Ride & Handling, Steering - Ford Fiesta 1.6 S road test

Fake drilled-aluminium pedals say it all, as does the 'S' badge on the boot.

Ride & Handling, Steering

The Fiesta 1.6 S, unlike other 'sporty' variants of other cars, actually has attached value to the 'S' other than visual changes and has had engineers from Ford Australia rework the suspension of the original Fiesta. The low-speed ride is stiff and small bumps and expansion joints filter through, but this can be forgiven for a sporty variant. If a customer needs a Fiesta for the family, the diesel Fiesta is more comfortable and offers much better fuel efficiency as well. Up speed, however, and the ride improves by leaps and bounds. The upshot of the stiff low-speed ride is the handling. Banwari, who usually drives slower than a tortoise on cough syrup, was driving at silly speeds around bends in the Fiesta - this should give you an idea of how confidence-inspiring this car's handling is. Body roll is always well-contained, and the steering always provides you with information of what's going on underneath the wheels. There is a bit of mild understeer when you’re pushing through corners but it’s beautifully reined in by playing with the throttle.The steering wheel surprisingly doesn't feel heavy at low speeds, but weighs up oh-so-beautifully in curves. In the right hands, this car has what it takes to run rings around much more expensive machinery.