First road test of the new Ford Fiesta

Here in North America we still have to wait about another 15 months to get our paws on Ford's new Fiesta, but it goes on sale in the UK in October. Britain's Channel 4 recently ran its first road test of the new mini car and was quite pleased with the results. With its nearly 100 lb lighter weight but stiffer chassis it handles better than the outgoing model and reportedly has good steering feedback in spite of the electric power steering. The 1.6L diesel provides reasonable if not speedy 0-62 mph run of 11.9 seconds with quiet and refined behavior. Over here we will probably only get the 120 hp 1.6L gas engine which drops the acceleration to 9.9 seconds. The reviewer liked the interior design and felt the cost reduction elements were kept out of sight while the parts that you touch and see were nicely executed. That 1.6L gas engine is rated at 40 mpg (U.S.) combined on the EU cycle so we'll probably get something in the low to mid 30s. Eventually Ford will probably also offer us a 1.2L EcoBoost engine that should do even better. Thanks to Queen for the tip!

[Source: Channel 4]