2020 Ford Fiesta now features fuel-saving mild-hybrid technology

• 123 and 153bhp versions offered
• Slightly improves fuel economy
• Prices start at £19,860

The Ford Fiesta is now available with mild-hybrid technology, which should make the car slightly more economical. As with the Ford Puma, mild-hybrid assistance is available with 123bhp and 153bhp versions of Ford’s popular 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine. The mild-hybrid engines can be ordered now.

You can order the engines with mild-hybrid assistance on every version except the entry-level Trend and the fast Ford Fiesta ST. They replace the non-hybrid 123bhp and 138bhp 1.0-litre engines, and you get a six-speed manual gearbox as standard. The 123bhp engine without mild-hybrid tech remains for cars with an automatic gearbox, and is now the only engine you can have with an automatic in the range. Automatics are also limited to Titanium X, ST-Line X, Active X and Vignale trim levels.

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The new technology has pushed prices up; the cheapest mild-hybrid model is the 123bhp Titanium, which starts from £19,860 - around £700 more than Ford’s 94bhp petrol engine in the same spec. Upgrading to the 153bhp hybrid only costs an extra £300 on top of that.

You might notice a slight improvement in fuel efficiency, as Ford now quotes 58.9mpg for the hybrid 123bhp engine and 55.4mpg for the more powerful option. CO2 emissions stand at 109g/km and 116g/km respectively, meaning the lower-powered version is in quite a low Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) band for company-car drivers. Acceleration from 0-62mph, meanwhile, takes 9.4 seconds (123bhp hybrid engine) and 8.9 seconds (153bhp engine).

Ford has also introduced adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go functionality, plus speed sign recognition. It can automatically change your speed to match the speed limit of the road you’re on. Elsewhere, the FordPass Connect modem is now standard, and links to your smartphone to offer things like locating the car, remote door locking and remotely starting the car (on automatic models).

You may notice a new design on the SYNC 3 infotainment system, while the Active Park Assist function has been upgraded and the Ford Fiesta Active gets new Sport and Trail driving modes. The subwoofer for the B&O sound system has been moved, so you can now spec a spare wheel alongside the sound system.

The 2020 update sees a slight slimming down of the range; three-door models are now only sold in Trend, ST-Line, ST-Line X and ST forms.

What does it mean for car buyers?

The new update should improve the Fiesta and make it more appealing among excellent rivals. Increased fuel efficiency is certainly welcome, and FordPass Connect being standard improves the car’s connectivity. It’s now more expensive, though, and we’d suggest checking out the Renault Clio hybrid; it’s about the same price as the mild-hybrid Fiesta, and runs on electric power up to 80% of the time - so you can expect almost 65mpg.

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