Party’s over
£27,245
Iknew what a ‘Ford Fiesta’ was before I knew that the word was Spanish for party Earlier today I Googled “fiesta” Ford’s website is the top hit This isn’t just a household name it’s a piece of British furniture
For how much longer though? Kiboshed by the semiconductor chip crisis and cannibalised by the more profitable Puma Ford’s no-brainer supermini has gone from being Britain’s bestselling car to sliding entirely out of the top 10. Word is that as Ford moves to an electrified SUV future there will be no place for the Fiesta and the Focus and they’ll go the same way as the Cortina Capri Sierra Escort and Mondeo Has any carmaker killed off more iconic car models than Ford? If it carries on like this Ford will be a plot line on Midsomer Murders
I digress The seventh-generation Fiesta has just had its midlife facelift and judging by the sitrep the budget’s been kept lean The badge has slid off the bonnet and landed in the enlarged front grille, digital dials appear inside, and you can spend £775 on Mean Green paint if you go for this: the hot one.
Now in fairness, Ford needn't do much to the Fiesta, because it's a class-leading supermini: well packaged, easy to use, cheap to run and phenomenally fun to drive. The 1.5-litre tri-cylinder ST has been our reigning favourite small fast car since 2018, a TopGear Car of the Year, and dominates its territory so hard the French have completely given up. No fast Clios or Peugeots these days.
The tenacious ST remains a 197bhp puppy, cocking its rear wheel, slithering its back end at the faintest opportunity for a giggler, and barking a mini-M3 warble. The new dig i-dash has many mode-specific graphics and fun animations. It'll still do 45mpg when you're being a grown-up. It's a truly magnificent all-rounder - now a five-door only, as three-door hatch sales have collapsed.
But because of the squeeze, it's also now only sold as a kilted-out ST-3, priced at over £27,000. Hyundai's fabulous i2ON is now notably cheaper, and runs the Ford very dose as a drive. These are two of the last fun small hatches standing, but one reason to buy the Ford is that frankly, the opportunity might not last as long as you were expecting.