Economy drive
6 months 7 572 km 4,71 L/100 km
+ fantastic fuel economy; well-judged ride
- plastic steering wheel; low-rent trip computer display
At first glance, our little Fiesta appears fairly ordinary, effortlessly blending into daily traffic thanks to its soft lines and subdued Magnetic metallic paintwork. But under that familiar skin, it’s actually rather an unusual machine. You see, this 1,5 TDCi Trend derivative is one of just two diesel-powered hatchbacks (alongside the more expensive Mazda2 1,5DE Hazumi, which benefits from an automatic transmission) in this class.
Why the dearth of small oil-burning hatches on local soil? Well, while South Africans certainly aren’t averse to compression ignition (the overwhelming majority of bakkies sold here drink from diesel pumps, after all, as do a healthy number of SUVs), demand for light hatches fitted with such powerplants
