The names Fiesta… Ford Fiesta… and in 2006 the Fiesta celebrated its 30th birthday, and still today is the most popular car in its class.

The Fiesta has had more re-incarnations than James Bond, and as a birthday treat, Ford brought the Fiesta into the Daniel Craig generation with yet another fresh new look.

For a year I have been driving a new Fiesta, the 1.6TDCi, in sporty Zetec-S guise, which features Fords acclaimed common-rail diesel engine.

The new car builds on the strengths of the old model of a spacious interior and class-leading driving quality. It features snazzy new headlamps and tail lamps, and smoother bumpers front and rear, along with a host of detailed changes compared with the older model. The Zetec-S also has a more aggressive body kit and large rear spoiler (which it shares with the ST model) and smart 16” alloy wheels. Of course, there wasn’t anything wrong with the old car, but as with Pierce Brosnan, time moves on, and it’s time for a new face…

Fords hardest work has been on the interior however, and is now certainly more Vodka-Martini than white wine spritzer. The old, hard plastics and dated layout have made way for a much more trendy look and feel.

The new car also boasts a range of gadgets that ‘Q’ would be proud of, the options list includes such things as Bluetooth compatibility, Voice-control, Satellite Navigation, and automatic lights and wipers. A fantastically useful feature (certainly more useful than pop-out skis) is the ‘Portable music connection socket’, which allows you to play your MP3 player (or equally a digital radio or even tape player!) through the sound system, allowing instant access to hours of music.

If you don’t need a big car, but you still want to feel safe, secure and comfortable, the Fiesta is perfect. The car has proved quiet and refined, and with the benefit of the punchy 90ps diesel engine, well up to the job of the day-to-day commute. It has enough pace to scare the Living Daylights from the most determined white van driver, and this also makes the Fiesta a fun car to hustle on a b-road blast, particularly with the benefit of the Zetec-S’s firmer suspension set up. However, if you do go for the S, be aware that the ride is a little harsh and may leave you a little shaken and stirred over broken tarmac…

The interior is spacious enough to carry 5, and the boot is equally generous.

The 1.6TDCi in particular will keep an eye on your wallet too, the Fiesta is cheap to tax and insure and I have barely managed to persuade the MPG gauge to stray south of 50mpg, even with a particularly Bond-esqe right foot...

It’s easy to see why the Fiesta is still at the top of its class, if you need a small car with big features, that will cosset and entertain you in equal measure, whilst also looking after your finances, the Fiesta is the special agent of the supermini class.