There are a number of reasons you might want to buy a Ford Fiesta, and a number of them are the same reasons you might choose a subcompact car of any type. The Fiesta is small and agile so it's perfect for the town or city, it's an affordable car that you won't have to break the bank to pay for, and it offers some excellent fuel economy numbers so it's cheap to run.

But unlike some of its rivals, the Ford Fiesta can also be a great deal of fun to drive, especially if you go for a performance-focused ST variant. Despite having been around in its current form for around eight years now, the Fiesta is as stylish and contemporary in its styling as anything in its class.

The two extremes of the Fiesta family can both make a case for being the best model in the lineup, but for very different reasons. At the entry point to the Fiesta range, the Fiesta S in its sedan form costs from as little as $14,205 or from $14,505 for a hatch. Those numbers mean you can get a brand-new car that comes with a full manufacturer warranty and all the peace of mind that brings for not a lot of money. The Fiesta is also less expensive to insure and run than some of its rivals as well.

But at the other end of the specification scale, the Fiesta ST is an incredibly sporty and stylish little car that's about as much fun to drive as anything in its class. Even with all of this to recommend it, the ST still costs from as little as $21,285. The 1.6-liter turbo-four under the hood of the ST boasts 197 horsepower, which can be a lot in some cases for cars weighing considerably more than the 2,700 pounds the Fiesta weighs in at.

The Fiesta isn't available with all-wheel drive, but that's not a feature too many people would consider to be a glaring omission in a car like this. The little Ford arrived here from Europe where it was originally designed and developed as a hatchback-only model. All-wheel drive would add additional weight and expense and hit the fuel economy, so there's no real need for it in a car like this.

A car doesn't stay in continuous production since 1976 if it isn't good and people don't want it. The afact that more than 16 million examples of the Ford Fiesta have been sold around the world since its introduction tells its own tale.