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Lasting nearly a decade across two generations, the Ford Festiva started life as a previous-gen Mazda 121, built by Kia in Korea.
The second gen version was much improved, but still suffered from quality issues.
It sat under the Laser in Ford’s line-up and would later be replaced by the much better Fiesta.
The line-up currently starts at $2,090 for the Festiva Trio and ranges through to $4,070 for the range-topping Festiva Trio.
Check out real-world situations relating to the Ford Festiva here, particularly what our experts have to say about them.
The most obvious thing is that the clutch has gone, but before you replace check that the clutch is disengaging when you depress the pedal.
If you have the service book you will find the service schedule printed in that. If you don’t have the book, then work on intervals of around 10,000 km or six months. Again, if you have the service book check to see when the cam timing belt was last changed. It should have been changed at around 100,000 km and will next require changing at the 200,000 km mark if it hasn’t been changed in the meantime.
We checked with the Biofuels people and they told us that Ford’s advice was that E5, a five per cent ethanol blend is okay, but E10 is not. They went on to say that given the age of your car and the fact that there have been no side effects from running on E10 so far that you are not likely to see any side effects. On that advice you’re probably ok to use E10.
We haven't received any reports of problems with wheel bearings on these cars. The Festiva was on the market for a long time and there was nothing to suggest there was a widespread problem with it, and while the Fiesta hasn't been here for a very long time it doesn't appear to have a history of problems in that area either.
The Ford Festiva has a number of different wheel and tyre options. When it comes to tyres, these range from 165x70 R13 for Hatchback in 2000 with a wheel size that spans from 13x4.5 inches.
| Year | Body Type | Front Tyre Size | Front Rim | Rear Tyre Size | Rear Rim | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Hatchback | 165x70 R13 | 13x4.5 inches | 165x70 R13 | 13x4.5 inches | |
| 1999 | Hatchback | 165x70 R13 | 13x4.5 inches | 165x70 R13 | 13x4.5 inches | |
| 1998 | Hatchback | 165x70 R13 | 13x4.5 inches | 165x70 R13 | 13x4.5 inches | |
| 1997 | Hatchback | — | 13x4.5 inches | — | 13x4.5 inches | |
| 1996 | Hatchback | — | 13x4.5 inches | — | 13x4.5 inches | |
The price range for the Ford Festiva varies based on the trim level you choose. Starting at $2,090 and going to $4,070 for the latest year the model was manufactured. The model range is available in the following body types starting from the engine/transmission specs shown below.
| Year | Body Type | Specs | Price from | Price to | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Hatchback | 1.3L, ULP, 5 SP MAN | $2,090 | $4,070 | |
| 1999 | Hatchback | 1.3L, ULP, 5 SP MAN | $2,090 | $4,070 | |
| 1998 | Hatchback | 1.3L, ULP, 5 SP MAN | $2,090 | $4,070 | |
| 1997 | Hatchback | 1.3L, ULP, 5 SP MAN | $2,310 | $4,070 | |
| 1996 | Hatchback | 1.3L, ULP, 5 SP MAN | $2,310 | $3,850 | |
The Ford Festiva is available in a number of variants and body types that are powered by ULP fuel type(s). It has an estimated fuel consumption starting from 6.2L/100km for Hatchback /ULP for the latest year the model was manufactured.
| Year | Body Type | Fuel Consumption* | Engine | Fuel Type | Transmission | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Hatchback | 6.2L/100km | 1.3L | ULP | 5 SP MAN | |
| 1999 | Hatchback | 6.2L/100km | 1.3L | ULP | 5 SP MAN | |
| 1998 | Hatchback | 6.2L/100km | 1.3L | ULP | 5 SP MAN | |
| 1997 | Hatchback | 6.3L/100km | 1.3L | ULP | 5 SP MAN | |
| 1996 | Hatchback | 6.3L/100km | 1.3L | ULP | 5 SP MAN | |
The dimensions of the Ford Festiva Hatchback vary according to year of manufacture and spec level.
| Year | Body Type | Height x Width x Length | Ground Clearance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Hatchback | 1450x1670x3915 mm | — | |
| 1999 | Hatchback | 1450x1670x3915 mm | — | |
| 1998 | Hatchback | 1450x1670x3915 mm | — | |
| 1997 | Hatchback | 1450x1670x3880 mm | — | |
| 1996 | Hatchback | 1450x1670x3880 mm | — | |
The Ford Festiva has maximum towing capacity of 500kg for the latest model available.
| Year | Body Type | Braked Capacity from | Braked Capacity to | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Hatchback | 500kg | 500kg | |
| 1999 | Hatchback | 500kg | 500kg | |
| 1998 | Hatchback | 500kg | 500kg | |
| 1997 | Hatchback | 500kg | 500kg | |
| 1996 | Hatchback | 500kg | 500kg | |
