Ford Fiesta 1.25 (2009) CAR review

And it’s good elsewhere, is it?

Well, you’re looking at the most talented supermini currently on sale, so yes. There’s a lovely elastic ride quality to keep you buoyant at any speed – it only deteriorates on corrugated country lanes, and even then it’s hardly rough. Chuckable handling is a given, the gearchange is sweet and easy, the multi-adjustable driving position comfortable and adaptable. There’s room for four real people (or you can plonk three kids across the back seats) and the boot is capacious and practical.

Useful equipment (ABS, electric windows, mirrors, heated front screen, air-con, iPod socket) comes as standard, as do alloy wheels – and some useless stuff too (particularly the ambient interior lighting; as ambient as a lit match on a moonless night in the Grand Canyon). But forget that and remember that this is the first time Ford has bothered to build and finish a Fiesta without it feeling like a dustbin and its associated plastic liner.

Tell us about that feelgood factor

There’s a sense here that you’re getting something for nothing. Drive a Fiesta 1.4 and somehow it always manages to remind you that there’s a better, quicker one somewhere further up the range. And there is; it’s called the Zetec-S and it costs £12,331.

But the magic of the 1.25 Zetec is that it feels so cohesive as a package that every drive will remind you of your innate taste and common sense – you won’t feel like you’re missing out on something else. And in these economic circumstances, modesty could become the new bling.

Verdict

No more should anybody think that a 1.25-litre Fiesta is a great second car but nothing else. Unless you habitually load up with five six-footers and a tonne of luggage and head off to France, a typical family needs no more than this. With mum, dad and two kids on board, there’s space to spare, peace and quiet (from the car if not the occupants) and it’s quick enough to keep up with – and even overtake – other traffic on any road. The fact that it looks so of-the-moment and is thoughtfully equipped is just a bonus.

Five stars though? Certainly. It’s difficult to imagine that this car could be any better than it is. And if £11,353 sounds a bit steep, haggle with your dealer – or go for a Style +, which loses the Zetec’s alloys but saves you £600 and keeps all the important stuff. Just make sure you go for the 81bhp version – and not the 59bhp one.

>> Click 'Add your comment' below and let us know what you think of the new Ford Fiesta 1.25