Remember 2008? The financial crisis was in full swing, Barack Obama was elected US president and Usain Bolt cleaned up at the Beijing Olympics.

It was also the last time that the Ford Fiesta wasn’t number one in the sales charts. Ford’s small hatchback has positively smashed its rivals ever since, finding its way onto more than a million driveways.

Few would bet against this new version continuing that remarkable run, but success in the sales charts doesn’t guarantee victory in a What Car? group test.

This isn’t a popularity contest; it’s about being the best car on a purely objective level, which is going to be incredibly tough for the Fiesta, given the strength of the competition.

Its main hurdle would appear to be the Skoda Fabia. Our current favourite small car and a former What Car? Car of the Year, it has seen off countless challengers since its launch in 2014 and remains staggeringly good value for money – even in the range-topping Monte Carlo form we have here.
…
Read full post here:
https://www.whatcar.com/news/new-ford-fiesta-and-seat-ibiza-vs-skoda-fabia/n15829