Apart from 5-door and a specific colour (to be determined) which will be must-haves, what else should I make sure it is specced with? Apple Carplay would be good.
Were there any refreshes around that time I should be aware of.
Aircon is standard on them but climate isn’t. It’s a nice thing to have as it helps both comfort and demisting. The non ‘ST Line’ ones ride better too (assuming that you aren’t really concerned about going 3mph faster around roundabouts). Jackpot is finding a Vignale but they’re rare because most people don’t bother spending that much on a Fester.
I’m obviously pro Ford but the last few generations of Fiesta have been very good cars. They’re nice to drive, cost buttons to run and fix (with commensurate effects on insurance too) and the Ecoboost motor is, so long as you service it, really very good. I’d choose one over most rivals I can think of.
I used to manage a fleet of cars for the World’s biggest car rental company. They were our biggest renter. I like them but they are very NAD. Better in a lot of areas than the competition, but generally very dull and not aspirational.
I’ve got a 14 plate 1.0 ecoboost Fiesta. It’s nice to drive, fast enough for me and economical. I’ve been really happy with it. Servicing at Main Dealers isn’t expensive.
Check the heated windscreen works (hand on glass in several areas and make sure it warms up). The connections are prone to fail, only way to fix is a new screen, certainly the case with our Fiesta anyway.
I was pleased when ours got a decent stone chip so I could claim on the insurance.
I hired a ford with one of those engines, I think it was a focus something, for two weeks on holiday. It was certainly enough to make me ask why we were driving such a dinosaur at home. It was nippy, light and precise and both Claire and I thoroughly enjoyed driving it.