Article Comments - 2009 Ford Fiesta First Drive and Full Test

91 messages, Last post on Nov 20, 2009 at 12:28 PM

You are in the Ford Fiesta Forum. Your Host is pf_flyer

What is this discussion about? Ford Fiesta, Future Vehicle, Hatchback

First Drive: 2009 Ford Fiesta - First Impressions: Small European cars haven't made much of an impression in America before, but the Fiesta might be different.(more)

2009 Ford Fiesta Titanium Full Test and Video - Bottom Line: We're crossing our fingers (and toes) that Ford doesn't stray too far from this winning combination of style, performance and efficiency when the 2011 Ford Fiesta finally arrives in 2010. (more)

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#12 of 91 Re: Call me crazy . . . [mattandi] by kirstie_h HOST Aug 28, 2008 (11:28 am)
Replying to: mattandi (Aug 28, 2008 6:00 am) I'm in the nuthouse with you - I kinda dig this car. Replies to this message: mattandi (Aug 29, 2008 8:40 am)
#13 of 91 You are not crazy by dodol1 Aug 28, 2008 (7:54 pm)
Yes the 5 door hatch looks great Ford need to bring it to USA ASAP don't wait any longer before the competitor start recovering by introducing better models get here and grab back some market.
#14 of 91 Re: Call me crazy . . . [kirstie_h] by mattandi Aug 29, 2008 (8:40 am)
Replying to: kirstie_h (Aug 28, 2008 11:28 am) Whew, I feel much better now. Seriously, I have been pleased with the 5 door small wagons that have been offered in recent years. I used to have a '94 Civic hatch, and it remains one of my favorite cars. 3 doors just didn't cut it once kids came along. 5 doors offer much more utility for small families, and everyone for that matter. Disregarding variances in size, this includes the Fit, Vibe, Rio, Mazdaspeed Mazda3, and a host of others. Obviously they have their strengths and weaknesses, but they're all decent little cars. Frankly though, exterior styling has left me a little flat for the most part. This Fiesta catches my eye though. I like the styling a tick or two more. It has just a bit more sizzle to me. So, there's another marketing point. Sell the style. Of course that presents a dilemma. It looks quick, and if it looks quick, we are going to want it to be quick. Those little engines don't have a whole lot of get-up-n-go in them. Then again that '94 Civic wasn't a road burner, but it was still fun to drive.
#15 of 91 Why not now? by scott92530 Sep 02, 2008 (2:51 pm)
Why can't Ford get this car to the US now? I've had a Fiesta, great car for it's time, and a Festiva, a real econobox then, and now have a '05 Roush Stage 1 Focus zx5 -- looks sexy but still a Focus under the skin. Each car has been a good combination of features for its generation. The new Fiesta would be an excellent partner to the new Focus, since the hatchback was dropped in '08. Ford needs to get their act together here in the US if they expect to reverse their slipping marketshare.
#16 of 91 The catch. . . by stephen987 Sep 03, 2008 (6:29 am)
Engines. That's gonna be the catch. Offer both a 1.6 gasser and the top diesel, sell the thing at Fit prices, and then find a way to move the Focus upmarket (i.e., replace it with a version of the Euro platform). Then there'll be no apologies needed.
#17 of 91 Why not now? (scott92530) by hpmctorque Sep 03, 2008 (5:52 pm)
You mentioned Festivas. Although the late '70s-'80?? Fiestas that Ford imported were more fun to drive than the more recent Festivas, I occasionally still see one on the road. I saw one yesterday, in fact. Those cars defined econobox, but they were surprisingly durable. Like the Geo metro, I understand that some Festivas racked up hundreds of thousands of miles. I hope the 2010 Fiesta will be as durable as the Festiva. Replies to this message: nippononly (Sep 03, 2008 7:58 pm)
#18 of 91 Re: $24,000 [guss] by claudius753 Sep 03, 2008 (6:07 pm)
Replying to: guss (Aug 27, 2008 7:43 am) You can't do a comparison on cost by simply converting gbp to usd! I don't know why articles about cars coming from the UK always say how pricey the vehicle would be if sold in the US. As an example, the base price on a Civic with the 1.8l engine in the UK, converted to USD is nearly $27,000. A Fit (Jazz in the UK) with the 1.4l (smaller than our engine) can cost $23,600 if you converted the price to USD. A Yaris with a 1.3liter engine (no 1.5l offered in the UK) is $20,500. A Vauxhall Astra (Saturn Astra here) would be $25,000. You have to take into account differences in taxes such as VAT that is included in the price, and the cost of labor. Ford should have no problem building this car in Mexico and selling it here starting in the $15,000 range. I really like this car, but if the euro Focus comes here as well, I may opt for the slightly larger vehicle. My 07 Mazda 3 still have a few years of enjoyment left in it anyway.
#19 of 91 Re: Why not now? (scott92530) [hpmctorque] by nippononly Sep 03, 2008 (7:58 pm)
Replying to: hpmctorque (Sep 03, 2008 5:52 pm) I'm thinking back...weren't Festivas actually built by Kia or something? So the durability wasn't necessarily attributable to Ford. But I also hope that the Fiesta is durable, and that they offer a wide range of trims that include one or two close to European spec. And that they then use the Fiesta as a springboard to improve all their North American cars, starting with the Focus.
#20 of 91 Re: Why not now? (scott92530) (nippononly) by hpmctorque Sep 04, 2008 (1:59 pm)
"... weren't Festivas actually built by Kia...?" I believe that's right. The Ford Festiva was a essentially a rebadged Mazda (2 maybe?). The only thing that disappointed me about the report was the description of the steering feel with the electric power steering, since steering feel is a strong attribute of the U.S. Focus and European Fords. Ford isn't unique on this, however, since steering feel of the the '09 Acura TSX and TL has been criticized too. Acura also converted to electric power steering.