I'm looking to trade in my current Fiesta and am looking to buy one a year or two old. I really like the Active range, but I'm caught between the Actve B&O play and the Active X. I like the creature comforts of the Active X but I would ideally also like the upgraded stereo.

Is the stereo on the Fiesta Active X (2018-2019) the upgraded one from the B&O Play trim or does it revert to the standard stereo from the Active 1?

Also am I correct in saying that with the B&O stereo you don't get a spare wheel but you do otherwise?

Could someone please enlighten me, as despite reading and watching several reviews I can't seem to find definitive answers.

Thanks

Caltor

b & o system has subwoofer in boot in place of spare wheel and is the upgrade with additional speakers.

8 hours ago, Caltor said:

Also am I correct in saying that with the B&O stereo you don't get a spare wheel but you do otherwise?

Specs have changed quite frequently. That was originally the case but from around mid-2019 (I think) the subwoofer was relocated to the side of the boot, so you can have a factory spare. (Quite a few members have found ways to fit their own spares to earlier cars anyway). The factor that stops a spare being specified after the change to the subwoofer is pan roof, for weight reasons I believe, but again members have fitted their own aftermarket spares. 

Afaik the Active X got the B&O after the B&O Play trim was dropped, again some time in 2019 I believe. Cars with B&O should have the B&O logo on the speakers.

To further complicate matters, B&O was also available as an option at times on various models, so probably the only way to be absolutely sure what's fitted on a 2018/early 2019 is to have a look at the speakers and in the boot.

 

17 hours ago, st line x 140 driver said:

b & o system has subwoofer in boot in place of spare wheel and is the upgrade with additional Speakers.

Thanks. So at least if you get a puncture you can rock out to some bangin' toonz while waiting for recovery! 😉

16 hours ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

Specs have changed quite frequently. That was originally the case but from around mid-2019 (I think) the subwoofer was relocated to the side of the boot, so you can have a factory spare. (Quite a few members have found ways to fit their own spares to earlier cars anyway). The factor that stops a spare being specified after the change to the subwoofer is pan roof, for weight reasons I believe, but again members have fitted their own aftermarket spares. 

Afaik the Active X got the B&O after the B&O Play trim was dropped, again some time in 2019 I believe. Cars with B&O should have the B&O logo on the speakers.

To further complicate matters, B&O was also available as an option at times on various models, so probably the only way to be absolutely sure what's fitted on a 2018/early 2019 is to have a look at the speakers and in the boot.

Ah, thanks. That explains why AutoTrader splits the 2019+ models into just "Active edition" and "Active X edition". They must have rolled the B&O stereo into the Active X since then and got rid of the B&O play.

10 minutes ago, Caltor said:

 

Thanks. So at least if you get a puncture you can rock out to some bangin' toonz while waiting for recovery! 😉

Spare wheels waste of time as you say better recovery sort it out. Would you change a tyre on a smart motorway and live to tell the story!

If you've got a spare then the AA man can stick it on, even if he has to pull you off into a layby first.

Saves having to be recovered to a garage for a tyre change...  And that's assuming you haven't damaged the rim!

1 hour ago, TomsFocus said:

If you've got a spare then the AA man can stick it on, even if he has to pull you off into a layby first.

Saves having to be recovered to a garage for a tyre change...  And that's assuming you haven't damaged the rim!

spare is space saving wheel unstable and limited to 50mph so may as well just get the proper tyre fixed. Afterall spare might be flat or perished which is more dangerous. At least if you have a slow puncture you can use the compressor supplied to get you to a garage if your car is supplied with repair kit.

How often do you get a puncture at the end of the day. If you are getting lots you have to ask yourself why.

Just now, st line x 140 driver said:

spare is space saving wheel unstable and limited to 50mph so may as well just get the proper tyre fixed. Afterall spare might be flat or perished which is more dangerous. At least if you have a slow puncture you can use the compressor supplied to get you to a garage if your car is supplied with repair kit.

How often do you get a puncture at the end of the day. If you are getting lots you have to ask yourself why.

I've driven on space savers a few times without dying...they're not that unstable unless you're driving a rally stage.  I'm not a fan of driving at 50 on the dual carriageway, but if much prefer that to waiting 4 hours or more for a tow truck.

Why would the spare on a new car be flat or perished?  It's the driver's responsibility to check it periodically along with the other tyres, fluids and bulbs.

Lol, I've never had a puncture that I couldn't drive home on so far (numerous annoying slow punctures though)...but a mate that lives a few miles away gets them regularly.  Can't work out if it's his lower profile tyres or his driving!

Each to thier own at the end of the day.  If you don't want one you're saving a bit of fuel and helping the planet.  Personally I feel safer with one in the boot.

 

4 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

I've driven on space savers a few times without dying...they're not that unstable unless you're driving a rally stage.  I'm not a fan of driving at 50 on the dual carriageway, but if much prefer that to waiting 4 hours or more for a tow truck.

Why would the spare on a new car be flat or perished?  It's the driver's responsibility to check it periodically along with the other tyres, fluids and bulbs.

Lol, I've never had a puncture that I couldn't drive home on so far (numerous annoying slow punctures though)...but a mate that lives a few miles away gets them regularly.  Can't work out if it's his lower profile tyres or his driving!

Each to thier own at the end of the day.  If you don't want one you're saving a bit of fuel and helping the planet.  Personally I feel safer with one in the boot.

 

What relay service do you use i have never (in the limited times i've had to use one )waited more than 1hr and the vans are equipped with towing facilities.

prefer to sit in a warm car waiting then if by some bad luck its raining and muddy when you change the tyre let alone the jack sinking into the ground or car falling off jack.

End up with more damage than its worth.

13 hours ago, st line x 140 driver said:

What relay service do you use i have never (in the limited times i've had to use one )waited more than 1hr and the vans are equipped with towing facilities.

prefer to sit in a warm car waiting then if by some bad luck its raining and muddy when you change the tyre let alone the jack sinking into the ground or car falling off jack.

End up with more damage than its worth.

RAC and AA!  Both times several hours waiting, and both times they sent small vans first despite telling them categorically that it couldn't be fixed at the roadside and would need a low loader.  (Couldn't be towed on a dolly due to the type of fault)  Buggers broke my splitter when they finally did get the low loader too!  

More recently one of mates was told by RAC he'd have to wait at least 6 hours for recovery at 10pm!  He told them not to bother and got a relative to pick him up instead, leaving the car where it was.  Sadly, I don't have that option myself.

Needless to say, I don't have any faith in premium recovery services any more.  I pay for a cheaper one now, but will do anything I can to get home instead of calling them.  So far that's consisted of driving 10 miles burning oil through the turbo, and 6 miles with a dragging clutch stuck in 3rd gear.  Tbh, I'd even rather ride the rim on the hazards than sit in a live lane of the dual carriageway.

I can’t help feeling this conversation has drifted off topic somewhat... 🤣

Anyway I’ve ordered a Fiesta Active X 2019 plate. Gets delivered on Tuesday. Thanks for all the help!

 

13 minutes ago, Caltor said:

I can’t help feeling this conversation has drifted off topic somewhat... 🤣

Anyway I’ve ordered a Fiesta Active X 2019 plate. Gets delivered on Tuesday. Thanks for all the help!

Lol. That usually happens on here!😀

Be interested to see what you think of the car when you get it.

Go with the Active X, will more than likely already have the B&O speakers with it as its an X and probably a few more things than a B&O Play series aswell. Plus correct me if im wrong but im sure the B&O series come in these dodgy pastel colours! 😉

Edit: Didn't finish the thread, just seen you went with the Active X, good choice!

1 hour ago, FezMan said:

Go with the Active X, will more than likely already have the B&O speakers with it as its an X and probably a few more things than a B&O Play series aswell.

From what @Eric Bloodaxe said and my own later research, I think you only get the B&O stereo on the Active X edition which came out in 2019 (69 plate?). Rather than the Active X from before that, when I’m guessing it might have been an optional extra. For the benefit of anyone else, you can tell them apart as the earlier Active X has 17 inch alloys and the solid spokes whereas the later Active X edition has 18 inch alloys and the spokes look like they split in two near the rim. If it has the B&O system, it is listed on Autotrader under Specifications > Driver Convenience near the bottom. 

Both look like great cars tho to be fair! I’m hoping so anyway, as my budget could only stretch to the  older Active X (non-edition) version. I did treat myself to the 140PS tho. 😁

According to Parker’s the Active X adds the following equipment as standard compared to the B&O play:

• Climate control
• Heated seats
• Parking sensors
• Partial leather seat trim
• Sat Nav

https://www.parkers.co.uk/ford/fiesta/active-2018/specs/

Sadly it makes no mention of the stereo and doesn’t cover the later “edition” trims.

1 hour ago, Caltor said:

Sadly it makes no mention of the stereo and doesn’t cover the later “edition” trims.

According to Ford price list Active X (including Edition) has B&0.

1 hour ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

According to Ford price list Active X (including Edition) has B&0.

Thanks. Good idea to check the price list. I usually end up spending ages trying to sift through all the marketing fluff to figure out the specs.

Being pedantic, since the change in 2019 that you pointed out to me, I don’t think one can buy a new (non-Edition) Active X so we could just say the “Active X Edition” has B&O. With the emphasis on the word “Edition”. Very confusing name change by Ford there.

7 hours ago, Caltor said:

Very confusing name change by Ford there.

Yes, it is. They normally apply it to a launch model, or a run-out model to stir up sales at the end of production before a new model comes along.. Ford seem to have applied it to almost everything recently though!

On 1/22/2021 at 6:43 PM, Eric Bloodaxe said:

Be interested to see what you think of the car when you get it.

My Fiesta Active X 140PS review:

Well it arrived at 2pm today and I've had a quick nip out to get petrol and I have to say... I LOVE it. 😍

Not quite as sporty looking as my 2016 Zetec S was but it looks the part and is incredibly well-specc'ed for a small car. My wife likes the slightly higher ride height and smaller doors (we had 3 door before and it was a nightmare in the supermarket car park). She's not too keen on the square passenger side dash but it's not too bad. I love all the creature comforts (not had chance to explore them fully yet) and going for 140PS again it feels just as nippy. It seems a big slower in first gear than my old one but it picks up nicely in second. I'm guessing this is probably due to the increase from 5 to 6 gears. The suspension is noticeably software, especially over the speed bumps near our house but doesn't really detract from the drive. I took it down a country lane on the way home and it hugged the corners very nicely.

The gears don't feel quite a "chunky" as my old one but it does slot into gear very nicely and without the resistance of before. It's hard to explain what I mean really but I would say the old one felt more like you were manually shoving it into gear whereas this feels more like you are gently pushing a plastic button and the car is putting itself into gear.

I only had one issue and that is the SYNC system suddenly came up with a warning that the SatNav had stopped working. It seemed OK when I started off! I did a master reset, as I like a blank slate anyway and it seems OK so far. I've got 7 days no quibble return and 90 day warranty with Cazoo as well as manuf warranty to March 2022 so I'm not too worried about it coming back.

For us it's the perfect crossover from a warm hatch to a slightly more practical hatch/SUV. I would never call it an SUV and I don't think you should treat it as one but if you want a decent hatch that you aren't petrified of taking over the odd lump and bump then you can't go too far wrong with the Active X. Funny enough the delivery driver said he thought it was an SUV when he first got it into the truck. I think I read in one review, that it's a bit like a regular Fiesta in a North Face toggle jacket and I think that about sums it up nicely.

PROs

• Same "cracking" 1.0L 140PS engine from regular Fiesta
• Great equipment level - cruise control, heated seats, SYNC system, automatic electric wing mirrors, keyless entry, S/S button etc
• Looks good. Still quite sporty looking but looks I reckon it could handle a few bumps

CONs

• square dashboard
• softer ride (could be a pro depending upon your preference)
• have to work the gears a bit more to get the best out of the engine

If you have any questions about it feel free to ask!

 

12 hours ago, Caltor said:

My Fiesta Active X 140PS review:

👍Good review there, Darren.

I'm wondering, if I were to go for another Fiesta in future, whether an Active would be a better choice for our third world roads, than another ST-L, so your comments are very interesting - many thanks.

I have just noticed that there isn’t an owners manual or service history booklet though. There is a sheet of paper in the info pack to say they’ve done a service recently, but that’s it. Is that normal on Fiestas these days or should I be chasing Cazoo for an owners manual and service booklet like I had on my previous (2016) one?