From £17,0658
Punchy three-cylinder Fiesta gets modern dual-clutch automatic transmission; a satisfying and economical small car results

What is it?

This is the long-awaited union between Ford’s brilliant and big-selling 1.0-litre three-cylinder EcoBoost engine and its six-speed twin-clutch Powershift automatic — in what is currently the class-leading and top-selling supermini, the Ford Fiesta.

Rivals have been building baby autos for quite a while, but this promises to be one of the best, given the sophistication of its self-shifting gearbox, and the fact that twin-clutch autos are supposed to deliver fuel consumption and CO2 emissions close to manual gearbox versions, if not quite as good.

Importantly, the Powershift’s CO2 figure of 114g/km undercuts that of the top-selling manual Fiesta, the 1.25-litre four cylinder — which helps overturn the presumption that automatic means inefficient.

What's it like?

Mainly, it’s about the powertrain. We already know the EcoBoost engine works brilliantly with Ford’s five-speed manual, but even the best small-capacity engines have a tendency to perform indifferently with self-shifters.

Not this one. Your very first impression will be of how strongly and easily the Powershift Ford Fiesta accelerates from standstill. There’s not a lot of drama, and unless you really bury your foot, there need not be too many revs, either.

The remarkable bottom-end torque of the little powerhouse works perfectly with the gearbox ratios. From lights, you can effortlessly beat the white van man who wants to squeeze you into the gutter.

As speeds rise the car shifts smoothly upward, arriving early into sixth because the torque of the little engine is well up for it. There’s an S (for Sport) setting that keeps the engine revving a little harder, plus a handy rocker switch on the side of the selector knob that lets you change up and down with satisfying ease and speed.

It may be a cheap substitute for steering column paddles, but after you’ve used it a bit, you soon see it has its own merits. In D, the gear you select manually defaults back to normal automatic mode quite soon. In S, the gear you select stays selected unless you move the rocker, or select D on the main lever.

The rest of the Fiesta is very familiar. Our test car had Zetec suspension that offers peerless body control but less-than market-leading surface sensitivity (not helped by the fact that our car had optional 16-inch alloys running 45-series tyres). The steering is terrific, and the car corners with neatness and impressive grip, wet or dry. For keen drivers, it’s a top combination.

The Fiesta’s weak link these days is its interior. The looming array of centre switches and controls isn’t nearly as attractive as some rivals, and the clunky steering wheel “wands” don’t get anywhere near conveying the excellence of the car’s dynamics and sporty exterior.

Many cheaper cars are now better designed, and as Fiesta lovers, we’re impatient for change.

Should I buy one?

If the idea of a satisfying, even exciting, self-shifting supermini floats your boat, then this is plainly the best.

Two caveats: the price is pretty solid, so for a well-equipped version you’ll pay almost as much as you would for a basic edition of the sporty ST. And that interior really isn’t up to snuff against its peers.

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Still, the Powershift Ford Fiesta is one of those cars that allows you to enjoy every mile, city, country, back-roads or motorway, and in that sense it’s quite a bargain

Ford Fiesta Zetec 1.0T EcoBoost Powershift

Price £15,145; 0-62mph 11.2sec; Top speed 112mph; Economy 57.7mpg; CO2 114g/km; Kerb weight 1091kg; Engine 3 cyls, 999cc, turbocharged petrol; Power 99bhp at 6000rpm; Torque 125lb ft at 1400-4000rpm; Gearbox 6-spd dual-clutch automatic

Steve Cropley

Steve Cropley Autocar
Title: Editor-in-chief

Steve Cropley is the oldest of Autocar’s editorial team, or the most experienced if you want to be polite about it. He joined over 30 years ago, and has driven many cars and interviewed many people in half a century in the business. 

Cropley, who regards himself as the magazine’s “long stop”, has seen many changes since Autocar was a print-only affair, but claims that in such a fast moving environment he has little appetite for looking back. 

He has been surprised and delighted by the generous reception afforded the My Week In Cars podcast he makes with long suffering colleague Matt Prior, and calls it the most enjoyable part of his working week.

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Comments
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john bon 13 February 2014

Fuel consumption

I always use the 'urban' figure, which tends not to disappoint.
superstevie 8 February 2014

@legohead I completely agree

@legohead I completely agree that the real world mpg is wildly out compared to the lab test results. My previous smart fortwos never achieved the official figures unless driven slowly on a long journey. While manufacturers have nothing to do with the official tests, they are making cars that perform well on them, rather than for real world conditions. Look at what merc are doing in the name to get better figures for the new c-class, and you can see how manufactures are playing the game to their advantage
LP in Brighton 8 February 2014

Most manufacturers carry out the official tests

@ Superstevie Most manufacturers I think carry out the official tests, but with an official observer to ensure there's no cheating. A few low volume manufacturers and importers rely on independent test organisations such as MIRA or Millbrook to conduct the tests. Not surprisingly the car manufacturers go to great lengths to make sure everything is "optimised" in their favor - and I think this partly explains why their figures exceed what you might get in the real world by a bigger margin. Allowing the car makers to perform these tests is just another flawed part of the procedure.
scotty5 8 February 2014

Unfair comparison

"Importantly, the Powershift’s CO2 figure of 114g/km undercuts that of the top-selling manual Fiesta, the 1.25-litre four cylinder — which helps overturn the presumption that automatic means inefficient."

What's the point in comparing it to the ancient 1.25? Surely the 1.0 ecoboost man is the car it should be compared to? The manual is free to tax (99g/km) and achieves 65mpg so in that respect, whilst the auto may be impressive, it's not as great as it's made out to be. Moreover that 1.25 you compare this car too costs £13495 - £2250 less. You need to compare like-4-like.

Speaking of MPG, I'm going to have my first drive of a 1.0 ecoboost albeit the manual version but in the larger and heavier Focus. Official figures, 60mpg. Let's see how close Ms Daisy can get to that!