New Ford Fiesta

Car makers go to great lengths to set their vehicles apart but Ford seem to have set extreme, if not bizarre, new thresholds with their latest Fiesta supermini.

The car is just going on sale in Ireland. An evergreen favourite with Irish buyers, they’re expecting big things from a name that has been on the go for more than 40 years.

Prices start from €16,550 for the Zetec 3dr 1.1-litre 70PS petrol version.

They are claiming it is the world’s most technologically advanced small motor. And there are as many as four variations, including an Active ‘crossover’ version with rugged styling, raised ride-height, roof bars, cladding etc.

But here are five Fiesta off-beat things you might be surprised to learn about the new arrival.

1.  Robot buttocks ‘sat’ in the seats 25,000 times to ensure their ability to cope with heavy wear-and-tear traffic. Seat bolsters, meanwhile, are subjected to 60,000 test cycles. And the materials are checked after 24 hours at minus 30degrees Centigrade.

2. New manufacturing technology ‘listens’ to noise frequencies produced when parts are being pressed to make sure they’re up to standard. The factory in Cologne makes a new Fiesta every 68 seconds and can handle 20,000 different variations of the car.

3. The car’s heated, leather steering wheel has been tested so it is resistant to damage or being stained - from sunscreen on the driver’s hands.

4. The new car’s doors need 20pc less power to shut – because of improvements to its air extractors of all things.

5. And engineers spent a year – a year – listening to more than 5,000 music tracks so their 675-watt B&O PLAY system hits all the right notes.