Ford Fiesta 1.8 Encore Diesel Review

Overall Rating

Fuel economy, reliability, cheap spare parts, service interval and the fact you can thrash it and it won't die.

Sluggish, poor interior/features, engine noise, typical Ford rust problem, aversion to starting in winter, OVERSTEER!!!

I have been the *ahem* proud owner of a Ford Fiesta 1.8 Encore Diesel for over a year now.

Bought it as a second car after a 1.2 Vauxhall Corsa. Unfortunately it was a trade off between something with a little bit more poke, and being properly rogered by nasty evil insurance companies.

This version of the Fiesta isn't half bad if you're not too fussy about looking like a chav in this, oh so chav of cars. This model is one of the last ones before Ford decided to adopt the "squashed Focus" design for the new Fiesta shape. The good points for this model revolve mainly around the fairly cheap running costs. It comes in at around 46mpg. Doing regular trips from Hampshire to Blackpool and back means I can usually get there on about £45. The downside is its a fairly old design for a diesel engine, it remains unrefined. That pushes it into the higher road tax bracket for emissions (£96 for 6 months duty). Its a fun drive though. Its fairly responsive for a non-turbo diesel. It holds a nice steady curve on putting in the power. This particular version clocks in at 70bhp approximately. On a flat road, its none too slow, but in comparison to higher powered more modern diesel cars, it leaves something to be desired. The five door version has limited space for the rear seat passengers, and somewhat limited boot space. The seats are quite comfortable making it ideal for a trip to the shops and back and general in-town driving. As we've seen for the past thousand years, every man and their dog has one, making parts easy to come by, and cheap as chips. I've only had to replace the starter motor, and a wing mirror on this one, but both were well below £60, so a bargain all round. The one thing that endeared this car to me was its very reliable. It will go for ages, and I can honestly say, despite putting 23k on the car in 12 months, its never given me a hint of a problem. Look after the car, and it'll certainly pay you back. It's the least temperamental car I've ever driven.

Now we come to the bad points. It sounds like a Challenger tank, probably a Challenger yelling down a megaphone. Its been known to register on the rector scale. If you want some quiet timid little engine, do not buy this car, it is louder than Timmy Mallet's shirts. The interior of the car is, at the best, stone age. Very spartan, with nothing other than a radio cassette player and window winders to play with. Leaves it open to the modders amongst us, but not very good otherwise. The speakers are pathetic. As most older Ford cars are, its prone to rust, specially around the wheel arches. The Fiesta I owned doesn't like starting in winter, but then again who does? Once the engine is warmed up, its not that bad. The biggest gripe has to be the tight quarters handling. It'll handle most B roads quite well in optimum driving conditions. The trait of older diesel cars is that they are very front heavy. In wet conditions, the car is determined to go sideways round some hazards. Other cars of this size definitely don't have the same problem.

I've now gone on to a Vectra (still a diesel, but with 95 more bhp to play with). The Fiesta is definitely a fun car to drive at times, but has several aspects which may put some people off. Its loud, and the neighbours will moan about their broken windows. Other than that, if you want something you can jump in and just go, it may well be the car for you.