I can't make up my mind on the new Fiesta. It certainly looks newer and fits in with the rest of Fords current designs, but I can't help thinking that they have lost the sharp lines of the current one, making it all mk4 and wobbly again. It's strange that I was in a minority that liked it at the start, and yet now it's starting to un-grow on me. Maybe I'll change my mind back once I see one.
I think the reasoning behind the change from a 2.0 to a 1.6 turbo charged engine is purely to try and bring down the C02 emissions (and hence tax band), plus fuel consumption etc. to try and appeal to more people. They have to push up the bhp from the current one in order not to fall behind other cars like the Corsa VXR etc, but if they'd got that out of a 2.0 litre then it would end up pushing it up at least one tax band.