Test drive Ford Fiesta 5 doors 2002 - 2005 hatchback

Just a fiesta

Ford Fiesta of the fourth generation has already managed to visit auto gas tests - in the summer of last year our correspondents shared their impressions of the novelty. I liked the car, and many of its design features then seemed to be an achievement for this class.

His handling was admired, a spacious salon - unanimous approval, and the level of comfort was appreciated by all participants in the test. The only thing that remains is unknown then is how much it costs, how it drives and what the basic version of Ford Fiesta is equipped. And now we decided to make up for this gap ...

What is the difference between the basic version of the fiesta and other modifications of this car? First of all, of course, the price - this version costs from 7.790 euros. Inexpensive, right? For a European car of a famous brand, and even for a new model, which was listed in the final lists of applicants for the title of a car of the year, this is very inexpensive. And the equipment of the basic fiesta, as it turned out, is pretty good. Of course, there is no Fiesta Core so beloved by our compatriots in the basic configuration, as well as the electric drives. But on the other hand, the base is already in the base ABS brakes, a driver's seat adjustable in height, a heater and a rear window washer, a steering wheel, a steering column adjustable in height and an immobilizer. And also - as many as four air airbags - two front, two side.

Under the hood of the basic version of the Ford Fiesta Core, a 1.3-liter 70-horsepower engine is installed, combined with a 5-speed manual gearbox. For the European market, by the way, a 60-horsepower version of this motor is also offered, but it does not come to us. As well as a three -door version that does not in demand in our republic. Therefore, at the fests officially supplied in the CIS, the body is only a five -door. Of the other constructive features, I would like to note the possibility of folding the rear seats - they can be folded in full or partly in the ratio of 40/60.

The steering column is adjustable in height, which, in combination with the driver’s seat adjustable in height, allows you to choose the most convenient landing. The steering wheel with leather trim, and interestingly, the upper part of the tidy is not overlapped with a steering wheel even in the highest position of the chair - a thoughtful ergonomics affects. By the way, the dashboard here is quite difficult - with two small liquid crystalline screens, one of which displays information about the temperature of the coolant, fuel supply, etc., and the second - general and daily mileage.

It is a pity that the chairs at the basic fiesta are completely formless - neither side nor lumbar support is felt. The 1.4-liter version, I remember, the seats were better. But the rest without complaints: both the sightseeing is good, and all the controls at hand in the literal sense - the short -lived joystick of the gearbox really turns out to be right under the right hand - you do not need to reach for it. And the box works excellent - the clarity of the inclusion is simply amazing.

The only thing that can be reproached with the fiesta is that she has a frankly hard and booming plastic panel. And although it is different and sometimes even looks like soft, in fact, all plastic details are hard to the touch. And nothing can be done about it.

As with our first acquaintance with the fiesta, we could not help but pay attention to the very spacious interior of this car. For four passengers, it is as convenient as the model of the class higher. For the head, and for the knees, and for the elbows there are quite a lot of place - only very high people will feel uncomfortable. Planting itself does not cause problems: behind, in the knee area, almost 10 cm of free space remains. And thanks to the high roof, even a tall passenger, sitting from behind, does not touch the ceiling of the head. By the way, even then, during the first test, we noticed that the fiesta is very high. It’s just that its design is somewhat concealing its true size, but in fact, this model has already caught up with Mikrovenna in height - then we compared it to Mazda Demio, and the cars turned out to be almost the same in height.

The fact that the car has grown is even good - as we noted earlier, this affected the space of the salon in the rear seats. True, against the background of all this ergonomic splendor, some little things are annoyed - for example, the absence of ceiling handles. They are neither in the database or in the 1.4-liter version we tested earlier. But it is strange: the details are penny, and no highly qualified work is needed to install them. And what to do to passengers if the driver goes actively - to rest on the ceiling with his hands?

By the way, in addition to the ceiling handles, the fiesta also does not have a trunk opening button - it can only be opened with a key. That is, for each trip to the luggage compartment you will have to jerk the engine. In the previously tested 1.4-liter fiesta, this problem was partially solved by the presence of a special key that unlocks the trunk lock on the instrument panel. But since the base version does not have a central lock, then in the place of the above key is a plug.

We did not find any more differences. Otherwise, the basic version of Core is completely identical to more sophisticated Trend or Ambiente. In all versions, by the way, the lower part of the bumper remains unpainted that buyers will quickly appreciate the operation of a car in the city. After all, resting at the curb is a minute business, and the repair of the damaged paintwork will take several days. The fiesta is even more practical: not only is the lower part of the bumper not painted, but it is also made of more supple plastic, which allows it to be slightly deformed when meetings with borders. In addition, the lower part of the bumper is made in the form of a separate part, which allows you to quickly and without problems replace it in the case of a petty accident.

And how does a 1.3-liter fiesta behave in motion? Quite good: we have no complaints about the dynamics and elasticity of the engine. Although it should be noted that the base 1.3-liter engine was noticeably noisier than its 1.4-liter counterpart. Although, perhaps, the matter is not only in the motor, but also in sound insulation - it is likely that in the basic version it is much weaker. And this, by the way, is quite in the traditions of Ford-for example, a 1.8-liter Mondeo noticeably noisier than a version with a 2.0 engine, and primarily due to sound insulation.

But on the other hand, the 70 -horsepower engine turned out to be more convenient to control - having two valves on the cylinder, it does not spin so cheerfully at high speeds, but confidently pulls at low ones. The peak of the torque falls at 2600 rpm, which allows you to always and everywhere go at the moment without twisting the engine to a speed limiter. And if the flow rate has fallen, and switch to a lowering gear laziness, such a characteristic of the motor allows you to drive in - the slightest pressing of the gas pedal takes the motor into the optimal speed range.

At the same time, the dynamics of acceleration of a 70-horsepower fiesta leaves a very favorable impression: from a place to 100 km/h, the car accelerates in just 12.7 seconds. Maximum speed - 170 km/h! And why, one wonders, you need a more expensive 1.4 -liter engine, if its advantage is only 10 hp. And 18 Nm? We answer: it is needed for those who constantly travel with two or three passengers and a full trunk. When the machine is fully loaded, the volume of the motor is crucial - on overtaking you will repeatedly remember that minimum, seemingly difference in indicators.

But Ford Fiesta is rather a city car for a housewife than a summer residence for a large family. And although, as mentioned above, inside the car is quite spacious for four or even five people, its main habitat is city streets. It is here that you can appreciate the good overview of the driver's place (you can find fault with the inner mirror - not enough), and the compactness of the car itself. Its short overhangs and cubes of the silhouette make it possible to clearly control the dimensions, and not guess whether a couple of centimeters left to the curb or not. By the way, about housewives who in European countries are the main buyers of such cars. Especially for them, the designers of the fiesta provided original children's locks on the rear doors. In the end of the door, above the locking mechanism, there is a special keyhole, the rotation of which blocks the inner handles of the rear doors. And now even the most restless child will not be able to open the door from the inside.

Concluding this short test, we came to the conclusion that the Ford Fiesta Core has much more advantages than the disadvantages. She has a spacious salon, a very attractive design, a painful and economical motor and a relatively low cost. The disadvantages can be attributed only to rustic plastic on the instrument panel and a blind inner mirror. For a car whose cost in the basic version is less than eight thousand euros, this is not the worst ...

Pavel Kozlovsky
 

Source: Auto -Gazeta / N 9 (448) dated 16.03.04