In 1986 Ford introduced a facelifted version for its small-segment contender, the Fiesta, which was already at its second generation.
With an increasing demand for small, fuel-efficient vehicles, Ford tried to get a bigger market slice and improved the small Fiesta. It was an excellent city vehicle, and thanks to its improved engines and transmissions, it started to be more appealing than its main rival, the Volkswagen Polo.

To mark the updated version, Ford’s designers changed the bumpers, and that was mostly about it. The car was offered only as a 3-door vehicle, with black door-handles and black, unpainted door-mirrors. The wedge-shaped bodywork went through a small update with rounded edges on the hood’s front side. Depending on the trim level and engine version, it sported steel or light-alloy-wheels.

Inside, Ford started to grow a center console, while on the non-facelifted version, there was none, only the gear-stick popping up from the car’s floor. The carmaker noticed that the customers were not satisfied with the material’s quality and offered new interior trims and new upholstery for seats and rear folding bench.

Under the hood, Ford introduced new engines, including a lean-option version for the 1.3-liter unit to compete against the new diesel-powered French cars. From 1987, Ford introduced a continuously variable transmission (CVT) gearbox for the 1.1-liter engine, providing more comfort for heavy traffic.