Fiesta: First impressions

[Marlburian]

My Ford Fiesta was delivered this afternoon and I spent a couple of hours exploring it before driving it early tomorrow morning. When I ordered it in April, I only gave the model at the showroom a cursory look because of COVID sensitivities (mostly mine).

I was generally impressed with the interior and its range of features and was able to work out most of them, though it took me time to realise how to operate the teat that controls the wing mirrors and also the very compact light controls; I'm relieved that I didn't drive the car home in the dark. The radio  and info screens were a big improvement on those in my 2009 Civic, and the engine was quieter.

The Civic has an internal catch for the fuel tank and it took me a while to find out there wasn't one in the Fiesta. And I wondered how to operate the satnav, until discovering that was an extra. Still, I've always boasted that I can outguess any satnav for 99% of my driving, and friends tell me they prefer to rely on one on their smart phone.

Pity that the rear seats don't fold down completely flat; I didn't like the tip on YouTube that one could wrench up the lower parts, revealing some rather thin upholstery and the stark underside. And I wouldn't have liked to squeeze even one adult in the back. (The back seats of my Civic were used only once, when a colleague's car got a puncture and I had to give lifts to his two passengers.)

I did feel that the car paintwork was extremely vulnerable at the sides, front and rear. The protrusion under the front number-plate looks particularly at risk. I would have liked to see some sort of rubber or plastic protector fitted over where cars used to have bumpers. I can't locate on the Web side protectors for the latest three-door model.

My  environmental work and walking in the countryside mean my wearing heavy-duty trousers with zipped pockets and which often become very mucky, to the detriment of car upholstery, so I'll be looking for some sort of seat protector.

[Eric Bloodaxe]

I do a lot of walking and am often wearing  "action trousers" even when not doing so (all those zipped pockets are so handy for "stuff"!), I haven't had a problem with the Fiesta upholstery (or previous cars) tbh.

I have a factory satnav, which I never use anyway, but am also told that phone apps such as Waze or Google maps are far better - your has Apple Car Play/Android Auto I understand.

I agree, the lack of scuff protection is a curse of most modern cars, but I've been lucky with this one so far, though I do have a 5 door. Have had a 3 door Fiesta previously and found the wide opening door a complete nuisance when parking in restricted spaces, the extra few hundred pounds for 5 doors is well worth it imo, even if you don't use the rear seats much.

Hope you enjoy a longer drive tomorrow. Bringing a different car home the first time is always a bit tense, I picked up mine in a blizzard which didn't help! Depending on what you're used to it can take a while to acclimatise to the Fiesta - it is quite a responsive little car.

 

[Marlburian]

I went out shortly after dawn on a route I knew had lots of lay-bys so I could pull in and work things out. In fact it all went well - with one exception. I was impressed with the smooth gearbox and the quiet ride that contrasted very well with the Civic. Though I've yet to work out the optimum  number of rpms for gear changes (2000??), I was pleased with the nippiness and acceleration. I quickly felt confident at the wheel.

Before I started off, I'd disengaged stop/start but enabled this after a few miles. I have my reservations about its desirability for short pauses, and I've always been one to turn the engine off if the delay threatens to be more than a minute. (On two of my regular routes there are a couple of canal swing- bridges where barges can take eight minutes to pass through. Was I annoyed the other week when an SUV in front of me had its engine on for several minutes.)

The only criticism was the compact light controls being tucked away, but I guess using them becomes intuitive.

The Big Problem was when I tried to reverse but couldn't get the gear lever over. When I got home, I Googled the problem, which led me to several threads on this forum about the lack of syncromesh. I tried these, to no avail, then discovered a YouTube tutorial that explained that I had to lift a collar under the the gear-lever knob. The voice-over described this as "clever", but I found it - or my ignorance - frustrating. I've never had this on any previous car, though I guess that it stops drivers changing into reverse on the move.

Incidentally, thank goodness for YouTube and the Web generally. Yesterday I quickly found answers to several questions that otherwise would have taken a bit of time to get the answers to.

 

[Mavroz]

Stop start is never used on our cars in all honesty it is always turned off or deactivated.

You will not engage reverse unless you lift the collar under the gearstick as I can see you have already figured out.

The acceleration of these cars is very good, the standard 140hp is cracking but the 140 mhev in sport mode is very very nippy from a standing start.

Compact light control? I guess this refers to the headlight control? It is a simple rotary dial and doesn't really need touching if the model you have has auto lights other than for the front and rear fog lights.

Glad you are enjoying the car. 👍🏻

[Eric Bloodaxe]

Surprised they did not point out the lifting collar at handover! It's been a common thing for many years.

Auto main lights as Martin says but you may mean the fog light switches which are a bit hard to see?

I always disable start/stop as do many other members. You can always switch it back on if facing a lengthy delay.

 

 

 

 

[MarksST]

1 hour ago, Marlburian said:

I went out shortly after dawn on a route I knew had lots of lay-bys so I could pull in and work things out. In fact it all went well - with one exception. I was impressed with the smooth gearbox and the quiet ride that contrasted very well with the Civic. Though I've yet to work out the optimum  number of rpms for gear changes (2000??), I was pleased with the nippiness and acceleration. I quickly felt confident at the wheel.

Before I started off, I'd disengaged stop/start but enabled this after a few miles. I have my reservations about its desirability for short pauses, and I've always been one to turn the engine off if the delay threatens to be more than a minute. (On two of my regular routes there are a couple of canal swing- bridges where barges can take eight minutes to pass through. Was I annoyed the other week when an SUV in front of me had its engine on for several minutes.)

The only criticism was the compact light controls being tucked away, but I guess using them becomes intuitive.

The Big Problem was when I tried to reverse but couldn't get the gear lever over. When I got home, I Googled the problem, which led me to several threads on this forum about the lack of syncromesh. I tried these, to no avail, then discovered a YouTube tutorial that explained that I had to lift a collar under the the gear-lever knob. The voice-over described this as "clever", but I found it - or my ignorance - frustrating. I've never had this on any previous car, though I guess that it stops drivers changing into reverse on the move.

Incidentally, thank goodness for YouTube and the Web generally. Yesterday I quickly found answers to several questions that otherwise would have taken a bit of time to get the answers to.

 

Sounds like this might of use to you.

https://www.ford.co.uk/owner/my-vehicle/download-your-manual

[Eric Bloodaxe]

40 minutes ago, MarksST said:

Sounds like this might of use to you.

https://www.ford.co.uk/owner/my-vehicle/download-your-manual

Good point. They've stopped handing out a hard copy with your new car, I believe.

[Marlburian]

Thanks for the link. I was getting around to downloading the manual. I did get a small printed manual that covered the basics and which I looked at. I confess to being a technophobe (but admit that I'm impressed with most of the Fiesta technology) and there's quite a bit to absorb/learn all at once, especially with so much info available on the screen (which is new to me), selling my Civic privately today (hopefully in 90 minutes' time) and cancelling its insurance, Green Flag etc... Navigating the various displays takes a little getting used to, and I wonder how some others of my generation would cope. (The other day I read a dubious claim that a third of my age group don't use the Web  😮.)

Being a cynic, before I drove out I had to spend some minutes locating a number for the roadside rescue service just in case ...

 

[isetta]

Collar on gear lever, the only car I have driven in recent years with one of those was a fiat panda hire car but I remember them on Vauxhall cavaliers from 1970s and later. I think they are a good idea to reduce the chance of moving gear lever to reverse by accident. 

[TomsFocus]

My 306 GTi6's had a collar-lift reverse. Think the Vectra C did as well. I prefer the VAG style myself, pushing the knob down about an inch and then across...but you're still at risk of getting 1st if you haven't pushed it down far enough tbf!

[Eric Bloodaxe]

I had collar lift on a string of Vauxhall/Opels, the Mk 2.5 Focus and Mk 2 C-Max. As well as current Fords, Hyundai/Kia and Fiat, to name a few, use them also, so pretty common.

I like the VW Group pattern as well. One I can't get on with is BMW - you have to push the lever across to the left against quite strong resistance. Unfortunately this is one movement my knackered left arm can't manage so if I find myself in a manual BMW (or MINI) I have to put it in reverse with my right hand!😀

[Marlburian]

On 9/18/2021 at 10:48 PM, Eric Bloodaxe said:

I do a lot of walking and am often wearing  "action trousers" even when not doing so (all those zipped pockets are so handy for "stuff"!), I haven't had a problem with the Fiesta upholstery (or previous cars) tbh...

Hope you enjoy a longer drive tomorrow. Bringing a different car home the first time is always a bit tense, I picked up mine in a blizzard which didn't help! Depending on what you're used to it can take a while to acclimatise to the Fiesta - it is quite a responsive little car.

 

Second impressions: I continue to be favourably impressed though, given the roads I drive on, I wonder how often I'll need sixth gear. The Fiesta is more highly-geared than my Honda Civic. I was impressed with the Fiesta's acceleration from stationery.

My first functional drive was yesterday to an environmental task that entailed me using a twisty stretch of lane where earlier this year I'd taken to a sloping bank (luckily free of trees) to avoid an oncoming delivery van that came around a bend. I glared at any oncoming drivers whom I thought were getting close. I knew that parking at the site would be tight, so I left my car at a village hall six minutes' walk away. Just as well, several of my colleagues twitched when they drove up and wondered where /how to park. We cut some very mature gorse, which inevitably meant bits of it came off my clothes in the car.

We volunteers sometimes get very mucky in the winter, clearing reed beds and sluices for example, so seat protection is desirable.

To get the rear seat to lower more, I took off the three headrests, which allowed a couple more inches. But three?  Room for three children perhaps, but adults ...

 

 

[Marlburian]

Third and final "first impressions" of my Ford Fiesta after four weeks. Generally pleased but still working out some aspects. The other day I became aware of the dashboard icon urging me to change up a gear, some revs below when I would instinctively do so. Perhaps my imagination, but when I do so, does the engine labour just a little bit?

Having had my reservations about stop/start and sometimes disabling it, I needed it yesterday morning, only it wouldn't function. (I got the car out of the garage, loaded three bags of empty bottles, drove a mile to the recycling bins at a store, decanted the bottles and drove on another 100 yards to park.) Two days before, I'd done 18 miles in broad daylight and my newly-fitted voltmeter showed a fully-charged battery. Thanks to browsing this forum, I knew that stop/start could be temperamental, and I guess it can't have liked the coolish morning.

I do wonder at the number of lights that come on every time I open and close a door. Time was when one might have one or two interior lights come on, and one tip in the winter or with a low battery was to start the car before putting any other load on the battery.

Being an elderly technophobe, I'm not sure that all the bells & whistles (with their attendant puzzlements) would have done much to add to my driving experience when I used to travel 130 miles to Devon in the 1970s.

[Eric Bloodaxe]

32 minutes ago, Marlburian said:

Perhaps my imagination, but when I do so, does the engine labour just a little bit?

Mine didn't seem to like it either, but having had this "aid" on various cars I just ignore it and change when I judge appropriate, as I have for the last 50 odd years. I think most members on here do likewise.

[unofix]

38 minutes ago, Marlburian said:

does the engine labour just a little bit?

'Yes' just ignor the light for a few seconds and then change up.

 

41 minutes ago, Marlburian said:

stop/start and sometimes disabling it, I needed it yesterday morning, only it wouldn't function

Just get used to the idea that Stop/Start will mostly not work and don't worry about it.

41 minutes ago, Marlburian said:

Time was when one might have one or two interior lights come on

The lights are LED and the combined load will still be less than the one 10W interior lamp you used to have.

43 minutes ago, Marlburian said:

I'm not sure that all the bells & whistles (with their attendant puzzlements) would have done much to add to my driving experience when I used to travel 130 miles to Devon

It helps to pass the time trying to work out what there all for 🤣

[anon]

Old cars are primitive. I know, I have owned enough of them. The driving experience of wind noise, engine noise, uncomfortable seats and cart spring rear axles, points ignition and carburettors you can keep. I'll settle for quiet ABS equipped air conditioned cars with excellent handling, good visibility and lights that use their fuel sparingly. Every function, save for driver alert and lane departure is useful and these are the features that bring the car into the 21st century. Swap that for a mark 3 Cortina? You must be bloomin' joking!