Ford Fiesta History
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The new Ford Fiesta is the first subcompact offered by Ford in the U.S. since its three-door Aspire of the late 1990s. The Fiesta was launched as a 2011 model, in both four-door sedan and five-door hatchback models, and has been adapted from the well-received and very popular model sold under the same name in Europe, Asia, and elsewhere—though North American versions offer more standard equipment than Fiestas elsewhere in the world.
The new Fiesta competes with the Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris, Nissan Versa, and Chevrolet Aveo. Its starting price of $13,995 can rise as high as $23,000 if buyers tick lots of boxes on the lavish lists of options offered by both the factory and Ford dealers.
Ford last sold a car called the Fiesta—a subcompact three-door hatchback—in the U.S. from 1978 to 1980, following it with the Festiva three-door (1986-1993) and then the Aspire three-door (1994-1997). The newest iteration for 2011 offers “expressive” and “vibrant” styling inside and out—the theme is “energy in motion”—with a dashboard center stack deliberately reminiscent of a mobile-phone keypad. The driver can choose among several different colors of LED “mood lighting” to illuminate the cup holders, footwells, and so forth.
The new Fiesta, in either body style, comes with just a single engine option: a 1.6-liter four making 120 horsepower. A five-speed manual gearbox is standard, but the automatic option is an unusual and technically advanced six-speed “PowerShift” direct-shift gearbox (DSG). EPA fuel economy ratings rolled in at 28/38 or 29/39, but with a $795 Super Fuel Economy Package (special tires and aerodynamic improvements), the Fiesta's highway rating was boosted to 40 mpg.
In reviews of the Fiesta, we noted that the Fiesta steers and handles far better than most softened, numbed appliances its size. However, its narrow body and tight backseat didn't make it as useful as some other vehicles in this class. We weren't fans of the Fiesta's odd, slanted instrument panel, either, and noted some drivability issues with the PowerShift transmission, which wasn't as smooth as we'd hoped. Engine noise can also be an issue, depending on your expectations; it's not bad compared to other subcompacts.
Features are a strength of the Fiesta, which changed very little from 2011 to 2012. Even the base $13,995 model includes air conditioning and an aux-in port; while at the SE level you get upgraded trim and lighting. SES Sport and SEL models get upgraded sound, LED driving lamps, and heated side mirrors with integrated turn signals, plus big alloy wheels. Options include a power moonroof and Ford Racing wheels; and there's a very bright cheery palette of colors.
