WeeklySA_AdminREJUVeNATED: Mid-life facelift for Ford’s supermini makes for greater road presence
By Ali Mphaki
No disrespect to the outgoing Ford Fiesta, but it was only three years into its life that its engineers started to see new opportunities to give the car more ‘personality” – a project that culminated in the birth of the newcomer – the new Ford Fiesta 2022.
It was eight years ago when the outgoing model was launched to rave reviews, but with seismic changes in the B-segment, it was about time for Ford to spruce up its supermini, the hot hatch getting a 10 percent boost in torque from its 1.5-litre engine.
Ford says it completes the mandatory 0- 100 km/h sprint in six and a half seconds and reaches a top speed of 230 km/h. But what will see a lump form in the throat – not that its a novel in today’s cars – is that the new model is well endowed.
Standard or with optional extras are electro-gimmicks such as lane-keeping assist, lane-departure warning, speed-limit sign recognition, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot warning, and cross-traffic warning for when you’re reversing to a road.
Another feature that will bring a smile on a potential buyer is the unique feature called ‘Wrong Way Alert’, which uses a camera mounted to the windscreen in conjunction with the car’s navigation system to warn the driver if they are travelling against oncoming traffic. This once happened to me driving against oncoming traffic, and I know the depressing feeling…
The body styling is unmistakably Fiesta, though now a bit of a mapakisha with extra curves giving the vehicle a bit rounded face. Remarkable is the Fiesta’s new family face, which will feature on all of the brand’s upcoming models. Within the angular grille is Ford’s blue oval badge, previously above it. At the rear the light clusters – optionally LED-equipped – have gained contrasting black surrounds.
The new Fiesta is offered in a slightly restructured trim line-up, comprising Trend, Titanium, ST-Line and Active variants, along with the ST hot hatch. Overall, the Ford supermini has become bolder and from whichever way you may look at it – its grown up. Rivals include the Opel Corsa and the VW Polo, the latter recently having enjoyed a facelift. Ford SA will announce pricing towards launch sometime next year.
