WITH large car and SUV sales sliding so far in 2006, Ford has bolstered its Fiesta baby car – first with a facelift in January, and now with a slightly edgier Zetec model. Sporting firmer suspension, racier looks and a sharper pricetag, Australia’s Number Three hopes the changes will underline the Fiesta’s perceived quality and refinement that come as a result of its German origins in the eyes of the public, who are drawn more than ever to the light-car class.

Ford WP Fiesta
Released: April 2004
Ended: December 2005
Family Tree: FiestaFord scored a hit with the last Fiesta, its first competitive light car since the under-par Festiva from South Korea. Wisely it waited until a gustier 74kW/146Nm 1.6-litre engine and four-speed automatic became available in a five-door hatchback from from Germany (a failing of the Fiesta’s wildly underrated Ka predecessor) before it introduced the car to Australia. Consequently the car was already two years old abroad, hence the WP’s short 20-month live-span here. As with the facelifted WQ range, three Fiesta models arrived: base LX, luxury Ghia and sporty Zetec.
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