Faults:

Front coil springs at 48000; probably due to the ridiculous amount of speed humps in my local area.

Pretty much the entire rear brake system failed at 50000. Cost about £450 to put right (rear stub axle, both drums and shoes, and one wheel bearing).

Other than that, just usual wear and tear items.

General Comments:

Don't buy the 1.25 petrol, the engine is very under powered, overtaking requires massive amounts of prior planning, and a very very long clear straight, although to be fair, in 1st, 2nd and 3rd, the car is nippy ish.

I've driven the larger engined petrol and diesel models, and both are fine.

The cabin is very stylish and well equipped, and it's a comfortable ride, other than motorway driving.

Faults:

Nothing so far, but early days yet.

General Comments:

The car is very nippy and feels quicker than it's performance figures suggest around town.

The car handles very well and is excellent to drive; the steering is very informative, the brakes need a bit of a push to work well, but are still good.

On the down side, the engine is the most noisy I have ever had in any car!! You can hear the tappets all the time; a little concerning when you have read reviews saying oil starvation to the head can cause tappet noise, and death to the engine!!

There appears to be no noise insulation what so ever on the vehicle in any of the usual places; I would have thought this would have been a small cost for Ford to put on the car and save money elsewhere?

But on the whole, if you keep the engine revs low and the speed down in a high gear, the car can be kept fairly quiet except for the road noise from larger low pro tires, but I don't mind that; along with the sporty sound from the exhaust, it makes you want to drive the car, and that is a rewarding experience.

Faults:

Car stereo head unit failed six times - replaced with after market head unit (Kenwood) using adaptor plate.

Drivers seat handle broke to incline seat (3 door)

Plastic interior falls off - piece around gearbox tunnel next to drivers clutch pedal now lives in boot.

Gearbox replaced once.

Gearbox linkages replaced / adjusted 3 times.

Door skin / drivers wing replaced due to very weak door retainer which snapped in high wind (made of plastic!)

Front lower lip spoiler under bumper came off as ford only use a staple gun to put it on.

General Comments:

The car is so SLOW it's unreal. I mean 68 hp!! I know it has lots of torque, but it takes an age to get to 60mph.. officially 14.5 seconds.. disgraceful.

I don't believe the diesel consumption ford quote.. i only get about 380 miles for about £37 diesel.. it takes exactly a full tank to get to my fathers (360 miles.. at about 80mph) where I used to have a V6 Vectra which could do it for £43..i would rather have the comfort than save £6. i think this car was a pr exercise for Ford ie we have a car to save the planet...

The interior is drab made from rock hard plastic which is awful to touch.

Stereo is good quality and so are the speakers.. pity it kept breaking!

One good point on the car is even at high speeds on the motorway it handles like a big car.. ie not over sensitive on the steering plus brakes are good, but the ABS cuts in too early.

No comforts in car at all.. I know this is the base model, but no remote central locking, electric windows etc; it's like going back to the 80's.

If you think this is just my opinion of this car think again.. this is my company car and we bought over 10 cars.. every one has gone back to ford for major repairs such as engine replacement, gearbox replacement, re-wiring, new interior, driveshafts etc and we are now all handing the cars back and buying our own. head office will not officially be buying from Ford again, but looking at Honda, Nissan etc. I have just bought a 2004 Ford Mondeo Ghia X and I can't believe it's the same manufacturer.. touch screen sat nav, auto lights, auto wipers, electric seats electric everything and anything. I will never get a small Ford again. I know the Mondeo has faults, but try it; it's luxury!