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What’s the Ford Fiesta Mk5 like to drive?

There was a wide range of engines to choose from, kicked off by a 73hp 1.25-litre. It’s zesty and easy to drive around town – no surprise then that it is the most popular model on the used market. The 67hp 1.3-litre was available for a limited time (2002-2003) and was slightly less powerful than the 1.25-litre that replaced it. The 78bhp 1.4-litre is still punchy around town, but not out of its depth on faster roads.

However drivers looking for more a more relaxed drive on the motorway should opt for the 1.6-litre with 100hp. The diesel line-up includes the 1.4 TDCi with 67hp and the 1.6-litre TDCi with 88hp. Both are excellent units, but for a mix of performance and economy, the 1.4 TDCi does the best job and you can expect to see around 64mpg in everyday driving.

The five-speed manual gearbox gives crisp, accurate changes.

Handling

The Fiesta is doddle to drive around town. Its light steering makes easy work of parking and doesn’t become too tiring to use in stop-start driving. Combined with excellent all-round visibility, it makes an excellent city car, but is equally happy out of town. On backroads it feels supple, agile and is great fun to drive. It holds the road well and you’ll find that even with some of the more modest engines, you can make fast progress.

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