Probably a happy medium there Chip, if it's the 1.4, not sure how much it would cost insurance wise though as for a 1.4 it's still a 105bhp car, more than a lot of other 1.4's

The Honda Jazz I'm training in is a 1.4 and it's flat as a pancake lol

As far as I can see with the Fiesta TDCi, checking out Fords figures it has a lot going for it for use as a learner car.