Ford Fiesta (2017-2023) review: a genuinely good small car with no future left in it
3.1/5MotorsSouq Editorial Team
As a used buy today, the Fiesta remains one of the most rewarding small cars to actually drive in Bahrain — better damped, better steered and more fun on a roundabout than a Sunny or a base Accent. The honest problem is Ford's own decision to end the nameplate globally in 2023: parts supply will only get thinner from here, and resale value will keep sliding faster than the car's actual condition deserves. Buy it cheap, budget for consumables now while they are still easy to find, and do not expect to hold value.
Pros
- Sharpest, most rewarding steering and ride in the budget hatchback class
- 1.6L Duratec four is smooth and willing despite modest output on paper
- Conventional torque-converter automatic avoids low-speed jerkiness
- Low running costs and cheap insurance
Cons
- Ford ended global Fiesta production in 2023 with no direct successor
- Specific trim and electrical parts will only get scarcer over time
- Resale value sliding faster than the car's actual condition
- Small cabin, not a realistic family-car choice
Ford spent three generations making the Fiesta the driver's choice of the budget-hatchback class, and the final Mk8 generation is the best-resolved of the lot: quick, accurate steering, a ride that stays composed over Bahrain's rougher back roads, and a 1.6-litre four that, while not exciting on paper, is smooth and willing in daily use.
The cabin is small but sensibly laid out, and the six-speed automatic is a conventional torque-converter unit rather than a dual-clutch, which means it does not suffer the low-speed jerkiness that plagued some rival small-car automatics of the same era.
The discontinuation problem
None of that changes the fact Ford ended Fiesta production worldwide in 2023 with no direct successor. That is a structural problem for a used-car buyer here, not a cosmetic one: as the global parts pool stops being replenished, prices on specific trim and electrical parts will rise faster than for a car still in production, and Ford's regional dealer network will naturally prioritise stock for models it still sells.
In practice this shows up first in things like specific interior trim pieces and infotainment modules rather than the mechanicals — engine and transmission parts are shared widely enough across Ford's global range to stay available for years yet.
Who should buy one
Buy a Fiesta in Bahrain if you want the most enjoyable-to-drive small car for the money and you are planning to keep it two to four years, not as a long-term hold. Treat the asking price as reflecting the discontinuation risk, and walk away from anything without full service history — a small car this old with gaps in its record is not worth the parts-availability gamble.