2009 Ford Fiesta Review

Specifications

As it currently stands, Ford does not have a subcompact car in its NorthAmerican product portfolio. In fact, the last time it had one was the short-lived Aspire that was sold between 1994 and 1997, but it wasn’t a Ford-developed product, but rather a Kia wearing Ford badges. Since then, Ford’s smallest was first the Escort and then the Focus, which served well for the previous era. Now, however, consumers are starting to become more conscious of ownership and operating costs, resulting in tremendous subcompact segment growth. Ford knows it needs an entry-level solution, especially considering its main rival, General Motors, has its Aveo model, a new Chinese-built Chrysler is on the way, and its Japanese and Korean rivals are gobbling up market share left, right and center. Fortunately for blue oval fans, a new model is well on the way.

Dearborn’s entry in this sector was recently exposed by automotive magazine Motor Trend, which revealed that the next-generation European Fiesta will be on its way to North American consumers as early as 2009, a year before its predicted arrival and a year after its initialintroduction to the European market. It has long been suggested by automotive enthusiasts that Ford should import the European-market Fiesta; besides being the right size, it’s a car that’s lauded for its driving dynamics and handsome looks. The next Fiesta will share its underpinnings with the Mazda2, which was shown to the world earlier this year at the Geneva auto show. When it arrives, the Fiesta will most likely be powered by a small, 1.6-liter inline-four producing somewhere in the vicinity of 105 to 110 horsepower.

We’re not entirely sure what the new Fiesta will look like, short of it being offered in three- and five-door hatchback body styles, but Ford of Europe’s design chief Martin Smith said that it will feature the Kinetic Design that can be observed in such products as the new Mondeo, the newFocus, plus the S-Max and Galaxy people movers. This means that the Fiesta will most certainly feature large, pointed headlamps, exaggerated wheel arches and a trapezoidal grille, rather than the “Red, White and Bold” all-American styling details featured on the Edge, Fusion, Flex and Taurus. However, Ford’s CEO Alan Mulally announced that the brand would be working towards a unified Ford design language that would be featured in all of Ford’s markets.

If this is to be the case, the 2006 Ford Reflex subcompact sports coupe concept (the one with the odd, rear-hinged gullwing doors) might hint at what the Fiesta would look like. Besides being based on the current Fiesta platform, it has the design language seen on European Fords, yet maintains the prominent North American style three-bar grille on the lower valance. It won’t be too long before we find out what the new Fiesta will look like, as the next generation should bow at this year’s Frankfurt auto show.