Top Ghia

I bought my Ford Fiesta new from a local dealership, mid-November 2004, in an event which made my debit card spontaneously combust, writes

.

Moving up from an eight-year-old Fiat Punto it was certainly a monumental improvement.

Although modern Fiesta Ghias have all sorts of fancy gizmos like rain-activated wipers, automatic headlamps, iPod connectivity and all that jazzy stuff, Fiesta's of late 2004 weren't so generous.

Ford seemed to be living in a time warp, with ABS only standard on higher models and basic models having electric windows as a selling point.

The Ghia I bought had a fair amount of practical kit though. An engine imobiliser, deadlocks, perimeter alarm, the Intelligent Protection System made famous by the Mondeo, and remote central locking make the car very safe and secure.

A decent sound system with CD player and a remote control on the steering column were standard on Ghias, as were the leather steering wheel, gear stick, and the various aluminium highlights.

Air conditioning is vital these days, and it works well if not quickly, while the QuickClear windscreen is life-saving all year round - it'll clear ice just as fast as condensation, and the electric wing mirrors are similarly heated.

My Ghia had 14" alloys as standard, however it irritated me greatly that Ford upped this to 15" just three months after I bought it.

Oh, and there is a chrome effect surround on the front radiator grille, which is nice and shiny.

It's not a great amount of kit, especially compared to more recent face-lifted Fiesta's, but it works fine for me.

The interior is a mixed experience. The leather steering wheel and gear stick are comfortable to use and look a little better than their rubberised counterparts, while the aluminium inserts and door handles offer similar benefits.

The gear stick itself is great to use. It is firm and clunky with a smooth movement from gear to gear.

And the interior is truly cavernous, especially considering the vehicle's diminutive exterior, seating five adults fairly easily on its firm but comfortable velour chairs and having a large boot for its class.

The dashboard has only a handful of controls for its various functions, and they are all large, clearly visible and logically arranged to make the car as easy to operate as possible.

It is, however, let down by cheap and hard plastics on the dash and elsewhere – although it is all firmly screwed together, and there still aren't any rattles so far, it does give off a poor quality feeling when touched.

Also, the steering wheel column only adjusts for height, not reach.

Wind and road noise are blocked out fairly well for the most part.

Where the car really shines is in its handling. When it was released it was the top of its class, and it still holds its own well in light of new arrivals - arguably only the new Clio matches it.

The car is highly responsive, with great feedback through the power steering.

It hugs tight corners at 40/50mph where others would lose control, with minimal body roll and no tyre screeching or sliding.

The only drawback for all of this is particularly firm suspension, even in the softened Ghia, which picks up a lot of bumps and potholes in the roads but not to the point of being uncomfortable, and frankly I prefer being able to feel the road a little anyway.

It also handles fairly well in snow and ice, comparatively speaking at least.

Various engines available on the Fiesta were taken straight from the previous generation of Fiestas and renamed 'Duratec', and unfortunately the new car is much heavier than its smaller counterpart.

The petrol 1.4 16v that I have pulls well on straights and will hold its own against larger cars, but will struggle when it comes to sharp inclines or hauling loads.

Although noise is minimal below 60mph, a speed it hits at a decent pace, when you come to motorway speeds the engine emits a high-pitched growl.

Whilst it can go up to 115mph at a push (tested on private premises, of course), the engine will be sure to let you know that it isn't having an easy time of it by screaming rather loudly.

The lower gears have a strange ratio that I still haven't got used to, but after second the gears change smoothly, and third and fourth are particularly torquey.

In terms of reliability there have been no major problems since purchase (with about eight months of warranty left to go), although the recurring clutch creak has been getting on my nerves.

Oh, and a note on price. Ghias are the flagship brand of Ford's vehicles, so purchase price is invariably higher than other specs, but the dealership was particularly flexible on price – I managed to knock nearly £2,500 off list price after some crafty negotiating.

This helped to offset the massive depreciation that all Fords suffer from, but not very much!

Ghias at least depreciate slightly slower than other more common flavours. Insurance is about as low as you can get for a male driver in his early twenties – it should be noted that the Ghia has slightly lower premiums than the Zetec, probably because of the sporty connotations of the Zetec brand, and tax is of course fairly low. Fuel efficiency is quite high as well, easily hitting 40-45mpg if driven carefully.

A good, solid car, all in all. Its biggest pluses are handling, and interior space.

If you want a supermini that can turn on a dime and hold your entire family, this'll be the one.

It's only let down by interior plastics and a slightly under-powered engine.

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