Vehicle: 2011 Ford Fiesta SEL sedan
Price as tested: CDN$18412
Thanks to American and Chinese’s love affair for a *proper* sedan with a trunk, or what British called a “saloon with a boot”. The Fiesta sedan is the result of those unthinkable love affair. In Europe, however, everyone choose a hatchback or wagon over an equivalent sedan for extra versatility and sleeker looks.
While the sedan silibings received the same impressive dynamic package as its cool hatchback, it certainly lacks the character. Not only does the trunk on top of the hatch looks awkward, although its not as stylistically challenged as original Echo and Focus sedan. It certainly looks far better than Chinese-only Mazda2 sedan, which hopefully not, coming to Stateside. As with all the subcompact sedan, don’t expect to have any expensive uninstrusive trunk hinges packaged nicely at the side of the trunk. Those instrusive hinges will crashed into any groceries underneath the trunk.
Given the price difference, its hard to imagine anyone would sacifice the extra practicality of a sleeker hatchback for the awkward looks of its sedan silibing. While Ford has claimed the sedan would be the bigger seller of the Fiesta, both Toyota and Nissan are able to prove their calculations are wrong. As Toyota sold more Yaris hatchback than sedan, so does Versa hatchback than sedan.
Vehicle: 2011 Ford Fiesta SES hatchback
Price as tested: CDN$20649
Performance: It comes as no surprise Ford didn’t need any of government’s bailout dollars, as they have homerun after homerun. Everything started from Flex to Fusion hybrid are all wonderful vehicles. Will the new Fiesta give Ford another homerun? Or is it a contender to be our overall Car of the Year? We will find out after this review.
The Fiesta, unlike its chassis silibings, Mazda2. Uses a more powerful Duratec-based 120hp and 112 lb/ft of torque 1.6 liter DOHC 4-cylinder with variable valve timing. Although 120 ponies don’t sound like much, its actual seat-of-the-pants feedback suggest otherwise. While its about 200 lb more than equivalent Mazda2, as well as 20 more horses than Mazda2. But the engine responsiveness don’t feel any differently. This motor is the equal of anything from Honda and Toyota, when it comes to engine refinement and smoothness. I expect rough and crude before I drove the Fiesta. I came out very impressively with its luxury car refinement and quietness. That’s despite there are still some level of noisy in the cabin when driven on higher rpm. 112 lb/ft of torque also work up the low rpm relatively well. Mated with this willing little motor is the smooth shifting 5-speed manual gearbox. The shifts are crisp and precise, with well-defined gates and decent throw. Clutch is light and progessive, while returning decent feedback.
Handling: European Ford has always been renowed for its excellent dynamic qualities. The European breed Fiesta is certainly one of them. It all begins with a stiff and solid foundation, which is completely feel of any cracks and rattles even when driven hard over patholes and railroad tracks. Then add the European suspension which has the uncanny abilities to combined supple ride quality with enough firmness with excellent handling prowess, the result is a little car that really make the thing does. The electric power steering provides awesome feel and feedback with amazing precision. Then add the uninstrusive stability control, which doesn’t step in unnecessarily. That means it encourage any enthuisasts to push the Fiesta with bit of fun before Ford’s excellent AdvanceTrac steps in. The body motions are well-controlled with minimal understeer when pushed hard into any corners.
Brakes: With front discs, rear drums and standard ABS. Fiesta’s brake feel is top-notch consider its at the lower end of the price spectum. What really impressed me is Ford packaged ABS as standard feature even on the entry-level Fiesta S. On the other hand, the ABS doesn’t step in unnecessarily is an added bonus.
Interior: Ford interiors have gone a long way in recent years. Fiesta is certainly one of them. The interior styling and color theme are refreshing for a Ford. Fiesta’s use of materials and fit-and-finish are certainly up to the standards of this class. Instrumentation gauges are clear and analog. The stereo placed on top of the dashboard with the information screen is very logical to use, its also smart enough not to wash out in the hot sunlight. The climate control is finished in large knobs, which have high-quality tactical feel to its operation.
If there is one drawback, it has to be the rear seats don’t go completely flat into the floor. As well as the front passenger seat doesn’t fold flat. Otherwise, the rest of the cargo space is well-finished and provide decent cut-off for ease of loading.
Conclusion: Ford is on a roll lately, everything else from the Taurus to the Mustang are all homerun. The latest Fiesta is another prime example, as it combines cool looks with excellent handling and potent engine. All come with an attractive price that include plenty of standard features. In a nutshell, Ford is finally back at the game in the subcompact segment.
OVERALL VERDICT FOR 2011 Ford Fiesta ===================================== Performance: 4/5 Handling and ride/fun-to-drive: 5/5 Interior/ergonomics/user-friendliness: 4.5/5 Fit-and-finish/build quality: 4/5 Cargo/accessibility/layout: 4/5 Value-for-money: 5/5
Vehicle: 2004 Ford Fiesta with 5-speed Durashift EST gearbox
Price as tested: HK$119800
Handling: If you haven’t driven a nicely handled subcompact, you should try out the Fiesta. Dynamic qualities of Fiesta are indeed a pleasant surprise for those who enjoy driving. There are plenty of feedback through the steering with the right weight. The turn-in is sharp and responsive. At the same time, the body rolls and understeer have kept to a minimum thanks to its smart tuning of suspension geometry. On the other hand, Ford engineers are brilliant enough to keep the ride comfort at a high level. The springs are soft enough to absorb most expansion joints and washboard pavements while suspension is firm enough for enthuisastic driving.
Performance: The beauty of the powerplant is Ford’s Durashift gearbox. While this design is not as nifty and high-tech as Audi’s DSG and BMW’s SMG sequential transmissions, its smart enough to make you forget about stick shift. During normal driving, you can leave it on “D” for cruising purpose. When you need to have fun, this tranny will provide plenty of it. It will automatically declutch and heel-and-toe as you out a downshifts and upshifts by giving a fast response to the driver. Thanks to this tranny, Fiesta’s 1.4L DOHC 16-valver has an energetic response even if it only has 80hp and 124 NM of torque on tap. On the other hand, this engine feels a little breathless on high rpm as typical of most econocar motors. Down low, its swift enough for daily driving thanks to maximum torque arrives at 3500 rpm.
Brakes: The front discs/rear drums with standard ABS provide decent feedback. Its anti-lock set-up only kicks in when necessary while pedal modulation is extremely well balanced. In short, a brake pedal that’s worthy of its Teutonic engineering.
Interior: Inside Fiesta’s interior is typical of European econocar’s clean and simple design. With large knobs for HVAC and stereo in the center console, as well as clear instrumentation gauges. The seats are firm and comfortable with decent side support. However, its interior materials are complete let-down. There are tons of hard plastic inside the cabin, everywhere from center console to door panels. The glovebox has a flimsy feel that is totally out of place in a German car.
The back seat is comfortable with plenty of head and legrooms. Unfortunately, the headrests are too low for safety.
Conclusion: If Ford claims this year as “year of the car”, they should bring Fiesta to Canadian market as we are dying for econocar that is both fun-to-drive and good t0 look at. While our Focus is starting to age compares to its competitors, Fiesta can easily bring younger audience into the brand as we have witnessed with the Toyota Echo hatchback.
OVERALL VERDICT FOR 2004 FORD FIESTA
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Performance: 4/5
Handling and ride/fun-to-drive: 4.75/5
Interior/ergonomics/user-friendliness: 4/5
Fit-and-finish/build quality: 2/5
Cargo/accessibility/layout: 3/5
Value-for-money: 4.75/5