Ford FIESTA 1.4 TDCi RANGE
Ford Is Developing A Reputation As A Centre Of Excellence For Diesel Engines. The Fiesta Is A Grateful Beneficiary. Andy Enright Reports
If theres one word that neatly encapsulates the publics response to the latest Fiesta, it would have to be expectation. Whereas Fords popular supermini was once underwhelming, cramped and obviously built down to a price, those attributes dont cut the supermini mustard today. Thats particularly true in the growing diesel sector, so this version of the latest Fiesta had better be good. Prices start at £9,195 across Studio, Style, Zetec, Zetec Climate and Ghia trim levels.
Despite the burgeoning reputation of Fords Centre for Diesel Excellence at Dagenham, the 67bhp 1.4-litre engine the Fiesta TDCi sports under its bonnet originally hails from France.
Peugeot, to be exact, who use it in some of their 206 and 307 diesel models. In the 307, this unit seems to struggle to move the sheer bulk of a full-sized family hatch, but the prospects for a smaller Supermini like the Fiesta seem better, even if it does tip the scales at a hardly featherweight 1065kg.
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Around 118lb/ft of torque should even serve up the promise of some fun behind the wheel. If you do need more urge, a 1.6-litre TDCi is available. After all, wasnt that the key thrust of the Richard Parry-Jones led revolution at
Ford? Wasnt that what put the Focus and Mondeo at the top of their respective classes in terms of dynamics? Fords gained a reputation as being fun to drive, possessed of sparkling chassis and keen engines.
The Fiesta 1.4 TDCi is no different, but it doesnt rewrite the class standard in the way its predecessors did. Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but other manufacturers soon aped Fords approach. Therefore, the Fiesta 1.
4 TDCi must be more than simply good to drive. It must also score on a number of subtler levels.
"On a run youll return an economy figure in excess of 76mpg. Scarcely believable, but there it is"
Fortunately it manages to live up to expectations, dynamically at least. Fitting a heavy diesel engine into the front of a lightweight car usually means all sorts of decidedly sub-optimal fixes regarding the ride and handling. If the engine in question was lighter, you wouldnt need industrial strength front suspension, nor a set up that caused the car to understeer wildly in order to provide some modicum of ride comfort. Thats the basic premise of the Duratorq 1.
4 TDCi engine fitted to the Fiesta, weighing as it does a mere 98kg. The handling certainly benefits from this lightweight powerplant. Theres less understeer than even the 1.6 16v petrol unit, and comfortably more torque.
When driven back to back with the 1.4-litre petrol Fiesta, the diesel version is infinitely more desirable, the additional muscularity of the powerplant making those annoying downchanges on long uphill stretches virtually superfluous. The acceleration to 60mph is a fair deal tardier at 14.7 seconds, but this gives little clue as to the satisfying nature of the Duratorq engines mid range pull.
The in-gear acceleration times give a more accurate representation of the cars punch, and here the scores are reversed, the diesel car comfortably acing its petrol counterpart. Thats perhaps not surprising given that the midrange is where the turbocharger really gets to work, and whats also equally predictable is the way the diesel car excels in terms of fuel consumption. Whats surprising are the raw figures. Even around town youll see over 53mpg whilst on a run, youll return an economy figure in excess of 76mpg.
Scarcely believable, but there it is. The official combined fuel economy equates to a creditable 65mpg whilst the carbon dioxide emissions are an almost-saintly 114 grammes per kilometre. Thats not to say that the Blue Oval cant take some credit for the engine. It was reoptimised by Ford for the Fiesta with bespoke fuel injection and engine management electronics.
The drive-by-wire common-rail system was developed in conjunction with Siemens Automotive and use piezo quartz injectors with pilot injection to ensure a smooth combustion. Its certainly a long way removed from the sort of diesel bangers our parents drove! Drop into the drivers
seat and youll be greeted with a dashboard that adopts many of the quality conventions of the Mondeo range, and thats good news. For those who enjoy tracing the lineage of the design, the Mondeos interior designer was poached from
Volkswagen and it shows. Its easy to see where cost has been excised from the Fiesta, competing as it does in a class where margins are utterly cut throat.
Some of the fascia plastics feel somewhat hard and nasty and anti lock brakes are an extra cost option across the range. Ford have appreciated that the bits of the cars we physically touch most often lend the strongest impression of quality, and to this end have wisely fitted leather-trimmed steering wheels and tactile gear shifters. Another example of intelligent design comes in the shape of rear head restraints that are deliberately uncomfortable when not slid up into their deployed position, thus encouraging rear seat occupants to utilise them properly but gets around the issue of encumbered rear vision when rear head restraints are traditionally fitted. If the Mondeo and the Focus had never existed, the Fiesta would be winning awards left, right and centre, its that good.
In the final reckoning it doesnt quite play out like that. Familiarity has bred, if not contempt, then a blind spot for the work Ford have put into the Fiesta. However tempting it is to call the 1.4-litre TDCi a quick fix, the engine having been sourced from a rival, the overall package is too good in too many key areas to ignore.
Its a super engine in a car that handles well and ticks all the focus group boxes. With the
Citroen C3, Seat Ibiza and VW Polo all queuing up to take a pop at the Fiesta 1.4 TDCi, it may have a briefer honeymoon than it was at first expecting. Thats the trouble with expectation.
Its a double-edged sword.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Ford Fiesta TDCi range
PRICES: £9,195-£12,445 on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 4
CO2 EMISSIONS: 114g/km
PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 14.7s / Max Speed 101mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (urban) 53.3mpg / (extra urban) 76.3mpg / (combined) 65.7mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Driver's and passenger airbags
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: length/width/height 3917/1800/1432mm
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