Fiesta’s now going along hybrid route

BRITAIN’S top-selling car is getting electrified as Ford launches hybrid powertrains in the Fiesta.

The 48-volt system will be available on both 125 and 155PS versions of the blue oval badge marque’s three-cylinder 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine and is said to deliver fuel savings of about five per cent.

As such, the new hybrid model – priced from £19,860 – is said to be capable of 57.6mpg, with emissions of 109g/km for the 125PS engine. The more powerful unit is rated at 55.4 to the gallon and has a CO2 figure of 116g/km.

The new powertrains are coming on stream as Ford makes a series of other changes to the Fiesta, including the introduction of a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission available on the 125PS non-hybrid EcoBoost engine.

Ford says that compared with the previous six-speed automatic option on the Fiesta, the new set-up is 15 per cent more fuel efficient at 49.5mpg.

The mild-hybrid system is the same as Ford uses in the new Puma compact SUV and has a belt-driven integrated starter/generator in place of the standard alternator.

The BISG system enables brake energy regeneration to aid efficiency and also acts as a motor to provide extra pulling power as well as running the vehicle’s electrical ancillaries. All versions of the EcoBoost engine used in the Fiesta are now being fitted with cylinder deactivation systems as a further fuel-saving device.

Other changes to the Fiesta line-up include the introduction of adaptive cruise control on certain models, cross traffic alert for help when reversing and, on the more SUV-oriented Fiesta Active, additional Sport and Trail drive modes.

There are also upgrades to Ford’s SYNC3 connectivity system, which see a new user interface with larger symbols on the touchscreen display and the availability of wireless smartphone charging.

Hybridisation is also coming to the Fiesta van, which uses the same 48v set up to improve fuel consumption to a claimed best of up to 68.6mpg with emissions of 93g/km.

Last year, the Fiesta notched up 77,833 sales in the UK, making it the nation’s favourite new car and well ahead of the next bestseller, the Volkswagen Golf, which saw a total of 58,994 sales in Britain during 2019.