In the fiercely contested hatchback segment, Ford brought forward a winner when they launched the 1.6-litre Fiesta in 2010. Then came the facelifted 1.5-litre in 2013, which followed with slight criticism over its engine performance. But here now, the answer you've all been waiting for, the most engaging variant of the Fiesta yet – the 1.0-litre EcoBoost.

As a whole, nothing much has changed in the Fiesta. You still get the same interior and equipment as the other variants. However, the new EcoBoost comes with a new bodykit, daytime running lights, and seven airbags.

So how does the EcoBoost fair with the Ford Fiesta? Well, it's both good and bad, and we'll start with the good first.

125bhp @ 6,000rpm and 170Nm of torque @ 4,500rpm. This is by far the most powerful Ford Fiesta in Malaysia yet, and puts it firmly against the Suzuki Swift Sport. The Fiesta has always been one of the better handling hatchbacks in the market, and now it finally gets the engine it deserves to match. Suddenly, the semi-bucket seats and seating position feels right with the car, and the weighted steering feel is appropriate for piloting the EcoBoost engine.

Where you will find discomforting is when you are not driving the Fiesta at full spirit. At slow speeds, the Fiesta struggles to keep pace due to the limitations of the DCT gearbox, and the lagginess of the fly-by-wire throttle. Now with a 3-cylinder turbocharged engine in play, there's additional lag to annoy you when trying to keep it rolling on slow, followed by a sudden turbo boost to upset and confuse you. Basically, the Fiesta doesn't do well at slow speeds.

But this is a small price to pay when you get a return of 5.3L/100km for the kind of fun you get to enjoy. Realistically, the best we got out of the fuel consumption is approximately 7.5-8.0L/100km, but that's still acceptable for a punchy little hot hatch.

All this additional performance comes with the price tag to match; RM96,551 (OTR with insurance). If you want an all-in-one car that is practical for daily use with decent fuel economy and doubles as your weekend guilty pleasure, then you might just find what you're looking for with the Ford Fiesta EcoBoost.

SPECS
Engine: 1.0L GTDI, 3-cylinder EcoBoost, 125bhp, 170Nm
Fuel consumption: 5.3L/100km
Performance: 0-100 in 9.0 secs
Weight: 1,101kg
Price: RM96,551 (OTR with insurance)