Ford has unveiled the next-generation Fiesta, set to go on sale in Spring costing £12,715.

Six trim variants will be available; Style, Zetec, Titanium, B&O Play, Vignale and ST-Line, plus an ST and the Fiesta Active crossover.

The most popular Fiesta variant is the Zetec, with 58% of customers of the current model opting for it. The next generation Fiesta Zetec will cost from £14,215 with 15-inch alloy wheels, Quickclear heated windscreen and Ford’s SYNC 3 DAB radio with a 6.5-inch touchscreen with Emergency Assistance, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard.

Titanium models get an eight-inch touchscreen, keyless start and larger wheels for £16,145 or £17,495 for the Titanium X which adds heated part-leather seats, B&O Play and keyless entry.

Sportier ST-Line models get a bodykit and lowered suspension for £16,145 or £17,495 for the ST-Line X which adds the eight-inch nav screen plus climate control.

Range topping Vignale's cost from £20,195 and include full-leather seats, a panoramic roof, reversing camera and bespoke wheels, grille and trim.

There will also be B&O Play editions for Zetec and Titanium spec cars which get the premium 10-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system and exclusive body colours for £15,650 and £16,895 respectively.

Styling changes are conservative but the Fiesta was never a bad looking car to begin with, the car is slightly bigger than before but retains the key styling details and family face.

The previous car’s biggest shortcoming was its dated and messy interior layout, thankfully this has been resolved in the new model.

An updated version of Ford's 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol unit will be key on the petrol side with 100PS, 125PS and 140PS options plus a new six-speed manual gearbox that helps deliver from 97g/km CO2 emissions. 

A high power 120PS TDCi diesel engine is being offered for the first time too, promising emissions from 89g/km and improvements in performance, torque and efficency. But the most frugal fiesta will be the 85PS TDCi which emits just 82g/km of CO2.

Fleet customers are likely to find the 5-door 1.0T Zetec attractive at £15,445 (OTR) as it will command monthly benefit-in-kind payments of £45 (20% taxpayer). High mileage drivers may prefer the £18,525 120PS TDCi in Titanium trim, at a cost of £60 per month.

To keep the driver safe there are sensors which monitor the path ahead as far away as 130 metres for the collision mitigation system –20 times further than the old one. They can detect pedestrians as well as vehicles.

The expanded Fiesta range is set to offer more personalisation options to customers than ever before, and Ford says it enhances the sporty, fun to drive character that has delighted generations of customers.