A sport utility vehicle with count, weight and measure. Perhaps these are the right adjectives to describe the new 125hp Ford Fiesta 1.0 Ecoboost Sport.
It was on a Friday morning, on a radiant sunny day (a rare thing this summer…) that for the first time I got in touch with the new Ford Fiesta 1.0 Ecoboost Sport. The memories of the Ford Focus were still fresh in my memory with this 1.0 Ecoboost engine with 125hp.
With a nice 125hp of power at the service of the right foot, I thought that the city was not the ideal terrain to explore the full potential of this more daring Fiesta. So together we set off on the “off road” towards the Alentejo plains. But we hadn't even left the urban chaos yet, and the small 1,000cc three-cylinder engine was already beginning to show «air of grace». With less weight on the shoulders in the Fiesta than in the Focus, the small 125hp engine catapulted the Ford Fiesta with remarkable lightness. More even than I could have imagined.
On the road, despite the gearbox having a somewhat long step – fuel consumption is grateful… – the 1.0 Ecoboost engine was always alive and available, a factor that cannot be ignored by the generous 170Nm (+20Nm in overboost function) of maximum torque , available between 1400 and 4500rpm. Shortly thereafter, with the highway in the background, qualities such as smoothness and low engine noise stood out from the rest. Not letting the most distracted guess that up ahead a three-cylinder engine was working.
We can say without running the risk of exaggerating that this 1.0 Ecoboost engine is the state of the art in small gasoline engines.
And if the pace of travel has a more “stiff” nature and the chosen route is a national road, count on the availability of this engine to make any overtaking at a glance. In more diligent driving – or should I say very diligent?! – long gears compromise a little the exit of slow corners, where 1st gear and 2nd gear feel too long, forcing the engine speed to come out of the "power core".
But truth be told, despite the Sport suffix and Race Red paintwork, this Ford Fiesta has no intentions of being a sports car at all costs. Rather, it is a sports car with count, weight and measure. Let's say it's a sports car in the ideal proportions so as not to compromise on sportier driving, nor to compromise in everyday life when the imperatives are different, such as savings and comfort. Basically, this Ford Fiesta 1.0 Ecoboost Sport intends to be the middle ground between a purely utilitarian model and a sporty model. Two worlds in one, shall we meet them?
in the sports world
I confess that I generally look with suspicion on these versions that are neither sporty nor purely utilitarian. Usually, instead of giving us the best of each strand, they bring together the worst. This was not the case with this Ford Fiesta Ecoboost Sport. Anyone looking for a 125hp Ford Fiesta hopes to find some "salero" in its behavior and performance. Otherwise I would certainly opt for the less powerful versions of the range. I must say to those that they will find all the «salero» they are looking for in this version.
It's true that the gearbox – as I said – is too long and its feel is not the best, that the brakes fatigue under more severe treatments (drums on the rear axle), that the steering is heavy and somewhat vague and that the electronic aids they insist on putting the car “on its axis” even when it was expendable. But the truth is in the final sum of the parts, all these elements work well. The 125hp Ford Fiesta 1.0 Ecoboost Sport is fun on any journey.
The curved insert is sharp and the bodywork is marginal. In faster curves, stability is the watchword and predictability of reactions is a constant. Ironically, the presence of humble drums in the rear axle braking system turned out to be the ideal partner to curb the spirits of an overly cautious ESP. As you know, the functioning of the ESP depends on the distribution of braking between the wheels of the car and after six or seven curves made in a more «acrobatic» way the drums heat up in such a way that the ESP can no longer «help us» as soon as would. We appreciate it, and the fun too. Even because the Ford Fiesta chassis, despite being one of the oldest in the segment, keeps its qualities intact.
The engine's efficiency is on the rise, penalized by the gearbox from the point of view of pure performance, but it still manages to “pull out” quite impressive numbers compared to the smallness of the block. The Fiesta with this engine completes the sprint from 0-100km/h in 9.7sec. ending the race at around 197km/h top speed. Without being too radical or refined from a dynamic point of view, this Ecoboost Sport receives a very positive note in the field «fun vs. efficiency».
in the everyday world
If in the dynamic field this Ford Fiesta was a pleasant surprise, in everyday life it was too. The characteristics that make school in its more utilitarian and modest brothers are repeated in this version with more than "blood in the gill". The Ford Fiesta 1.0 Ecoboost Sport is a car that gets carried away in day-to-day with ease. The engine works well from low revs and only too heavy steering makes life a little more complicated in urban traffic.
Rolling comfort remains in good shape, and inside they can count on a robust build quality and no serious mounting flaws. The console's design alone may not convince all users, that despite its age it still looks quite youthful and attractive, even if the functionality is questionable. The "upgrade" that Ford carried out in this last restyling was more than enough to keep the Fiesta in line with the best that exists in the segment.
Consumptions are invariably above the values advertised by the brand. In normal driving, without major economic concerns, it has an average of around 6.7 liters per 100km, in a mixture of 40% urban circuit and 60% road/motorway. It is possible to go down to 5.9 liters at 100km/h on a circuit similar to the previous one, but for that it is necessary to apply an almost Germanic austerity to the accelerator.
Equipment in good plan
Given the asking price, the deal proposed by Ford is quite interesting (€19,100 with expenses). This Sport version is full of details that make a difference to the rest of the range. Among other equipment, we are talking about halogen headlamps with LED daytime running lights, fog lamps, manual air conditioning, CD MP3 radio with Bluetooth, Voice to Control, USB and AUX plugs, SYNC system with emergency call, on-board computer, Ford EcoMode, Ford MyKey (a system that limits the maximum speed and volume of the car radio), Stop&Start, ABS with EBD, Electronic Stability Control (ESP), Hill Start Assistance System, 7 airbags (front, side , curtain and driver's knees), in addition to the five-year FordProtect warranty. Lots of standard equipment, although we missed the cruise control.
In the field of options, there is also plenty to choose from: automatic air conditioning (€225), tinted windows (€120), automatic windscreen wipers and headlights (€180), 17” alloy wheels (€300) with low-profile Continental ContiSportContact 5 tires (size 205/40R17), and the Easy Driver Pack 3 (€400) that adds front and rear parking sensors to the Ford Fiesta, unbeatable mirrors with courtesy light and turn signals and system city active braking system Active City Stop, in addition to the conventional supplementary wheel (€60).
Conclusion
The 125hp Ford Fiesta 1.0 Ecoboost Sport is a good option for all those who want to enjoy two worlds: having an SUV capable in everyday life and at the same time exciting on those days when, strangely, the right foot weighs more than the left foot. And we all know there are days like this.
This dual personality is, in my opinion, the great asset of this Fiesta but at the same time, ironically, also its Achilles heel. Why? Because when trying to be good in all fields, you are prevented from achieving excellence in any of the fields on our evaluation table (with the honorable exception of the course engine). This is one of those cases where the coldness of the numbers doesn't do justice to the quality of the product. It remains to be said that for those who crave higher flights there is always the ST option, the sportiest in the Fiesta range. But ST is a theme for another day… and other roads, ok?
| MOTOR | 3 cylinders |
| CYLINDRAGE | 999 cc |
| STREAMING | Manual, 5 Speed |
| TRACTION | Forward |
| WEIGHT | 1091 kg. |
| POWER | 125 hp / 6000 rpm |
| BINARY | 200 NM / 1400 rpm |
| 0-100 KM/H | 9.4 sec. |
| SPEED MAXIMUM | 196 km/h |
| CONSUMPTION | 4.3 lt./100 km |
| PRICE | €19,100 |