I bought a 2009 WS Fiesta LX with the 1.6 Duratec paired up with the 5-speed manual transmission.
Owner: Millen Rogers
- How well it handles and how the chassis is well-sorted
- Poor quality paint
I bought a 2009 WS Fiesta LX with the 1.6 Duratec paired up with the 5-speed manual transmission. It’s an absolutely cracking car to drive – a well-handling car that is easy for learning manual and with a 1.6-litre that has a lot of poke. The 1.6-litre has a decent amount of power (88kW) and is super torquey (152Nm) for a small hatch.
The Fiesta’s party piece is just how well they drive. The steering is spot on and the suspension handles the bends with absolute ease. In fact the suspension is so good that I’d say it’s better than some of the warm hatchbacks out there. Combining the awesome handling with the good engine it makes for such a fun car to drive. I could possibly argue it’s more fun to drive than some hot hatches. Gear shifts are pretty good as well, apart from reverse – which I’ll explain in the cons.
Looks are subjective, and I personally like the look of the WS compared to the later WZ Fiesta and previous WP/WQ Fiesta. However the three door Zetec is definitely the best looker.
Interior wise it’s surprisingly decent compared to its rivals of the time such as the Barina, Getz and Yaris. The design of the dash is pretty good and the infotainment screen provides a good amount of information and customizability to suit your stereo bass, treble and other levels. The system also allows you to store up to 10 phones in the Bluetooth system, change some of the cars settings and even get voice activation.
The dash is straight from 2009 with a lot of buttons mimicking a Nokia phone. These are just some of the many features in the Fiesta however be aware that in the base Cl model for the WS Fiesta that you don’t get the bigger screen or as many features.
My two biggest complaints about the interior are mainly the seats. They’re not very supportive in any model below the Zetec and have some pretty ugly patterns on them (especially the LX). Second is the fact that while there is Bluetooth, Ford has stopped supporting “Ford Audio” in 2018 so you can’t play music through your phone Bluetooth any more.
If you’re tall and worried about headroom there’s no need to worry. I’m 6-foot-6 and fit perfectly inside – granted there is no leg room for the seat behind the driver’s seat.
Living with a Fiesta is very cheap, easy and again super fun. It costs very little to run, parts are pretty cheap and my Fiesta has done 167,000km without having one single problem yet.
The cons of owning a WS Fiesta are:
- With manual Fiesta’s, reverse doesn’t always engage fully or just doesn’t want to go into reverse, causing a grinding noise. It pops straight in after however it’s annoying, pretty bad for your transmission and can be very embarrassing. There have been times when I’ve needed to leave a place quickly and the transmission plays up, which is very frustrating.
- Paint fade is a problem with all euro Fords and other brands but Fiesta bears the brunt of it the most. My Fiesta hasn’t got paint fade but that’s because of me constantly washing and protecting it. My car lives outside as well, so if you care about the paint and are leaving it outside while not wanting to deal with the effort to maintain the paint, it’s best to buy a white Fiesta.
- As much as I love Fords and don’t really like people commenting about it I do have to say build quality isn’t the best. They aren’t horrendous as some would lead you to believe but my Fiesta has it’s share of issues. The only main issue is that the passenger window switch won’t go back up – but the driver can control that window so it isn’t a massive issue. There are, however, a few other small issues that are cheap and easy to fix.
Overall these cons shouldn’t put you off because Fiestas are great cars to daily drive like I am doing. I would highly recommend them to everyone. Here are some things to consider when buying a Fiesta to help you choose the right one for you.
- WP/WQ/WS Fiesta’s are built in Germany, while WT/WZ Fiesta’s (excluding the WZ ST and WG ST) are made in Thailand.
- With the WS Fiesta all the manuals are paired with the 88kW 1.6-litre 4-cylinder engine, whereas all the autos are paired up with 71kW 1.4-litre 4-cylinder engine. Obviously if you can’t drive manual go with the auto – they are still decent units but I’d highly recommend the manual just because you get the powerful engine that is more fuel efficient, stronger and is much more fun to drive.
- If fuel efficiency is your main concern, Ford does do a diesel version called the ECOnetic with a 1.6-litre turbo diesel engine. It gets a claimed 3.7 litres per 100 kilometres, whereas my 1.6 petrol gets 6.1L/100km. The diesel only comes with a manual transmission and is only available as the 5 door (same with the LX).
- AVOID THE POWERSHIFT 6 SPEED AUTO AT ALL COSTS. These dual-clutch auto boxes are just full of trouble and not the definition of smooth. They were available in the later WT and WZ Fiesta and while you could justify buying the WZ for the updated looks, interior and the absolute gem of an engine (the 1.0-litre Ecoboost) there is no point of getting a WT which looks the same as the WS, with the same interior. If you’re getting an auto WT Fiesta you may as well just go and buy a WB Festiva from 1991.
I hope this helps some people out there. Once again I’ll mention it but these Fiesta’s are some of the most fun cars you can buy for the money. They just handle so well that you can’t put it into words. If you don’t believe me just read all the reviews and magazines, and if you want to have a laugh watch Top Gear test one in Season 12, Episode 6.
Owner: Millen Rogers
MORE: Everything Ford
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