Ford Fiesta [MK7] (2020-2021)

Models Covered:

[petrol] 1.1 Ti-VCT, 1.0 EcoBoost, 1.5 EcoBoost

Introduction

In 2020, the seventh generation Fiesta gained Ford’s latest 48V mild hybrid engine tech, as well as a new 7-speed auto gearbox option and the potential for more safety kit. There was more rear seat space too. If you want a MK7 Fiesta but can’t quite stretch to the facelifted version announced in late 2021, then you might find the 2020 to 2021-era models we look at here just as good as used buys.

The History

What’s been the world’s most significant car in the last half a century? This is our nomination, Ford’s Fiesta, which in 2017 was rejuvenated in MK7 model guise for a fresh generation of buyers, then improved again in 2020 to create the car we’re going to look at here.

Changes made in 2020 saw most Fiestas get the 1.0-litre EcoBoost three cylinder petrol engine that the majority of customers wanted in this car in electrified mild hybrid form. In this guise, it delivers more power with superior economy. In addition, as part of this update, the brand introduced an optional degree of autonomous drive technology. Plus there was a new 7-speed auto gearbox option. And the potential for extra safety kit. This was, in short, on paper at least, a thoroughly well thought out piece of supermini development. And it sustained this MK7 model through until its mid-term facelift in late 2021.

What You Get

Visually, there were few changes to this car as part of the 2020 model year electrified update. By then, Ford had embellished the basic specification of this MK7 car a fair bit since its original launch. Even the cheapest trim levels were by 2020 getting headlamps with LED illumination for the low beams and daytime running lights, with full-LED headlamps being optional. Most models got front fog lamps, which turn with the bends and sit in aerodynamic housings that vary in style depending on trim.

At the wheel by 2020, the Blue Oval brand had standardised luxury features like a Quickclear front windscreen and velour floor mats across the range and tried to add a more premium feel to pricier variants – the red-stitched trimming of the plush ‘ST-Line Edition X’ variant for instance. By 2020, Ford had also got rid of the previous poverty-spec smaller sizes for its SYNC3 centre-dash touchscreen – as 8-inch monitor was by now standard on all trim levels.

As part of this model update, the company improved rear seat space a little; but the 292-litre boot was still a little smaller than the class norm.

What To Look For

As usual with a supermini, check the interior for child damage. And with top-spec versions, check the alloy wheels for scratches. Look for any dents, dings and scratches to the panelwork. And ensure that the clutch engages smoothly and that the car goes into gear easily. The 1.5-litre diesel engine is fitted with a diesel particulate filter, but this may be clogged up if the previous owner hasn’t completed too many highway journeys.

On The Road

Variations on the Fiesta theme may come and go, but before driving any version of Ford’s definitive supermini, there’s one thing you almost always tend to know for certain: that it’ll be a great steer. With this MK7 model, the Blue Oval brand sought to retain that traditional Fiesta attribute, yet at the same time, introduce a standard of ride quality closer to that delivered by arch-rivals like Volkwagen’s Polo. The feel you’ll get from this Fiesta depends quite a lot on the variant of it you choose. That’s because two quite different chassis configurations were used across the range, with a firmer set-up used for the various sporty ‘ST’ models and a softer one featuring elsewhere in the range on the cars the majority of customers ended up with. On such mainstream versions, this car isn’t quite the sharp, eager thing we remember from earlier Fiesta generations, but it can still offer a level of handling joie de vivre that’s beyond anything its competitors can manage. That’s thanks to sharp electric steering, a stiff, lightweight body and an effective torque vectoring system that helps you get the grip down in the corners.

You’ll be wanting to know though, a little more about the electrified engineering introduced to this car in 2020. You don’t have to have it. Of the three cylinder petrol engines that by the end of 2020 exclusively made up the Fiesta range, three non-electrified units remained; a base 75PS normally aspirated Ti-VCT powerplant; the old 100PS 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine; and the ST hot hatch model’s 1.5-litre 200PS powertrain. But these were by then minority choices. Almost all Fiestas by the end of 2020 were being sold or leased with the mHEV mild hybrid engine Ford had by then just introduced, a variation on their usual 1.0-litre three cylinder EcoBoost petrol unit that was offered in either 125PS or 155PS guises.

Mild hybrid engineering is nothing like as efficient as full-Hybrid tech, but it didn’t here come with a big fat price premium and it boosts driver feel because it’s lighter and it adds a slice of extra pulling power just when you need it. The set-up works via a beefed-up starter/generator driven by a belt at the front of the engine that stores the energy harvested when you brake or decelerate in a tiny 48-volt lithium-ion battery secreted at the back of the car. Which provides a bit of extra zip when you accelerate and delivers a little electric boost from low revs to ‘torque-fill’ while you’re waiting for the turbo to spool up.

Overall

The MK7 Fiesta wasn’t really complete until Ford introduced its 48V mild hybrid electrified engine technology into it in 2020. In so many respects, in this form, the car became the supermini we’d hoped the company would build. Efficient running costs, cutting edge media features and sophisticated safety tech were added in without diluting the sheer joie de vivre which continues to set the drive dynamics of this car apart from its rivals. And it was all done with a polish and self belief that we'd never seen from a Fiesta before.