Ford Fiesta

Today, however, things are very different. Buyers now have seven-speed autos, hi-tech CVTs (Continuously Variable Transmissions) and a raft of two-pedal automated manuals to pick from. Yet Ford has dragged its heels in the race to provide ever more efficient gearchanges... until now. In a bid to catch up, the blue oval has given its Fiesta and Fusion range two fresh transmissions: Durashift Automatic, which is a conventional auto, and Ford's first-ever sequential manual, called EST (which stands for Electronic Shift Technology).

The firm says that with the new four-speed automatic, it now has a gearbox which can rival the systems of far more exclusive makers. Reworked clutches, brakes and gearing on the transmission mean changes are now as good as those of any other self-shifting supermini. However, despite the quality of the Durashift system, it is eclipsed by Ford's other new gearbox...

Climb behind the wheel of an EST-equipped Fiesta and you'll have control over one of the best automated manuals around. Ford expects buyers to be from the so-called 'PlayStation generation' - and it's easy to see why.

With a flick of the wrist, the short-throw lever swaps cogs in an instant. The automated two-pedal manual also lets you drive the car harder, with a red arrow in the instrument cluster illuminating when it's time to change up. The five-speed unit makes even a 1.4-litre Fiesta seem sprightly, and there's no clunkiness in the changes - a common fault with rivals' similar systems.

While Citroen's C2 and C3 SensoDrive models offer a paddleshift set-up, Ford has decided not to fit secondary controls to EST, which some drivers will miss. But the system makes the Fiesta more fun and, at ΂£500 more than the standard manual, it's pretty good value.