Ford announces broader 2011 Fiesta range

FORD AUSTRALIA has revealed details of the facelifted 2011 Fiesta range it will import for the first time from Thailand in the final quarter of this year.

Representing the first upgrade for the all-new WS-series Fiesta launched here in January 2009, the WT Fiesta will be available in five-door hatchback and, for the first time, four-door sedan body styles.

As with the newly Thai-sourced Mazda2 built for Australia in the same joint-venture factory, the revised Fiesta will no longer be available in three-door hatch guise.

It will, however, be powered by an all-1.6-litre four-cylinder engine range, following the expansion of turbo-diesel variants in addition to the fuel-sipping Econetic five-door, which arrived here in December 2009 and will continue to come from Europe, and the elimination of exiting auto-only 1.4-litre petrol models.

Instead, a revised 89kW/151Nm version of the Fiesta’s current 88kW/152Nm 1.6-litre DOHC 16-valve Duratec petrol four, which will continue to feature Ti-VCT variable valve timing, will be available with both a five-speed manual and, for the first time, Ford’s new six-speed Powershift dual-clutch automatic transmission in both the facelifted Fiesta five-door and new sedan.

It will be available as an option on all petrol variants of the 2011 Fiesta, except the Econetic, while both (CL and LX) versions of Ford’s first Fiesta sedan – which like the new Mazda2 sedan offers boot space of 430 litres – will be auto-only models.

The Euro-made, manual-only Econetic’s 1.6 Duratorq diesel engine will continue to offer 66kW and 200Nm while returning an Australian-benchmark fuel consumption rating of 3.7L/100km and CO2 emissions of just 98g/km, but the same engine will also be available in the flagship LX sedan, mid-range LX hatch and top-shelf Zetec hatch, which will follow the rest of the range on sale here in early 2011.

Matched like the Econetic only with a five-speed manual transmission (for now, there is no timetable for a diesel-Powershift version of the latest Fiesta), the 1.6 Duratorq diesel returns average fuel consumption of 4.4L/100km, while all other petrol manual Fiestas will continue to return 6.1L/100km.

No fuel consumption data is available for Powershift auto models, but expect them to match or better the efficiency of the current auto-only models powered by the outgoing 1.4 Duratec, which does not come with variable valve timing and returns 6.9L/100km with its standard four-speed auto.

As expected, production of the 2011 Fiesta in Thailand, which has a free trade agreement with Australia, has co-incided with an increase in standard specification, although pricing will not be revealed until closer to launch.

Exterior cosmetic changes are limited to new wheel designs, body-coloured bumpers for the WT Fiesta CL and subtly revised front bumpers, meaning our Fiesta won’t adopt the triangular Mazda2-look foglight bezels of the newly released North American version.

All Australian Fiestas will, however, be fitted as standard with electronic stability control, the potentially life-saving safety feature that is currently standard only on the Fiesta Zetec and available as part of an optional safety pack for base CL models and the midrange LX hatch.

Five airbags, ABS brakes and emergency brake assist will also be standard across the range, with seven airbags – including a driver’s knee airbag – to be standard on all but the entry-level CL models, which also score standard Bluetooth connectivity with voice control. All Fiestas will come standard with an aux-in connection for personal audio devices.

While a new range of nine exterior paint colours and three interior trim choices will be available, most changes apply to next year’s top-shelf Zetec, which will score a new sports suspension comprising specially tuned front struts, bushings and anti-roll bars, plus new sports front seats.

The expanded Fiesta line-up will be opened by the CL five-door and sedan, fitted as standard with the larger 1.6-litre petrol engine – matched with a five-speed manual gearbox in the hatch and the new Powershift auto in the sedan.

In detail, the base CL sedan and hatch will also come standard with ESC, new body-coloured bumpers, new-design wheel covers for its 15-inch steel wheels, Bluetooth with voice control, a six-speaker sound system, ABS brakes, air-conditioning, power front windows and mirrors, remote central locking and a ‘temporary mobility kit’ instead of a full-size spare wheel.

The midrange LX hatch and flagship LX sedan adds the option of a 1.6-litre diesel matched with a five-speed manual, plus side curtain/thorax airbags, a driver’s knee airbag, a warning function for both front seatbelts, cruise control, 15-inch alloy wheels and power rear windows.

Topping the 2011 Fiesta range will be the Zetec hatch, fitted as standard with new sports suspension, new sports seats, a new 16-inch wheel design and a new sports front bumper with honeycomb grille.

As we’ve reported, Ford Australia originally said it would release the facelifted, Thai-sourced Fiesta here in the first half of this year, including its first Fiesta sedan, which was revealed at China’s Guangzhou motor show in November 2008.

Thai production of the Fiesta sedan, which will be built for Australia at the same joint-venture Changan Ford Mazda plant in Thailand that now produces our facelifted Mazda2 hatch and sedan, is understood to have been delayed to co-incide with a worldwide midlife makeover for the Fiesta, which went on sale in the US for the first time this year.