Owner Review: 2012 Ford Fiesta Trend

motoring.com.au tests hundreds of cars each year. Most of time we ‘live’ with the cars for a short period – perhaps up to 14 days. Some tests are longer, but even with our long term tests, we can only deliver a snapshot of the ownership experience.

Owners are the true judges of how cars perform, whether to live with they are good, bad or just plain ugly. So here’s your chance to have your say – and help your fellow car buyers and owners!

To kick off we’ve polled members of the wider motoring.com.au/carsales.com.au 'family' and asked them questions on their own cars and the ownership and purchasing process. We’ll publish more of these in coming weeks and encourage you to have your say – direct to motoring or via the Owner Review pages at carsales.com.au.

First up, Danielle and her Ford Fiesta…

I live in: Elwood, Victoria

My car: 2012 Ford Fiesta Trend

I bought it in: 2012

I rate it as: 3/5

I chose it because: "It's a good size, with plenty of space. I compared it with quite a few others including the Mazda3, but felt it had more to offer. You don't feel you're in a little hatchback.

"A lot of its competitors are so tiny I just didn't want to go there.

"I think the design and layout of the interior – the dash for example – is really nice.

"When I bought it three years ago it had quite a lot of features. Bluetooth, controls on the steering wheel, side curtain airbags. Safety was a big thing for me.

"For that particular price range – I paid around $20,000 – it was probably the best value out of all of them."

The good: "It is a nice car. It's really comfortable, the styling is really good and it's really economical.

"It's cheap to service – for someone my age and income that it is quite important.

"It's a good run-around car. The boot is really good. In a lot of cars the seats in the back don't go quite flat – but these ones do. Even without doing that, it's a really good size. There's also a lot of storage, even under the passenger seat

"With qualification, I do like how it drives. It feels quite sturdy – it's very comfortable and fairly zippy."

The not so good: "I loved it until I started having issues...

"About 12 months in, there was a little shuddering when it was changing gear.

"Apparently it was building up grit in the clutch and transmission which was creating trouble. There was a kind of lag when I took off, even slowly.

"It was really uncomfortable – I would sit there and the whole car would be shaking. It wasn't like a little shudder – the car really shook.

"Eventually, 12 months after buying the Fiesta, at about 18,000km, a whole new clutch was installed. I was told the problem was related to a general manufacturing issue.

"About eight months after that, it was shuddering again. So I had a 'clutch clean' which I was told sometimes resolves the issue. Two days after that, it was shuddering again.

"I am on my second clutch now after having done just on 40,000km.

"The technology used– this is what I've been told – apparently doesn't like a lot of traffic and city driving.

"But that's what the car is designed for: city driving. I drive from Elwood to Richmond every day.

"Essentially because of that, I know I'm going to want to sell it when it's out of warranty.

"I've got a five-year extension of the warranty on the clutch and transmission.

"It's my first brand new car. I'm 25, I've had two cars prior to that which were both 18 years old. They had the odd issues here and there, but no more than what I've had with this one."

The dealer experience: Aside from the transmission issues, Danielle has no complaints whatsoever about the professionalism of either her original selling dealer, or the dealer who now looks after servicing and warranty work.

"The selling dealer had exactly the model I was after, at the right price and with the extras I wanted, in stock.

"I've since had no dramas. The dealer has always followed up on servicing and even with the clutch issues has been supportive and professional dealing with me."

The summary: "It's kind of disappointing. You expect when you buy a brand new car you're not going to have issues.

"It was somewhat of a known issue prior to my purchasing the vehicle. Although I did do some research, obviously I didn't research that particular issue.

"It's something I would want people to be aware of. Obviously Ford is improving on the newer clutches and transmissions they are putting into these cars – or replacing.

"I'm concerned about the resale value as well.

"Ideally at my age I don't want to be buying another car within two years. I'd rather hang on to it and not lose any more money. It looks like I'm going to have to do that.

"Looking back, if I did have the money, I would go for something that, even if it's more expensive to run, would probably be made a bit better."

About the Ford Fiesta: The Ford Fiesta originally came to market in 2004, addressing a gap in Ford's model range that was left vacant after the Korean-built Festiva disappeared from the lineup in 2000.

Initially built (and designed) in Germany, the now Thai-built WZ-series Fiesta that was introduced in 2013 addresses the teeming light-car segment with a range of powerplants including two four-cylinder engines (1.5 and 1.6 litres – the latter only available in the brilliant three-door ST version) and a punchy 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo.

Transmissions include a five and six-speed manual, and the six-speed dual-clutch PowerShift automated manual that appears in the larger Focus and the Kuga SUV models.

The appealing light-class Ford is far from being a front-runner in the segment and is outpaced by the likes of Honda Jazz, Hyundai i20, Mazda Mazda2, Suzuki Swift, Toyota Yaris and Volkswagen's Polo.