2011 Ford Fiesta

Review

Overview

The 2011 Ford Fiesta has been making a stir in the automobile world for a while now. As gas prices go up and pocketbooks are hit with the effects of the recession, more and more people are looking for a vehicle like the Fiesta, which comes with a low price and gets great gas mileage. Last year, Ford loaned 100 Fiestas to young trendsetters, who would spread the word about the vehicle through social media, like Facebook, blogs, MySpace, and Twitter. You may remember the Ford Fiesta from a couple of decades ago; this is a completely different car from the vehicle that was sold in the 1980s. The Fiesta is already a smash hit with critics and is likely to be a blockbuster with customers as well now that it is officially on sale in the United States market. Read on to see how the 2011 Fiesta fared in our road test.

Safety and Specifications

No federal or car insurance industry crash-test scores are available on the 2011 Ford Fiesta as of this writing. Safety equipment, however, is abundant. Standard car safety features include front-seat side airbags, a driver-knee airbag, anti-lock disc brakes, side-curtain airbags, and traction and stability control. I'm expecting these features make getting cheap student car insurance easier for students. New car guide sites list the Fiesta’s specs as follows:

• Car pricing: $13,320 - $17,120 MSRP; $12,886 - $16,458 invoice
• Engine: 1.6-liter, 119-hp four-cylinder
• Transmission: five-speed manual; six-speed automatic
• Acceleration: 0-60 mph in 9.5 seconds

Performance

The 2011 Ford Fiesta has just one engine choice: a 1.6-liter, 119-horsepower engine. A five-speed manual transmission is standard, and a six-speed automatic is optional. The six-speed automatic transmission will increase fuel efficiency by about eight to ten percent over a traditional four-speed automatic transmission. Fuel economy is further enhanced by Electronic Power Assisted Steering, which uses less energy than a traditional power steering system does. The Fiesta gets 30 mpg in the city and 40 mpg on the highway, blowing away most non-hybrid competition. Auto reviews rave about the precise steering of the 2011 Fiesta and say it is more fun to drive than any other car in its class.

Exterior

Europe has had its own version of the Fiesta for a while, but the 2011 Ford Fiesta has seen changes for its U.S.-market debut. New exterior features include a three-bar grille in the front and the deletion of foglamps. The 2011 Fiesta is available as either a four-door hatchback or sedan model. The vehicle comes with 16-inch brushed nickel wheels. The 2011 Ford Fiesta is available in several different trim levels of the hatchback and sedan body styles. The hatchback is available in SE and SES trim levels. Sedans will have three different trims: S, SE, and SEL. While the base trim has fewer features, the higher trims should appeal to drivers who want a small, fuel-efficient car but don’t want to sacrifice on features. See photos of the various Fiesta models in our gallery of photos.

Interior

The interior of the Fiesta is remarkably upscale and seats up to five passengers. Leather seats are available as an option. Rather than being a cheap, bare-bones car like some vehicles are, the Fiesta comes with a four-inch LCD display, Bluetooth compatibility, an auxiliary audio jack, and climate control. Many options are available, like SYNC, power seats, heated seats and mirrors, and moon roof. Car reviews praise the comfortable-feeling steering wheel, inviting cockpit, and contemporary design of the 2011 Ford Fiesta.

How the Fiesta Compares to Other Affordable Small Cars

The 2011 Ford Fiesta is unsurpassed in the affordable small car class. In fact, U.S. News and World Report ranked the Fiesta first of 30 affordable small cars. In a segment plagued by boring, Spartan vehicles, the Fiesta is a breath of fresh air. Fun to drive, attractive, and uniquely upscale, the Fiesta is one of the best compact cars to hit the market in a long time. Although no J.D. Power Quality Ratings are available yet on the Fiesta, Ford offers a three-year/36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty and a five-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty.