mikeg3 Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 The fiestamovement.com web site listed a test drive event near Olympic Centennial Park in Atlanta, GA on 5/22/09 from 11am - 6 pm. I arrived at the park at about 2pm only to find nobody from Ford there! I walked around inside & outside of the park looking for anything vaguely resembling a Ford Fiesta. I started expanding my search to the next block since it said near the park but to no avail. I went home disappointed after 2 hours of walking. SHAME ON YOU FORD! Did anyone else go to the park today for a test drive? Did you find the Fiesta? If so, where in the world were they set up? Mike in GA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike_in_va Posted May 24, 2009 Share Posted May 24, 2009 I'm checking out a similar event at Nationals Park in Washington, DC today. I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks for the warning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike_in_va Posted May 24, 2009 Share Posted May 24, 2009 After reading your post I somehow knew the same thing would happen to me. I got to Nationals Park at 12:30 p.m., a half-hour before test drives were about to start. Over the next 90 minutes I circled the stadium 3 or 4 times. I also searched some surrounding blocks, including a ghetto/sketchy one. I was there well into the test-drive timeframe of 1-4 pm. I saw nothing related to Ford Fiesta: No Fiestas No one wearing Ford or Fiesta t-shirts or anything to indicate they worked for Ford. No table, kiosk, or banner saying there were test drives. Now I've read that the main objective of this test drive program is to 'ambush' people who look like target customers and get them to try the cars. They are reaching out to people who wouldn't be aware of Fiesta otherwise. If that's the case why bother posting dates and places on the internet at all? In fact some of the Ride & Drive postings say things like "we'll be driving around town, watch for us!" That is completely useless information. So now instead of posting a test drive review that would have helped spread the good word about Fiesta, I'm adding to this frustrated discussion. I'll alert the Ford team on Twitter and see if they respond. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azulejost Posted May 25, 2009 Share Posted May 25, 2009 Just saw this thread and thought I'd chime in with my experience. I was all set to make an 80 mile drive to Cincinnati, OH on 5/21 for the Ride & Drive listed on the website. That morning, after weeks of listing the event, I discovered it was no longer on the website. Fortunately, I follow @FordFiesta on twitter and sent a message to them. By noon, the event was back up on the website, and I was able to find the 3 Fiestas and take a drive. I was going to post a separate post regarding my limited review, but I'll go ahead and do that here. Photos available here. I got there hoping to spend some time just looking over the car, take some photos, and then go for a drive, but the people running the event were eager to get me in the car and driving. Two of the Fiestas were 5-spd manuals, so I took out the nice bright red one wondering where I would get to take the car (an employee rides with everyone). I probably reached a top speed of 30 mph in the downtown environment encompassing less than 2 miles around the city blocks. I test drove a Focus hatchback many years ago, and must say the clutch in the Fiesta gives much more feedback and feel compared to the on or off with nothing in between the Focus had. It seemed to have plenty of power, good shifting, and a solid feel belying it's 2200-lbs. curb weight. Turn signal controls were high quality though I didn't have a chance to try out the radio, climate, or window controls. While the rear window is small the visibility offered through the rear view and side mirrors was sufficient. The side mirror, at least on the passenger side, has the wonderful European concave section to improve blind spot sight. The interior door pull is rather bland, blends into the panel, and doesn't feel overly substantial, but only time will tell how it holds up. It worked, so I'm not going to count that as a negative. The center console area with cupholders and emergency brake aren't anything exciting--functional but not stylish. Again, as a low-priced car these things aren't unconscionable, but they are not as well done as the seats, dashboard, instrument panel, and shifter. I found the driver's seat quite comfortable for my 5'8" small frame. The screen for the radio at the top of the dash takes some getting used to as would the entire radio layout. It's different and makes for a nice look. Plus SYNC with voice activation makes hand controls and ergonomics less important. By the time I thought to look at the rear seat space, I was looking in a car I hadn't driven so I wasn't sure how far back the front seats were. There wasn't much leg/knee room even for me with where the front seats were--I think they must have been pretty far back, but can't be sure. From the outside, it's a well-designed small car. The 7-spoke wheels really complete the look, and as you can see by my comments in the photos, the Ocean Blue is a wonderful color. Bright red looks nice too, but I'm just not a fan of the green color nor the wheels on the green car. Overall, I am now looking forward to the Fiesta even more. Apparently there will not be a sunroof option (per one of the employees) at least at its debut, but I don't think that will be a deal breaker. It would just add extra weight and cut headroom I guess, but I do enjoy the open window/roof feel in summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwford Posted May 26, 2009 Share Posted May 26, 2009 Pirelli PZero Nero's. Really? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 I like the Ocean Blue color! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmm55 Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 Pirelli PZero Nero's. Really? Really...what? They perform well on my Mustang. Quiet, wear well AND good traction too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ModelWarships Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 I test drove a Focus hatchback many years ago, and must say the clutch in the Fiesta gives much more feedback and feel compared to the on or off with nothing in between the Focus had. Nice review, thank you. I'm glad to know that the clutch has some feel to it. My 09 Focus is just as you described, either there or not. After 10k, I am still not used to it. But I will probably wait for a 2 door Fiesta. No need to trade in the Focus just yet. Other than the clutch, it is a pretty nice car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xequar Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 Nice review, thank you. I'm glad to know that the clutch has some feel to it. My 09 Focus is just as you described, either there or not. After 10k, I am still not used to it. But I will probably wait for a 2 door Fiesta. No need to trade in the Focus just yet. Other than the clutch, it is a pretty nice car. I too am glad to hear the clutch has a good feel to it. That's become one of my gripes about my Element's clutch is that it's so on/off that after three years of owning it I still have trouble getting smooth shifts. I've had the opportunity to sit inside the Fiesta and really check it out, but not to drive one yet (I work at Ford), so hearing some driving feedback is great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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