It was a dark and stormy night, in a land far away… No, seriously, it was nothing of the sort.
It was a beautiful day in London when I flew to the South of France, Nice, to experience the all-new Ford Fiesta Active. My weekend bag was packed, and I jumped on a British Airways flight to Nice. Within 2 hours, I had landed on the French Riviera, Nice, the capital of the Alpes-Maritimes. For those of you who haven’t yet visited Nice, in a nutshell, it sits on the pebbly shores of the Baie des Anges and is heavily laden with palm trees. Who would have thought you could catch a 2-hour flight from London and see such beauty?
The weather was bliss, nice and hot, shorts and T-shirt type of weather. As I arrived at the Ford Stand located minutes from the airport, there they were, the all-new Ford Fiesta Actives, perfectly aligned in the car park, awaiting our arrival.
A quick Instagram poll asking, “Which colour should I drive first? Gold or Red?” The audience decided on Gold (the official name of the colour is Lux Yellow), and off I sped on a one-and-a-half-hour drive around the South of France.
The Ford Fiesta Active is pretty impressive. So much so, I was taken aback by the quality of the interior (no cheap plasticky bits), the speed and pull from the tiny 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine, and, of course, the fully loaded B&O sound system, which made my music sound schweeeeeet! Don’t be mistaken; this is not a fast car. However, it overperforms and is fast and nippy for the engine size and feels like a good solid car.
You can take a look at the models and specs available on the Ford Fiesta Active here, and the gallery below gives you a better idea of the interior styling and looks of the Ford Fiesta Active.
Isn’t it Nice? Of course, it is… I drove along the Route Napoleon, enjoying the stunning scenery and stopping off at a lovely cafe for a quick bite to eat. Unfortunately, our drive had come to an end, only to be delighted by arriving at the amazing 5-star Terre Blanche Hotel. The Terre Blanche Hotel features villa-style rooms, a beautiful spa, infinity pools, and so much more… It felt like a dream that I didn’t want to awaken from.
After a few moments (hours to be precise) relaxing in the spa, I went over to the Ford Fiesta Arena to see and explore the more intimate details of the Ford Fiesta Active.
I won’t bore you with the details of the briefing; you can go to WhatCar, TopGear, or the Ford website for all the specs you desire. However, there was a large mural on the wall, which sent nostalgic memories running through my head as I looked at the performance history of the Ford Fiesta and started to count how many Ford Fiesta models I had owned in the past.
The briefing had finished, and we had dinner at the Michelin-starred hotel restaurant, Le Faventia, and it was delightful. For starters, there was a fillet of red mullet, and parmesan shortbread with a tender herbs salad. Mains came as a roasted filet mignon of veal with fresh morel mushrooms, green asparagus, creamy juice with Arbois wine, and a lovely dessert of vanilla millefeuille. Ford really knows how to make you feel like an active star.
The following morning was exciting as we awaited our buggy adventure to Château des Selves, where we enjoyed a continental breakfast overlooking the picturesque vineyard. A quintessentially Provençal pastime.
Bombing around the South of France, off the beaten track in these buggies, was amazing. Splashing through deep puddles, and driving through the woods and trees left us all adrenaline-filled and pumped with excitement. We simply didn’t want it to end.
The whole trip was a dream. The Ford Fiesta Active is a car you’ll like and love. Low fuel costs, beautiful styling, loud music, nippy, and comfortable to drive. Perfect for anyone with an active lifestyle (pun intended).
For more information on the all-new Ford Fiesta Active, visit Ford.co.uk