We don’t expect changes under the hood.

The B-segment is one of the most competitive automotive segments in Europe, full of fresh models such as the Peugeot 208, Renault Clio, Opel Corsa, Volkswagen Polo, and the likes. Once a dominating leader in the class, the Ford Fiesta is currently lagging behind its rivals and the automaker wants to fix that with the upcoming facelift for the hatchback. Today, we can share the first batch of spy photos with the refreshed Fiesta.

Seen here testing in the slightly more rugged Active trim, the Fiesta prototype wears a full-body camouflage wrap and the front fascia even has additional panels hiding the design changes. Still, we are able to spot new headlights and possibly a modified rear section of the bumper. The lower grille appears to be unchanged compared to the model that’s still on sale.

Gallery: Ford Fiesta facelift first spy photos

Interestingly, the hood of this trial car seems to be slightly opened and there’s a two-wire cable going from the engine bay through the A-pillar towards the cabin of the car. Seeing how the cable is simply taped to the body of the car, we suppose it connects to some sort of measuring hardware, gathering additional data from the engine.

Taking a look at the back, everything seems quite familiar and we can’t spot any visual changes. The taillights and the little roof spoiler both appear to be unchanged compared to the current model. Even the wheels are currently available in the same form for the Active trim in certain markets.

In the summer of 2020, Ford updated the Fiesta with mild-hybrid powertrains and just recently, it gave the electrified models a new dual-clutch automatic gearbox. We don’t expect major changes under the hood, but the powertrains could be updated with new software to help them achieve better efficiency. The diesel engines might be retired from the B-segment hatch though.

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Automedia

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