Currently reading: New 2022 Ford Fiesta range brings revamped design and added kit
Ever-popular supermini updated with a fresh front-end design and a raft of new tech

The perennially popular Ford Fiesta has been restyled and updated as part of a mid-life facelift aimed at keeping it near the top of the B-segment sales chart.

Revealed before customer deliveries begin in early 2022, the rejuvenated supermini will be priced from £16,670 in its entry-level form – a subtle increase over the current car.

The visual refresh is centred on the front end, where the 2022 car is distinguished from its predecessor by way of slimmer headlights (now LED as standard or optionally matrix LED), and a markedly different grille design that varies slightly according to specification. The bonnet has been reshaped as well, to give a higher nose profile, while the Blue Oval emblem has been moved from the bonnet's leading edge to the grille, which is said to contribute to "greater road presence". 

79 Ford fiesta 2021 refresh line up

Ford's European design boss, Murat Gueler, told Autocar that his priority for the Fiesta was to give a "more grown-up feeling". "The current car – if you're very critical – is a bit rounded at the front. The line work around the headlights is a bit swoopy, a bit 'baby-eye', and some of the sculpturing is relatively simple," he said. "We felt, in that respect, the Fiesta could use an upgrade to refresh the front end." At the rear, meanwhile, the light clusters – optionally LED-equipped – have gained contrasting black surrounds. 

Each version of the Fiesta continues to bring bespoke styling cues that nod to their positioning. The entry-level Trend and mid-rung Titanium cars, for example, feature chrome grille and window surrounds, while Autocar writers' cars of 2020: the hot Ford FIesta ST gets a deep-set grille with a black honeycomb design, along with colour-coded side vents and a widened lower grille, and the Ford Fiesta Active continues to chase compact crossover sales with its rugged design cues and raised ride height.

"We have tried to separate the characters of the cars even further," Gueler told Autocar, emphasising that the Active has been pushed "as much as possible into the crossover segment" and the ST is "as sporty as can be". 

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There are seven new alloy wheel designs available across the range, along with three new colours: Boundless Blue, Beautiful Berry and – for the full-fat ST – Mean Green. 

94 Ford fiesta 2021 refresh st static rear

The Fiesta is unchanged mechanically, and continues to be offered exclusively with petrol power, with the option of a mild-hybrid element. 

The 1.0-litre three-cylinder Ecoboost Hybrid engine is available with either 123bhp or 153bhp in the standard car, equipped with a belt-integrated starter generator (BISG) that can be deployed to provide a torque boost under acceleration, and can power the electrical ancillaries. So equipped, the Fiesta will manage 48mpg on the WLTP cycle and emit 111g/km of CO2. The mild-hybrid engine is paired as standard with a six-speed manual gearbox, but the lesser-powered version can be optionally mated to a seven-speed automatic. 

Just one pure-combustion option remains for the standard Fiesta, following the axing of the diesel car last year: a 99bhp variant of the Ecoboost triple paired exclusively with the manual gearbox. It is capable of 45.2mpg and emits 118g/km.

Meanwhile, the Fiesta ST's 1.5-litre petrol triple has been fettled to provide a torque boost from 214lb ft to 236lb ft, though power output is unchanged at 197bhp, sending the hot hatch from 0-62mph in 6.5sec and to a top speed of 143mph. The ST also gets a new Track driving mode, in place of Eco on the standard car, which disables the traction control and sets the ESC to 'wide-slip mode'. 

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96 Ford fiesta 2021 refresh st line interior

Elsewhere, the new Fiesta seeks to "increase comfort, confidence and convenience" in all driving scenarios with a host of new features and improved functions. 

The supermini is now equipped with a 12.3in TFT digital gauge cluster with customisable display modes and different themes depending on the selected driving mode. The new display arrives alongside a suite of advanced driver aids including wrong way alert, active park assist, cross traffic alert, lane keep assist and adaptive cruise control with stop and go, which minimises the need for accelerator and brake usage in stop-start traffic. 

The 8.0in central touchscreen offers Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality, as well as a number of connectivity features including live traffic updates and local hazard information. The FordPass app can also be used to remotely unlock and start some models, and gives access to data including fuel level, alarm status, tyre pressures and oil life. 

Full pricing and specification information for the updated Fiesta will be available closer to launch, but early details suggest only subtle increases across the line-up.

Q&A with Murat Gueler, design chief, Ford of Europe

How has customer and media feedback directed this redesign?

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“Shortly after we launched this Fiesta, some people were saying the B299 (the previous Fiesta) had a bit more character, more edges, while the new car was very well sculpted but a bit soft, especially on the hood. As a designer you're always up to speed on how things are developing, so three years after the launch of the old car we started to see opportunities to give the car more personality.”

How were the styling changes influenced by the Fiesta's engineering?

“The car that is always slightly challenging is the ST because the engine needs quite a lot of air for the intercooler, so while you're designing the ST-Line – which is basically an ST with different grille inserts – you have to take that into consideration. You have to make sure it looks harmonious because ST-Line customers might like the look of the ST but they don't want the big horsepower.”

How do you update such a strong-selling car without alienating buyers?

“That's always the fine balance you have to strike as a designer. You have a gut feeling as a designer and you need to follow that. You have a lot of opinions while you're doing it – 'this is too much change, this is too little…’ - and sometimes it's good to have a vision of your own and to keep pushing. I feel the changes we have done keep the feeling of the Fiesta intact; it will still look like a B-size hatchback with dynamic qualities about it, which is a key thing about the Fiesta: it's a very dynamic and fun-to-drive vehicle."

READ MORE

Ford Fiesta 1.0-litre Ecoboost

New Ford Fiesta ST Edition brings styling and dynamic upgrades

Diesel Ford Fiesta axed in UK as mild-hybrid petrol introduced

Felix Page

Felix Page
Title: News and features editor

Felix is Autocar's news editor, responsible for leading the brand's agenda-shaping coverage across all facets of the global automotive industry - both in print and online.

He has interviewed the most powerful and widely respected people in motoring, covered the reveals and launches of today's most important cars, and broken some of the biggest automotive stories of the last few years. 

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Fiesta XR2 16 September 2021

Not bad, although I wish Ford would get over their obsession with big grilles on the Fiesta as I don't think it suits them. I'd still like an ST with the option of a flappy paddle gearbox, although I am stuck crawling in traffic a lot less these days so maybe I don't need that as much as I used to. 

superstevie 16 September 2021

Not a huge difference, but then I've always thought it was one of the better looking superminis. Interior still looks a little drab and plasticky 

Harvey64 16 September 2021

Rather like this facelift, brings a little more pizzaz to the Ford Fiesta, a little less gentle looking than the previous model... which I worried played it a bit safe from the outset. Great car to drive, so the increased torque on the ST much welcome.