Dog days in Fiesta and showroom

Published on 26 August, 2018

Sometimes I forget that we have to take three of us into account when looking for our next car.

Overview

Sometimes I forget that we have to take three of us into account when looking for our next car.

I can't be missed and, while she is almost half my size, neither can my partner, but little Ziggy is another matter entirely. Sam, our last dog, was a labrador/collie cross and a very solid and substantial character all round. You couldn't ignore him.

A Jack Russell is very different. He might have a loud bark but I often lose sight of him, only to find that he is at my feet.

This size thing was very relevant in deciding the fate of the Ford Fiesta Active on our shortlist.

The Fiesta Active, which has just been launched, is a very tasty addition to the new Fiesta range. It gives the car just that bit more presence, standing higher and prouder.

Of course, it doesn't do the whole off-road thing but can take slippery surfaces into account via an easy switch, and, with the right tyres, will be better than most vehicles.

This slippery mode - there is also Normal and Eco - adjusts ESC and Traction Control settings for increased confidence on surfaces with reduced grip such as snow and ice; reducing straight-ahead wheel spin, including when pulling away from stationary. It also helps drivers maintain control when cornering or changing lanes in slippery conditions by delivering small adjustments to the throttle and brakes.

If this is the meat of the Active, the potatoes are the attempt at SUV styling with additional cladding, unique alloy wheels, and roof rails for active lifestyles. There is also, of course, the raised ride-height and optimised suspension enhance rough-road ability with the powerful but pretty fuel efficient 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine.

And to take the meal metaphor a bit further, the gravy of the car is the advanced driver assistance technologies which help avoid and mitigate the effects of accidents using sensors that scan up to 130 metres ahead.

Now all this is good stuff, but, unfortunately, the Fiesta Active starts moving into quite pricey territory, especially for a car that is quite a squeeze in the back for adults. While the whole Fiesta range has an entry price of €16,650, the Active 2 (top of the range) model I was testing came in at €23,480, a premium of nearly €7,000. There are a lot of nice touches, including an audio system with 10 speakers, but not €7k worth. At that price, you are moving well into Seat Arona and Peugeot 2008 territory.

Yet the car was impressive up front and had very supportive and stylish seats. But that was for us humans. As I was pointing out the delights to my partner, she asked me to put down the rear windows for Ziggy. Now the little lad has the rear of any test car nicely fitted out for him. There's a cover that goes over all the seats, right up to the headrests, front and rear. He also has a nice pillow and then a restraining belt which clips to his harness and then plugs into the middle seat belt socket.

However, like any Jack Russell worthy of the great hunting parson's name, he likes a good sniff of the country air while resting his front paws on the back window ledge. No luck for Ziggs with the Fiesta Active - the rear windows don't fully retract and he is left scrabbling at the glass. One unhappy dog, one disgruntled partner and one car scrubbed off our shortlist. Although the price is off-putting, too.

But, and there's always a but in life, Ford has a much better chance of selling a car to us than does the salesman I encountered last Monday.

Having mentally scrubbed the Fiesta, I decided that we would go for a particular car. I checked a few websites, took down some notes, cleaned my partner's car and set off for a major distributor's showroom with intent in my mind and cash in the pocket.

I went into the showroom, picked up a brochure and stood waiting. No one approached. Eventually, I went up to someone sitting in the middle of the room and asked him for advice. He gave a smart-aleck reply which I ignored as I was in a mood to buy.

The printed price list had a TBC instead of an amount and in answer to my question a slew of negativity came. No, he couldn't give me an approximate, no, he couldn't tell me how much the safety extras were, and why did I want them on such a car anyway? No, he couldn't value our car even approximately until he knew the exact price of the car we were buying, and, no, we couldn't even get a rough PCP guide until etc, etc. Perhaps, he suggested, I'd come back in five or six weeks. Did he suggest anything else? Did he try and put me into some other car?

Did he show concern, offer help or encouragement or at least say you have made a great choice there? No, nothing but pure no-hope nothingness. He ruined my day and his image. I won't be returning to his showroom or probably even the brand. No wonder car salespeople have such a bad image and it's little surprise manufacturers want to get rid of them.

I have met some good ones over the years but this one last Monday was like spitting into the stew the rest of them have to eat. No wonder people go North.