2014 Ford Fiesta Sport Review

Joel Helmes road tests and reviews the 2014 Ford Fiesta.

2014 Ford Fiesta Sport Review.

If you’re going to dabble in this end of the market you have to have a good product.

With a stack of quality competition in the mix, Ford has a good story to tell with the current generation Fiesta.

Starting at $15,825, the 2014 Ford Fiesta range opens with the Thai-built Ambiente and that comes with a 1.5 litre four-cylinder engine and five-speed manual transmission. The Fiesta Sport range is sourced from Germany and, along with the sportier ST, features Ford’s turbo-charged EcoBoost engines.

The Sport has a 1.0 litre, three-cylinder power plant that puts out 92kW and 170Nm and prices start at $20,525 for the five-speed manual, $2,000 more for the auto.

I had a week checking out the manual version and walked away quite satisfied.

2014 Ford Fiesta Sport Review.

The little engine is a touch harsh and a little noisy, but well and truly punches above its weight. There is some turbo lag evident when the revs are down, but it doesn’t take too long for the turbo to get things happening.

Second gear in particular is quite pleasing.

I averaged a very impressive 6.7L/100kms in my week of city driving, the official combined fuel consumption for the Fiesta Sport is just 4.9L/100kms.

The manual transmission though is a little sloppy, but the rest of the Fiesta drive experience is quite pleasing. Light and relatively direct steering, a great turning circle, respectable handling and quite pleasing ride – this is not a hard car to drive or live with.

Visibility from the driver’s seat is good all-round and the cabin has an open and relatively roomy feel about it.

The temperature gauge can be slightly obscured.

Legroom up front is pretty good and passable in the back. The steering wheel though is a little hard and with the lack of a centre armrest (or storage bin) comfort levels are down a bit.

The seats though are impressively comfortable and are finished in both leather and fabric. Overall the cabin has a more than acceptable look and feel. Handy storage pockets on the roof and beside the console are a nice touch.

The gauges are clear and easy to read and the trip computer easy to navigate through, one frustration though is that the steering column, when adjusted to its highest position, partially blocks the temperature gauge.

For the record the steering adjustment is reach only.

On a more positive note the Fiesta Sport offers USB and auxiliary audio inputs, push-button ignition, auto headlights, cruise control, Bluetooth and power windows and mirrors all as standard.

2014 Ford Fiesta Sport Review.

I though the boot space was generous, there are some handy tie-down Velcro loops in the boot and of course you can fold the 60/40 split rear seat down relatively flat.

There are three rear-seat anchorage points for baby seats and the Fiesta has a five-star ANCAP safety rating.

Summing it up: $20,000 plus is a fair bit of money for a car of this size. The Fiesta Sport though has nice looks, a good quality feel and excellent fuel consumption.

The engine though does take a fair bit of driving to keep it in the game; the sloppy transmission was a bit of a letdown.

In all, the little Ford is probably about what you would expect, a straight down the line little offering that you will probably neither love or hate.

NUTS and BOLTS

Engine: 1.0 litre turbo petrol producing 92kW and 170Nm

Transmission: Five-speed manual or six-speed automatic

Safety: Five stars

Warranty: 3yrs/100,000kms

Origin: Germany

Price: From $20,525