► New 2017 Ford Fiesta is here
► Pricing for Mk7 starts at £12,715
► New Fiesta Active soft-roader, too
The Ford Fiesta may be on course to be the country’s top selling car for the ninth year running, but the company isn’t taking any chances with the replacement for its supermini sales sensation.
Its next-gen Fiesta, which is due in showrooms in spring 2017, was unveiled at a lavish world premiere in Germany – and on the eve of the Geneva motor show Ford has now announced the pricing.
New Fiesta packs frugal new engines, slick in-car tech and a revamped design both inside and out. It’s also also grown 71mm in length, in an effort to improve interior space.
The seventh-generation version of the company’s best-selling car will also be offered in three- and five-door forms, just like the current generation.
But, crucially, there’ll essentially be four Ford Fiestas – with a new, posher Vignale version to nudge into Mini and DS territory, as well as a sturdier, butch Active model. This is in addition to the regular hatchback and the sporty ST.
Ford Fiesta 2017 pricing
But the range isn’t all that’s grown – the starting price is now £12,715 for Style trim. The outgoing Fiesta was once sold in a cheaper trim called Studio that could be had for less than £10,000. The days of the four-figure Fiesta are long over.
Oddly though the new car is actually available for less money than the current one; a big push upmarket by Ford saw the cheapest version of the exisiting model ditched in 2016. Compare like-for-like though and the 2017 car is dearer – run out models currently start at £13,795 for a Zetec spec – and this trim will set you back £14,215 in the new car.
Also building on Style cars are ST-Line and ST-Line X, priced at £16,145 and £17,495 – the former only £100 more than at present.
Sitting above Zetec is the Fiesta Titanium and Titanium X – big hitters in the old car which explains the price hike of £850 and £450 to £16,145 and £17,495 respectively.
Finally there the new Vignale trim, seen on the current S-Max and Mondeo among others, which will set you back £20,195. That’s between the current ST-3 and ST200 trims.
What about the ST and the Active?
Prices for the new ST and off-roadish Active (below) are yet to be revealed.
What’s the latter exactly? Think of it as a Cross Country or – whisper it – Allroad derivative, with a hint of soft-roader appeal. It’ll attempt to rise to the occasion with increased ride height, roof bars and plastic body cladding.
Ford calls it a ‘crossover’. We’re not quite sure about that. But, yes, you can even dress your supermini up in wellington boots nowadays – take a look at the not-so-successful Hyundai i20 Active, for example…
Upmarket Vignale joins the line-up
The new Ford Fiesta range will also include a posh Vignale model, designed to take on the likes of the hugely successful Mini hatchback.
ST Line trim continues (below) – offering sports suspension, sports seats, a flat-bottomed steering wheel plus unique alloy wheels and sharp styling inside and out – as does popular Titanium trim, which adds a sprinkling of extra kit.
Above this will be the new Vignale trim; it features hexagonal-quilted ‘tuxedo-stitched’ leather plus hefty 18-inch alloy wheels. At the other end of the range are Style and Zetec trims, which should be available from around the £13,000 mark.
The tech underpinning the new 2017 Ford Fiesta
A line-up of petrol and diesel engines will be available on the new Fiesta, while cylinder deactivation will be available on the 1.0-litre Ecoboost petrol. Ford claims this will be the world’s first three-cylinder engine with cylinder deactivation.
Punchy turbo’d 1.0-litre petrols continue
Power comes courtesy of five petrol and two diesel engines. Three-cylinder fans will be pleased to hear that the current range of sweet turbocharged 1.0-litre petrol models endure – offering 99bhp, 123bhp and 138bhp.
Six-speed manual gearboxes are standard on 1.0-litre Fiestas though a self-shifter is available on the least powerful version – complete with steering wheel-mounted paddles. Emissions, meanwhile, weigh in from just 97g/km, meaning likely claimed economy of around 67mpg.
A new 1.1-litre engine – with 69bhp or 84bhp – slots in underneath the turbocharged petrols, with emissions as low as 101g/km, equivalent to around 65mpg. More frugal still, are the diesels. These 1.5-litre units come with 85hp and 120hp and should both return north of 80mpg claimed economy.
More excitingly, Ford is likely to add a more powerful performance-oriented ST model to the range at a later stage. Also adding to the promise of sharp handling, is the claim that the new Fiesta will be the lightest car in the class. This should provide an additional boost in the performance stakes.
Ford is also promising more grip, better stopping performance and improved steering feel over the existing car, along with boosted ride quality and refinement.
What else do we know about the new Fiesta?
Personalisation will play a much bigger part on the new Fiesta, with buyers able to spec contrasting roof and wing mirror colours and opt for bright colour interior trim.
Latest tech and kit options
You’ll also be able to pick from a raft of new luxury kit and slick safety equipment. This includes:
- Eight-inch touchscreen media system with pinch and swipe controls
- Openable panoramic glass roof
- Ten-speaker, 675-watt B&O sound system
- Active Park Assist with brake interventions
- Pedestrian Detection with night functionality
This example above is in Vignale spec: note the quilted leather seats and delicately stiched leatherwork. The media system’s Ford’s new SYNC 3 set-up, which features a high-def screen and controls Ford’s new SYNC 3 comms system.
What’ll it cost?
Ford has suggested that Style models will cost less than £13,000, as the new Ka+ city car has moved into the budget end of the small-car arena.
The sixth-gen Fiesta, which is being replaced, has been on sale since 2008 – and has been the UK’s best-selling car for the past few years.
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