Once consistently Britain’s king of new car sales, the indefatigable Ford Fiesta has always had to move with the times in order to maintain its popularity, even before it hit the UK’s number one sales spot back in 1990; and long before its reputation rose as well-regarded hot versions of the car like the Ford Fiesta ST and Ford Fiesta Zetec-S arrived on the scene.
For the facelifted version, which Ford took the wraps off in September 2021 before UK cars arrived in showrooms in spring 2022, digital cabin technology, new active safety and convenience features, and wider design differentiation are the levels being applied to keep the good times rolling, and to keep the new car easily distinguishable from used examples already on the road.
When Ford launched the current, seventh-generation car in 2017, it turned to SUV-aping styling to help keep a fairly traditional supermini relevant. Next to the core versions of the car, the Fiesta Active blended in a raised ride height and some extra-rugged styling cues along with the car’s more traditional styling and positioning to try to convince buyers that it offered just enough added chunky visual presence and day-to-day convenience to deserve consideration amid the melee of more novel crossover hatchbacks. And now the Fiesta Active maintains its place in the showroom range but gets an even bolder and better-differentiated roughty-toughty look.
Elsewhere in the range is the entry-level Fiesta Trend, the core Fiesta Titanium model, the sport-styled Fiesta ST-Line and the range-topping Fiesta ST hot hatchback. Upper-trim versions of each, identified by an 'X' suffix, are also available, taking the place formerly occupied by Vignale versions.