Fiesta MK6.5 user reviews

[MrBlobby]

Hi,

I will be test driving a 5 door MK6.5 in the next few weeks. It will probably be a 1.25 petrol.

I'm wondering what current MK6.5 owners think of their cars.

What's the steering like?

Clutch biting point? Easy or hard to stall?

Gear changes?

Parking and visibility?

Reliability?

Thanks.

 

[GingerFlame]

As it's an older car, all of the above will be dependant on mileage, driving style and maintainence 

 

Steering compared to the newer fiestas is pretty heavy. Although compared to a car without PAS it's featherlight. Neither me, my girlfriend or my grandparents have complained 

 

As with all vars it depends how good your clutch control is, although fiestas have a tendency to have a higher biting point and give enough feedback to allow you to learn ghe car and get used to it. 

 

Parking is extremely easy, short bonnet and rear bumper. Cheap parts if you knock it. Just dip the mirrors if you're struggling parallel to avoid scraping the wheels 

 

Reliability - the engines are extremely underpowered and weak. But also extremely reliable and simple/easy to work on. Make sure you find out if the timing belt and waterpukp etc have been changed as chances are it's 10 years old or close hence it's due. 

 

Gear changes. Make sure you allow the car to stop before going into first or reverse or it'll eventually begin to crunch. Other than that they're fine 

 

I owned two of them and other than a lack of power on the 1.4 (obviously 1.25 is even weaker..) I couldn't fault them on the whole 

[MrBlobby]

Thats helpful advice, cheers.

Since my previous car was an old 1.6 Golf, perhaps I should be looking at the 1.4 at a minimum.

[GingerFlame]

I'd definitely look at the 1.4, still only 79bhp but its enough as a run about for the size of the car 

[Russ]

Had a 1.4  from 9000 miles up to 98,000 miles (the 6.5 is just cosmetic changes) found the 1.4 great, 50mpg, reliable although had a couple of broken springs and the coil went once. (All standard problems) The only other things I changed in the 7 years I had it were brakes, brake pipes and disks. Easy to get parts for and cheaply!

Not sure why some are saying its underpowered (everyone has their own opinion) because let's face it, it is what it is, a 'small family hatchback' and if you want a faster car, buy a faster car. Had a friend use a 1.4 as his 'everyday' car and drove a Mercedes CLK at weekends.  Found it easy in town and also on longer drives to Inverness and Windermere from West Lothian. 

 

[isetta]

I had a mk6.5 1.6 tdci (diesel) from 1,600 miles to 146,000 miles. I loved it but that was mostly because it was such a superb engine for power and torque.

I had 1.4 petrol version as a hire car for a week. Whilst it was fine for urban driving I found it very weak on motorways when you came to an incline - a long hill. It would just get slower and slower and seemed affected quite a bit by the load also(additional passengers).  whereas my 1.6tdci was much less affected by inclines and heavier loads.

I have not driven a 1.25.   I have heard people say the 1.4 feels sedate and the 1.25 feels more sporty, but that does not sound logical looking at the figures. but what a car feels like can often be different from the figures.

[GingerFlame]

1 hour ago, Russ said:

Had a 1.4  from 9000 miles up to 98,000 miles (the 6.5 is just cosmetic changes) found the 1.4 great, 50mpg, reliable although had a couple of broken springs and the coil went once. (All standard problems) The only other things I changed in the 7 years I had it were brakes, brake pipes and disks. Easy to get parts for and cheaply!

Not sure why some are saying its underpowered (everyone has their own opinion) because let's face it, it is what it is, a 'small family hatchback' and if you want a faster car, buy a faster car. Had a friend use a 1.4 as his 'everyday' car and drove a Mercedes CLK at weekends.  Found it easy in town and also on longer drives to Inverness and Windermere from West Lothian. 

 

Some being me.. I said the 1.25 was underpowered, not the 1.4 of which I've owned 2

[GingerFlame]

1 hour ago, isetta said:

I had a mk6.5 1.6 tdci (diesel) from 1,600 miles to 146,000 miles. I loved it but that was mostly because it was such a superb engine for power and torque.

I had 1.4 petrol version as a hire car for a week. Whilst it was fine for urban driving I found it very weak on motorways when you came to an incline - a long hill. It would just get slower and slower and seemed affected quite a bit by the load also(additional passengers).  whereas my 1.6tdci was much less affected by inclines and heavier loads.

I have not driven a 1.25.   I have heard people say the 1.4 feels sedate and the 1.25 feels more sporty, but that does not sound logical looking at the figures. but what a car feels like can often be different from the figures.

They have identical gearboxes and the 1.25 has less power. Theyre horrid to drive 

 

Both are weak on hills :)

[Obnoxious]

I have a 2006 Fiesta Mk6.5 1.4L Petrol. Currently at 105k mileage, purchased the vehicle at 85k 2 years ago.

I drive more frequently now and I wouldn't recommend the vehicle due to reliability (approximately 50 miles per business day - half motorway and half country roads). I always take the vehicle to a main Ford dealer for repairs & service, I now know them all on a first name basis. You can expect age related faults to occur, such as coil springs and may need to have certain service jobs carried out such as fuel filter, timing belt and auxiliary drive belts. I have done all the aforementioned yet my head gasket, cylinder head and a few pistons warped few months ago. It was with the dealer for a month - I have no issues with the dealer, they're all great and would recommend them but as the Mk6 just ages, it's no longer a reliable car in my opinion. I have a folder full of invoices on repairs carried out; I can't remember them all from memory.

I've had numerous faults over the years, then again it could be my specific Fiesta and I cannot generalise my experience to all Fiestas; regardless, from my opinion with my Fiesta I would recommend something more reliable, perhaps a Honda or Toyota - granted repair and parts costs more for these brands compared to Ford. If you're not looking to keep the car for more than 1 + half year, then I would recommend the vehicle.

It's a great run around, but don't expect luxury though. Space is a little tight, bumps on the road can be hard and steering isn't as light as newer cars (e.g. 2010 or newer). Depending on how confident you are, manoeuvring is easy - never gave me any problems getting in and out of tight spots. The reverse gear often crunches. So far, touch wood clutch and gearbox have never give me problems.

I'm looking only to keep my car for another year and then get something more reliable; only kept it due to cheap insurance. I could detail this review in more depth, but I'll leave it up to you to test drive and form your own opinions. Honestly though, it's not a bad car; just reliability is getting poorer as the vehicle ages, and the age is definitely showing on a standard Fiesta.

You could consider financing or getting a bank loan on a vehicle which costs a little more. I didn't want to go down this route 2 years ago, since I wanted to own my vehicle out. However one of my family members bought a car on finance; their vehicle costs more than mine and is newer, yet I've paid more for my vehicle in terms of buying it out and repairs; therefore over 2 years I would have been better on a finance. Just food for thought if you're considering keeping the car for numerous years.

If there is anything you need to know, I'll be happy to reply. All the best. :)

P.S. Numerous Fiesta owners (including myself) hear rattles in the car. I tend to get them from the rear belt buckle hitting the plastic surround as I drive and from the boot lid. If you hear any of these, it's harmless but something you have to live with; not an issue for me as I have a good stereo system. :)

[GingerFlame]

In regards to reliability 

 

Theyre extremely cheap to maintain especially if you're using an independent trusted garage instead of £80 per hour labour at Ford 

 

I had one with 126k miles on which was solid till I crashed it 

One with 96k miles on, again, solid (I did the timing belt and servicing myself 

 

Had a family member with one at 110k without issues 

 

And my girlfriend currently has one with 89k so you may just have had a bad egg, which unfortunately there out there. A point to remember is we don't have a clue about the history of these cars regardless of what service history is there. If it's had issues in the past these can cause issues (such as engine failure) in the future, as with any car 

 

The rattles really are a pain, and the hunt for them really does get boring 

[Jethro_Tull]

I have the fusion 1.4.  It has enough to keep you out of trouble, but is no flying machine.  However, it is very, very smooth, quiet and vibe free, so 80 mph motorway cruising is perfectly comfortable, provided you accept that sudden bursts of acceleration from that speed won't be happening.  Provided you're realistic about what you're getting its a pleasant enough engine option.

 

I get 46/45 mpg overall from the bigger, heavier Fusion (you'll do better in the Fester) but don't need oil changes every 6k, dont have to worry about turbos or DMFs etc, and lighter weight and more progressive power deliver doesn't munch front tyres like the diesel.  Its a much better ownership proposition that the diesel, particularly as the cars age - elderlynof high mileage diesels are like used hand grenades, and maintenance and repair costs can massively wipe out any saving made on fuel.

[Bobr]

I had one from new - an 06.   The coil pack went inside a month and later had two front springs broken.   I ran it for 50,000 miles and it was quite economical.   At 50k my son had it and he still has it and it's still going strong with well over 100k on the clock.   

[GingerFlame]

3 hours ago, Bobr said:

I had one from new - an 06.   The coil pack went inside a month and later had two front springs broken.   I ran it for 50,000 miles and it was quite economical.   At 50k my son had it and he still has it and it's still going strong with well over 100k on the clock.   

 

 

Coil packs are common failures, and the front springs were affected by a recall. Not all vehicles were taken in for the recall which involved the addition of a zinc (I believe) block at the bottom of the spring to prevent corrosion where water sat 

[Jethro_Tull]

IIRC the springs were redesigned from the middle of 06 onwards.

[zain611]

Got a Ford fiesta mk6.5 zetec s 1.6 TDCi . Can't say anything about how it drives as I'm not going to be driving it daily until July as that's when my current insurance ends for my current car. Will say that the build quality is good (this is coming from someone who drives a Peugeot 107). Reliability I can't say yet but at the moment Im going to be changing the glow plugs as it runs rough from start up including smoke which goes away after 10 secs. Engine though feels really good. The 1.25 I'm sure is claimed 60mpg which isn't bad 

[GingerFlame]

7 hours ago, zain611 said:

Got a Ford fiesta mk6.5 zetec s 1.6 TDCi . Can't say anything about how it drives as I'm not going to be driving it daily until July as that's when my current insurance ends for my current car. Will say that the build quality is good (this is coming from someone who drives a Peugeot 107). Reliability I can't say yet but at the moment Im going to be changing the glow plugs as it runs rough from start up including smoke which goes away after 10 secs. Engine though feels really good. The 1.25 I'm sure is claimed 60mpg which isn't bad 

 

 

1.25 jsnt realistically gonna get 60mpg :p 

[karl46]

I had a 08 plate 1.6 TDI Sport van,  Fantastic performance, no problems with it all. Only went because the car was £20 VED abnd the van. exactly the same animal was £220 VED.

Drove it full steam all the time, can't tell you the mpg. It never bothers me. I can't believe that people pick a car for the mpg over another a bit lowerr.

[Andy Heyes]

My son has a ‘05 fiesta as his first car .. I’ve noticed water leaks onto front ds strut . Is this a common problem and is there an easy fix ?

[Kevin#95]

Andy

Yes. I get water collecting on top of the struts around the top nuts. It's not caused any issues, but I do clean it out sometimes and spray on some wd40.

[Paulkp]

Make sure the (invisible) drain hole behind one of the three strut bolts on the offside is clear, Waxoyl on the main strut bolt and any exposed thread is a good idea.  My nearside has Waxoyl on the main strut nut and a blind grommet over the hole.