Prepare for an adventure! Ford is hoping that it has come up with the perfect weapon for tackling the urban jungle in the shape of this – the new Fiesta UAV. For those confused by yet another acronym, Auto Express can reveal the new name to the world: Urban Activity Vehicle.
It's a do-anything and go-anywhere style machine built around the latest Fiesta, with unique styling, raised ground clearance and an innovative cabin packed with gadgets to encourage you to the great outdoors.
Everything from a portable shower – as on Honda's CR-V – to a fold-out canopy at the rear for picnics and camping has been thought of. And a fully adaptive interior for families or those with active lifestyles means that you don't have to use it just for exploring. The UAV will be equally adept at coping with the school run or carrying mountain bikes. Although based on the Fiesta five-door model, the car has unique styling, as can be clearly seen in these exclusive first pictures. Its chunky look has been overseen by Brit Chris Bird, European design director.
Yet while it rides much higher than the regular car – for extra ground clearance despite only being front-wheel drive – company insiders say like all future Fords, it will deliver class-leading refinement and dynamics. The UAV is part of the company's drive to shake up its image with an exciting, pioneering product range.
However, although it's sure to attract plenty of interest, the lifestyle supermini will have to wait its turn before arriving in showrooms. The order of appearance kicks off with the standard five-door which debuts at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, and goes on sale in the UK in March. The UAV will be displayed alongside this as a concept, and then as a finished production version at the Geneva Motor Show in March before going on sale in the UK at the end of 2002.
Also appearing in showroom form at the Swiss event will be the three-door, which won't reach customers until spring 2003. To bridge the gap, the current three-door will continue to be sold until its replacement arrives. At the same time, the hotly anticipated StreetKa cabrio will also come on line.
Powering the UAV is the same engine range which will be used in the forthcoming Fiesta hatchbacks. Ford has revised what is going under the bonnet of its new superminis, with the entry-level unit set to be the Duratec 1.3-litre, with a choice of 55bhp or 65bhp. Next up comes the Zetec-SE range starting with a 1.25-litre 75bhp powerplant, moving up to a 1.4 in both 65bhp and 75bhp form, and topped off by a 1.6 with 100bhp. Also in the pipeline is a Fiesta ST150 hot hatch.
The company's engineers have tuned the units for more torque, allowing for longer gearing, which in turn delivers an average of 20 per cent improved fuel economy over today's models. Two new important developments in this department include a pair of advanced oil-burners and a hi-tech direct-injection petrol engine family. On the diesel front, a light all-aluminium Duratorq TDCi 1.4 with 68bhp will be offered from the outset, while later in the cycle a new 90bhp 16-valve version joins the range.
These are up to half the weight of the existing Fiesta oil-burner engine, and have been developed in conjunction with the PSA Group, owner of Citroen and Peugeot. Also set to appear are several direct-injection petrol engines, known as 'DISI'.
With a likely price tag in the region of £10,000, Ford will be hoping that the UAV will prove more than a niche vehicle. We'll find out for sure when it arrives at the end of next year.
It's a do-anything and go-anywhere style machine built around the latest Fiesta, with unique styling, raised ground clearance and an innovative cabin packed with gadgets to encourage you to the great outdoors.
Everything from a portable shower – as on Honda's CR-V – to a fold-out canopy at the rear for picnics and camping has been thought of. And a fully adaptive interior for families or those with active lifestyles means that you don't have to use it just for exploring. The UAV will be equally adept at coping with the school run or carrying mountain bikes. Although based on the Fiesta five-door model, the car has unique styling, as can be clearly seen in these exclusive first pictures. Its chunky look has been overseen by Brit Chris Bird, European design director.
Yet while it rides much higher than the regular car – for extra ground clearance despite only being front-wheel drive – company insiders say like all future Fords, it will deliver class-leading refinement and dynamics. The UAV is part of the company's drive to shake up its image with an exciting, pioneering product range.
However, although it's sure to attract plenty of interest, the lifestyle supermini will have to wait its turn before arriving in showrooms. The order of appearance kicks off with the standard five-door which debuts at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, and goes on sale in the UK in March. The UAV will be displayed alongside this as a concept, and then as a finished production version at the Geneva Motor Show in March before going on sale in the UK at the end of 2002.
Also appearing in showroom form at the Swiss event will be the three-door, which won't reach customers until spring 2003. To bridge the gap, the current three-door will continue to be sold until its replacement arrives. At the same time, the hotly anticipated StreetKa cabrio will also come on line.
Powering the UAV is the same engine range which will be used in the forthcoming Fiesta hatchbacks. Ford has revised what is going under the bonnet of its new superminis, with the entry-level unit set to be the Duratec 1.3-litre, with a choice of 55bhp or 65bhp. Next up comes the Zetec-SE range starting with a 1.25-litre 75bhp powerplant, moving up to a 1.4 in both 65bhp and 75bhp form, and topped off by a 1.6 with 100bhp. Also in the pipeline is a Fiesta ST150 hot hatch.
The company's engineers have tuned the units for more torque, allowing for longer gearing, which in turn delivers an average of 20 per cent improved fuel economy over today's models. Two new important developments in this department include a pair of advanced oil-burners and a hi-tech direct-injection petrol engine family. On the diesel front, a light all-aluminium Duratorq TDCi 1.4 with 68bhp will be offered from the outset, while later in the cycle a new 90bhp 16-valve version joins the range.
These are up to half the weight of the existing Fiesta oil-burner engine, and have been developed in conjunction with the PSA Group, owner of Citroen and Peugeot. Also set to appear are several direct-injection petrol engines, known as 'DISI'.
With a likely price tag in the region of £10,000, Ford will be hoping that the UAV will prove more than a niche vehicle. We'll find out for sure when it arrives at the end of next year.
