Ford Fiesta
When it comes to city commuting, desperate times call for desperate measures. You can't take to the skies for trouble-free urban transport yet, but many of the UK's rivers are being called upon to provide stressless town travel.
Ford's conventional Durashift Automatic feels old-fashioned compared with competitors. Changes are smooth, yet the system lacks refinement. It's easy to drive, but many rivals offer better performance and value.
When it comes to city commuting, desperate times call for desperate measures. You can't take to the skies for trouble-free urban transport yet, but many of the UK's rivers are being called upon to provide stressless town travel. How-ever, the latest version of Ford's Fiesta could provide a less radical solution to your problems thanks to its new line-up of two-pedal transmissions.
While other manufacturers concentrate on one specialised gearbox, Ford is offering both clutchless manual and conventional autos with its Fiesta. The traditional self-shifter is likely to appeal to more conservative buyers, but will it make a splash, or sink without a trace?
Called the Durashift Automatic, the new four-speed transmission is only available with the Fiesta's 1.6-litre four-cylinder powerplant and has been improved over previous Ford units with reworked clutches, brakes and ratios.
Many customers will be pleased to see that there are no complicated buttons or levers to change gear. You simply have a traditional auto selector - pull it into Drive and away you go. And there's no denying that this Fiesta is one of the easiest cars to pilot on sale today. In town, the chance to rest your left leg without working away at a clutch pedal is welcome, and there is no delay in the Ford's throttle response - a problem that plagues many two-pedal supermini competitors.
However, the all-round performance of this Durashift Fiesta can't maintain the standard set by its eager first-gear pace. While the actual changes are relatively smooth, the Durashift system seems to hold the gears for too long, which results in intrusive engine noise even under gentle acceleration. It's not helped by the fact that the 99bhp 1.6-litre unit isn't the most refined in the Ford range, and mated to this auto it also struggles to deliver adequate pace.
The sprint from 0-62mph takes 11.7 seconds, which is more than a second slower than the equivalent five-speed manual. Auto buyers will also spend more on fuel as the Durashift returns only 37.7mpg - 5.1mpg less than the three-pedal transmission - while emissions rise from 156g/km to 179g/km.
At £12,245, the newcomer looks expensive, too, costing £500 more than the better kitted Ghia manual. It might be the latest addition to the Fiesta line-up, but the standard Durashift Automatic could already be out of its depth.
