Ford Fiesta vs Kgm Musso Xlv

What's the difference?

The Fiesta ST is an addictive car to drive. It's a modern classic and hard to beat when it comes to engaging performance and smile-inducing dynamics. Add in excellent value for money and you have a certified performance car bargain. 

The lack of an ANCAP rating and centre rear lap-sash seatbelt may be deal-breakers for some. However, the Musso offers a tantalising menu of luxurious standard features, in a refined, comfortable and capable package backed by a generous warranty. For $50K driveaway, it represents compelling value for money.

The styling changes ushered in by the 2022 update are subtle. The Fiesta ST gains a revised front fascia with LED Matrix headlights, a larger grille with a repositioned Ford badge, and restyled bonnet and bumper. 

It gets a fresh 18-inch alloy wheel design and black tail-light surrounds at the rear. It also comes in two new exterior paint colours - 'Mean Green' and the 'Boundless Blue' of our test car.

The current-generation Fiesta ST has an appealing design that represents a clear evolution of its predecessor, and, arguably, it didn’t need much work this time around.

The ST’s sporty bodykit adds a touch of aggression but not in a boy racer sort of way. It’s a classic hatchback design with a bit of an edge. 

The XLV option adds 110mm to the wheelbase (3210mm) and 300mm to load tub length compared to the SWB Musso, so our test vehicle's external dimensions are about the same as a Ford Ranger dual-cab ute. Even so, its 12.2-metre turning circle is tighter than the Ford and only slightly larger than its shorter Musso sibling.

It exudes a high standard of finish and build quality throughout, including the latest lower-body-to-chassis mounts with enlarged volume and a redesigned profile which, according to SsangYong results in superior bump absorption. As a result, ride comfort has been improved.

The leather-accented interior has a refined look and feel consistent with its prestige positioning, with fine exposed stitching along seams and a tasteful mix of contrasting surfaces that include different shades of grey and splashes of piano black and satin chrome.

As part of the update, the Fiesta ST gains new Recaro front sports seats that are firm and hug the body tightly. You feel well supported when cornering. The mix of synthetic leather and suede looks spot-on.

Like a number of sports-focused models, the ST features red stitching throughout the cabin - on the steering wheel, gearbox gaiter and air vent surrounds - and while it’s ubiquitous, it’s still a nice touch.

The chunky perforated leather steering wheel feels nice to touch, as does the metal gear knob. 

Cabin materials are a mix of soft-touch and hard plastics, and there’s carbon-fibre-look inserts on the dash.

There’s no denying Ford’s dash design is a huge improvement over the previous-generation Fiesta that ran from 2009, but the current model still lacks the polish of the VW Polo. It’s about on par with the Hyundai i20 N, although the Ford’s layout is a little busier.

In saying that, it’s hard to fault the cabin’s functionality. It has a deep central storage bin, which is larger than most cars in this category, a decent sized glove box, two-and-a-half cupholders in the centre console and storage for narrow bottles in the doors.

There’s a wireless charging dock behind the gear shifter, two USB ports (one in the storage bin and one next to the charger), as well as a 12-volt charger.

It’s nice to see the ST still has a manual park brake, too.

The facelift introduced a 12.3-inch fully digital instrument cluster, and while some may lament the loss of analogue dials, it’s nice to see Ford taking the opportunity to improve the tech.

The multimedia is housed in a smallish 8.0-inch digital screen sitting atop the centre stack and it runs Ford’s Sync 3 system. 

Sync 3 functions well, is hard to fault and the menu layout is easy to navigate, but it is being left behind by competitors with more modern and appealing graphics. The latest version in the new Ranger will no doubt be a major improvement, but we won’t be seeing it in this generation of Fiesta.

The diminutive size of the Fiesta ST is more apparent when sitting in the rear seats. It’s pretty tight behind my 183cm (6ft) driving position, with my knees hitting the rear of the front seats. 

It’s a cramped space that’s not designed for long trips by adults. It has redundant tiny rear-side windows behind the C-pillar, but on the plus side, there’s acres of headroom. 

It lacks rear-seat air vents and the closest USB port is in the front centre storage compartment. Taller bottles won’t fit in the doors and it lacks a centre fold-down armrest, but it has map pockets.

The rear seats are flat and the Fiesta has outboard ISOFIX points for child seats.

Realistically, most people buying a car like this aren’t using it to haul children around so think of it as a two-seater with handy rear-seat storage.

The rear seats fold 60/40 but not flat. A space-saver spare wheel lives under the boot floor and it has a high boot lip, meaning you have to lift items up and over to get them in. 

At 311 litres, it’s a decent sized boot with usable space. It’s just one litre more than the Hyundai i20 N, and six litres more than the Polo GTI.

With its 2100kg kerb weight and 2980kg GVM, our test vehicle has an 880kg payload rating.

It’s also rated to tow up to 3500kg of braked trailer and with its big 6480kg GCM rating (or how much it can legally carry and tow at the same time), that means it can tow its maximum trailer weight while carrying its maximum payload.

The latter is an unusual capability for a dual-cab ute of this size, which offers great versatility for heavy load-hauling requirements in both work and recreational roles.

The longer XLV load tub has square internal dimensions of 1610mm in length and width, which combined with its 570mm depth results in 1262 litres (or more than 1.2 cubic metres) of load volume. Load-anchorage points are located at floor level in each corner.

The new assisted-tailgate operation, which SsangYong claims has a soft-opening and easy-close design, also needs some beefing-up as we found the level of assistance was not sufficient.

Cabin storage includes a single glovebox, plus small and large-bottle holders and a storage bin in each front door. The centre console has a small tray up front, two small-bottle/cup-holders in the centre and a storage box at the back with a padded lid that doubles as a comfortable driver’s elbow rest.

Rear seat passengers also get a small-bottle/cup-holder and storage bin in each door, plus two cup-holders in the fold-down centre armrest and storage pouches on each front seat backrest. The rear bench seat-base cannot be swung up and stored vertically to create more internal carrying space, like some rivals, but it does provide hidden storage underneath for soft items.

The Musso's rear doors are only 50mm shorter than the front, which ensures easy entry/exit and comfortable rear seating, even for people my height (186cm).

There are large assist handles on the A and B pillars and, when I'm seated in the second row behind the driver’s seat in my position, there’s still sufficient knee clearance and plenty of headroom.

This also applies to those seated in the slightly higher centre position, where they’ll also appreciate the minimal height of the transmission hump that allows both feet to sit together behind the centre console.

However, like all dual-cab utes short of a full-size US pick-up, shoulder room for three adults across the back seat is marginal and only tolerable for short trips.

Our only gripes are the lack of a lap-sash seatbelt for the centre rear passenger (there’s only a lap-belt), which remains a glaring safety omission that should have been addressed years ago.

Our test vehicle is the Musso XLV Ultimate Luxury Pack, which comes standard with the same 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel and six-speed automatic transmission shared by other Musso models, for only $50,500 drive-away or $49,500 drive-away for ABN holders.

Our example also has the Indian Red metallic paint option, which adds another $595 to the price.

The list of standard Ultimate features (before you add the Luxury Pack) is impressive, starting with 18-inch black alloy wheels with 255/60R18 tyres and a full-size alloy spare. There's also HID headlights, LED daytime running lights and new vertical LED front fog lights, front and rear parking sensors, 360-degree ‘birds-eye’ and reversing cameras, heated door mirrors and assisted tailgate operation.

There's more luxury in touch-sensing front door locks and a walk-up welcome system that ensures the door mirrors unfold and puddle lamps illuminate as the driver approaches with the keys. Likewise, as the driver moves away from the vehicle, the doors and tailgate lock automatically.

The Luxury Pack adds a new dual-zone climate control hub with full touchscreen control, powered sunroof and premium leather seating, with powered front buckets that offer heating/cooling and adjustable lumbar support/base cushion rake. The outer rear seating positions are also heated.

This is in addition to a height/reach-adjustable and heated leather-rimmed steering wheel with multi-function controls, 12.3-inch digital LCD driver’s instrument cluster and 12.3-inch touchscreen for the six-speaker multimedia system with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity, two USB-C ports and two 12-volt sockets. And there’s more, so you could say it’s fully loaded even before you put something in the tub.

Under the Fiesta’s cute bonnet is Ford’s 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine delivering 147kW at 6000rpm and 320Nm at 4000rpm - the latter is an increase of 30Nm over the pre-facelift model.

Interestingly, it now matches the power and torque outputs of the Polo GTI. The i20 N pumps out 150kW and 304Nm.

The engine is exclusively paired to a six-speed manual gearbox - there is no auto transmission available - and it is front-wheel drive.

The quiet and refined 2.2-litre inline four-cylinder turbo-diesel produces 133kW at 4000rpm and (for the XLV) 420Nm of torque between 1600-2600rpm.

The smooth-shifting Aisin six-speed torque converter automatic provides the option of sequential manual shifting, plus three drive modes comprising Eco, Power and Winter. It also has overdrive on the fifth and sixth gears for fuel-efficient highway driving.

The part-time, dual-range 4x4 drivetrain has an auto-locking rear differential that automatically locks and unlocks in response to changing traction requirements.

Ford claims the Fiesta ST has an official combined cycle fuel use figure of 6.3 litres per 100 kilometres. 

After a week of predominantly inner city and freeway driving, we recorded a much higher 10.2L/100km. However, that was very shortly after an enthusiastic back-road blast to test its performance chops. We did see single-digit numbers throughout the week prior to that.

The Fiesta requires premium 95RON petrol and it has a 45-litre tank. CO2 emissions are 144g/km of CO2.

KGM SsangYong claims a combined average consumption of 9.0 litres per 100 kilometres and the dash readout was showing 10.1 at the end of our 317km test, which comprised the usual mix of suburban, city and highway driving.

Our own figure, calculated from fuel bowser and tripmeter readings, was higher again at 11.0 which, while not the thriftiest we've tested, is still not bad for a ute weighing more than two tonnes in mostly urban driving, of which about one third of our test distance was hauling a near-maximum payload.

So, based on our figures, you could expect a ‘real world’ driving range of around 680km from its 75-litre tank.

It’s easy to find your ideal driving position in the Fiesta ST, thanks to the reach and height adjustable steering wheel and the adjustable seat.

Aside from the extra 30Nm dollop of torque, Ford hasn’t changed anything else about the Fiesta ST mechanicals for 2022, but arguably, it didn’t need to.

The pre-facelift model could cover 0-100km/h in 6.7 seconds, and while Ford has not revealed whether that has changed with the facelift, it feels about right.

It’s brisk from a standing start, without being neck-snappingly quick, but there is strong urge and a lack of noticeable turbo lag. There is, however, some axle tramp on take-off, particularly in the wet. We also detected some torque steer when pushing hard up a hill, but it was minimal. 

Speaking of, the little three-pot turbo engine is utterly unfazed by steep hills - it just keeps adding speed. A light kerb weight of 1218kg helps here. 

The three-pot turbo engine sounds wonderful when accelerating, and the Fiesta ST begs to be driven hard.

The engine is perfectly matched with the slick shifting six-speed manual gearbox that has lovely short throws and is a joy to use. Even if Ford offered an auto with the Fiesta ST, it would take away from the driving experience.

'Sport' mode ups the growl from the engine and throttle response, but it’s not a dramatic departure from 'Comfort' mode.

The ST’s strong brakes are bordering on sensitive, but the heavily weighted steering is incredibly sharp.

On a back road run, the front-wheel drive Fiesta ST comes alive, hugging corners confidently. 

On bends that would’ve seen many other cars come undone, the Fiesta’s tight, balanced chassis, grippy tyres and the standard mechanical limited slip differential ensure it maintains its composure.

The ride is undeniably firm, particularly around town in urban areas - you feel every speed bump. My partner found the ride a bit too much at times, but I was far more forgiving.

The Fiesta feels solidly built and has a level of refinement that’s missing from the likes of the Suzuki Swift Sport and Hyundai i20 N.

However, the cabin could do with more noise deadening materials as it can be quite rowdy at speed and on coarse chip roads. Another negative is the massive turning circle - a bit odd for a city-focused light hatchback.

But these are things I could happily live with. During my week with the Fiesta ST, I made any excuse to jump behind the wheel and go for a drive.

Me: “I’m just going to run to the shops to get pasta.”

My partner: “We’re not cooking pasta this week.”

Me: “Yeah but you never know when you need pasta. Bye!”

Drivers of most heights and widths can find a comfortable driving position, thanks to a combination of multiple powered seat adjustments, a height/reach adjustable steering wheel, nicely-positioned elbow rests on either side and a large left footrest ideal for big Aussie boots.

The turbo-diesel’s 1000rpm-wide peak torque band between 1600-2600rpm, combined with well-matched ratios in the six-speed auto, ensure good response in the 40-80km/h speed range often encountered during city and suburban driving. However, we could not detect a noticeable change in response when switching between the Eco and Power drive modes.

The unladen ride quality is commendable, given its supple four-coil suspension and longer XLV wheelbase. Combined with nicely-weighted speed-sensitive steering (light at parking speeds, firmer at highway speeds) and responsive braking, it’s enjoyable to drive in urban environments.

It also has impressively low engine, tyre and wind noise, particularly at highway speeds where the refined drivetrain only needs 1700rpm to maintain 110km/h. These attributes create a pleasant cabin environment and low-stressed cruising.

We forklifted 650kg into the load tub, which with our crew of two equalled an 830kg payload that was only 50kg less than its 880kg legal limit. The rear coil springs compressed 70mm, which allowed the rear axle to engage with large cone-shaped jounce rubbers mounted on the chassis rails above it.

These rubbers not only provide a second stage of support when hauling heavy payloads, but also eliminate the jarring thuds of traditional hard-nosed rubber bump-stops when the suspension uses up all its travel.

The Musso made light work of hauling this payload up our 13 per cent gradient, 2.0km set climb at 60km/h, self-shifting back to third gear and 2500rpm to easily reach the summit.

Engine braking on the way down, in a manually selected second gear, wasn’t as strong as the auto transmission over rode our manual selection when the engine reached 3700rpm on overrun (4500rpm redline) and shifted up to third gear.

These engine-protecting measures are increasingly common in utes and vans, which can spring a surprise when you’re leaning on the engine to assist with braking on a steep descent and the auto suddenly shifts up a gear and the vehicle starts running away from you.

Even so, the Musso’s quartet of disc brakes were more than capable of keeping speeds in check for the remainder of the descent.

No ANCAP rating but the active safety menu includes auto emergency braking (AEB), front collision and lane-departure warnings, trailer sway control, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, front/rear parking sensors plus 360-degree/reversing cameras and more. There’s also driver and front passenger front and side (thorax) airbags plus curtain airbag protection for both rows of seating, along with three top-tethers and two ISOFIX child seat-anchorage points for the rear seat.

The Fiesta is covered by Ford’s five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty and you get free roadside assistance and state/territory auto club membership each year that you service your car at a dealer, for up to seven years.

The servicing schedule is every year or 15,000km, whichever comes first. There’s a four-year/60,000km capped-price servicing program, which costs $299 per service. 

Ford also offers a free service car loan that can be booked in ahead of your service.

It comes with a seven-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, which includes commercial use (which SsangYong claims is a unique offering in this segment) and seven years roadside assist.

Scheduled service intervals are 12 months/15,000km. Capped price for the first seven scheduled services up to seven years/105,000km totals $3238, or a reasonable average of $463 per year.