Ford Fiesta ECOnetic: On the Drive

We test the new Ford Fiesta ECOnetic to see if it's as 'Green' as it seems

Part 4 of our Review of the Ford Fiesta ECOnetic sees Carla in the driving seat

Carla drives the Ford Fiesta ECOnetic

Ford Fiesta ECOnetic Road Test / Review – Carla’s Drive

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This Eco-Fiesta. Nice little car!

I’ve had three Fiestas in my time, and this one is by far the easiest to drive. The gearbox in particular is really easy to use and pulls well whatever gear you’re in. And it’s so quiet. I’d expected something quite rattly, but it purrs rather than rattles. It’s also very economical. I averaged 65.3mpg in the time I had the car – a good 50% better than my usual drive (a Mercedes A180 CDi). One very good reason to enjoy this review of the Fiesta ECOnetic !

Inside the Fiesta is quite compact, but it is comfortable. I didn’t like the acres of space on the dash top very much – the road seemed so far away. It’s also a bit plasticky and boring, but the layout was quite cute and the dash itself easy to use and attractive. I also had a bit of trouble with rear visibility. The back window seems much too small. Maybe it’s because I’m not very tall, but I do like to see where I’m going – and what’s behind – and I found it a bit of a struggle at times.

Ford Fiesta ECOnetic front light cluster

As I’ve already said, the gearbox is a doddle and worked really well, even when I was in the wrong gear. I wasn’t too keen on the little green arrow telling me to change up all the time, so I ignored it! But the ECOnetic still proved amazingly economical. One thing that did irritate me was the main beam stalk. For some reason you have to pull the stalk towards you for main beam and then do the same to go back to dip beam. It just wasn’t instinctive (but I’m not as bad as John, who still thinks the dip switch should be on the floor – he’s that old!). And apologies to all those poor people I blinded on Wednesday night when I couldn’t get my main beam off quickly enough! But I’m sure I’d soon get used to it.

In the looks department the Fiesta is a real winner. It’s very pretty to look at, and I even got comments like ‘That’s Nice’ and ‘What a pretty Colour’ (and it was a pretty colour). Without doubt the best looking Fiesta to date, and one of the best looking little cars on the road.

Overall I liked this Eco-Fiesta. It ticked lots of boxes for me. It was so easy to drive (despite my little moans about visibility), and I was really impressed with how little fuel it used. It’s great to look at and really easy to park (but I would have found it harder without the parking sensors – if you’re not very tall you should tick these on the options list). It’s so stylish and fun compared to most eco cars that it would suit anyone looking for an economical car that didn’t sacrifice style and fun for economy.

And it’s a nippy little number too.

Go to Section:

Part 1 – Fiesta ECOnetic Road Test Introduction & John’s Test Drive
Part 2 – Fiesta ECOnetic Road Test – Vince’s Test Drive
Part 3 – Fiesta ECOnetic Road Test – Claire’s Test Drive
Part 4 – Fiesta ECOnetic Road Test – Carla’s Test Drive
Part 5 – Fiesta ECOnetic Road Test / Review – Cars UK Conclusion & Quick Tech Specs