WS Fiesta - Long-term Review Part 2 of 3

[Ms_Jam]

Tyres
I recently replaced the Continental tyres with Pirelli pZero Neros. I remembered seeing an American Youtube review of the Fiesta well before its release there, and the review model from Germany had Zero Neros. I had done 34,000 on the Continentals, and they were probably good for another few thousand km. But I had gouged a bit of rubber off a sidewall, and while there was no loss of pressure, I feared there might be a weakness there that I would not want to test by hitting a big pot-hole at 110 .

Anyhow, the Zero Neros are superb, very noticeably better in my opinion than the original Continentals. I have just tried them out by driving to Albury/Wodonga and back to Melbourne, with a passenger and a bootful of equipment on board. Very happy. The only downside is that the tyre size (195/45/16) is, I found, an almost unique European specification, and this is reflected in the price ( you can buy bigger Zero Neros for less, I am told). I could have used 50s instead of 45s, I guess, as on the WT Fiestas, but I like the slightly more squat appearance of the vehicle with 45s. I also like the edgier look (in my opinion) of the Zero Nero tread! I paid about $25 a tyre more than some people here have been quoted as being a good price on replacement Continentals.

How it drives
I think I need to make it clear that this 1.6 litre manual has plenty of guts. If you don’t watch it on the highway, you will be seriously above the speed limit in seconds. I say this, because I have noticed comments that the Fiesta is gutless. Nothing could be further from the truth.

I can only conclude that some people are confusing it with the 1.4 automatic version, or are not running 98 petrol, or have not had it serviced properly. I have not driven the new WT 1.6 litre DSG version, but with almost an extra 40 kilos on board, I imagine it would not quite match the 1.6 manual’s performance, other things being equal.

The greatest thing about the manual Fiesta is that it is a car for people who like to drive. I truly find it an extension of myself. I think that is the best thing you can say about any car. It is extremely responsive, thanks to its engine, light weight and general design. When I tell it to do something, it just does it, very predictably. And its cornering ability is amazing, as a lot of people have remarked. At highway speeds it still sits very firmly on the road. You get great acceleration in 3rd, 4th and, interestingly, 5th. This little car is a joy to drive. It makes me feel good every time. It has personality.

The flip side of the nice gearing is that on the open road, the engine is running faster than most others. I have not found this a problem, and I have quite normal conversations at this speed. It could be that the Castrol Edge helps.

I have given some thought recently to city and suburban driving. If you want to drive efficiently, safely and not waste time, responsiveness in the vehicle is the key in my view. My Fiesta’s responsiveness (including very effective braking) has got me out of potential trouble numerous times, in an increasingly risky environment, with a lot of skill-challenged drivers on the road (I live in the northern suburbs of Melbourne). Cornering ability in the car is important because roundabouts often present one of the few opportunities to get ahead in unduly slow traffic. You also need control of course, and in my modest view, nothing beats a manual for control over a small-engine vehicle, especially in tricky circumstances.

One minor but pleasing aspect of the Fiesta is that, thanks I suspect to its sharply-angled windscreen, it is ideal for RainX . It is a pleasure to be zooming along in heavy rain, without needing to use the wipers, while all around you have their wipers going like the clappers.

The construction of the Fiesta deserves special mention. The suspension is made for hard work. Not once in this vehicle have I had the experience of “hitting bottom”. You can’t say that about every vehicle.

The body is stronger than you might expect. I had the experience not so long ago of having to return in a hurry to Melbourne from country Victoria. I was reluctant to do it, but I had to hammer the little hero over some bad roads to make it back. But there was not a squeak from the Fiesta, and it handled everything without a blink, and without its tail swinging about. I began to see why it has been chosen in Europe as a rally vehicle (my rims remain unbent, touch wood).