2023 (23) Ford Fiesta 1.0 EcoBoost ST-Line 5dr

By Jonathan Crouch

Introduction

Ford's Fiesta has always been affordable and great to drive. But state of the art? It claimed to be that too in the improved take on the seventh generation model launched in late 2021. This turned out to be the very last Fiesta model before the line was discontinued from sale in mid-2024, but it certainly adds up as a decent used buy. Beneath the smarter styling lies some clever user-friendly technology - and cabin features that'll make down-sizing into one of these less of a chore. This is how you right a best seller.

History

What's been the world's most significant car in the last half a century? This is our nomination, Ford's Fiesta, rejuvenated in MK7 model guise in 2017, then updated three years later with mild hybrid engines, before being facelifted in late 2021 for a fresh generation of buyers. All of which created the 2022 model year car we're going to look at here as a used buy. By late 2021 as Ford introduced what was to be this very final Fiesta (though we didn't know that then), the sales figures seemed to speak for themselves. Since this supermini had been first launched back in 1976, well over 17 million models had been sold, getting on for 5 million of them in the UK. Which is why, to keep up with demand, back at the end of this century's second decade, a Fiesta was still rolling off the Cologne production line every 68 seconds. By the time of this last model update though, demand for that level of production was starting to wane. In the UK, we had become no longer quite the nation of 'Fiesta folk' that we had previously been. Prior to 2021, for over three decades, this model line had been the UK's best seller but by the time of this last model update, it was being routinely out-sold by its Vauxhall Corsa arch-rival. Partly, that was down to Ford's more recent reticence when it came to slashing showroom pricing. And partly, it was down to the brand's reluctance to embrace the full electrification that by 2021 we were seeing in some segment rivals. This seventh generation model simply hadn't been engineered to work as a full-EV - or even as a full-Hybrid. But since 2020, more expensive 1.0-litre EcoBoost versions had had a less sophisticated mild hybrid system. Which worked particularly well with the brand's optional 7-speed Powershift dual clutch auto gearbox. For those who found that to be enough engine tech, then elsewhere with this supermini, Ford hoped that customers would find lots else to like with this fully facelifted version of the seventh generation design. Smarter styling included headlamps with full-LED tech. And pricier versions got the digital instruments and enhanced camera safety features that by 2021 we'd already seen in this model's almost identically-engineered SUV cousin, the Puma. As before, there was an 'Active' crossover version and an (enhanced) ST hot hatch variant. Plus as ever, this Fiesta delivered class leading drive dynamics. In this form, the Fiesta sold until the end of sales of this model line in mid-2024.

What You Get

Ford resisted the temptation to meddle too much with the look of this seventh generation Fiesta when the powertrain line-up was substantially revised back in 2020. With this mid-term 2021 facelift though, a smarter, more sophisticated look arrived for the styling of European Design Director Joel Piaskowski's original shape. At the front, Fiesta regulars will immediately notice the way the reprofiled bonnet flows into slimmer headlamps. They have integrated daytime running lights, are of the full-LED variety on all variants and from new could be upgraded with Matrix technology featuring Glare-Free High Beam functionality. If you've owned an earlier-spec MK7 Fiesta, you might also pick up the fact that the Ford badge here has fallen from the nose to sit in the middle of a larger, bluffer and more overt grille, the style of which varies according to trim level. Move to the side and the changes made to this facelifted model are a lot more difficult to spot. Perhaps the most significant change was the deletion of the old three-door body style, which was surprising because previously, over 30% of customers had chosen it. The rear view isn't much different from the pre-2021-era model either. Ford was still limiting tail lamp LED tech to plusher models, this better emphasising the distinctive 'C'-shaped signature light pattern. What it all boils down to is that here, we got a facelift that made a real visual difference. At the wheel, you really will find the cabin of this post-2021-era Fiesta very different if your experience of this supermini is with older versions of it. What might be familiar though, is a choice of trim materials reminding you of this car's position at the budget end of Ford's model line-up. Perhaps aware of this, as part of the 2021 update, the Blue Oval brand introduced the 12.3-inch digital instrument screen we first saw in the Puma, which gave the front of the cabin a more sophisticated feel. Plus by 2021, luxury features like a Quickclear front windscreen and velour floor mats had been standardised across the range and the brand was trying to add a more premium feel to pricier versions - the red-stitched trimming of the plush 'ST-Line' variant for instance. As part of this update, an 8-inch SYNC centre-dash touchscreen was standard across the line-up and most models got it complete with navigation and the brand's clever 'FordPass Connect' built-in modem, which allows for in-car WiFi and remote interaction with your Fiesta via your smartphone. 'Apple CarPlay' and 'Android Auto' smartphone mirroring is of course included. And all the cabin basics were well executed: it's easy to find a comfortable driving position, the instruments are clear and there's plenty of interior storage. In the rear, as usual with a Fiesta, really tall folk will certainly need co-operation from those ahead to get truly comfortable in terms of leg space. Most buyers of course, will merely be carrying small children in the back - though even a youngster will only want to travel short distances in the middle of the rear bench as the cushion is quite narrow. Still, both outer seats feature load limiters and pre-tensioners (both features omitted on older generation Fiestas). Finally, let's take a look at the boot. We should give you the total cargo capacity figure - 292-litres; that's 41-litres less than you'd get in an EcoSport and about 20-30% less than you'd get in the most popular 'Juke'-genre small SUVs. If you need more room, pushing forward the 60:40-split rear backrest frees up 1,093-litres, which should be sufficient for the needs of most likely buyers. This Ford's floor has quite a step in it when the rear seats are tipped forward but you can alleviate this with the adjustable boot load floor.

What to Look For

As usual with a supermini, check the interior for child damage. And with top-spec versions, check the alloy wheels for scratches. Look for any dents, dings and scratches to the panelwork. And ensure that the clutch engages smoothly and that the car goes into gear easily. The 1.5-litre diesel engine is fitted with a diesel particulate filter, but this may be clogged up if the previous owner hasn't completed too many highway journeys. Be a little more careful with the 'Active' body style; it's extremely unlikely that any Fiesta Active will have been used on rough surfaces, but check around the undersides just in case.

Replacement Parts

(approx based on a 2021 Fiesta Active 1.0 EcoBoost 125PS - Ex Vat) An oil filter usually costs in the £5-£10 bracket, though you can pay £20-£25 for pricier brands. An air filter costs in the £8-£16 bracket. A fuel filter is in the £2-£24 bracket. A pollen filter costs in the £3-£15 bracket. A headlamp costs in the £123-£185 bracket. A wiper blade is in the £3-£14 bracket. A front brake disc costs in the £34-£79 bracket. A rear brake disc costs in the £20-£60 bracket. A front brake pad is in the £25-£40 brackets; rears are in the £14-£41 bracket. A radiator is in the £75-£187 bracket. An alternator is in the £156-£301 bracket.

On the Road

Nothing really changed much in terms of drive dynamics or engineering with this facelifted post-2021-era MK7 Fiesta - but that was only because Ford had already introduced updates in those areas as recently as 2020. If your experiences of the MK7 Fiesta date from before 2020, you're going to want some answers to the really big questions here. What's the electrified engineering added into this seventh generation model really like? And did it in any way dilute this car's greatest calling card, its energetic drive dynamics? You might not expect that it would. Ford's choice of mild hybrid tech, rather than the more efficient full-Hybrid technology that rivals like Renault, Honda and Toyota were by 2021 offering in this segment, meant that the weight penalty for this technology was as relatively slight as the frugality benefits it delivered. Which will be good news if you're the kind of person who likes their driving. Variations on the Fiesta theme may come and go, but before driving any version of Ford's definitive supermini, there's one thing you almost always tend to know for certain: that it'll be a great steer. With this seventh generation design, the Blue Oval brand sought to retain that traditional Fiesta attribute, yet at the same time, introduce a standard of ride quality closer to that delivered by arch-rivals like Volkwagen's Polo. The feel you'll get from this Fiesta depends quite a lot on the variant of it you choose. That's because two quite different chassis configurations featured across the range, with a firmer set-up used for the various sporty 'ST' models (like the popular 'ST-Line' variant) and a softer one featuring elsewhere in the range. Without the stiffer set-up, this car isn't quite the sharp, eager thing we remember from earlier Fiesta generations, but it can still offer a level of handling joie de vivre that's beyond anything its competitors can manage. That's thanks to sharp electric steering, a stiff, lightweight body and an effective torque vectoring system that helps you get the grip down in the corners. You'll be wanting to know though, a little more about the electrified engineering we mentioned earlier. You don't have to have it. Of the three cylinder petrol engines that by 2021 exclusively made up the Fiesta range, three non-electrified units remained at the time of this facelift; a base 75PS normally aspirated Ti-VCT powerplant; the old 100PS 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine; and the ST hot hatch model's 1.5-litre 200PS powertrain, which by 2021 offered 320Nm of torque, 30Nm more than before. But by 2022, these had become minority choices. Almost all Fiestas by the time of this facelift were being sold or leased with the brand's mHEV mild hybrid engine, a variation on Ford's usual 1.0-litre three cylinder EcoBoost petrol unit that by the time of this update was being offered only in 125PS form. Mild hybrid engineering is nothing like as efficient as full-Hybrid tech, but it doesn't come with a big fat price premium and it boosts driver feel because it's lighter and it adds a slice of extra pulling power just when you need it. The set-up works via a beefed-up starter/generator driven by a belt at the front of the engine that stores the energy harvested when you brake or decelerate in a tiny 48-volt lithium-ion battery secreted at the back of the car. Which provides a bit of extra zip when you accelerate (Ford claimed up to 50Nm of extra torque) and delivers a little electric boost from low revs to 'torque-fill' while you're waiting for the turbo to spool up. That has a lot to do with this car's fizzy, revvy feel. But it also plays its part in creating efficiency stats improved by a small but important amount over those you'd get from conventionally-engined rivals in this class from this period. The 125PS mHEV Fiesta returns up to 56.5mpg on the WLTP combined cycle and up to 114g/km of WLTP-rated CO2. That's in manual form: a 7-speed dual-clutch auto gearbox was also offered with this unit.

Overall

The Ford Fiesta has always been a vehicle the British public has warmed to but the truth is that traditionally, supermini buyers often chose this car either because it was great to drive or because they'd been offered a deal too good to turn down: there wasn't really another reason to buy one. Throughout its lifetime, the MK7 Fiesta gradually changed all that and this post-2022-era updated version was smarter to look at, smarter to sit in and smarter to operate. Flawless then? No of course not. Choose the popular mild hybrid engine, as you'll probably want to, and its 'hybrid' badging will probably lead you to expect more in terms of gains in efficiency than this kind of token electrified engineering can actually deliver. Plus, for all the improvements made to this model line, it still lags behind most supermini rivals of the 2021-2024 period in terms of rear seat space, boot capacity and cabin quality. We'd like to have seen autonomous braking standardised too. Still, if these things aren't essential to you in choosing your ideal used 2021-2024-era supermini, as they may not be, you'll find that there's much to like here. This may have been the very last Fiesta, but in used form, it remains a small car that supermini buyers simply can't ignore.