SPORTY Ford's new Fiesta looks good and is expected to drive well too

BOLD DESIGN Striking dashboard has an interesting mix of colours and materials

By Justin Lee

THE NEW FORD Fiesta has the latest interpretation of Ford’s kinetic design language. Bold and distinctive, the car’s exterior is largely similar to the Verve concept car shown at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show.

The front is dominated by sleek wraparound headlamps while the side has pronounced wheel arches and a sharply rising beltline. At the rear, the sweeping roofline ends in a small spoiler and there are high mounted honeycomb tail lamps.

Inside, the dashboard has a striking highly contoured design.

In Europe, there is a choice of four petrol driven engines with capacities ranging from 1.25- to 1.6-litres with outputs from 60bhp to 120bhp. At the moment, only the 1.4-litre unit has an automatic transmission option.

A representative from local Ford distributor Regent Motors reveals that the Fiesta launch is tentatively fixed for the second quarter of next year and the car will most likely be sold with the 1.4-litre engine.