An automobile doesn’t become a global car by just looking stylish. A global car needs to be prepared for the most extreme use and global conditions to ensure it excels in day-to-day performance over the life of the vehicle.

Ford subjected the new 2014 Fiesta in Europe to the most extreme testing over harsh terrain, extreme temperatures, and a lifetime of simulated use. The new Ford Fiesta testing took the compact car through extremes from tortuous durability trials to exhaustive ‘real-world’ challenges.

The tests extended over more than a half million miles on test tracks and in laboratory conditions ranging from -40 to 180 degrees and engineers evaluated the Fiesta’s performance over 745,000 miles on public roads.

Glen Goold, new Fiesta global chief program engineer, Ford of Europe said

“A combination of high-tech laboratory simulations, demanding test-track trials and real-world evaluations helps us deliver a durable Ford Fiesta that owners can be confident will survive the worst they can throw at it throughout its lifetime.”

Ford engineers subjected the new compact car to extreme tests at Ford’s Lommel Proving Ground in Belgium, France and North America. They also have an exact recreation of a potholed stretch of road near the Ford Dunton Technical Centre, England.

The grueling tests simulated the worst-case conditions that customers could encounter and included a variety of artificially constructed obstacles designed to place controlled loads on components to simulated a lifetime of abuse in just months or even weeks.

The 2014 Fiesta  introduced to Europe in 2010 was developed in North America. The 2013 Fiesta has been one of the top selling cars in Europe.

Ford recruited 100 drivers of all ages and sizes to conduct the tests in 115 new Fiestas. The driver’s tested everything from the seats to the accuracy of the “distance to empty” indicator by running the car out of petrol.

Ford left no stone unturned, and made sure the car is ready to handle the global challenges. “By paying this level of detailed attention to every aspect of the car we can make a real difference to the overall driving and ownership experience of new Fiesta.” said Thomas Schlimbach, senior engineer, Voice of Customer Fleet program, Ford of Europe.

The 2014 Ford Fiesta hasn’t even been launched yet and its getting lots of attention around the globe. The new Fiesta will feature a new exterior design, a new 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine and more new technology.

The 2014 Ford Fiesta was unveiled earlier this fall with a new global design with new trapezoidal front grille, laser-cut headlamps with daytime running lamps with LED technology, and a power-dome hood. The interior has been redesigned for greater ergonomics and gets a host of new technology features.

The 2014 Ford Fiesta has one of the most comprehensive suite of in-car connectivity technology features available in a small car. The new compact adds MyFord Touch with improved voice recognition, navigation and phone pairing. The new MyFord Touch features a new 6.5-inch LCD touch screen which is an upgrade over the current 4-inch screen.

“Technology features are important to all of our customers including small car buyers, and MyFord Touch continues to drive up purchase consideration of our vehicles,” says Michelle Moody, Ford cross-vehicle marketing manager. “MyFord Touch is appealing to customers, as it consistently ranks among the top 10 purchase considerations with new owners. We’re excited to bring it to the small car segment, where it will really help Fiesta stand out from the crowd.”

The all-new Ford Fiesta for Europe will feature a number of advanced technology features like Active City Stop, a system designed to help drivers avoid low speed collisions. European models will also feature the first-ever MyKey for this segment, which will enable parents of teenage drivers the ability to configure maximum speed and audio volume limits.