2011 Ford Fiesta
What is it?
The Fiesta is Ford's much-hyped world-car entry into the small B-class segment in the United States, a slice of the market currently populated by the Honda Fit, the Toyota Yaris and the Nissan Versa. B-class means it's smaller than the Ford Focus. But the class itself has grown by more than 30 percent in the last decade independent of the price of gasoline, Ford says, and the Fiesta represents a chance for Ford to party down at the bottom of the size chart. The Fiesta also represents something of a gamble that downsizers looking to save either money, gasoline or the planet--or have their college-age kids do so--will embrace Fiesta's 30 mpg city/40 mpg highway mileage and $13,995 starting sticker. Prices top out close to $20,000.
How's it drive?
With the front wheels powered by a 1.6-liter four putting out an underwhelming 120 hp and 112 lb-ft of torque to move the 2,500- to 2,600-or-so-pound car, it's not something you'd use to make quick freeway passes. But the chassis and suspension are tops in the class and take corners with the solidity of a more serious sporty hatch. With the somewhat long-throw five-speed manual, the Fiesta is fun, but coupled to the Getrag six-speed dual-clutch automatic, the car just flops and plods along. You can't really select gears with the Getrag; it does almost all the thinking for you, so whatever sporty elements are surely possible with this transmission remain undiscovered.
The electric power steering is tops in the class, and the Hankook 195/50R-16 Optimos gripped well. The interior is even quieter than Ford engineers said it would be, and the trim pieces inside are distinctly textured to give it an artsy feel. The available exterior colors will really catch the eye of buyers. And the addition of features such as Sync AppLink to link your BlackBerry or Android phone to the car adds another segment of buyers.
Do I want it?
For the price of a more fully optioned Fiesta, you could get into a Mazda 3 or a Volkswagen Golf and have more fun driving them. But you could also save a few thousand and have this perfectly fun front-runner and save money on gasoline, too. Your choice.
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