a landmark model for Ford," explains Ben Pillay, Ford Marketing Manager. "It is the first product to be introduced under the 'One Ford' vision of a single, global company building and designing cars for a single global audience. It?s Ford's most significant project since the Model T and heralds the future for Ford product development."

The new Fiesta will be introduced with a choice of three powertrains: a 1.4-litre petrol, 1.6-petrol and 1.6-litre turbo diesel. The updated 1.4-litre petrol motor has a maximum output of 71kW at 5750rpm and a maximum torque output of 125Nm at 4500rpm. As with all the Fiesta models fuel consumption is frugal with a combined cycle consumption of 5.9 litres/100kms.

The introduction of the new Fiesta also sees the introduction of a 1.6-litre Duratec Twin Independent Variable Cam Timing (Ti-VCT) petrol engine to the range. The new motor produces 88kW at 6000rpm and has a torque peak of 149Nm at 4250rpm. Despite its feisty character the 1.6-litre petrol engine obtains a combined cycle fuel consumption measuring in at 5.9 litres/100km.

The state-of-the-art common-rail Duratorq TDCi engine features new technologies, enhanced fuel economy, lower CO2 emissions and improved performance. The diesel motor serves up 66kW at 4 000rpm and has a torque peak of 200Nm at 1500rpm. The average fuel consumption on the combined cycle is 4.2 litres/100km.

The new Fiesta will be offered in a choice of either five-door or three-door body styles with three specification levels on offer: the entry level 'Ambiente', the 'Trend' and the top of the range 'Titanium'.

Despite being the entry level model, the Ambiente offers the likes of a radio/CD with six speakers, air conditioning, power steering, front operated power windows, steering wheel audio controls, tinted windows, rear fog lamps and a headlamp delay feature. The exterior styling features include body colour bumpers and a rear spoiler, self colour door and lift gate handles as well as 15" steel wheels. Safety features include dual airbags, a driver belt reminder, ABS with EBD and a centre high mounted stop lamp providing peace of mind.

In addition to the features already found on the Ambiente model, the Trend series boasts features such as heated power mirrors with integrated indicators, remote central locking with two flip keys, illuminated double locking, rear electric windows and a Bluetooth vehicle interface with voice control. Body colour door handles, front and rear mud flaps and 15" alloy wheels enhance the exterior appearance.

Aesthetic lighting, map reading lamp and trip computer enhance the appeal of the Titanium series. As do the exterior styling cues that include chrome accents, 16" alloy wheels, halogen projector headlamps, front fog lamps with chrome bezel and a partial body kit that includes a bumper grille and rear spoiler. A sport body kit with 16" alloy wheels, an ICE (In Car Entertainment) audio and Bluetooth system with voice control and a USB jack are also part of the package. In three door body style the Titanium model gets a full body kit.

The Fiesta has undergone a total of 3.5 million kilometres of on-road testing in a variety of conditions and circumstances ensuring peace of mind for any owner. South African consumers can rest easy with a comprehensive four-year/120 000km warranty and four-year/60 000km service plan in place. Service intervals are staggered at 20 000km intervals for the petrol derivative and 15 000km for the diesel models.

Pricing
1.4 5dr Ambiente: R136 990
1.6 TiVCT 5dr Ambiente: R145 990
1.6 TDCi 5dr Ambiente: R166 990
1.4 5dr Trend: R148 990
1.6 TiVCT 5dr Trend: R157 990
1.4 3dr Titanium: R158 990
1.6 TiVCT 3dr Titanium: R165 990
1.6 TiVCT 5dr Titanium: R168 990