On the down-side the folding rear seats do not quite fold flat, the back of the rear seats is metal rather than having a carpet covering and there is no front passenger’s side roof grab handle.

The boot capacity is a reasonable 295-litres if you choose to have the car with a puncture repair kit or 281-litres with the no cost option spare wheel fitted. With the rear seat folded there is up to 979-litres of cargo space.

The new all-electric power steering is perfectly weighted, precise and gives good feedback. It is light at low speeds and gets heavier the faster the car is driven. The suspension is first rate and has been redesigned to give a big-car capability of ironing out bumps potholes and tarmac ripples.

Grip is generally superb although there is some bodyroll in the tyre walls from the skinnier section tyres. The larger wheels and wider tyres offered by the more up-range models perform better.

During the international press launch test drive in Italy we had the chance to sample just two of the engines on offer. The all new 1.6-litre, 120PS petrol unit and the 1.6-litre 90PS TDCi diesel unit. To get our hands on the likely best selling 1.25 82PS petrol engine and others we will have to wait until the cars arrive in the UK.

In brief the new 1.6-litre petrol engine is a willing unit, free revving and being low geared generally very responsive and good to drive at low speeds in town traffic for instance. Maximum torque is 152Nm at 4,050 so it needs to be worked hard to get the best out of it on the open road. Under test this engine returned 31.7mpg. I think the likely best selling 1.25-litre petrol unit will feel a bit ‘weedy’ compared to this unit.

Pick of the two engines on this occasion, and I suspect overall, is the 1.6-litre 90PS TDCi turbodiesel unit. Although the power output is less than the 1.6 petrol unit, the 204Nm of torque from 1,750 rpm makes it very flexible, responsive and overall a nicer model to drive and it returned 51.6mpg during some fairly hard driving. It would be my choice as would the five-door body style, probably with the best selling Zetec specification.

Ford Fiesta 1.6 TDCi 90 Zetec

Price: £13,095

Engine: 1.6-litre four cylinder TDCi common rail turbodiesel, 90PS and 204Nm, of torque from 1,750rpm

Performance: 109mph, 0-62mph 11.9 seconds, 67.3mpg (51.6mpg actual), CO2 110g/km, VED Band B £35

Insurance group: 4E

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