It was under my nose all along, and I paid it little attention. Nik’s had his blue 1997 Fiesta Flight for as long as he can remember, and not being a Ford fan, I was quick to dismiss it. But, that dear reader was a mistake. I’d often heard that the Blue Oval’s small car was the best to drive in its class, and although I’d never doubted it, I’d never really had the chance to find out for myself.
Mum had Fiestas when we were young, first a peppermint green one, and then a metallic blue L, which lasted for years and years, and sometimes carried seven of us (I bet Ford would have liked to claim that as the first MPV with a small footprint). They, of course, were Mk 1s. Introduced in 1976 as a riposte to the Renault 5, Peugeot 104 and my beloved Polo among others, it has endured as one of Britain’s best-selling cars, and still tops the charts.
It gave supermini buyers a reason to buy British. Updates followed in 1983 and 1989, but it was in 1996, when the Mk 4 Fiesta hit the streets that it got its well-deserved reputation as the best steer in the small car class. The ‘guppy-mouth’ Fiesta was the most aerodynamic yet, and faced stiff competition from VW’s recently revised Polo. Magazine road tests of the time reported that although the small VW was the better buy – more refined and mature – Uncle Henry’s supermini was the more fun to drive.
And so it has proved. Even today, two generations from Nik’s car, the Fiesta is lauded as the best-handling supermini, and with the new Polo about to motor onto the world’s roads; the British v German small car story is to enter another chapter. Again, going on first reports, it’s one that the Polo may not win, conceding its handling card to the Ford. It does have other aces up its sleeve, though, like better build and overall perceived quality.
But, rewind to 1996. The Fiesta sitting on the drive outside is certainly more reliable and less temperamental than my 1994 Polo Coupe GT, throwing fewer strops, and being at a stroke, much more comfortable. (It’s there; see, in the picture above, in front of the Fiesta, parked in the ‘non-working’ or ‘classic car’ space, where it seems to be a lot these days.) There’s three years and a generation separating them granted, but the way the Fiesta steers is almost a revelation; to this driver anyway. And I’m not a Ford fan at all.
Whereas the Polo is crashy and almost agricultural in its suspension (though mine has been fitted with lowered springs and harder-riding dampers), the Fiesta, just like the contemporary Ka, scurries around corners with perfectly weighted steering, and darts through gaps, giving you the perfect amount of information to let you know what the tyres are doing.
So, shocker of the week, Fiesta drives better Polo. If you read the motoring magazines regularly, it’s old news. Overall, I prefer my Polo for its better build, more angular (and therefore more dated) styling. I aspired to my current car when I was 17 and driving a 1970s Mk 1 Polo, but now having my eyes opened a little, I can now appreciate why the baby Ford has sold over 12 million.