By Richard Williamson

January 2003

Ever wondered how to get a Daewoo into the back of a Fiesta? Well, here's the secret: just lift the tailgate, fold down the seats and slide it in. Job done. Joking aside, tackling this sort of thing in the old Fiesta would have been nigh-on impossible - which is one of the reasons why our new one is such a popular addition to the fleet.
We're now three months into ownership of our TDCi-powered Ford and the city-friendly oil-burner is growing on us. Although the looks still come as a disappointment - especially when it's parked up next to Citroen C3s and new Nissan Micras - there is something straightforward about the design that should at least guarantee it a long shelf-life. However, I can't say the same for the interior. Okay, it's functional and ergonomically sound, but given that I have to look at it for three hours a day, I find myself wondering why Ford took the easy way out. Surely the odd Ka-like curve or rotating glovebox wouldn't have gone amiss?
That said, I really cannot fault the Fiesta's increased practicality. To date, it's carried everything from televisions to Christmas trees without breaking sweat. Yes it lacks the clever little touches of the Honda Jazz, but there's plenty of load space on offer and heaps more than its predecessor
- a car that would struggle with a week's shopping. My only real worry is that some of the boot lining materials look a little thin. Although they aren't showing any signs of wear just yet, I fear that more heavy lifting may start to take its toll on the thin carpeting that covers the floor.
The engine, however, is almost impossible to fault. With 3,875 miles on it, the whole drivetrain feels better every time we use it. The gearshift - which was stiff during its first few weeks with us - has loosened up very nicely and slices around the gate with the precision of a hot hatch's. And although the overall fuel consumption figure has dropped a fraction to 48.1mpg, that's still pretty impressive for a car which spends most of its time in the stop-start city traffic.
Refinement is another aspect of the Fiesta that has won many over. It's incredibly easy to drive - all the controls are nicely weighted - and there's precious little in the way of road noise to spoil things at high speed. Indeed, you would be hard pressed to tell it was a diesel at 70mph.
Complaints? Well in the last report, I bemoaned the fact that Ford still doesn't see fit to equip the Fiesta with an external boot-release lever. However, I seem to be in a minority. A number of readers wrote in defending the design and pointing to the added security that a leverless system brings with it. Well, I'm not convinced, and I reckon that until Ford can get its keyfobs working with a greater degree of accuracy than it does at present, a good old-fashioned lever still takes some beating. At present it takes two or three presses of the button before it works. Elsewhere, our test logbook reveals one or two moans, such as the lack of a proper clutch rest and the fact that the fuel filler cap has an external lock rather than an internal release.
A number of drivers have also questioned the comfort levels of the seats, which are firm enough but offer little in the way of side or under-thigh support. But by and large, these complaints are far outweighed by the Fiesta's plus points, which have gained it a large and loyal following in the Auto Express office. Let's hope it stays that way over the coming months.

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