After 36 years of service, you’d think one of Europe’s most venerable small cars would think about retiring. The new Ford Fiesta, which will be unveiled at the Paris Motor Show, indicates there’s plenty of life in the small car yet.
Boasting what Ford claims is a more sophisticated look and class-leading fuel economy, the new Fiesta adopts the new 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine found in the Focus 1.0 Ecoboost, giving it a respectable 125PS (123BHP) and more than 60 miles per gallon if you caress the throttle.
Ford has also spent a lot of time making the new Fiesta more technologically advanced than its multitude of predecessors. MyKey, which will make its debut in Europe with the car, encourages your teenagers to drive more responsibly. The system lets you set a maximum speed limit that people you lend your car too can’t exceed. Quite how long it’ll take for the tech-savvy fruit of your loin to work out how to disable this feature, we’re not sure.
MyKey can also set a limit on audio volume so your kids concentrate more on driving and your neighbours don’t have to be subjected to pumping hippety hop at two in the morning. Unless you want them to be, that is. It even disables the stereo audio until everyone has their seatbelt on.
Ford’s SYNC in-car entertainment and information system, which you can see in action below, will also be available in the new Fiesta. This handy voice-activated technology allows you to make calls, enter sat-nav destinations, select your music source or a specific music track just by speaking.
SYNC can even put you in touch with the local emergency services in the event of a crash, as long as a mobile phone is connected to the head unit and has signal. Crashing shouldn’t be too likely, though — the Fiesta boasts Active City Stop, a system that can activate the brakes automatically if it thinks you’re about to run into something.
On the outside, the essence of the Fiesta remains but there’s been a design overhaul that brings it more in line with other current models. You get a grille that looks like it came from the Focus ST, sleeker headlamps, sportier alloys, and a more muscular bonnet.
Ford also fettled with the interior, promising that it’s “harmonious and ergonomically optimised”, which we take to mean ‘better looking and easier to use”. Based on the pictures, it certainly looks more sleek and less cluttered.
With the Paris Motor Show happening this month, you won’t have to wait long before Ford reveals more details, including price and availability.
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