Crossover SUV’s are hatchbacks on stilts. Lacking the handling on road capabilities of a hatch back and off road handling capabilities of a true 4x4 SUV they are the worst of both worlds.
I currently have my 2014 Ford Fiesta Titanium and I love it to bits. Plan to have it as long as possible. Incredibly reliable. Comfortable. Good sound system. Decent power and looks modern even 8yrs later.
RIP Fiesta. The Fiesta sedan carved out a reputation here in India for being a lovely sporty handler with great styling, continuing on from the ‘Josh (strength) machine’ Ford Ikon’s legacy. Sadly, the Fiesta was eventually discontinued due to low sales, and Ford left the Indian market in 2021. Unlike GM when they left India in 2017, Ford had gained quite a fan following among car enthusiasts for making solid products with excellent powertrains, and hence many were unhappy when they shut shop. Thanks for covering this iconic nameplate!
@@dommidavros2211 Well with the Fiesta set to end production soon as per most reports, I can understand why people are unhappy over its demise, especially considering its supposed replacement is the rumoured electric Ford Puma that probably won’t drive as well as the Fiesta, and comes in as yet another generic electric crossover.
Three friends and I crashed a fiesta into a telegraph pole at about 30mph. The copper who came out to help us stood by the fiesta with a telegraph pole stuck in its front end, looked at all of us totally uninjured and said firmly , " Tough little cars these!"
my mate got rear ended by a long wheelbase van in one and it basically just crumpled a bit, it was still a write off but its amazing the damage wasnt worse as he was at a complete stop, all he had was a mild concussion.
My first car was a UK Mk1 that was registered on my birthday date in 1980, it was in "Solar Gold". It was a 1.1L (UK spec). I absolutely loved that car and did huge amount of miles travelling between South Wales and South Somerset many years ago. I kitted it out with a Sharp sound system, a graphic eq and Pioneer speakers with an aftermarket centre console. After many years of driving various Vauxhalls (Astras, Novas, Vetras), my wife got a lease car from work and I inherited her 2009 Fiesta Titanium that we had ordered from new with a 1.6 petrol engine. I'm still driving it today with 160k on the clock and the 1.6 engine still zipps along. Fortunately my commute is now only around 10 miles a day rather than the 130 miles I was doing a few years ago. I am now planning to buy one of the last new petrol examples before production is ended as the Fiesta has been so much part of my driving history.
Sad to see the demise of hatchbacks, saloons and their fast variants Crossover SUV’s are hatchbacks on. Lacking the handling on road capabilities of a hatch back and off road handling capabilities of a true 4x4 SUV they are the worst of both worlds.
Ecoboom has put me off fords now been bitten by that the the stupid design of belt in oil breaks up and blocks the oil pickup eventually and its an expensive replacement job and the coolant issues had those too on mk3.5 focus ecoboost spent the money on a different car instead of forking out to fix it again only for it to break down again getting seemingly every common fault with that engine all at once put me off fords fix or repair daily with that car
@@sbrader97 The Ecoboost runs well when the oil is changed every 10000km with oil of the correct specification. But this makes buying a used car a gamble. If it has been topped up only once with 250 ml of cheap oil the engine is doomed.
@@benthurber5363 Replacing the wet timing belt is considered a non-trivial job on those 1.0L (as you know being in the trade)! 10-12 hours book time I believe (it's not like a simple timing belt job like on an old Civic D-Series or something). Apparently it's popular to do a conversion to the timing chain from the later 1.0L Ecoboost. Why not consider a nice Honda Civic instead? 😉 The 1.8L petrol 9th-gen Civic is extremely dependable AFAIK (it's a nice car and practical too)... They might hold their value more, but I guess that's for a reason (rust permitting). [I'm biased as I had a 1.8 9th gen, a nice runabout with lots of thoughtful features, before going dropping back to a 8th gen Civic Type R! I will say that the non-ST Fiestas are way sportier than a non-Type R Civic though. That seems to be the way Ford does it, which is quite different to the Japanese way of doing things where there is a much bigger difference before normal models and sporty models.]
Excellent summary of one of Ford's most popular cars. Now that Ford has ditched the Fiesta, I suspect its SE Asian/ AU/ NZ equivalent - the Mazda2 (which shares its platform with the 5th & 6th gen Fiesta) - is next on the chopping block. It's a pity that the Fiesta and small(ish), efficient superminis like it are disappearing because there are many who don't want/ can't afford SUVs or EVs.
Sad to see the demise of hatchbacks, saloons and their fast variants Crossover SUV’s are hatchbacks on. Lacking the handling on road capabilities of a hatch back and off road handling capabilities of a true 4x4 SUV they are the worst of both worlds.
Car companies like Ford dumping affordable small cars like the Fiesta may regret it later on ,by dumping affordable small cars the Japanese European and South Korean car companies may have created gap in the market that the Chinese and Indian car companies could full.So small affordable cars may make a come back accept they likely to be Chinese and Indian brands .
Thank you, little Fiesta, for all the driving fun and memories you gave us, like a loyal puppy you were always there, always eager to go and eager to please. You may be gone but you will never be forgotten. Rest in Peace my friend, we won't see the likes of you again. (Thank you, Big Car, for a comprehensive epitaph to one of the best "people's car" ever made)
The Ford Fiesta and Focus were very good sellers here in the US. They started to have a bad reputation with the many automatic transmission failures. Where I worked we had a fleet of Ford Focuses more than half had transmission failures.
In the U.K. stick shifts still outnumber automatics which until the advent of things like DSG weren't as economical. Also if you take your driving test in an Automatic, that is all you are allowed to drive while if you take your test in a stick shift you can drive any car. Therefore most driving schools use stick shifts.
@@MrDuncl Young people in North America are no longer interested in driving manual transmission. I drove manual transmission for much of my life and I moved to automatic transmission. You get better fuel economy, safer, smoother and faster gear shifting with modern automatic transmissions. Automatic transmission is safer if it is not the Fiesta type.
@@oldtechie6834 That is why, after four stick shift cars I now drive a VW with a DSG gearbox. The Government economy figures say it is more economical than a stick shift which saves me over £100 a year road tax.
@@oldtechie6834 While modern automatic transmissions have improved substantially some of them still lack the long turm durability that the average manual transmission has in a cheap models. And if your someone on a budget would you rather have a manual that you can just push start when you get a dead battery or even worse a bad starter. When I was young the starter failed in my first car. However I was able to still push start it for a week to go to work because I could not afford to get it fixed until my next paycheck.
I drove 2 that had the failures. If you learned how to drive the temper-mental trans, it could get you around for a while, but I'd never trust it with my life once it starts to show the issues. Felt like the car itself was trying to learn how to drive a manual.
My mother had one of the earliest Fiestas in 1976. It was the absolute bottom base model, and even had the optional low compression engine with just 40Hp. Color was the dayglo green seen @ 5.28. I eventually inherited that car, and would thrash it flat out on the French Autoroutes driving between where I lived in London and my parents in Geneva.
Sad to see the demise of hatchbacks, saloons and their fast variants Crossover SUV’s are hatchbacks on. Lacking the handling on road capabilities of a hatch back and off road handling capabilities of a true 4x4 SUV they are the worst of both worlds.
It's really amazing that in spite of how slow Ford was to make upgrades or even obviously needed competitive improvements, the buyers were waiting in a line for their next one!
The Ford dealership network was / is one of the most comprehensive and parts and servicing were normally cheap. In contrast I'm sure many people got caught out buying brands like Rover, Proton, and Daewoo which disappeared from the market.
@@MrDuncl But Rover (previously with a portfolio of brands like Austin, Morris, Triumph, and Wolseley before consolidating the name) were very common in the UK market, weren't they? You'd have thought Austin Rover (i.e., British Leyland) dealer network + Honda mechanicals would have been a market success. Now all that remains is BMW MINI and Jaguar Land Rover. Perhaps selling to BMW instead of Honda was a mistake by Austin Rover. 🤨
@@TassieLorenzo My point was that without a dealer network, parts and repairs become more difficult. It is very rare to see a Rover of any kind on the Road these days> Yes , many people think that the sale to BMW was a mistake and that BMW was only interested in the Mini name and plans. The Rover 75 won European Car of the Year but was also an obvious competitor to the BMW 3 and 5 series.
I owned an xr2, 205 GTi, and 5 GT turbo as a young lad, and despite its power disadvantage, there was something about that glorious exhaust note that made the xr2 a joy to drive.
In '81 a young second hand bronze metallic Fiesta 1.3 Ghia was my first car. Drove it happily for 6 years, averaging over 25K km/year. On one of the last holiday trips with it, driving from the Netherlands nearing the Costa Brava in Spain, the cooling system leaked, the engine consumed oil and started to overheat. One moment I feared it wanted to die, reaching its place of birth, Barcelona. I donated it a heart transplant and a second life.
Yes in those parts (where automatic transmission is preferred), the combination of Powershift transmission and general lack of market support, killed the car off against the dominant rivals the Toyota Vios (Yaris sedan) and Honda Jazz. It just wasn't convenient to have a Fiesta -- whether that be because you have to take it in to get the Powershift repaired under warranty, or (once it is past the warranty) that you can't find auto parts for it everywhere & mechanics to work on it everywhere unlike with a Toyota or Honda.
My mum had a mk2, an early mk3 and a late mk3 over the years. But now she has a Puma and I have to say as a 43 year old man now I LOVE it. It handles amazingly well, incredible amount of storage with it's 'sink' in the boot, lot's of power with 155bhp and it does 50mpg! Add to that it's quirky, distinctive good looks (my mums is in red with black trim) and I have to say it's probably the best small car money can buy in 2022.
It's hardly a shock that the Fiesta was so popular as they were truly great cars. My First car was a Fiesta and with the money from her brothers will, my wife bought a 1999 Mk 4 (I think) when it was 3 years old and we owned it for a decade. It was a fabulous car being reliable, dependable and great fun to drive having the 1.2 zetec engine. the last 3 MOT's were pricey so we sadly let it go but it remains her favourite car to this day and I really loved it too. I am gutted that they have ceased production but I reckon we will see them on the roads for many, many years to come. This was an excellent look at a British institution, thanks for your effort, hugely appreciated.
Ah man, RIP The Ford Fiesta. I'm almost 50, and my first car for my 17th Birthday was a Mk1 Fiesta 950cc Popular. With a few rare diversions, I've always been a Ford man, and I have owned 6 Fiesta's over the years, incl. Mk1, Mk3 (2 of them), Mk4 (2 of them), and Mk7. I'm sure there'll be examples on the roads for a good few years yet, but it'll be sad not see another New Ford Fiesta.
Sad to see the demise of hatchbacks, saloons and their fast variants Crossover SUV’s are hatchbacks on. Lacking the handling on road capabilities of a hatch back and off road handling capabilities of a true 4x4 SUV they are the worst of both worlds.
My first car was a 1982 Y plate Fiesta Pop. I discovered just how little weight there was over the back axle when I had to slam on the brakes on a roundabout, and the rear wheels came up off the ground. It was most alarming!
My father always had a Fiesta from the early 1980s until 2000. I was driven home in a Fiesta after birth, I experienced my first holiday in a Fiesta, I experienced how my father pulled the choke swearing in the morning in winter and had a nylon stocking in the boot as a replacement for a broken fan belt and how scared I was at 130 kph on the motorway because the whole car shook and hummed. 😂 And then a few months ago I got a rental car paid for by the company because I had to go to a seminar. And I got a Ford Fiesta ST with 200 hp. I never had so much fun as on the (German) autobahn my whole life as with this car.
Transmission problems in the 2011 generation Fiesta (and Ford Focus) in North America were actually never addressed. The automated dual clutch units tended to leak oil (input shaft I think) onto the clutch assembly producing shutter and eventually causing damage. Aside from dealerships, relatively few independent shops wanted to repair them because of an expensive jig that was required to reassemble the clutch pack into the transmission. I don't know how effective the revised input shaft seal was but the transmission issues remained one of the more common issues with the Fiesta in US and Canada.
I'm from South Africa... You still see old 'Bantams' everywhere and they have a great reputation. One of my friends has one with over 600000kms, most of which were spent on rural gravel roads. My partner has the latest and last Fiesta. Also a great little car.
Where are you from? I don't see many Bantams or any old cars anymore matter of fact here in Durban. Everyone has gone new Hyundai, Kia, VW or Toyota 😂.
@@rayixon7890 No watch the video. The "Bantam" was a small pick up truck (utility vehicle) in South Africa developed from the Fiesta (and Mk 3 Escort) platform
Sad to see the demise of hatchbacks, saloons and their fast variants Crossover SUV’s are hatchbacks on. Lacking the handling on road capabilities of a hatch back and off road handling capabilities of a true 4x4 SUV they are the worst of both worlds.
@@oscarosullivan4513 yes they are terrible. I hate them. Like Hyundai Venue, Renault Kiger, Kia Sonet and some VW I can't remember the name of. Not sure where are you from but we have those here in South Africa. They're all just raised hatchbacks and not SUVs 😂 😒
I’ve had a 06 and 60 plate Fiesta and they have always been my absolute favourite cars. I had such love for my 06 particularly and regret ever getting rid of it. I’d love a new model one day.
In Brasil we had the Fiesta pick up, made in 4th gen platform it was also called "Courier" and stayed in line, only recieving the facelift for 2000, from 1997 util it was killed in 2013! It more or less resemble the Bantam, but it looks way better, not like some adaptation.
In South Africa we had the Ford Courier too, but it wasn't based on the fiesta, I think it was a Mazda B series with a Ford 3L V6 and excellent suspension, my best friend had one and it was the car I learned to do burnouts, donuts and J turns in, and it was the car I learned to jump ramps in. We would load both our motocross bikes in the back with all our tools and Jerry cans and drive to remote locations and spend the day riding.
@@computernerdinside We also got the Ranger after the Courier, I had the 1st generation one cause I was always borrowing my dads one to move my motorbikes and other things around, and he told my to just keep it and then he got a little Nissan pick up, which I really liked, but you couldnt fit a superbike in with out the tailgate hanging open at the back.
Great production, as always. The Australian one was always going to be an XR4, as the XR6 and XR8 were in long use on the Falcon model with the digit indicating the number of cylinders. We only got them from the fifth generation after Ford Australia mainly looked to Mazda for small cars following the second-gen Escort and the Cortina.
@@BigCar2 The Focus ST was also given the 'XR' treatment in Australia, as did the Mondeo. The sporty Focus was marketed as the Focus XR5 and the Mondeo as the XR5T (Turbo). At the time, we had the Fiesta XR4, Focus XR5, Mondeo XR5T, Falcon XR6, Falcon XR6T and Falcon XR8, all being sold by Ford Australia.
@@MrDuncl No Sierra in Australia, only on the racetrack in Group A in the Australian Touring Car Championship. As you know the rulemakers plotted to abandon Group A, kick out Nissan and BMW, and come up with the local 5L pushrod V8 category for Falcons and Commodores instead of adopting the multi-make 2L regulations that the British Touring Car Championship went to with great success.
Sad to see the demise of hatchbacks, saloons and their fast variants Crossover SUV’s are hatchbacks on. Lacking the handling on road capabilities of a hatch back and off road handling capabilities of a true 4x4 SUV they are the worst of both worlds.
In the late 90s through to the mid 2000s whenever I needed a dirt cheap car I knew I could rely on I just bought the cheapest mk2 Fiesta I could find in a twenty mile radius from eBay. I never had to spend more than £150 on a MOTd example - once I secured one for £65 - and as I used to get free oil I’d give them a service and they would always be reliable for however long I needed them for. Great cars.
@@oscarosullivan4513 It is sad and there are many things that have killed it and its mostly governments that are to blame but its exactly what they want.
With the base model Fiesta pushing 20 grand this was the obvious result. The Fiesta had always been great value, but at recent prices it was going head to head with more prestigious options.
It's crazy isn't it. It was literally just 5 or 6 years ago you could get yourself a brand new ST for £18k! I know the price of everything has gone up but even within the context of inflation generally the price of new Ford vehicles has gone completely OTT so its no surprise people aren't buying anymore.
Vauxhall COrsa is also 20k too. Small cars have become so big and high tech they are just unaffordable. Regulations and rules have destroyed the small car segment, EU rules make it harder for a ford Fiesta to meet emmissions standards than it is for a Ford Kuga. There is just no money in smallc cars for car makers anymore and they are not good value for customers.
Thankyou for that Mr Big, This is a video of a car that I’ve been waiting for for a while now. I guess there had to be a day eventually when Ford decided to end production of this icon of British Roads, it’s a car you couldn’t miss at one time, a very popular car indeed. A generation or two have learnt to drive and passed their test in a Fiesta of some mk or other, I’ve owned 2 mk4’s myself and aside from the corrosion issues they were reliable and great cars. It’s sad to see that Fiesta name go but I guess times and the market are changing, companies can’t afford to continue producing a car with falling sales.
I came to this Ford 'party' for the 5th generation and then had two of the 6th generation starting with their Titanium trim model then ditching it to get the ST when it became available. I have been really impressed by all the Fiestas I have owned by just how great their handling is when you push them to the limit and far beyond
You reminded me that the US racing organizations NASA and SCCA had banned the 2011-2019 Fiesta from being able to race in all events with the exception of the ST model because of the high roll over risks.
Always loved Ford’s radical decision to have the ignition keys interchangeable between different cars. It meant you could walk down any street and just jump into the first Ford you came across. It’s what made it so popular with teenagers in the early 90s and you could regularly see them being driven on the limit around many a council estate.
My old man fell victim to this "radical decision" he got his escort back about 3 days later; obviously utterly caned to within an inch of it's life!! The cracked radiator ended its reign and took most of the engine along for the ride, when combined with faulty thermostat (classic Ford problem, am I right?) 😉
I remember doing this with the key on my ford focus, I had read that you could lock the doors with any ford key, so I tried my wife's key from her focus and locked my door with it. It was such a great experiment that backfired on me as I had the engine on my own focus running and no way to get in! It turned out you could not unlock the car with another ford key!
Had a 1987 XR2, traded it in six years later, 158,000 miles, running sweet as new, still with complete original exhaust system under the car. Loved every mile in it. Decades and many cars later, have discovered it again in the Sportka. Driver's cars !!
A bit like fords version of peugeots 205 ralley. Only fiesta I've never been in or seen. My old man had a mk3 escort 1.3s though that was a car I've still never seen again it had similar stripes as the mk3 rs 1600 on the bonnet. Tinny stripped out hard to find bits in navy blue he still goes on about it. ??
Merci beaucoup pour ce documentaire très complet ! The handling of lasts Fiesta and the talent of ecoboost engines surprised me compared to the first generation ! 👍🙏
I got a 2013 1.0 ecoboost as my first proper car and it's a blast to drive. Only the 100hp version but compared to what I'm used to driving it's fast haha
I had one of the first Fiestas off the boat in 1977. I drove it until 1991; as a cyclist I didn’t put a lot of miles on it. Initially there was a problem with the carburetion, Webbers as I recall. These were sorted out, but my Fiesta never got the advertised mileage. The biggest problem was water pumps; it was replaced three times. I gave it to my kids in 91. Subsequently they sold it and I would see it around town until almost the end of the millennium.
I love how much research you put into your videos. I could go out today and buy every fiesta book available and I still wouldn’t have half the information that’s in your video. Thank you for your dedication.
i had a 1980 us-model fiesta with the 1.6 liter engine. the biggest problem with the us versions was due to the emissions controls that were added but not fully perfected or tested, so overheating was a very common problem. on mine, i removed the catalytic converter, installed a better weber carburetor, built a custom exhaust header with 2 inch piping and a high flow muffler and it turned into a little rocket ship. it was extremely quick, top speed was limited by the 4-speed gearing but it was great for zipping around in parking lots and city streets. unfortunately we only had them here for 4 years and it's replacement, the us-version of the escort was a big pile of garbage for it's first 5 years of production.
My father bought a new 1979 Fiesta Ghia. He loved that little car. In fact, I learned to drive a manual trans with his car. The clutch was light but a little touchy. The finicky clutch taught me how to drive ANY manual trans. Still miss that car to this day...light weight and decent handling made this car fun to drive.
MK3 Fiesta RS turbo was mentioned a few times but there was no image for it. The dark blue Fiesta image was actually a later XR2i with the 105 HP Zetec engine. The RS was distinguished by its 3 spoke alloys and green piping around the front and rear bumpers, and of course the two bonnet vents. The best balanced Fiesta and therefore the most fun was the Zetec S circa 2001. Absolute blast of a car.
Great little car! The Ford Ka and Fiesta are great vehicles. Sadly we didn't have any XR versions in Brazil. Only the Escort and Ka had. And we had a Pickup version called Courier.
I had a 1978 US Fiesta. It was a fun car, the first car I had any kind of passion for, but it was trouble-prone, far more than any of my Japanese cars. I had to replace both half-shafts and the cylinder head. The interior plastic door handles frequently broke off. For a while, it suffered overheating problems, and the speedometer cable broke. Still, I did drive the hell out of it. It was orange, and I called it the Tangerine.
Owned five various models over the years . Currently on my Sixth which is a mk 7 . Got to admit its the best one out of all of them . Intend holding onto it for a few more years .
A great vid again. I love it how much research you do on fairly common cars and I think all your vids will still be watched in years and years to come.
Brilliant documentary, as always! My first car was a beige, ‘R’ reg 1977 Fiesta 1.1L which I bought in 1989 to learn in (aged 17). Brilliant little thing which I kept for three years before ‘upgrading’ to a 1982 Y reg Vauxhall Cavalier L in China Blue. Happy days 😂
The development processes that took place, together with projecting future trends is fascinating. Using Fiat parts, again fascinating and brilliant in order to get a development mule up and running……….superbly explained 👍
I'm absolutely gutted tbh Being an avid ford lover I just can't see why they would pull the plug on let's face it A car or a name at least that has been with us for 40 years The fiesta was the go to car for a lot of people/familys back in the day & mostly for all of the following reasons Economy Practicality Reliability Cheap to repair etc There will never be another little car like the fiesta R.I.P fiesta 😢😢😢
Fascinating presentation on a great car that actually we Americans we fortunate enough to get in the first and alas last generations....What I find most interesting in this presentation is the cooperation between the home office in Dearborn, along with the units in Dagenham and Cologne. GM did not seem to have this synchonicity with Vauxhall and Opel, had consistent losses in many years, and then sold off to what is now Stellantis. But as Henry Ford II liked to remind Lee Iaacocca, "My name is on the building.", but it was also on Ford cars sold throughout the world, so there was a personal pride and stake in the success of each model for him. Considering how he liked the big cushy cars of the 1970s, he also liked the sporting small cars sold in Europe. An interesting man indeed.
So sad to see the Fiesta go (and equally sad to see Ford quit the Indian market as well). I learned how to drive in a Ford Ikon 1.3 and I absolutely loved every bit of it. The looks, the interiors, the relative performance and handling. The brakes were terribly wooden and the electricals were shoddy towards its end of life.
Sad to see the demise of hatchbacks, saloons and their fast variants Crossover SUV’s are hatchbacks on. Lacking the handling on road capabilities of a hatch back and off road handling capabilities of a true 4x4 SUV they are the worst of both worlds.
I love this channel. I left the UK in 2001 and so I lost all touch with the cars that changed since then and this way I get to see what happened over there.
I had a 78 ford Fiesta for a college car. I bought it used for $500 in 84. Went through an alternator every year because it was mounted really low, and was getting sprayed by water and salt from front tire. Also tiny radiator, was prone to overheated, I had to take thermostat out in summer to get better fluid flow and put it back in winter for heat. Also, door handles rusted out in inside and I had coat hanger hanging out the door handles, and even rear hatch. Back in the day, most kids did not have cars, so I would load up 6 and go to parties. Had a short friend that sat on emergency brake and shift. It was a lot of fun, but was always fixing it.
I drove a mk7 hired from devon to London. The steering feel was great and handled lovely on the right road however I found limitations to the chassis on crests and dips the car didn’t settle quickly enough. Regarding this was an almost new car which the press made out to be the best car ever. I didn’t find that myself, headlights were dim, seats not so comfortable on a long journey, affected by cross winds badly. After getting back I was so happy to get back into a 2002 Renault Megane with high mileage lol
Terriffic video, legendary car. I ran a mk 2 up a bank on the side of the road, managed to correct it and get back on the road. Fixed the spot light and mum never noticed the scrapes on the underside. Loved to fly around country lanes in it.
Always loved the Fiesta. My dad bought a 2010 mk6 (or mk7 depending on who you ask) Fiesta Econetic after I coaxed him into test driving one. (Especially as I really liked the styling on the verver concept) 12 years on the Fiesta is still doing quite nicely and with only a couple of smaller issues throughout the years. As first car I on the other hand bought a 2007 mk5 (or mk6.5) Fiesta diesel. I found it to be a very fun, practical and economical car to drive, although a bit sluggish with the Peugeot diesel engine. Had it for 7 years and absolutely loved it. Replaced it with a mk3.5 Focus, as I wanted a bigger car with a bit more power. My cousing still drives my old Fiesta and is getting along with it quite nicely. If she's ever to get rid of it I'll try to buy it back. Sad to see the Fiesta go. In my opinion a bad decision, but a decision that most likely all manufacturers will make in the next generation of cars. Baby Boomers still remain the largest part of the car buying public and manufacturers mainly provide cars to their liking. Being it coupes in the '70's, Hatchbacks in the '80's, bigger estate cars in the '90's, MPV's in the '00 and now SUV / Cross overs in the '10-'20's. Next to that rising cost on making everything electric, and much needed extra space for the batteries, tend to make small cars both expensive and have quite short ranges.
With this move, Ford have officially killed off any interest I had in their line up. I’m not interested in electric vehicles or SUV/crossovers. Ford just trying to appease the eco-lunatics. Absolutely ridiculous decision. The Fiesta was an icon. The end of the ‘resort’ named models. Cortina, Capri, Granada, Sierra and now this. Along with canning the Mondeo earlier this year and the Focus in 2025, they’ve literally killed off their most popular and well known models.
Actually i think it is a good decision. I had the opportunity to drive 2012 Fiesta for 6 months last year. Some of plastic elements inside just fell off. Always felt exausted when driving Fiesta on longer trips (30 minutes + driving time). Other superminis like Polo are just so much better to drive.
Excellent video Sir, my dad's first Ford was a mark 2 Fiesta back in 1987, then it was a period of escorts before coming back to the fiesta in 2004 with a succession of 3 fiestas till 2014. I do hope maybe they can revive the name in the future for a new electric model.
With a good story to tell this big car video seems to be the best video yet from this source with lots of brilliant clips throughout and with the narrator's polished relaxed informative style put to good use in what is an epic story. I have never owned a Ford or driven a Fiesta of any sort but such is the content of this video I am sure I have missed out. I no longer drive but back in the day, my choice for better or worse was the Renault 5 three times and Austin/ Rover Metro/100 4 times. But I wonder if Ford is making a strategic error in the killing off of such a popular and much-loved car? while it still sells?
Having heard this news today, I must say it did something to me. Though I eventually never had one, like so many people I've seen quite a few drive by in my family and social circles and also got to experience quite a few of them. Being born 2 years after the first fiësta, it was also a car that was always around and I've seen pretty much any generation of it in big numbers on the road. That being said, I thought the last generation was a bit of a missed opportunity, as it didn't surprise me as much as its predecessors when new and its mid-cycle facelift last year was also a bit underwhelming at least. Then again, I still hear they're fun cars to drive in. But yeah, end of an era and we likely will have that experience a few times in the coming years as I understood the electric Renault 5 will succeed the clio and the coming smaller VW will most likely also not be a polo anymore. That is, if they still bother with a B-segment-car, because after A-segment, the future of that category seems more and more doomed. Welcome, higher profit margins for European car makers, welcome Chinese and Korean cars for people with smaller budgets ... and bye bye, character and identity in attainable cars. It will make the changeover to cycling more appealing, that's for sure ...
It is genuinely very sad. I felt the same when the Mondeo got phased out a few years ago and The Grand Tour's funeral episode was genuinely quite moving. I was born in 1987 into a world where everyone had Fiestas and Escorts, then into the 1990s when those cars had evolved and I noticed the sumptumous Scorpio and Granada. I remember seeing on TV Prince Philip and senior politicians using those cars and wanted one when I was older. That type of car was a huge part of peoples' lives back then, in an era where cars had soul and were genuinely exciting. A family friend of ours had a 1989 Escort XR3i, a friend of mine had a 1995 Escort (N reg), another friend of mine had a 1999 W reg Fiesta his dad bought for him and his brothers to learn in. The fun me and my mates had with those cars once tests were passed cannot be beaten. At university a friend of mine knew someone in his hometown who had set up a camcorder in his Cossie Escort and absolutely tore it up on camera, the police wanted to trace him but failed. It's just not the same these days. The Fiesta will no doubt be replaced with some boring, fully electric Kuga-cum-Puma-esque SUV crossover snoozefest. And you bet the Focus will be gone by the end of the decade. Ford seem to be in this habit of just killing stuff off because of its age and the fact that the model has been around for a while. There's just no need - these cars were popular for a reason and people are genuinely very sad to see those go.
7:40 a story on hatchbacks turned vans I think will be interesting. I am intrigued to know if it's just a regular body panels without the hole for the window cut out. Why there wasn't 5 door hatchbacks turned vans is another question I have.
Most were for carrying small items like telephones, wires and tools. You could start way before hatchbacks with vans like the Morris Minor, Mini (which a college friend had) and Bedford HB (which they had a fleet of at work).
83 horsepower in the XR2. 😂😂😂 One tends to forget that 100 horsepower, 0-60 in under 10 seconds and a top speed of 100 mp/h once used to be unobtainable, crazy, insane performance figures that only "real" men with hairy chests could handle.
I drove 2 US market Fiestas, both used cars I was considering buying, over 30 years apart. The first was a lovely orange 4 speed 1st generation that I found quite entertaining and still regret not buying. The second was a 5 speed 6th generation that was quite nice to drive, but the hot mess of tiny buttons on the instrument panel was a deal breaker. Sad to see the demise of the marque, but as they say, all good things must end.
I'm in the US. My first car that I owned was a used 1978 Fiesta 4-speed that I got in 1984. It's the car I learned how to drive a stick shift on. No frills, but what a great little car! Super mileage (40 mpg), very reliable, easy to work in and so fun and perky to drive. I really loved that little car. Replaced it with a new 1988 Honda Civic, also a 4-speed... had it for 245,000 miles. I still get warm and fuzzy over both cars and would still love that format.
I ordered a Fiesta last year but thanks to the chip shortage it took me six months to get it, so almost by accident I got a facelifted '22 model in March. It's a great little car with some serious poke to it and I love the Ecoboost engine note when you give it some beans. I much prefer it to the current Corsa, which to me is blandness personified and basically a re-skinned Peugeot. I wouldn't be surprised to see more superminis axed in the near future as it's pretty clear manufacturers would much rather you buy a crossover. The Polo/Ibiza/Fabia superminis for instance are very dull with what seem like detuned engines geared more for low emissions and are pretty poor value for what you get. It's as if VW group are deliberately trying to make them unappealing compared to their crossover equivalents. When I was looking at cars last year the only supermini other than the Fiesta I seriously considered was the Hyundai i20.
While the Ford I like most at the minute is the focus (and previously the escort) there is no denying the fiesta was a massive part of Ford uk history. Will you be doing a focus video given they have all but said that will be ending soon as well?
This has gotta be the saddest thing I've ever heard in the car industry! I can't believe they're killing off the Fiesta for good for not only in Canada and US (United States of America), but for the whole world too!! R.I.P. Fiesta. You will be missed!! 😔🙏🕊️
I'm rather surprised the mk4's chassis tuning was glossed over here. Richard Parry Jones' team did a cracking job transforming the refinement and handling compared with the mk3. Also, the registration on that 30th anniversary edition could be from January or February 2007, what with 07 registrations being introduced in March 2007.
Ich habe einen Fiesta 1.25 mit 82 PS von 2015.4 Zylinder.. Ein super Auto. Noch nie was kaputt gegangen. Sehr halbarer Motor.Immer noch modernes Design. Ein oft sehr unterschätztes Auto.
My wife had a little 1.1 Fiesta in 1997 and it would hammer up and down the motorway at 85 all day loaded up with us and crap. The big hill outside Exeter going south on the M5 caused it a bit of trouble but all good as long as you got a good run up!
Thanks for a very thorough Fiesta story…. Being a Ford employee who worked in Dunton 1996-2006, and Ford of Australia 2007 until today…it’s very sad to see the end of the Fiesta but on a positive note I managed to just get a 100km marketing Fiesta ST and plan to hang onto it….. Ford has seriously changed and is so focused on the American Ford business model, hopefully it won’t be the end of Ford of Europe and other Ford outposts which are not in the USA….. luckily Ford of Australia developed Ranger so we seem to be safe for now….but make the success of the Ranger and it’s huge profit margins are part of the reason why the car variants are being killed…. I’m just an engineer so what would I know….
My first car is a 2009 1.0 silver Hatch Ford Fiesta, I learned to drive in this car, my grandpa bought it and he almost didn't used (when he gave me the keys the car only ran 39.000km). I fucking love this car so much, I know the 1.0 version doesn't have much horsepower or torque, but I still love it, it's comfortable, simple, it has some small features that even some new cars in Brazil don't have. We never had a big problem with this car, it works really well and when it does have a problem I can fix it alone without much difficulty. I used my Fiesta to take my grandma to the hospital before she passed away in may 2021. I don't think I will ever sell this car, I may buy another car but this little guy belongs to my heart and I will never EVER let him go, he is my little angel. I love you my little Fiesta
gotta say I never owned one (well I had a puma 1.7) or had an attachment, my dad has had several, but when I saw that last advert saying goodbye I got genuinely teary. What a lovely send off.
I‘ve been asking for this video a few months ago and now it‘s here! Great! Too sad it‘s a good-bye-story, Fiestas have been my cars all my life, small and reliable. Thanks for the great job!
The third gen was my first car back in the 90s. A black 1.8l Diesel and it brought all over Europe with decent gas mileage and very good reliability. Good night Fiesta - you served me way more than well back then.
Had a Mk1 Fiesta as my first car, it was an A reg, so it was the last of the first version. Even today, with all of the advancements in technology, I do miss that car. A great nostalgic video for me, nice one!
Still remember being a kid at the local Ford dealership, I was with my grandpa and they gave me some depliants meant for kids with small Ford Fiestas to crop and make 3d paper models. It was maybe 1979 or 1980. I’ve never owned a Fiesta but my fiance (now wife) had one when we first met, still remember our drive on our first date, stereo was playing her favourite chinese singer Jay Chou. Silly being nostalgic for a car I never owned…
RIP Fiesta! 😟 My best friend had a MK3 and his cousin a MK2, both in diamond white. The first car my wife owned was a white MK1. They were all great, I liked the MK1 the best. Me, I was an Escort man. Another great video and beautifully put together. 👍🏻
The second stick shift car that I drove was a fiesta, while the first one was a focus. I have had memories with fiestas from a young age, so it's really sad they are stopping it.
My second car was a mk2 model. After a year I had it converted to a cabriolet! It sprouted a boot and a tent-like roof but it was fun to drive 'top-down'. I drove it for 3 more years, when I traded it for a Fiat barchetta, which is to this day still my daily driver.
So sad! I’ve had a few Fiestas and I loved them all! Such a fun wee car to drive and mine in the early 00’s were easy to maintain and repair. I was looking at getting a new car a few months ago and seriously considered getting another Fiesta but decided on a VW Golf in the end, but it was a close run thing!
My first new car (bought with my own money) was a '78 Fiesta S for $4748 USD. Owned 5 years, driven all over the western states. Bulletproof. With just me, would hit 100 mph. 35 mpg, never had to replace the clutch, ( but several front brake rotors for the 12" wheels). Fully reclining front seat backs (put to good use). The 1600cc English Dagenham mill was flawless. 2 bbl progressive carburetor. Assembled with German precision.
