One for the ladies?

I’M ALWAYS reluctant to say that a particular car would be best suited to a woman, but we all know that there are certain cars that females prefer; for example I have never seen a male drive the new VW Beetle, except for a motoring journalist.

The Ford Fiesta could also be included in the

‘best suited to a female’ category, but a helpful Ford salesman told me that the Fiesta is also very popular with pensioners, who might be thinking of downsizing their car, not their house.

Coincidentally during the week I was driving the 1.0-litre Eco-Boost version of the Fiesta I read that it has just been voted Women’s World Car of the year. As well as winning the overall award, the Fiesta came first in the Economy category. Female readers might like to know the other category winners which were: Audi All-Road (Family car), Range Rover (Luxury), Porsche Boxster S (Sports) and Mazda CX5 (SUV).

The Fiesta has been a great seller for Ford since it was launched in 1976. We have had six different versions and a few revamps in the intervening 37 years. I’m told we also had a great summer when the Fiesta was launched and the air conditioning in the Titanium version of the Fiesta which I drove last week was appreciated by all passengers.

The front of this revamped version now sports a new-look grille with very attractive LED lighting. Inside there is plenty of room for five adults and the Fiesta is not that much smaller than the popular Ford Focus. All the controls are typical Ford, well laid out and easy to use, but the dash does look very

‘busy’ with all those controls. The boot is a decent size and you get a

‘mini’ spare wheel.

On the road this is a frugal and comfortable car to drive. It’s ideal as an urban runaround and there is plenty of power so you won’t get bored on long drives either.

A new service from Ford is their SYNC system which will cost you an extra e300. With the SYNC linked to your mobile phone you can have your text messages read out and dictate the phone numbers you wish to call. If you are unlucky enough to crash the system will ring the emergency services and let them know your exact location.

My two regular front seat passengers are my wife and my daughter. On a sweltering hot week my wife appreciated the air conditioning, but she missed the grab handle over the passenger door, while my daughter didn’t have any issues with this super mini.

Prices start at

?¬15,550, while the Titanium version I drove with the 1.0 litre EcoBoost engine will cost you

?¬19,330. It is also available in 1.5-litre diesel and 1.6 petrol.

The Fiesta is very popular in Britain and as you know we Irish tend to copy our neighbours’ habits. Irish people who are looking for an attractive, reliable car that won’t cost a fortune are advised to test drive the Fiesta. This neat motor from Ford should appeal to a wide range of buyers, both female and male.