Ford pulled the wraps off the new Fiesta Van at the recent Hanover CV Show. With a 1.0m3-plus cargo area and based on the latest Fiesta car, it will be in dealerships in the UK early next year and will be officially launched at the British CV Show (NEC, Birmingham) at the end of April 2009.Fiesta Van is produced with three different engines; an 82hp 1.25-litre petrol, a 68hp 1.4-litre diesel and a 90hp 1.6-litre diesel with a particulate trap. ABS with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution comes as standard, as does electric power-assisted steering. The diesels are both said to offer average fuel economy of 67.3mpg on the combined cycle, with CO2 emissions set at 110g/km.
A half-height bulkhead is standard as are driver and passenger airbags, with a knee airbag to protect the driver figuring on the options list. That's an industry first for this segment of the light commercial market, an excellent idea, and What Van? would like to see it included in the basic price of all vans of this size.
The newcomer also gets Ford's EasyFuel capless refuelling system, with a mis-fuel inhibitor that protects against the risk of the wrong nozzle being inserted.
