2015 Ford Fiesta

My first car was a 1980 Mazda which I was given for my 20^th birthday so that I could get to college and back. My dad had the engine redone for me and soon after that, it was written off in an accident. This car was then replaced with another yellow 1980 Mazda, and it became my deposit for my first Toyota Tazz about 2 years later.

I then made one of the stupidest decisions of my life when I traded it in for a Hyundai Accent soon after Anton and I married. This car was the biggest waste of money and I swore that I would never buy a Hyundai again. After having the gear box redone, it presented with “high end knocking” which signified a soon to be blown gasket so that one was traded in for another Tazz.

Which brings me to around 2010 when I needed to find a car with better safety features like airbags and ABS so I bought my first brand new car; a 2010 Ford Figo. This car was released in March of 2010 and I took delivery in August. This little car took us EVERYWHERE and became part of our family. That was until a truck plowed through a parking lot and wrote it off 2 weeks ago.

Thankfully I was comprehensively insured and had added a courtesy car onto the policy the week before in preparation for our longest road trip ever to Graaff Reinet. So, after that very long intro to set the scene, here is my review of the Ford Fiesta we’ve been driving for the last 2 weeks thanks to Outsurance and Avis.

I’m not one to talk about torque and other technical jargon because, when I read reviews that start off with how many cylinders and horses there are under the bonnet, I immediately lose interest. What is important for me is that the car is comfortable and easy to drive and there are enough safety features available to keep my family safe. I must say, after driving the Figo, the Fiesta felt a bit like I was driving an aircraft carrier. The power steering was epic but I felt like I needed to give everyone a wide berth to avoid scratching the car.

The kids LOVED the car but moaned that they weren’t giving electric windows at the back. I’m VERY grateful that Ford made this decision because I know exactly what would have happened if the kids had been given the option to raise and lower the windows at the push of a button. In terms of buttons and gadgets, I found it incredibly useful to be able to adjust both side mirrors from the driver’s side door and I LOVED controlling the volume of the radio on the steering wheel.

The Fiesta is powerful and wonderfully responsive. If I hadn’t signed the AVIS forms that informed me of the R265 admin fee for each speeding fine I receive while driving the car, I would have had a great deal of fun unleashing the tiger that was growling under the hood. Of course, that R3000 excess on top of my own insurance excess for any damage to the car also placed a bit of a damper on things.

In terms of space, the boot could easily hold the beach things, the monthly shop and maybe even some large gifts without breaking a sweat. The kids and Anton enjoyed not feeling cramped in the car and everyone had enough space of their own to bring the bickering rate right down to “almost pleasant” on the rating scale.

I’m now a little reluctant to give the car back to AVIS because the last two weeks have been quite lovely. I’m still sad that our Figo is gone but I know God has a plan and I can’t wait to see what opportunities await us next year.