My review: Fiesta S sedan (updated with hatchback review)

[DC Car Examiner]

 

The car pictured above is a transmission away from being the cheapest vehicle Ford is selling today – the cheapest trim of the cheapest body style of the cheapest model, with no options but the six-speed automatic.

 

So why doesn't it look or feel cheaper?

 

Continued at link: http://www.examiner.com/x-1017-Autos-Examiner~y2010m7d13-Review-2011-Ford-Fiesta-S-sedan

 

 

UPDATE: 5-speed SES hatch also reviewed:

http://www.examiner.com/x-1017-Autos-Examiner~y2010m8d10-Review-2011-Ford-Fiesta-SES-hatchback

Edited August 11, 2010 by DC Car Examiner

[Chester]

Cool. Thanks for the review. Try the auto in the L setting and see if that makes a difference in the shift pattern.

[FordBuyer]

I was talking to a Ford sales guy today and he told me it will be two more months before dealer stock inventory Fiestas show up. All that is coming in now is preorders. He also said that Fiesta Movement preorders did very well and it will take many weeks to just ship those to dealers. Two more months...jeeesh. He said Hurricane Alex didn't help either.

[synchro242]

Apple Ford! I live in Baltimore

[BORG]

Love the two tone interior, hate those wheels...not a big fan of the tortured body design and sheet-metal work (but I do like everything forward from the A-Pillar).

[DC Car Examiner]

I was talking to a Ford sales guy today and he told me it will be two more months before dealer stock inventory Fiestas show up. All that is coming in now is preorders. He also said that Fiesta Movement preorders did very well and it will take many weeks to just ship those to dealers. Two more months...jeeesh. He said Hurricane Alex didn't help either.

 

This is one of at least two that are or at least have been available for purchase in the DC/Baltimore area. (The other I've found was Ted Britt Ford in Northern Virginia, an SEL sedan)

[Ford Jellymoulds]

Great review l hope it sells as well in the States as it does in Europe only bugbear for me is our Fiesta is made in Europe why was another production line not set up in Detroit to serve the North American market you would have thought this have been a perk of the job of being a great American Compamy with 10 million unemployed on your doorstep Ford could have extended a helping hand.

 

Please would you ban that idiot P from posting on your website.

 

Fiesta sedan is in a different league to the crap engineered Cruze, the Fiesta is a million times better in every department should sell 10 times better just on merit. But one big difference the Cruze is made Stateside & Australia l will look forwards to seeing how sales pan out in the future with no doubt lots of disputes with Nick & JPD even though they are not really the same car.

 

May be JPD could post awesome Thai Fiesta v Aussie made junk Cruze sales comparison every month, he might then understand how l feel about buying Thai or what ever made Rangers.

 

JPD Holden built 4,697 crap junk engineered well screwed together by Aussies assembled Cruzes down under in June, how many superbly FOE engineered designed Thai assembled Fiesta's that run rings around the Cruze in every department did you sell down under?

Edited July 14, 2010 by Ford Jellymoulds

[rmc523]

Interesting that there's no real way to tell if the doors are locked.....I've not been able to play with one yet, but judging by pictures I couldn't see anything either - my first guess was perhaps a light goes on where the lock switch is, but then I saw the picture of the button with no spot for a light.

 

 

 

-----

 

 

Fiesta sedan is in a different league to the crap engineered Cruze

 

You do realize that Cruze is comparable to a Focus, not Fiesta, right?

[Ford Jellymoulds]

 

 

You do realize that Cruze is comparable to a Focus, not Fiesta, right?

 

Cant you read, l have already posted this in POST 7.

 

 

l will look forwards to seeing how sales pan out in the future with no doubt lots of disputes with Nick & JPD even though they are not really the same car.

[timmm55]

Higher-end models with bigger wheels may slam a bit harder over bumps.

 

And you know this how? Higher end models have aluminum wheels (less unsprung weight) I haven't heard any such complaint from many reviews. Nor have you tested any of these models.

Edited July 14, 2010 by timmm55

[DC Car Examiner]

Higher-end models with bigger wheels may slam a bit harder over bumps.

 

And you know this how? Higher end models have aluminum wheels (less unsprung weight) I haven't heard any such complaint from many reviews. Nor have you tested any of these models.

 

I don't know it for sure. Hence "may." It's very common for the biggest-wheeled model in a line to have the stiffest ride. I'll know when I'm able to drive the other models.

 

However, I'd be surprised if any reviews you've already seen were able to say something contradicting that about how the base model compares to the high-end ones -- I've certainly never seen a review of anything but an SES/SEL.

[Mark8LSC CE0464]

I noticed that P71 is already adding his mindless diatribe in the comment section. I must say I feel for the man. I have never lived a day with my brain in the hopelessly distant part of the universe where P71 resides. Yep, that Cruze will get better gas mileage, after all, the EPA has released the official Cruze mileage. OOPPS! No it hasn't. Hey P71, let's go down to a government motor showroom and pick up a Cruze for a head to head test drive. OOPPS! Cruze doesn't exist yet. As of now, it is VAPORWARE! Please my friend, I beg you to get a brain and a life..... I'll even donate to the cause!

[akirby]

I don't know it for sure. Hence "may." It's very common for the biggest-wheeled model in a line to have the stiffest ride. I'll know when I'm able to drive the other models.

 

May has no place in an objective review. If you don't know then don't mention it. The reason the larger wheels tend to be stiffer is that they tend to be 20" or 22" monsters with very low profile tires. That probably won't be the case on the Fiesta.

[aneekr]

There haven't been any major production delays for the U.S. market Ford Fiesta.

[Anthony]

Good review....wow I never realized what a unintuitive design it has for the locks.

[akirby]

OM says there is a light on the lock switch if the doors are locked.

 

It also says if the rear doors are locked you can pull once on the door handle to unlock and again to open. Typically Ford allows the front doors to be opened with one pull whether they're locked or not.

 

I don't recall looking at my door locks to see if they're locked or not because they open either way in the front seats. I can't ever remember using the manual lock button except in the rear seats and that's been taken care of with the double pull.

 

This is strange but functionally I think it may actually be ok.

[NickF1011]

Apple Ford! I live in Baltimore

 

Yeah, I worked at that place. Needless to say, I will never shop there.

[Ford Jellymoulds]

Yeah, I worked at that place. Needless to say, I will never shop there.

 

Don't they have a Walmart, IKEA or Target there then Nick?

 

 

 

[papilgee4evaeva]

Don't they have a Walmart, IKEA or Target there then Nick?

 

Walmart and Target, sure. I don't know how close the nearest IKEA is to where he lives.

[NickF1011]

Walmart and Target, sure. I don't know how close the nearest IKEA is to where he lives.

 

College Park.

 

And I live in Annapolis now. The nearest Wal-Mart is a good 25 minute drive. We didn't get a Target until last year.

 

And FJ, you can stop any time with the lame attempts at personal attacks. It's not my fault you are clueless about the modern auto industry. Listen and learn.

Edited July 14, 2010 by NickF1011

[J-150]

Overall, I found this to be a very negative review.

 

Instead of talking about how much bettter this car is than the immediate competition, you attack it.

 

It's a B-car. Get over it. No it will not handle like a BMW 3 series.

Edited July 14, 2010 by J-150

[PREMiERdrum]

Overall, I found this to be a very negative review.

 

Instead of talking about how much bettter this car is than the immediate competition, you attack it.

 

It's a B-car. Get over it. No it will not handle like a BMW. Deal with it.

 

Did we read the same review?

 

He mentions consistently how much better then Fiesta is than the segment leader Fit, while pointing out the few downsides (less rear legroom, counter-intuitive lock interface).

[J-150]

Did we read the same review?

 

He mentions consistently how much better then Fiesta is than the segment leader Fit, while pointing out the few downsides (less rear legroom, counter-intuitive lock interface).

 

 

 

I read many gripes and snipes. Many unfounded.

[DC Car Examiner]

OM says there is a light on the lock switch if the doors are locked.

 

It also says if the rear doors are locked you can pull once on the door handle to unlock and again to open. Typically Ford allows the front doors to be opened with one pull whether they're locked or not.

 

I don't recall looking at my door locks to see if they're locked or not because they open either way in the front seats. I can't ever remember using the manual lock button except in the rear seats and that's been taken care of with the double pull.

 

This is strange but functionally I think it may actually be ok.

 

There was a light that flashed every time the button was pressed, but neither the salesman nor I could identify a correlation between the blinking and whether the doors were locked.

 

My bigger issue with knowing whether they're locked isn't when you're getting out of the car, but when you want to lock it as you leave. As far as we could tell, to know whether you've locked up the car, you need to get out, close your door, and tug on the handle, then go all the way back in to reach the center stack lock button if it's not.

 

Maybe it's just another way to persuade you to buy the keyless entry, but there's no benefit to the system to offset even the slightest inconvenience. Cars that even have the power lock or window controls in the center instead of on the doors are routinely and justifiably criticized even when the physical lock buttons are in place.

[akirby]

As far as we could tell, to know whether you've locked up the car, you need to get out, close your door, and tug on the handle, then go all the way back in to reach the center stack lock button if it's not.

 

Maybe it's just another way to persuade you to buy the keyless entry, but there's no benefit to the system to offset even the slightest inconvenience. Cars that even have the power lock or window controls in the center instead of on the doors are routinely and justifiably criticized even when the physical lock buttons are in place.

 

Oh good grief - that's what the button on the keyfob is for! You get out of the car and if you want to lock it you hit the button. This applies to both the IA and non-IA equipped vehicles. I've done that with all vehicles for at least the last decade. You don't use the interior lock button.

 

Are you telling me your key did not have a lock button on it?