Ford Fiesta Zetec 2006 Review

It is not the cheapest of the bunch but there is quite a willing three-door here, in line with the idea of junior hot hatches from Europe. And the Fiesta is no wild child on the styling front, rather this compact Ford looks a little serious, verging on plain, alongside the likes of Honda's Jazz, Suzuki's Swift, the Toyota Yaris or Mitsubishi Colt.

And the Fiesta has a traditional approach to the interior and instrumentation, precious few swoops and curves and digital readouts sitting closer to the front wheels than the driver.

And that may well suit some in this market. With a price premium and that more conservative approach to motoring style, the Ford Fiesta positions itself as a serious alternative, more Volkswagen Polo rival than Holden Barina.

Drivers sit tall and pretty in the Fiesta. There is plenty of headroom and good visibility over that stubby bonnet although the big transmission tunnel does impinge on room in the driver's foot well.

The steering wheel and controls are all logical enough (with indicator stalk on the left) with simple arrangements for stereo and air-conditioning controls. It is a compact car with decent accommodation for the front two occupants.

Best fun is attacking the gearbox with short-throw shifts through five forward ratios. The Fiesta's engine does not mind finding all those 74 kilowatts before moving on; this is a free-spinning powerplant that likes to keep on the move.

The encouragement here is well met by a keen, front-drive chassis. Here and there the suspension can feel a bit sharpish over broken bitumen yet, in the main, this is a quick and comfortable small car.

There is mild understeer as road speeds rise but the Fiesta's attitude is easily controlled and changed on the throttle.

The Zetec Fiesta scores a little extra suspension work over a standard Fiesta, this one sits lower and firmer. It all suggests a quick little machine and adds to the zip and confidence through city streets.

Although there is a good chance a full load may dull some of that 1.6 litre engine's sparkle.

The Fiesta Zetec is a neat and tidy machine with an engaging nature, albeit also carrying a price premium over most of its rivals.