Test Drive review: Ford's new Fiesta has Honda Fit beat
May 6th, 10
SAN FRANCISCO — Ford has hit the mark pretty squarely with its Americanized Euro-market Fiesta subcompact due on sale here this summer as a 2011 model. Fiesta — along with the Euro-based Focus compact due next year — represents Ford's two-pronged assault on the small-car arena that's been owned by Honda and Toyota. In the case of the Fiesta, the car got significant refinements in its size- and price-class, resulting in a machine that's genteel on the road and, Ford claims, quieter even than cars a size class and a lot of dollars up the scale.
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SAN FRANCISCO — Ford has hit the mark pretty
squarely with its Americanized Euro-market Fiesta subcompact due on
sale here this summer as a 2011 model.
Fiesta — along with the Euro-based Focus compact due next year — represents Ford's two-pronged assault on the small-car arena that's been owned by Honda and Toyota. In the case of the Fiesta, the car got significant refinements in its size- and price-class, resulting in a machine that's genteel on the road and, Ford claims, quieter even than cars a size class and a lot of dollars up the scale.
PHOTOS: More views of the Ford Fiesta
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Two test cars were driven in the city and on freeways and rural two-lanes. One was a midline $16,920 SE hatchback with five-speed manual and the standard 15-inch wheels and tires. The other was a $20,675 SES hatchback with six-speed automatic, heated leather seats, 16-inch wheels and lower-profile tires. What was sweet •The ride was composed, neither harsh nor sloppy, with sure-footed handling that imparted confidence on the many snaky lanes Ford selected as a test route. You might suspect the base 15-inch wheels and tires would underperform. But they performed with more than sufficient crispness and precision, at least for most people most of the time. •Electric-assist power steering, instead of the normal hydraulic-assist, delivered a nicely centered feel that was responsive without being twitchy. As many automakers have shown, it's tough to correctly program electric steering. Electric assist is desirable because it improves fuel economy by eliminating the drag of a hydraulic pump spun by the engine via a belt. The engine still spins the alternator fast enough to charge an electric assist, but automakers have found that doesn't add much load. •Interior noise was minimal. Testing with a decibel meter likely would find it sets a new standard for the class vs. Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris, Nissan Versa and other contenders. Ford claims it's quiet enough to best cars a size bigger, which usually get more refinement goodies because they cost more and buyers expect more. •The four-cylinder avoided the dentist-drill drone and ruckus that abound as automakers rush to downsize to more fours without proper concern for their sound and feel. •The five-speed manual shifted easily, precisely. Not the best (Honda?), but good enough that you won't gripe. It's abetted by a light-feel clutch that engaged firmly. What was sour •The six-speed automatic. It should have been a high point but wasn't. It's Ford's take on the dual-clutch, automatically operated manuals that will become common because they use less fuel than older automatics with fluid-filled torque converters. The new style is truly like a manual, but electronics do the shifting. No clutch pedal provided or needed. Ford argues that it should get dispensation, even from criticism, for offering this new-style, fuel-saving automatic in such a small and relatively inexpensive car. Not exactly. If you put one in the car, make it as good as they get. It's not. Some automakers —Volkswagen for one — make their "manu-matics" sporting devices. They shift in snappy fashion in automatic mode, and they have manual modes that let the driver work the gears with panache unlikely using a clutch pedal. Not so Fiesta. It seemed tuned more for mileage than fun. Downshifts often were reluctant. Without an automatic's torque converter, it was sluggish off the mark. The former could be fixed by software changes, but easier access to lower gears would lower the fuel rating. The latter could be remedied by changing some gear ratios, but that, too, could erode the 30 mpg city and 40 mpg highway mileage target that Ford cherishes. Compounding those disappointments, Fiesta's automatic has no manual-shift mode. Customers don't want it, Ford says, and it would add to the price. C'mon, guys. Get over it. Give us a manual mode, act like you meant it all along, declare victory and move on. A Fiesta sport version, coming at some point down the road, might have a manu-matic with manual mode. Also diluting the sweetness: •Skinny characters in the trip computer are nearly unreadable. It's a small gauge face to begin with, tucked between big dials on the dashboard. The typeface adds to the challenge. Ford says a new font is in the works. •The 16-inch wheels and low-profile tires. Should have provided better handling than the 15s, but you couldn't tell for all the jiggling and jostling the car did with the short-sidewall tires. For all but the flat-out driver, it's hard to imagine the sacrifice in ride comfort is worth any handling gains. •Tight back seat. Not uncommon in subcompacts, but others do better on legroom. Ford's rationale goes something like this: Fiesta's price undercuts the Fit, arguably the benchmark among U.S.-market subcompacts, by $1,605 for the base version, and the Ford gives you stability control that costs extra on the Honda. Fiesta also wins on fuel economy, interior noise levels, general refinement. But Fit's folding back seat and interior space give it the nod for handy roominess. Bottom line We hate indecision as much as the next guy, so we'll just take the leap. Fiesta's the best subcompact car you (soon) can buy in the U.S. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
