Triple success for Ford in Sunday Times awards

A hat-trick of Ford models scooped ‘best in class’ honours in the Sunday Times’ annual Top 100 review of Britain’s best cars.

Ford’s three category wins are unprecedented in the Sunday Times Top 100, and build on Ford’s double success last year.

The Sunday Times and its Driving.co.uk website voted Ford Fiesta the best supermini, Ford Fiesta ST number one hot hatch and Ford S-MAX winner of its Multi-Purpose Vehicle category.

The Ford Fiesta, the UK’s top-selling car, has already taken a dozen major UK awards this year.  The Sunday Times said of the Fiesta in Titanium trim with its innovative turbo-powered 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine:  “It’s really very hard to say whether the car’s greater appeal is its looks, or the fact that it is far and away the best car to drive among its rivals. No wonder that ever since it came out, the Fiesta has been Britain's best-selling car.”

Its performance derivative, the Ford Fiesta ST, features a lowered chassis, more aggressive styling and turbo-powered, direct-injection 180PS 1.6-litre EcoBoost engine – a unique combination that takes Ford’s famous dynamics to a new high.

“For people who live in the real world, where budgets are micro-managed and journeys are often long and boring, it’s possible this Ford could be the most significant hatchback of recent years,” concluded the Sunday Times.  “Fast, comfortable and frugal, it is the best of all worlds wrapped up in a car that costs less than any number of rivals.”

The stylish Ford S-MAX has sold more than 6,000 units in the first nine months of this year, proving its unique character as the most sporty seven-seater available. The Sunday Times said:  “The S-MAX is unique among cars of this type. Why? Because ever since it was launched in 2006 it has been both a first class people carrier and a genuinely rewarding car to drive ─ something that no other MPV has managed.”

Ford’s new small MPV, the B-MAX, also impressed, taking second place within a year of going on sale:  “Just as the S-MAX calls the shots among large MPVs, so the B-MAX does at the other end of the category.”

Mark Ovenden, Ford Britain chairman and managing director, said:  “We are proud that Ford has earned so many Sunday Times Top 100 accolades, reflecting some of the many stars in our best-ever product range.  The UK team and its dealers appreciate this huge endorsement from the Sunday Times.”