Ford’s engineers are busily testing the facelifted version of the Fiesta subcompact hatchback, which could be revealed as early as this fall at the 2012 Paris Motor Show.
The front end of the prototype was hidden under camouflage, but we can see that it features a re-sculptured hood – similar to the one found on the new Fiesta ST. You can also expect a newly designed bumper with a modified grille and different fog lamp housings, and possibly some minor tweaks to the headlamps.
While the rest of the car remains the same, the production model may benefit from subtle changes to the styling of the rear bumper and the tail light graphics.
What’s more important about the refreshed Fiesta is that it will get Ford’s new three-cylinder 1.0-litre Ford EcoBoost petrol engine, which was recently introduced on the European market Focus and the new B-MAX, with the larger C-MAX to follow later this year.
The small displacement turbocharged gasoline unit is available in two power levels, with 99hp (100PS) and 123hp (125PS) with a peak torque of 170Nm (125 lb-ft) or 200Nm with the overboost function.
In the five-door Focus, the 123hp version delivers a combined fuel economy of 56.5mpg UK (5.0lt/100km or 47mpg US) and CO2 emissions of 114g/km, while the 99hp variant returns 58.9mpg UK (4.8lt/100km or 49mpg US) with 109g/km of CO2 emissions. These figures should be improved on the lighter Fiesta.
We also expect some changes inside, the most important of which is the addition of the latest version of Ford’s voice-activated, in-car connectivity SYNC system featuring Emergency Assistance for the European model.
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