Faults:

Plastic thermostat housing cracked at about 60,000 miles. Not a cheap part to replace, around £95 (not from a dealer). Apparently quite a common fault.

The rear window got smashed once, and the design of the boot lid means that there is still some glass rattling around, which gets annoying.

Front wheel bearing went at around 60,000 miles.

General Comments:

Nice looking car, but the 17" wheels and low profile (35) tyres are a bad idea anywhere other than on a track. They make every journey uncomfortable, and the road noise is ridiculous at anything above about 50mph, meaning you almost have to shout to your passengers.

The 2.0 litre engine is also very raucous, and you have to rev it above about 4k rpm to get the performance from it. But if you do hold on until about 6.5k, it goes very well; will easily spin the front wheels in the rain on the slightest of curves.

The seats aren't very comfortable - the lack of lumbar support makes any journey over about 30 minutes un-enjoyable.

Faults:

Common faults like the heat shield on the manifold rusted and came loose... simply replaced by a Hi-Flow sports cat; no heat shields, no worries.

Bracket from the cat rubbing against the drive shaft. Again not a big issue; £50 at the local Ford dealer.

General Comments:

This is a fantastic car. I bought it 2nd hand as a replacement for my aging 1.25 Fiesta, which was also a brilliant little car. It looks and sounds like it has just rolled out of the showroom. Not a scratch and a single rattle.

Very comfortable to drive long distances in, economical when in 6th cog, but drop it and put your foot to the floor and it will soon drink your tank dry. Comes with the Xenon headlights and climate control.

I run it on Octane 99 from Tesco garages, and it adds to the torque and generally is still quite economical. It's been serviced every 4000 miles and cleaned twice a week. If you keep the car maintained, it will last for years.

A new panel filter and Hi Flow sports cat have added 10-12bhp, so it's currently running at 183Bhp. What would have really made this car would have been if they put a turbo on the engine.

I have left Golf GTi's, Ibiza Cupra's and thankfully the Nova chav's standing. You can chuck it into corners and it will stay stuck to the road, thanks to its stiff chassis, suspension and help of the wide tyres.

I may stick with Ford as the cars I buy from now on.

Faults:

Leaking heated windscreen - the fourth screen didn't leak and the dealer would not address the damage to the interior caused by the ingress of water.

Rear wiper never worker, despite new motors, relays. etc.

In four years, interference on radio never resolved, rendering radio and CD useless.

Leather on steering wheel disintegrated, leaving black marks on hands - dealer said it was wear and tear, would have to buy new steering wheel.

Awful gear change - no sense of activity.

Far too many light bulbs failed - dealer failed to accept they had damaged headlamp shell and weather proofing.

Poor paintwork - bonnet covered in rusting chips marks, warranty claim rejected.

General Comments:

Poor quality, small and uncomfortable seats.

Twitchy handling handling - felt unstable. Dampers replaced, but no noticeable difference.

Fuel economy nowhere near advertised figure, despite attempts to drive gently.

A/C took took too much power from engine, and to climb hills, it was switched off.

Key snapped off in door lock, jamming the entry system.

Socket for alloy wheel locking bolt smoothed off - bolts had to be professionally removed.

Heavy wear on front tyres.

I was glad to be rid of it, and bought a Citroën C4 which is so much better - more reliable, better equipped, more economical and the seats are comfortable armchairs, not school benches.