Ford has revealed the 2022 Fiesta with a bold new look

Words by Marcus Boothby

Almost by coincidence, Ford has revealed the facelifted Mk8 Fiesta just over a week since our review of the now pre-facelifted car. So, to keep up with rivals, the Fiesta has been modernised with a new front end, new colours and more tech to keep buyers happy.

The first thing you see is the redesigned front end, with your eyes being drawn to the bigger grill which dominates the front end, with new headlights at each corner of the grill. These headlights look smaller than the pre-facelift ones, which suits the shape of the car a bit better. There is a sharper looking bodykit on all models, including the ST which gets the redesign too. For the first time on a Fiesta, matrix LEDs are optional which no doubt will have their own signature light dance.

On the inside, the Fiesta is much the same as before but with a new 12.3-inch drivers screen which replaces the traditional dials. The screen comes with a raft full of driver aids which includes wrong way alert, active park assist, cross traffic alert, lane keep assist and adaptive cruise control with stop and go. The central screen remains as an 8-inch touchscreen which features SYNC3 which also allows for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability.

Engine choices are limited to either petrol or petrol-hybrid now which means no pointless diesels in a supermini anymore. All engines are some form of the 1.0 EcoBoost petrol, with the basic option coming in at 99bhp and is the only one which can’t be had with a hybrid system. The petrol-hybrid engines can either be had with 123bhp or 153bhp, or if you want something a bit quicker, the ST is still about with it’s 1.5 EcoBoost pumping out a healthy 197bhp.

For commerical buyers, the Fiesta Van is still hanging in there and can only be had with the 123bhp EcoBoost engine which will have the hybrid system as standard.

Prices should be a little bit more the the pre-facelift Fiesta, so think about £16,700 for an entry level Fiesta with the non-hybrid 1.0 EcoBoost which would undercut the recently facelifted Polo by £1000.

Reviewed: 2021 Ford Fiesta 1.0 Hybrid ST-Line Edition

Words by Marcus Boothby

Believe it or not, the Ford Fiesta has been on sale for an impressive 45 years, with it being in the top 10 selling cars in Britain pretty much since it’s launch. Since it went on sale many years ago, the Fiesta has been one of the default cars you recommend to someone if they need a new car as it covers pretty much every basic need a car owner has. It’s spacious, comfortable, cheap to run and is plenty powerful enough for the average owner.

The car I had for review recently was one of the latest Fiesta hybrids which combines the much loved 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine with a 48V electric motor delivering an adequate 125bhp. The car also came in the ST-Line package which is pretty much the highest spec’d Fiesta you can buy before going into Vignale or full-fat ST models.

I had the Fiesta for a couple of hours a few weeks ago, which gave me enough time to find out if one of Britain’s best selling cars is actually any good.

Performance and driving

I was left quite impressed with the hybridised EcoBoost engine in this Fiesta. It was quick to respond at all speeds, with it being most impressive in a lower gear under 50mph. With 123bhp at my disposal, I certainly didn’t have a sports car but, it was more than enough for in town and motorway driving which is where Fiesta’s are commonly seen and used.

Handling was sharp for a small car. Again, it’s no Lotus but it did have that go-kart like feel to it which was fun on roundabouts. This is helped by the weight of the car coming in at 1217kg empty, but with four adults and some luggage, this will come close to 1500kg.

Even the fuel economy wasn’t bad in this car. I have quite a heavy right foot, but even with that, I managed to achieve an average of 45mpg during the few hours I had the car. This involved a lot of stop-start town driving, some dual carriageways/motorways and slow moving traffic. I also did about 60 miles in the car, which used just under a quarter of a tank of fuel. Not bad going then.

Styling

Styling of the current Fiesta is similar to the previous one but a bit more rounded. Professional I know but it’s very hard to describe a car that is so inoffensive to the eye that it becomes an impossible thing to do. I’m not saying the Fiesta is bland, but it doesn’t really do anything for me.

Even with the ST-Line stuff, it still doesn’t quite work. Maybe it’s because the design is now five years old and that you see a Fiesta on every housing estate and road in the country but, it’s hardly exciting. The ST-Line does make it look like a watered down ST thanks to it’s angular bodykit, 17 inch wheels and a fake diffuser at the back. The optional Freedom Blue paint work is nice though.

The interior styling of the current Fiesta is again, inoffensive and won’t be winning any design points here. I much prefer the interior design of the old Fiesta, despite the weird T9 style numberpad on the dashboard which really hasn’t aged that well.

Interior and comfort

Continuing from my previous point, the interior of the Fiesta isn’t all that nice compared to more recently updated rivals from Peugeot, Vauxhall and even Hyundai. Ford have played it safe with the Fiesta’s cabin as it does everything you need it to do.

There’s a very nice central screen which is clear and quick to respond to your input. Another benefit of the screen is that it does Apple CarPlay via a USB connection. It has Android Auto too if you’re a bit weird. Below the screen are your air conditioning controls which are fairly straightforward to use. There’s nothing complicated here as all you have to do is press a button, adjust the fan speed and you have gusts of cold air coming at you.

Other than the dreary dashboard, the seats are quite comfortable even if it does have ST style seats. I got myself quite comfortable in the front seats, but was disappointed that you couldn’t adjust the bolsters as they are fixed in place. Space in the back isn’t as bad as you think, as I could sit in the back and had plenty of space behind the drivers seat in my position. This means four near 6ft tall adults will be happy in the Fiesta but don’t expect to carry five people as the middle seat may as well not exist.

The boot is a good size for a car of this size as you could easily fill it with a weekly shop, or a push chair. Whatever you do though, don’t put a dog back there, as they’d be much happier on the back seat.

Tech

Tech wise, there is a lot of it in the Fiesta. The piece of tech Fiesta drivers will be using the most is the SYNC3 system which is CarPlay and Android Auto compatible as mentioned above. Moving on, you have cruise control, lane keep assist, rear parking sensors, auto lights and selectable drive modes and an intrusive start/stop system.

I hated the start/stop feature, so much so that I turned it off as it was doing my head in. To make matters worse, I couldn’t find a way to properly turn it off which meant it would turn itself back on every time you started the car.

I was also expecting the Fiesta to have a back up camera fitted as standard but no, it didn’t have one. This annoyed me as the rear visibility on the one I had was awful.

Verdict - 6/10

If you’ve been following this review to the very end, you would assume that I don’t like the Fiesta. I mean, I don’t hate the car but I also don’t love it either. The Fiesta is one of those cars where I think it’s best experienced in full fat ST spec or with the base spec. This is not a car I’d want to have for 3/4 years on a PCP plan.

Sure, it’s fun to drive but the rest of the car is so depressingly dull. I couldn’t bring myself to have a car for a long period of time that is so boring and lifeless to own unless you drive it like Lewis Hamilton all the time. And for the price of the one I had, I would rather take my money else where and get something else, like the new Hyundai i20 or even a Vauxhall Corsa. This is why I couldn’t recommend a Fiesta unless a Ford dealer was the only dealer near by.

Specs

• Price: £21,365 (£22,190 as tested)

• 0-60mph: 9.1 seconds

• Top Speed: 124mph

• Power: 123bhp

• Torque: 155 ft-lb

• Economy: 52.3 - 57.6 mpg

• Real world economy: 45mpg

• Weight: 1217kg

Rivals

Vauxhall Corsa, VW Polo, Hyundai i20, Peugeot 208

Hyundai has made a tiny crossover and its adorable

Words by Marcus Boothby

Like it or not, crossovers are the hottest thing in the car world at the moment. Every major car manufacture has at least one crossover in their line-up, with some solely depending on crossovers in order to survive. But, the majority of crossovers are usually VW Polo size or bigger, with little to no attention being paid to anything smaller. Sure, there are the Japanese kei cars which is a unique market segment full of interesting and weird cars.

Now Hyundai has decided to bring the crossover trend to the smallest segment with the all-new Casper. This adorable little thing is based on the same platform as the Kia Picanto and Hyundai’s own i10 city car. This means the Casper is 3,595mm long and just 1,595mm wide, making it absolutely tiny.

You might be wondering what’s powering this tiny crossover? Well there will initially be a choice of two 1.0-litre three cylinder petrol engines. One will be naturally-aspirated with 75bhp or a turbocharged one with a dizzying 99bhp, plus you’ll have a choice of either a manual or an automatic gearbox. There might be a fully electric version coming in the next year or two as well.

The styling of the Casper is bold but adorable at the same time, reminding us of the current Suzuki Ignis. The front is dominated by a set of circular LED lights, with another set of lights on top giving the look of eyes and eyebrows, which is similar to the Nissan Juke but way better. The rear lighting design is quite cool around the back, with the taillights being integrated into the rear hatch, which is good for packaging and reducing costs. We don’t know what the interior looks like yet, but we can guess it could be a modernised version of what is offered in the i10.

Sales will start in South Korea in the coming weeks, with potential sales in India starting next year. However, there is no word on if Europe or the UK is getting this adorable little car.

The Mini Strip concept is everything that a Mini should be

Words by Marcus Boothby

For the past 20 years or so, cars have become more and more complicated thanks to a number of things that include crash safety, emissions regulations and the sheer amount of tech manufacturers are cramming into cars now. I drive a Volkswagen Lupo and it is possibly one of the best designed small cars from the early 2000s, as I see it as a spiritual successor to the original Mini.

Speaking of Mini, the modern Mini as we know it is just too big, heavy, expensive and complicated. Sure, they’re nice enough cars to be in but there’s too much going on, inside and out. Matters aren’t help now that you can can a fully electric version of the Mini Hatch. However, someone who isn’t traditionally a car designer seems to agree.

Paul Smith, a famous fashion designer of Adidas Stan Smith fame, has taken a Mini and redesigned it from the ground up. What he’s done is basically take the Mini back to its roots as a basic small car with little to no gimmicks or extra’s you’d expect to see on a new Mini.

The most noticeable difference to a regular Mini is how different the exterior is. The proper paint job hasn’t been applied leaving a thin layer of transparent paint in order to prevent rust from building up. Other stripping measures include exposed screws in the 3D printed body moulding, a blanked off grill, a set of funky looking aerodynamic wheels and a full length panoramic sunroof which also reveals some of the car’s core structure. And thankfully, the Union Jack taillights are gone in favour of the pre-facelift solid rear lights which look much better.

However, the biggest changes are inside the car where Paul Smith has taken the Mini to Fat Fighters and made the interior a minimalists wet dream. The main takeaway from the interior is that there’s a steering wheel and four seats, and not much else. Seriously, the infotainment screen is gone, the gauge cluster is gone, as are the majority of the plastics, chrome and leather.

Your smartphone is the entertainment system and presumably the car information screen too. The only physical controls left in the car is the start/stop button and buttons for the electric windows. I would have suggested to bin the electric window system and bring back manual windows in order to save more weight and strip the car even more.

Interior materials are a highlight too with a lot of them being recyclable which lowers the car’s environmental impact. Cork is used for the dashboard, door panels and parcel shelf. Elsewhere, the seats are fabric and the floor mats are made of recycled rubber.

Mini has no plans on putting the Mini Strip into production but other car makers should take note of this concept and just cut back on all the unnecessary stuff they put into cars these days and bring them back to basics. Sure, this would annoy buyers who think their new car is better as it’s got all sorts of stuff they’ll never use, but bringing cars back to basics would reduce weight and reduce the car’s environmental impact at the end of it’s useful life.

Going back to the Lupo, it has the basics and that’s all I need. All I want in a new car is a good air con system, somewhere to put my phone on charge and not much else, other than a fun driving experience. What I’m saying is that I’m happy to sacrifice features in favour of a better built car which also happens to be better for the environment while still being good to drive.

The new Lamborghini Countach underwhelmed us all

Words by Marcus Boothby

Lamborghini Countach. This is a name that belongs to one of the coolest cars ever made and has been on bedroom walls, phone wallpapers and video games since it’s original launch in 1974. It is a car that just oozes the term cool, more so with later editions with flared arches, huge air vents and the iconic rear wing which may as well be a dinner table.

The Countach has been a star car in numerous films and TV shows, with it’s most iconic appearance being in The Cannonball Run. As a matter of fact, that exact car has been given historical vehicle status in the US recently, which makes it even cooler. The Countach has been at the forefront of the vaporwave/aesthetic movement which has seen it against neon backgrounds (usually a mountain range or Miami) along with a certain statue by the hands of Michelangelo.

So without going into too much detail, the Countach has secured its spot as one of the coolest cars ever made. Naturally, there were high hopes when Lamborghini said they’d be reviving the Countach as a limited-run model. This got me and Dionysis very excited as we both love the Countach and hoped they would treat it with respect and do a modernised version of it, similar to how they did with the Miura concept/design study back in 2006. Oh how wrong we were.

When Lamborghini revealed the new Countach last week, it was met with a sea of underwhelmed people, including ourselves. Granted, the car was leaked a day or two prior to the launch which didn’t help matters but the finished car was simply a “whatever” moment.

Expectations were high for the Countach. We had already guessed it would be based on the Aventador/Sian platform as that just made sense but we didn’t know for certain how much Aventador there would be in the new Countach. There’s a lot.

Sure, it has 800bhp and a top speed of 221mph but the looks are what matters in a Countach. Sure, some design elements of the original couldn’t happen due to safety reasons but the rest of the design felt like Lamborghini slapped on a cheap body kit and called it a day. Proportions are all wrong, the lighting arrangements at the front and back don’t look right and the glass house is too similar to the Aventador.

If Lamborghini wanted a proper tribute to the Countach while showing off their engineering skills, they should have adapted an Aventador chassis and make it an EV as we all know Lamborghini will be making EVs eventually. Sure, it would have upset some people if they made it an EV but it could have been a tech demo as well as a show stopping car. This also brings us neatly to the price. All 112 examples of the Countach are sold out but they somehow cost 2 million euro each before taxes and personalisation.

For that money, you can get a really nice Countach 25th Anniversary edition car for under half a million quid while looking like the coolest person at wherever you’re turning up at.

Nissan has revealed the 400Z in its full production-spec glory

Words by Marcus Boothby

It has been many years in the making but Nissan has finally revealed its replacement for the aging 370Z in the form of the 400Z. The 400Z is the seventh-generation of Nissan’s Z car which can trace its roots back to the original Datsun 240Z which came out in 1969. The new car won’t be on sale in the US and Japan until next year, but the UK will be missing out on the car due to what Nissan says as “a shrinking European sports car market and specific regulations on emissions”. Right.

Anyway, let’s talk performance. The 400Z is powered by a new twin-turbo 3.0 V6 which has previously been seen in the Infiniti Q50/Q60 models as well as the Japanese market Skyline. This engine is good for 400bhp and 350lb ft of torque, being sent to the rear wheels via a choice of either a 6-speed manual or 9-speed automatic gearbox. 0-60mph times haven’t been revealed but expect the 400Z to match the 0-60mph time in the Infiniti Q60 Red Sport, which is 4.5 seconds, and a top speed of well over 155mph.

The styling of the 400Z is near identical to the Z Proto which was revealed in September 2020, with some slight changes to some parts of the exterior. However, the rectangular grill is here to stay, as are many design ques which hark back to previous Z models. Most notably is the profile and front end treatment which is similar to the 240Z, and the rear is clearly inspired by the gorgeous 300ZX which is undeniably one of the best looking cars from the 1990s.

The interior is again similar to the Z Proto which is a good thing as we quite like the no-fuss attitude Nissan has applied to the 400Z’s interior. Again, there are hints of 240Z to the interior, with the most obvious being the three dials sitting on top of the dashboard. Else where, Nissan has given the 400Z two screens, with one being in place of the instrument dials and the other being a decently sized infotainment screen. If you’re familiar with the recent iteration of the GT-R, you’ll see that the seats are very similar which is said to improve comfort. I don’t think that matters when you’re too busy on track hooning the car.

Launch spec in the US will include Sport and Performance lines, both offering unique options and bits of trim. Predictably, there will also be a limited-run Z Proto Spec launch edition which will include featuring yellow brake calipers, bronze coloured wheels and other bespoke styling elements. Japanese spec remains to be seen but we’ve been informed that this will come at the end of 2021.

It’s clear that the 400Z is gunning for the Toyota Supra and we’re keen to see which one comes out on top. We have a feeling it’ll be the 400Z.

Lamborghini is bringing back the Countach

Words by Marcus Boothby

Turns out that Lamborghini have managed to invent a time machine as they’re going all 1970s on us by bringing back the iconic Countach name for a yet to be revealed supercar. The teaser Lamborghini posted on Twitter on Monday evening left us with more questions than answer but I’m sure they’ll tell us more in the coming weeks.

This is big news as Lamborghini is trying their best to push out into the electric supercar market, as they have teased over the past year or so. It’s a well known fact that their V12 is on it’s last legs so it makes sense to bring back a well loved name like “Countach” to be placed upon an all-new model which will likely be electrified.

We make dreams come true. We did it with the classic Countach in the 1970s. And we’re doing it again. The new Lamborghini Countach is coming. #Lamborghini #Countach pic.twitter.com/nXctgIuyqe

— Lamborghini (@Lamborghini) August 9, 2021

Or, they could be building a modern interpretation of the Countach, similar to what they did with the Miura back in 2006. Said car was a one-off based on the then current Murcielago platform, so we won’t be surprised if Lamborghini do a tribute to the Countach using Aventador running gear. Either way, we can’t wait for what they have in store for us.

The teaser they posted hasn’t really given away any detail on the new car as it was just shot after shot of original Countach’s zooming about the place sound and looking very cool.

Hopefully, they’ll reveal it with pop-up headlights, the dining table rear wing and an interior you can’t see out of. Also, it may just be a concept/one-off model like the Miura Concept and never see the light of day but, no doubt they’ll sell you one if you throw them enough money.