2018 Ford Fiesta 1.0T

Large automakers often aspire to produce world cars, models they can sell in many territories with minimal variation. Yet, outside of luxury cars, the actual number of true world cars has always been pretty small owing to the costs associated with meeting various national regulations. While the current Ford Fiesta stands as one of the best examples of the genre, selling well on both sides of the Atlantic and farther afield, its club membership soon may be revoked. Europe is getting a new and better Fiesta, but there are no confirmed plans to bring it to America.

The Fiesta has always been a European car since it was launched in 1976. The new iteration will be the seventh distinct generation—only the first- and current sixth-generation cars were offered in the United States, which has contributed just a small portion of total sales that now have surpassed the 18 million mark worldwide. As both Ford’s biggest seller in Europe and the longtime number-one best-selling car in the United Kingdom, it’s no surprise that Ford has invested big in this spiffy new one.

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Party of Three

The new Fiesta proves that Europe’s enthusiasm for downsized powerplants shows no signs of abating. Apart from a 1.5-liter diesel inline-four, which is expected to make up less than 10 percent of sales, the new Fiesta will be powered entirely by three-cylinder gasoline engines. Entry-level versions will use a naturally aspirated 1.1-liter unit that will come in 69- and 84-hp states of tune, with a smaller but punchier EcoBoost turbocharged 1.0-liter positioned above and available in 99-, 123-, and 138-hp flavors. (Ford offers the current Fiesta with the 123-hp EcoBoost triple in America.)

European buyers will be able to choose between two- and four-door hatchbacks, but there won’t be a sedan in the new lineup, and we would likely see only the four-door with a trunk. Sales will be strongly biased toward manual transmissions, but there is the option of a six-speed automatic, which will be offered exclusively with the 98-hp 1.0-liter engine.

Mechanically, the new Fiesta sticks as closely to the current car’s recipe as a novice chef. The new car grows a bit on the same global B-car architecture that has been in use since the sixth-gen model arrived in 2008. There’s a 2.8-inch stretch in overall length although just a 0.2-inch increase in wheelbase, with suspension still by struts at the front and a torsion-beam axle at the rear. Ford, as always, remains adept at trimming pennies from engineering expenses: Naturally aspirated Fiestas will have only five speeds in their manual transmissions, and the less powerful models will ship with rear drum brakes.

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The exterior design is evolved, marked by a variation of the current Fiesta’s toothy Aston Martin–esque grille at the front and larger, horizontal taillights at the rear. The interior feels substantially different, with nicer-feeling plastics, better control ergonomics, and a significant increase in equipment. Ford is keen to push the availability of big-car features to buyers looking for smaller cars, with the new Fiesta offering adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning with lane-keeping assist, parking assist with a 360-degree camera, automatic high-beams, and a camera-based pedestrian-detection system with automated emergency braking.

While mid-spec models get a 6.5-inch touchscreen interface, range-topping versions get a sizable 8.0-inch screen running Ford’s latest Sync 3 infotainment package, with the screen “floating” on a separate binnacle above the central air vents. Space is good for front-seat occupants, with plenty of adjustment for both the seat and the steering wheel. Rear-seat room feels similar to the current car—tight for adults but reasonable for children.

 

Improved Agility

It’s on the road where the new Fiesta puts clear sky between itself and the current-gen, U.S.-spec car. While the Fiesta has always been rewarding to steer, this one feels better in every key regard. Humble grip levels are offset by keen responses, giving this Ford an agility that few economy cars can match. Ride quality also is excellent, especially for something with such a modest wheelbase, and although the steering is light, genuine feedback is passed to the rim. It’s impressively quiet, too, Ford having set out to give a hushed cruising experience. The overall effect is a car that feels both subjectively bigger and more expensive than it actually is.

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We drove two versions of the turbocharged 1.0-liter: the basic 99-hp unit with the automatic and the livelier 123-hp edition with a manual. Although it will be a minority choice in Europe, the automatic impressed more, shifting smoothly under low-intensity use and delivering intelligent kickdowns when asked to go faster. The auto also helps to disguise the tiny engine’s tendency toward turbo lag by downshifting to spin the engine into life. The lag was much more obvious in the more powerful car below 3000 rpm, when the driver either manages the downshifts or endures the wait for boost.

Both of these boosted three-cylinder engines are willing to work harder than most small turbos, revving out to a 6500-rpm limiter without ever feeling too tight. Unlike the three-cylinder Europe-spec Golf 1.0 TSI that we recently drove, the EcoBoost Fiesta never delivers a V-6–ish three-cylinder soundtrack, the only real clue to the paucity of spark plugs being an occasionally lumpy idle.

The manual gearbox is a mild disappointment. Ford has produced some of the finest mass-market sticks in the world, but although the six-speed shifts cleanly and accurately, it doesn’t have the crispness we associate with the company’s slickest transmissions, the Focus RS being the exemplar in this regard. The clutch of our test car also engaged low—and suddenly—in its pedal travel, making smooth low-speed progress more of a challenge than it should have been.

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Prices Are Not Petite

There’s a reason Europeans get a new and improved Fiesta long before we do: They will pay considerably more for it. In the U.K., the new entry-level 1.1 Style costs £12,715, equivalent to $16,600 at current exchange rates. That includes the 20 percent value-added tax (VAT), but still. The 123-hp 1.0T Titanium two-door manual that we drove listed at £18,550 with a modest smattering of options. That equates to a very solid $20,150, meaning that even before VAT it costs nearly as much as U.S. buyers pay for the range-topping Fiesta ST.

We’ve been here before. Europe got an all-new Focus hatchback in 2004 that was platform buddies with the Volvo S40 and the Mazda 3, while we had to make do with a heavy facelift of the aging original car instead. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen this time and that Ford can make the numbers work. Our Fiesta is still a fine car, but this new one is substantially better.