Road test: Ford Fiesta 1.0 Ecoboost, a petrol car worth your attention

We lived with the new Ford Fiesta for a week in its 125 CV 1.0 Ecoboost petrol version, and it has won us over completely. Here’s why.

Depending on the version you choose and your space needs, the Ford Fiesta is one of those cars that sits on the borderline between a city car and a compact. Let me explain. If you are looking for an all-purpose car and can make do with the interior space and boot that the Ford Fiesta offers, in terms of engines or equipment you won’t need to make the jump to a Focus, to stay within the Ford range.

The best example is the version we tested, with the 1.0 Ecoboost engine in its 125 CV variant – there are two others to choose from –, a 5-door body, the very complete Titanium trim and a configuration drawing on the list of optional equipment that many luxury saloons would have loved to have only a few years ago.

Yes, the three cylinders of the Ecoboost engine are enough

We are going to focus a large part of this road test on what lies under the bonnet: the 3-cylinder 1.0 Ecoboost engine. And not because it is new, since this engine made its debut in the Ford Focus back in 2012. But now that petrol engines are taking ground from diesels, and in a range like the Ford Fiesta‘s with so many engines to choose from, it pays to aim well from the very start.

Ford offers the 1.0 Ecoboost engine in up to three power outputs: 100, 125 and 140 CV. The first can be very interesting given its magnificent performance, and it has an advantage over the other two: it is combined with the lower equipment levels, and can be specified as an option with a dual-clutch automatic gearbox. The 140 CV version, meanwhile, is reserved for the ST Line trim, with a sportier approach, not only in terms of performance but also because of the chassis settings specific to this version.

A feature common to all three 1.0 Ecoboost engines in the Ford Fiesta is that while running they make their three-cylinder configuration known with a very characteristic sound, especially when accelerating. But be warned, it is not a sound that ever becomes annoying. In fact, vibrations are conspicuous by their absence, and we can speak of a very “smooth” engine, in any case more refined than any diesel.

The other quality of this Ecoboost engine is the relationship between how much it can accelerate… and how little it can consume. And here the sweet spot is precisely the 125 CV Ecoboost. If you want a car for everything, one that moves with modest running costs in the city but doesn’t fall short on road trips, even when you are fully loaded, this is the best option in the Fiesta range. Among the cars in this category fitted with low-capacity turbo petrol engines – and there are quite a few now –, the Ford Fiesta 1.0 Ecoboost 125 CV is one of those that is quickest and uses the least fuel. What’s more, these engines are very sensitive to driving pace, and in the Fiesta consumption doesn’t soar as it does in some of its rivals when you ask the engine for everything it can give.

A petrol car that drives and uses fuel almost like a diesel

During the road test we confirmed how easily you can achieve average consumption figures below 6 l/100 km, without having to pay much attention to the accelerator. It is enough to use the “eco” mode by pressing the button on the centre console, which takes care of modulating the power delivery even if we are generous with the right foot.

One of the keys to how the Fiesta Ecoboost achieves this consumption is that the engine pulls strongly from low revs and has a very wide usable range, which allows very long gearing to be used. So long that Ford has opted for a sixth gear in which, if you reached the 6,000 rpm at which the engine delivers maximum power – it still stretches easily another 600 rpm up to the cut-off –, you would comfortably exceed 250 km/h.

In fact, the official top speed of 195 km/h is reached in fourth gear right at the fuel cut-off, and at a 130 km/h cruise in sixth you travel with the engine turning at barely 2,900 rpm. What you might call a “relief” gear, in the truest sense. In short, a highly recommendable alternative to the 1.5 turbodiesel 120 CV, not only for its greater refinement but also for its performance, because it uses very little fuel… and on price, saving 900 euros right from the moment of purchase.

A city car with a sporty feel

But the 1.0 Ecoboost also shows character if you decide not to drive the Ford Fiesta the way you would a diesel, with long gears and early shifts. The gear lever has a very smooth feel, the engine revs up without hesitation and the chassis keeps up. And how it keeps up. For steering precision, agility in direction changes and ride quality, the Ford Fiesta’s feel at the wheel on twisty roads is among the best you will find in the category, with all due respect to the Seat Ibiza, which remains one of the benchmarks.

That said, one caveat is needed. The version we tested, the Fiesta 1.0 Ecoboost 125 CV with Titanium trim, was fitted with Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres in size 205/45 on the optional 17-inch alloy wheels. A set-up that suits the firmer suspension and lower ride height of the ST Line versions of the Fiesta wonderfully, but which I don’t recommend with the standard suspension. The grip of these tyres is so great that, with the damper settings more focused on the comfort of this Titanium version, it slightly upsets the Fiesta’s overall balance compared with its standard tyres, in size 195/55-16.

In any case, even with these tyres the Fiesta offers progressive reactions and a very secure driving feel, with a magnificent balance between agility and quick response for manoeuvring in town, precision on twisty stretches, and insulation and comfort on long journeys, with brakes that go unnoticed, which is a good sign.

Interior and boot of the Ford Fiesta

If the worst thing I can say about the interior of the Ford Fiesta is that I felt there is a lot of contrast between the look and feel of the padded plastics on the upper part of the dashboard and the hard material used on the lower part or on the door trims, that is a good sign. What really matters when driving is well resolved: good visibility, seats that hold you well (those of the Titanium trim are sporty-style), controls that are easy to find and operate, and enough storage spaces to empty your pockets or leave your phone.

The instrumentation is also very complete, with a central screen between the main dials that can show not only information about consumption or the radio station, but also the main directions from the navigation system. Control can easily be done from the steering wheel controls, or by using the voice commands of the Sync 3 system (optional), which works very well.

As for the boot, it is the same as with the interior space: with its 300 litres – about 8 litres less in the 3-door version – the Ford Fiesta sits in the middle of the table among city cars of similar size when we talk about roominess or luggage space. Here one of the benchmarks is the new Seat Ibiza, which exceeds 355 litres of boot capacity and offers more usable centimetres in front and behind, although proportionally it stands out more in boot capacity

Depending on the version, one feature – which our test car had – is the boot floor adjustable to two heights, an option that costs 75 euros. This allows you to create a false floor with a usable height of about 10 cm for carrying items beneath the floor, or to leave the surface flat when the rear seatbacks are folded down. Optionally, for 100 euros the standard puncture repair kit can be replaced with a spare wheel, which will always be an emergency one. As a curiosity, this possibility is incompatible when the B&O sound system or the panoramic roof is chosen.

Which equipment should you choose?

Variety is the spice of life, and the Ford Fiesta offers plenty to choose from. At the lower end we recommend the Trend+ trim if you are looking for a car mainly for urban use and are going to stick with the “small” engines. Here you already get, among other things,

For the price difference with the same engine, less than 700 euros, the Titanium trim is worthwhile, more for what you can optionally fit than for what it adds as standard – styling details, alloy wheels, sports seats and a front centre armrest.

That’s because from the Titanium trim upwards you can draw on options to configure a car that is extremely complete in safety, comfort and multimedia systems, especially by taking advantage of the bundled packs, which are very well priced. For example, the active safety pack is recommended, which for 550 euros includes the pre-collision assist with distance indicator and warning and the adaptive cruise control with speed limiter. For 200 euros the City pack adds parking sensors and electrically folding exterior mirrors. And you can still add a traffic sign recognition system, automatic high beams – which, by the way, work wonderfully in switching from high to low beam and back, although the quality of the light beam strikes me as improvable – or heated seats and steering wheel.

As for multimedia systems, the “basic” option is entirely recommended, which for 350 euros in the case of the Titanium trim adds climate control, an 8-inch touchscreen – with very good visibility and easy to use, far more recommendable than the standard 6.5-inch one – and Ford’s Sync 3 connectivity system, compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. For 250 euros more you get it with navigation, and there is still a higher option with the advanced B&O Play sound system with 10 speakers.

In addition, the Ford Fiesta also allows certain personalisation options beyond the wheels (200 euros to move up to 17 inches) or the panoramic roof (700 euros). You can choose, for example, a two-tone finish combining two different colours for the roof, body and mirrors (red and black, white and copper, white and red, or white and black) for 250 euros.

The list price of the Ford Fiesta 1.0 Ecoboost 125 CV with Titanium trim is 18,895 euros, which comes down to 14,400 euros by taking advantage of all the discounts included in Ford’s so-called “Ecobonus”, which requires you to finance the purchase with the brand. This means that, by investing 1,500 euros to complete the equipment with the most recommended extras, you get an extremely complete car for less than 16,000 euros.