The What Van? Road Test: Ford Fiesta Sportvan (2018)

Date: Monday, July 15, 2019 | Author: Steve Banner

Fiestacabin

Interior and equipment

The Ford Fiesta Sportvan comes with a stylish body kit that includes distinctive body-coloured front and rear bumpers and side skirts plus a chrome exhaust extension. Our demonstrator came with a large body-coloured rear spoiler – an optional extra – with a high centre-mounted stop light.

Sport-style seats are installed in the cab, the pedals are stainless steel, the gear shift knob is aluminium with a leather gaiter, and the flat-bottomed steering wheel is leather-trimmed. Red stitching decorates the leather trim in both cases as well as the cloth seats.

Like the steering wheel, which plays host to the remote audio controls, the driver’s seat is height- and reach-adjustable. The cab is surprisingly spacious for the size of vehicle, with plenty of legroom, and the shape of the seats helps keep the occupants in place during vigorous cornering.

An optional Ford Sync 3 satnav and DAB radio package was installed. There’s also a tablet-inspired 8in touchscreen that sticks up from the dash, MP3-compatibility, Bluetooth connectivity and a USB socket.

Featuring AppLink, which enables smartphone apps to be accessed, Sync 3 can be integrated with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Voice commands can be used to control certain functions.

Emergency Assistance is installed so that help can be summoned promptly if there is an accident.

Our test van additionally boasted an optional FordPass Connect onboard modem. It allows a vehicle to be turned into a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot with connectivity for up to 10 Wi-Fi-enabled devices. Furthermore, it enables drivers to, among other things, remotely lock and unlock all the doors using the FordPass mobile app even when they are quite some distance away.

Aircon is part of the deal along with electric windows and electrically heated and adjustable exterior mirrors in body-coloured housings, a Quickclear heated windscreen, a 12V power point, and driver and passenger airbags.

In-cab storage features include a roomy but not lockable glovebox with an internal shelf, bins in each of the doors and a cubbyhole at the bottom of the dashboard. Three cupholders and a small tray are positioned on a console between the seats, and there is a sunglasses holder close to the courtesy lights above the windscreen.

Onboard electronic safety systems include ABS, electronic stability control, electronic brakeforce distribution, emergency brake assist, traction control (which can be switched off), hill-start assist and adjustable speed limiter. Also installed is a lane-keeping system that includes lane-keeping alert and lane-keeping aid.

The former causes the steering wheel to vibrate and a visual alert to appear on the dash if you unintentionally drift out of lane. The latter acts on the steering wheel to help guide you back into the correct lane if you fail to heed the warning. The technology deactivates automatically at speeds below 43mph (65km/h) or can be turned off manually.

Disc brakes are installed all round and front fog lamps should help you stay safe in misty conditions. Using MacPherson struts at the front and a torsion bar at the back, the suspension has been tweaked for sharper handling.

Our van sat on optional 18in Rock Metallic machined alloy wheels shod with Michelin Pilot Sport 4 205/40 R18 tyres. A pressure monitoring system keeps an eye on them and alerts the driver if there is a problem. There has to be some concern as to how long such low-profile tyres will last on a vehicle that is used as a working tool. However, they undoubtedly enhance its handling and grip.

Electric power-assisted steering delivers a 10m turning circle kerb to kerb, expanding to 10.4m wall to wall.

LED daytime running lights are fitted and are normally paired with halogen projector headlamps. However, our van was equipped with optional LED headlights and rear lights.

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