Used Ford Fiesta review: 2010-2011

There's no argument that the car market has changed. The once dominant big cars are on the nose, replaced largely by other big cars in the form of SUVs, but at the same time small cars that were once shunned by all but the poverty-stricken are enjoying unprecedented popularity.

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This newfound popularity has meant that carmakers have put more effort into making them attractive to this new generation of buyers instead of stripping them of everything but the basics in the hope of making a buck as they once did.

The result is cars like the Thailand-produced Ford Fiesta, an attractive, fun-filled little car that drives well, is economical, and has loads of neat features. Ford offered two body styles, a four-door sedan that gave you the security of a boot and a little more body stiffness to aid handling, and a five-door hatch that was more practical and versatile.

There were also two engine options to choose from, a 1.6-litre petrol four and a 1.6-litre turbo-diesel. Both were quite economical, the turbo-diesel more so by quite a margin, and both performed quite nicely.

The only criticism of the petrol engine was that it lacked a little performance at low revs, but it was still perfectly adequate for the job. At the same time the turbo-diesel was lauded for its sparkling performance, the downside was that it only came with a five-speed manual gearbox.

For those wanting an auto there was no choice but to go for the petrol engine, and you could then opt for the new six-speed auto, which was in fact a dual-clutch DSG gearbox.

All models boasted standard stability control, but the base CL only had two airbags unless it was equipped with the $600 option that upgraded it to the seven that all other models had.

A downside that needed to be understood is that the Fiesta didn't come with a spare wheel, for that you had to pay extra. Instead it had an aerosol kit for use when you get a flat.

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Ford made choosing a Fiesta a challenge. The turbo-diesel was a winner, in both performance and economy, but it only came with a manual gearbox.

If you wanted an auto transmission you had to forgo the economy of the diesel and buy a petrol engine, which wasn't as economical and lacked the diesel's performance.

But given the auto is a DSG, which can prove troublesome, perhaps the best option is to avoid the complication of technology and opt for a simple manual gearbox.

If you really want the auto test-drive it thoroughly to try and find any faults it might have. Don't just drive it around the block; take it for an extended run, driving it under varying conditions, high speed, low speed, walking speed, accelerating from a stop, overtaking etc.

Check in the boot to see if your chosen car has the optional spare or not, and think about what you might do if it doesn't. If there is no spare check to see that the aerosol kit is there.

Some owners say that their petrol models ping, which forces them to run them on 95-octane fuel instead of the cheaper 91. That, of course, increases the running costs significantly.

Build quality is a complaint often heard from WT Fiesta owners, so take the time to inspect your chosen car closely.

Inspect the body for bumps and scrapes, they always bring the value of a car down, and also check the service record to reassure yourself that the required servicing has been carried out.

Smithy says

Questionable build quality detracts from an attractive package, but the diesel engine is worth the punt.