Post by TonyV on May 4, 2010 10:22:23 GMT -5
Scott Burgess
Ford Fiesta a game changer in world of small, nimble rides
It takes guts to give a car a name that rhymes with siesta.
But Ford Motor Co. seems pretty confident its 2011 Fiesta is no sleeper.
An all-new entry and its first foray into the U.S. subcompact car segment since 1997, the Fiesta offers a slew of new tricks for an old dog.
From the modern design and aggressive stance to the comfortable high-tech interior and well-mannered ride and handling, the car's name would be better served rhyming with caliente. It's hot.
Europeans are lining up from Bulgaria to Brussels for this little road runner; Ford sold 69,000 Fiestas in Europe in March. Americans will get their turn this summer.
For decades, very small cars in the United States have lived humbly at the bottom rung of the automotive social ladder. Cheap, cheerful and decidedly inexpensive, these cars were typically undersized, underpowered and understyled.
But then a revelation hit Americans: Gas costs money.
Now, high-mileage subcompacts have become hip. Other than the sporty Honda Fit, most of the little cars have offered little more than an affordable price tag. Until now.
The Fiesta ends the subcompact trade-off many buyers talk themselves through at dealerships. "Yeah, it's a little noisy on the highway, the door sounds like I'm closing a breadbox, and my Rollerblades produce more torque, but my car payment is only 99 (euros, dollars, dinars, baht) a month."
After a few minutes in the Fiesta, you'll forget all about subcompacts because the Fiesta is just a good small car.
Town & country
It's nimble on mountainside switchbacks. It's graceful in tight city traffic and it's quiet on the highway. It parks just about anywhere and has enough room to carry you and four friends. There's not even a trade-off between considering a four-door sedan or hatchback -- Ford will sell both.
The Fiesta looks longer than its 98-inch wheel base suggests. The hood stretches out nicely and the low-lying greenhouse of windows gives the car an aggressive look. Ford has added elongated headlamps, a tiny grille and a big honking intake below the bumper to create a face ready to stare down the Toyota Yaris and say, "Gimme that lunch."
There are stylish touches, such as the silver inserts with an LED bar below the bumper that wraps around the corner of the front end. The elegant body creases along the side of the car. The car's well-planned proportions make it look nice.
Meets any challenge
The heart of the Fiesta starts with its 1.6-liter four-cylinder powerplant. This little engine includes some technology Ford first introduced on the Mustang: the twin independent variable camshaft timing. The complex system simply makes the engine cleaner and more efficient by doing stuff Ford's engineers can talk about for hours. After a couple of conversations with them, I found something easier to understand: The projected mileage for the Fiesta, which is 30 miles per gallon city and 40 mpg highway.
The engine produces 120 horsepower and 112 pound-feet of torque, which is certainly not Chuck Norris kind of power, but it weighs only 2,600 pounds. Zipping through the fun-loving hills outside of San Francisco, the Fiesta lived up to its translation.
Driving the five-speed manual allowed me to keep the car in a lower gear and pull every ounce of power out of the Fiesta. The new six-speed automatic transmission was a little less hospitable to overly aggressive driving, a few times pausing for a moment to figure out if I was really that bad of a driver. (The transmission is connected to a number of sensors in the car and adjusts to the driver's inputs and the car's situation. In general, this works very well, with quick, smooth gear changes, but if you're flying down a hill, hitting the brake and then gunning the gas, the transmission is almost as confused as your passenger white-knuckling the dash.)
But the car met any challenge. The electric power-assisted steering provides great feel and resistance all the way through deep turns. The brakes are clean and smooth.
Quiet, comfy ride
Inside, the Fiesta provides a very comfortable ride. Riding on the optional 16-inch wheels, the car was extremely quiet on the highway. Excellent aerodynamics cut out the wind noise and well-placed sound dampeners and seals keep out other noise. Someone in the backseat can easily join the conversation up front.
The seats, which include some recycled materials (noteworthy for those looking for a green angle beside the high gas mileage), are very comfortable and provide excellent lines of sight. The only things missing are comfortable armrests between the seats to provide a little more comfort.
The touch points, such as the armrest on the door and dash, are soft, meaning your elbow won't get sore on a long haul.
There are other nice touches of craftsmanship, including the isolated gauges behind the steering wheel. This is an area in which many carmakers save money; they simply create a two dimensional gauge made of a single sheet of plastic and include a couple of needles.
The Fiesta shines when it comes to attention to detail. What other subcompact lets you leave your key in your pocket to unlock the driver's door and then hit the push button start?
The only noticeable cost cutting was the plastic on the dials to operate the heating and cooling. The three dials are big and low on the center stack, and they click nicely in your fingertips, but a touch of rubber around the ring would have made a huge difference.
Tech-minded features
Most people won't notice those minor details because they'll be too busy playing with their cell phone apps through Sync.
It seems every time Ford rolls out a new vehicle, it has added another function or capability to this voice-operated infotainment system, which remains miles ahead of everyone else.
Sync in the Fiesta can use a driver's Blackberry or Android cell phone to operate Pandora Internet radio; Stitcher, an Internet news radio; and Openbeak, an app to help people update their social networks. Next year, Sync also will work with some iPhone apps.
Systems such as Sync, which allow for hands-free operation of a driver's phone and music player, continue to grow more important as more states create laws banning text messaging while driving or requiring hands-free cell phone operation while driving.
Technology often comes with younger customers in mind, but there are lots of other things everyone will enjoy. There are nine colors available and customization as well. Customers can even design graphics for their vehicle and have Ford put them on before the car is picked up. Other options include special interior lighting schemes and a sports appearance package for the exterior.
The Fiesta doesn't approach the subcompact customer as someone who merely wants the cheapest new car available. If price is your only consideration, there are other options.
The Fiesta is more than a top-notch subcompact. It's a good car through and through. It just happens to simply be the best one available with a starting price tag under $14,000.