Supermini megatest - Ford Fiesta

Ford Fiesta 1.4i Zetec 5dr
List price £13,695


Even in a recession, you find pockets of optimism. Take the Ford Fiesta. So far this year, Ford has sold about 70,000 of them. It accounts for more than one-third of the company's UK sales. Without it, Ford wouldn't be looking quite so (comparatively) rosy-cheeked.

All this despite prices that are not so much creeping up as being rocket-propelled into the wild blue yonder. The Fiesta chosen here now costs just shy of £13,700 – and it's not as though it comes laden with luxuries. You'll need to add curtain airbags, stability control, metallic paint and Bluetooth to bring it up to an acceptable spec, and then you're looking at a £15,000 car.

Ford blames worsening pound-euro exchange rates, but other manufacturers seem to get by without such large and frequent rises. It's a good job you can get £2200 off or we just wouldn't be able to argue a case for it.

Or would we? The Fiesta is such a fantastic car to drive that we're inclined to overlook Ford's greed. Well, almost. Anyone who wants a refresher course in how a small car should drive need look no further. Words such as nimble, alert and agile don't do it justice.

The Fiesta just does whatever you want, instantly and with real joie de vivre, and all the while it seems to be saying: ‘Go on, have your fun. I won't let you get into trouble'.

Fiestas have been fun for years, but this model has added refinement and a more soothing ride. The 95bhp 1.4-litre petrol engine isn't our favourite, but it complements the chassis, and the gearshift feels as if it's running in baby oil.

None of those things explains why the latest Fiesta has taken off so rapidly, though. Martin Smith's wedgey, sharply creased exterior design and mobile-phone-inspired dashboard and console layout take a lot of the credit, particularly for attracting younger buyers who aren't so worried that the Fiesta isn't the most practical or versatile supermini. The result is a success story Ford could only have dreamed of. Now just don't go getting too greedy.