New 2022 Ford Fiesta unveiled with fresh looks and tech boost
Ford updates its Fiesta supermini for 2022, with a new family face and extra interior technology
The Ford Fiesta has long been Britain’s best selling car, but so far in 2021 this hugely popular supermini - now in its seventh-generation - has been trailing its perennial rival, the Vauxhall Corsa, in the new car registration charts. Sound timing then, for an important mid-life update.
In a bid to claw back some ground, Ford has unveiled this: the new, facelifted Fiesta, and it’s armed with revised styling, interior updates and additional tech. Prices start at £16,620 and it's on sale now ahead of first deliveries early next year.
The design of the updated Fiesta previews Ford’s new family face, which will feature on all of the brand’s upcoming models. The grille is larger and more angular than before, and Ford’s blue oval badge is now housed within it, rather than above it. The bonnet has also been resculpted, and the nose of the car raised, with new LED headlights giving a meaner look.
Sporty ST-Line models receive a more aggressive front bumper, with a gloss black honeycomb mesh grille. The lower grille arrangement is also more deeply sculpted, with new silver inserts. At the other end of the spectrum, the rugged, high-riding Fiesta Active gets vertical grille bars, plastic body cladding and silver trim accents at the front.
The flanks of the Fiesta remain untouched, although there are seven new wheel designs to choose from. At the rear, the taillights have been darkened, and there’s a new contrasting matte and gloss black diffuser finish. Two new colours have been added to the paint palette; Boundless Blue and Beautiful Berry.
The new Fiesta sees a slightly restructured trim line-up, comprising Trend, Titanium, ST-Line and Active variants, along with the ST hot hatch. The luxurious Vignale model has been scrapped. Instead, Vignale now refers to an option pack available with Titanium, ST-Line and Active models, which brings 17 or 18-inch alloy wheels, premium Sensico synthetic leather seats and new interior trim pieces.
Aside from this, the new Fiesta retains the same cabin architecture as before, but with new infotainment and safety technology. The most important addition is a 12.3-inch digital instrument panel, which can be configured by the driver and features changeable graphics that correspond to the car's drive mode. These consist of Normal, Sport and Eco, with the Fiesta Active gaining Trail and Slippery modes.
Also among the updates is a 'Wrong Way Alert', which uses a camera mounted to the windscreen in conjunction with the car's navigation system to warn the driver if they are travelling against oncoming traffic. Matrix LED headlights can now be specified with the Fiesta, which block individual light rays to avoid blinding oncoming cars when the high-beam is enabled. The headlights also adapt to specific driving scenarios - the beam pattern automatically adjusts to provide clearer vision during bad weather and low-speed manoeuvres, for example.
The facelifted Fiesta carries over the array of safety systems from the previous model, which includes adaptive cruise control with ‘stop and go’ functionality, automatic emergency braking and a blind spot monitoring system. New to the car is a system called 'Rear Occupant Alert', which helps the driver avoid leaving pets or children in the back seat.
This feature is included as part of the Fiesta’s optional SYNC 3 infotainment system, which goes unchanged. It uses the same 8-inch touchscreen as before, and features Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and a 180 degree rear view camera. Further options include a wireless smartphone charging pad and a 575-watt B&O stereo.
Last year, the Fiesta received an updated powertrain line-up that includes a pair of mild-hybrid petrol units. The revised model utilizes these existing engines, which means the engine line-up begins with a 1.0-litre EcoBoost three-cylinder motor producing 99bhp, paired to a six-speed manual transmission. Claimed efficiency figures are 45.2mpg and 118 g/km of CO2 on the WLTP cycle.
Two 48-volt mild-hybrid options sit above this, and also use a 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine - this is combined with a belt-driven starter/generator and a 48-volt battery pack for improved performance and efficiency. The system also allows more seamless stop-start integration, which can shut off the engine when coasting below 15mph. The hybrid produces either 123bhp or 153bhp, and can be optioned with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. Both hybrid options give a combined 48mpg, and 111g/km of CO2. When paired with the automatic transmission, fuel economy drops to 45.2mpg, and CO2 figures rise to 117 g/km.
As ever, the most powerful Fiesta is the ST hot hatch, which uses the same 1.5-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine as the previous car, developing 197bhp. Peak torque has risen from 290Nm to 320Nm for the facelift, although the 0-62mph time of 6.5 seconds is unchanged. An optional Quaife limited-slip differential helps deliver that power to the road, and as before, the ST features a Track mode for high-performance driving.
Outside, the ST receives the same new front bumper design as the ST-Line, but with matte grey accents and a Ford Performance front splitter. Deeper side skirts, a rear boot spoiler and a body-coloured diffuser complete the ST makeover, along with Magnetite grey wheels and a new paint colour: Mean Green.
Inside, the new ST ditches the Recaro seats fitted to its predecessor, instead opting for Ford-designed Performance bucket seats with integrated headrests. The new seats are 14-way adjustable, and are trimmed in Sensico synthetic leather with red stitching. A flat-bottom steering wheel and carbon fibre-effect trim complete the sporty ambience.
Prices for the updated Ford Fiesta start at £16,620 for the entry-level Trend variant, rising to £19,370 for Titanium spec and £20,320 for ST-Line models. The Fiesta Active starts from £20,720, with the ST hot hatch priced from £22,630. Orders books are open now, for delivery early next year.
Interview with Liviu Tudoran, new Fiesta designer
Q: What were you looking to achieve with the Fiesta’s updated front end, is this Ford’s new family face?
A: Yes it is. Normally with facelifts you try to bring the car up to date with new fascia, but for the new Fiesta, we were able to go further with a new bonnet that raises the nose by 15mm or so. There’s now a lot more content at the front; the grille is wider, we’ve moved the Ford badge down, and there’s contrast between gloss and matte finishes in the lower grilles. We also added a front splitter embossed with ‘Ford Performance’ close to the end of the programme.
Q: You mentioned that the nose of the car has been raised slightly, is that for improved pedestrian safety, or was it a purely design-driven decision?
A: No, it’s purely for styling. We felt that the bonnet was previously too flat, and by increasing its height, we’ve improved the low, wedge-shaped nose of the old car. We’ve also aligned the shutline of the bonnet with the beltline of the car, to give a more consistent look. We also added extra creases in the bonnet; the old car had a single line, which we felt was ‘twisting’, and the extra lines solve this.
Q: The overall look of the car isn’t a huge departure from the previous model, and it looks like a key aim of the facelift was to tighten up the details. Talk us through some of those.
Yes, we focussed a lot on fixing the small details. So there are elements like additional creases on the lower front bumper, which can be much sharper thanks to plastic injection moulding. We also paid a lot of attention to the front parking sensors, to make sure they integrate seamlessly with the lower grille. The undercut on the lower grilles gives a more three-dimensional look, and catches more shadows.
Onto the interior, I notice that the ST version isn’t fitted with Recaro seats anymore. Why the change?
You’re right, the Recaro seats have been replaced with in-house Ford designed seats. I owned the previous generation Fiesta ST with Recaro seats, and I must say, I sat in this car and the new seats feel better. The ST also has a new digital gauge cluster, like the Ford Puma.
You can spot the tweaks to the front end, but the rear looks almost identical to the previous Fiesta. Have there been any changes here?
The only change at the rear is the tail lamps, which are now darker. It’s the same light unit, but the black bezel gives the car a more serious look, compared to the bright red units before. The rest of the rear end is the same, but we’ve added some matte and gloss black contrast finishes to the diffuser. And of course there’s the colour, Mean Green, which fits nicely with the ST.
What do you think of the new look Ford Fiesta? Have your say in the comments section below...
