| First Drive | Wetherby, England | Ford Fiesta Automatic |

Now in its sixth generation, the Ford Fiesta is such a British institution that even if it was rubbish it would probably still sell in reasonable numbers - you know, to repeat customers and people just looking for a nice, steady, familiar little runabout.

That it's actually brilliant is a massive bonus, and probably the reason that it has topped the sales charts every single month this year to date. It was only narrowly beaten by the Vauxhall Insignia for Car of the Year 2009, but for our money it should have walked away with the prize. Nonetheless, despite being the best supermini on the market today there are still loads of people who just buy the Fiesta because it's a nice, steady, familiar little runabout. The Automatic has made that choice a little bit nicer still.

In the Metal

Obviously this is a standard Fiesta bar the shape of the gear selector gate in the centre console and distinct lack of clutch pedal. We won't waste your time by describing it too much again (you can go here for a more comprehensive review if you wish, or here for the superb Mountune version we tested recently), but we will take the opportunity to say that another drive in the Fiesta has reminded us how sharply sculpted its shape is, even in base trim, and how spacious the cabin is.

Our only real criticism is directed towards some of the lower level plastics, which look like they could scratch and age quite quickly. Otherwise though, the cabin is as fresh as the outside is.

What you get for your Money

The automatic option adds exactly £1,000 to the price of an equivalent manual, but the range kicks off in second tier 'Style+' guise, with the 1.4-litre 95bhp petrol engine the only available powerplant. Zetec and Titanium trim are options too, but whereas a manual Fiesta in base Studio spec is £10,595, the automatic's £13,795 starting price looks expensive.

The addition of the Durashift torque convertor automatic has also prompted Ford to re-calibrate the throttle to give the car a more sporting character under harder acceleration, but make progress nice and smooth with lesser inputs. That's what Ford says, anyway.

Driving it

As you might be expecting us to say, all that makes the Fiesta such a compellingly dynamic supermini is present and correct, including its sharp steering response and a well-controlled, pliant ride (though why would they be missing?).

However, the automatic springs up a genuine surprise, in that all the stuff Ford claims about sporting throttle responses and smooth progress turns out to be true. Generally, the supermini + small petrol engine + slushbox equation equals a big fat dose of frustration. Pleasantly, on this occasion the 'box behaves such as to allow the most to be wrung out of the engine. Plant the accelerator and the gearbox will resolutely not change gears until it's right at the rev limiter. At the same time, it's very easy to meander around because it always seems to find the right gear for your speed and driving style at the time - perfect for its target audience, then.

Worth Noting

According to Ford, about ten percent of small car drivers opt for an automatic, hence offering 'convenience technology' on the Fiesta. Convenience technology, eh? I wonder if Ford calls gear levers 'hindrance sticks' then?

The price of this convenience is a slight drop in performance (13.9 seconds to 62mph plays 12.2 seconds), with emissions and consumption taking a notable hit too: 154g/km of CO₂ and 43.4mpg against 133g/km and 49.5mpg.

Summary

The Fiesta Automatic is... drum roll... good. Nobody will choose it over the manual unless they really rely on their convenience technology, but in the Fiesta the choice isn't a typically harrowing one. It's expensive in reality because of the engine and trim it's limited to, but it doesn't detract from the strengths of the car too much (if at all, in fact), which makes it a success in our book.