Ford Fiesta SportVan looks the part with its Zetec-S-style bodykit

Auto Trader Ten Point Test rating: 83%

Buying a commercial vehicle doesn't always mean sacrificing style or driving enjoyment; something that's perfectly clear with the Ford Fiesta SportVan.

It has all the load-lugging capabilities of any other Fiesta van, but wears a hot hatch-style bodykit and has the punch to match its pose.

Looks | Looks Inside | Practicality | Ride and Handling | Performance
Running Costs | Reliability | Safety | Equipment | X-Factor

1. Looks

Forget a dull white van with black bumpers, the Fiesta SportVan looks the business with its Fiesta Zetec-S-style front and rear bumpers and fancy 16-inch alloy wheels with wide 195-section tyres. There's also a set of side skirts and a boot spoiler adding to the sporty effect. Look beyond the add-ons and its standard Fiesta fare – angular headlights and taillights which taper up the rear pillars. As it’s a van, there are no rear side windows, which does hamper rearward visibility.

9/10

2. Looks inside

The Fiesta is getting on a bit, and the cabin is starting to look a little dated. Like the outside, the interior has comfy sports seats, a leather steering wheel and gearknob – the former also having silver spokes. It's easy to forget you're in a commercial vehicle, as Ford has done a sterling job of transporting the driver and passenger into a hot-hatch environment. Behind the front seats is the load area which is separated from the forward cabin by a metal guard.

8/10

3. Practicality

Critics might argue there's little more space in the back of a SportVan than a regular Fiesta, but that's missing the point. In a car, you'll be wary of tearing the upholstery and scratching the trim, so the SportVan does without any of this in the back. It'll swallow objects up to 1,320mm in length, weighing up to 541kg (512kg for petrol models). In all, the SportVan has 1,013 litres of loadspace. There's a grippy rubber mat to prevent the boot's contents sliding which can be removed for hosing out. Two hooks are attached behind the rear bootlid sill and there's another two plastic hooks on the roof.

In the front there's lots of room for driver and passenger and a good amount of storage space.

8/10

4. Ride and Handling

The Ford Fiesta SportVan has to be among the best handling commercial vehicles available. There's bags of front end grip and the dinky van remains stable under hard cornering. The steering offers plenty of feedback and has just the right amount of power assistance. There's a lot of road noise which emanates from the rear, despite evidence of sound deadening under the rubber mat. It's nothing the average van driver couldn't put up with, however.

9/10

5. Performance

The Fiesta SportVan comes with a 1.6-litre version of Ford's acclaimed TDCi engine and gives the van plenty of go. It offers 88bhp and 177lb/ft of pulling power. That gives the SportVan enough oomph to reach 62mph in around 11 seconds, before hittinga top speed in the region of 112mph. The power is transmitted to the front wheels via a slick five-speed manual gearbox.

8/10

6. Running Costs

At a shade over £10,500 (+VAT), the SportVan is good value – just £1,700 more than the base Fiesta Van. Despite its comparably rapid performance it was consistently returning more than 42mpg on average during our 550-mile week with the Ford, although Ford quotes an official figure of more than 60mpg.

8/10

7. Reliability

The SportVan should be the acid test of the Fiesta's reliability – it'll have to manage more abuse than a normal car. It seemed well built and a good showing in the Reliability Index, which tracks the cost and frequency of breakdowns, backs this up.

8/10

8. Safety

In car guise, the Fiesta scored four out of five stars in the EuroNCAP crash tests. Commercial vehicles aren't tested, although this van should offer a similar level of protection. All Fiesta Vans feature driver and passenger airbags, anti-lock brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution seatbelt pretensioners and headlights which stay on after the ignition is turned off as standard. Side airbags are a cost option.

The Fiesta SportVan also features Ford's Passive Anti-Theft System (PATS) engine immobiliser, high-strength shielded locks, a deadlock feature and the option of a perimeter alarm.

7/10

9. Equipment

Even the basic Fiesta Vans come with a surprising level of equipment. ABS, driver and passenger airbags, tinted glass and a height-adjustable steering wheel come as standard. The SportVan adds 16-inch alloys, sports seats, electric front windows, a CD player with steering column-mounted controls, front foglights, remote central locking, a trip computer and that sporty bodykit.

8/10

10. X-Factor

It’s a van that looks cool and turns heads. But more than that, it’s a blast to drive. Couple that with low running costs and potential SportVan owners are on to a winner.

10/10