Ford Fiesta Zetec 2010 review

Deceptively spacious inside, with a big effort put into workmanship, it punches above its weight in its class for styling and is a real performer. Pricing is from $21,490.

Engine

The five-door manual Zetec runs on an in-line 1.6 litre, four cylinder DOHC engine that puts out 88kW of power at 6000rpm and 152Nm of torque at 5750rpm. The compact Ford sprints from 0-100km/h in 9.9 seconds, on its way to a top speed of 193km/h. It has a respectable fuel economy figure of 6.1l/100km and it emits 143g/km of CO2

Appearance and equipment

Squeezing in under four meters long, the Fiesta Zetec looks compact and agile perching on its 16 inch, seven spoke alloy wheels. The body kit and sweeping lines give this car a real sporty, muscular appearance, helped out by the body-coloured rear spoiler, body-coloured handles and mirrors and tinted glass.

Explore the 2010 Ford Fiesta range

• Ford Fiesta Zetec 2010 review
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• Ford Fiesta 2010 review

Inside, the Zetec is unique, intuitive and packed with standard features like sports cloth trim, 60/40 split fold rear seats, air conditioning, Bluetooth, cruise control, leather wrapped gear knob and steering wheel and a trip computer. There are more than enough storage compartments and the luggage capacity is 281 litres with the seats up.

The safety kit includes driver and front passenger airbags, plus front seat side head/thorax airbags are standard on the Fiesta Zetec safety list, as is anti- lock brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution, stability and traction control, emergency brake assist and remote central locking.

Driving

What a great looking car. The Fiesta’s exceptional exterior styling has set the benchmark for looks in its class. It is really encouraging when manufacturers take a few risks rather than play the safe card – especially when it comes to design. In most cases, looks are the determining factor when choosing between two similar cars. But it can also go horribly wrong and have the opposite effect. Ford was brave and got it right.

Inside is fresh too. Minimalist and unique interior styling gives the Fiesta the edge over other, drearier cars. The dash is simple and easy to use and the seats are comfortable and supportive – although they did feel almost squelchy to begin with.

The back seat leg room isn’t too bad. We had two teenage boys sitting with their mum and there were no complaints - though it wasn’t a long trip. Boot space in the Fiesta is about average up against its competitors.

On the road the small Ford was punchy and smooth with more than enough room for a little extra. We agreed that a manual would achieve the best results but the automatic transmission performed admirably except for a little lag and indecision when switching from low to high gears at speed.

Through a section of tight bends the Fiesta Zetec was at home, smoothly caressing in and out of corners with good grip and a pleasant amount of steering wheel feedback. On the freeway there was noticeable wind rush over the exterior mirrors that we thought would probably grate over time, and road rumble through the floor became loud on particularly rough roads.

The Ford Fiesta Zetec was a great looking, very capable and fun car to drive, particularly suited to urban roads and short weekend trips.