Article Comments - 2009 Ford Fiesta First Drive and Full Test

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

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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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#6 of 91 Re: you just know (nippononly) by hpmctorque Aug 27, 2008 (12:39 am)
"Turning hatches into sedans NEVER works." How about the Jetta? It sells in much larger numbers in the U.S. than the Golf, from which it was derived? I like hatchbacks, and appreciate their practicality and packaging efficiency, as you seem to, but for whatever reason most Americans prefer sedans. I presume the main reason more engine choices have not been made available in the past, and multiple variations (Euro plus non-Euro) of a model, has been the costs associated with too much market segmentation. Maybe the fact that the industry now believes that high fuel will remain high, unlike in the past, will prompt at least some of the changes you suggested. Take the Yaris, for example. As you know, the 4-door Yaris was sold as a sedan in the U.S. For '09 it will also be available as a hatchback. This is due to the higher demand for small cars, resulting from higher gasoline prices. When gasoline prices were low Americans prefered large vehicles, which is why you had a lot of market segmentation in large vehicles, but fewer choices in small ones. You and I are the exception. We valued economical, nimble, fun-to-drive cars even before gas prices rose, whereas most Americans assigned a higher priority to space and comfort, power, and the safety of large vehicles. I believe the domestic manufacturers are responding to the changes in the marketplace. The enormous challenge they face, however, is preserving their limited cash resources while they wait for demand to increase. Replies to this message: nippononly (Aug 27, 2008 5:07 pm)
#7 of 91 $24,000 by guss Aug 27, 2008 (7:43 am)
Are you kidding me, they will need to decontent it by half to get it to the point Americans will but it. Don't get me wrong I believe it is a great looking car, but America buys their cars by the pound and for $24k most people would go for the larger Fusion. Even with higher gas prices I think it will be a tough sell even if the quality is higher. If we ever get the new Focus , which I presume is going to be much more expensive, the Fiesta will need to start at below $15k to even have a chance. By then all the features that make it unique will be gone and all we will end up with is the Fiesta of old. Replies to this message: claudius753 (Sep 03, 2008 6:07 pm)
#8 of 91 rear headrests by vvk Aug 27, 2008 (9:39 am)
Who wants to bet that everything that makes Fiesta an outstanding European car will be stripped off to "match American consumer taste," including rear headrests?
#9 of 91 Re: you just know (nippononly) [hpmctorque] by nippononly Aug 27, 2008 (5:07 pm)
Replying to: hpmctorque (Aug 27, 2008 12:39 am) How about the Jetta? It sells in much larger numbers in the U.S. than the Golf, from which it was derived? Well, if asked to choose between Jetta and Golf/Rabbit based solely on styling, I would pick Golf in a heartbeat. But I should clarify my remark a bit: there are models where the sedan and the hatchback were both styled independently from the ground up to be what they became. The Yaris is just such a model - the sedan and the hatch were designed by two different teams - and as a result both look like they were designed to look as they do INTENTIONALLY, not as an afterthought. I believe the Jetta/Bora is another - styled independently from the Golf. The problem occurs when a car sold only as a hatchback elsewhere is "converted" after the fact to be a sedan for American consumption - they hack off the hatch, glue on a trunk, and call the job complete. Ugh, is all I can say to all the models like that I have seen. Is Versa such a model? It rather looks like it is. That is what I am afraid they will do for the Fiesta, as to my knowledge it is not sold as a sedan anywhere else. And as we know (since it is already on sale in Europe), the design of the new Fiesta is complete.
#10 of 91 Call me crazy . . . by mattandi Aug 28, 2008 (6:00 am)
but the five door hatch version is a great looking little car. I would think that it would compete well against many of the other small wagons available in the U.S., even some that are slightly larger (think Fit, Vibe, etc.). It may suffer some decontent, but if it can come in topping out around 20k or a bit more that seems a reasonable target. If Ford can leverage this global concept, they should be able to get costs down without stripping away too much content. I am with nippon in that it would be nice to see an unmolested, fully European model hit the U.S. market though, even if only as an optioned version. My suggestions would target marketing mostly. Don't compete on price, market the car. (recent insanity has shown U.S. buyers have some tolerance for premium prices on small cars) Bring over the hatch version, but call it anything other than a hatch. I'm not sure I buy into the "Americans don't like hatchbacks" thinking anyway. Bring over the smaller engines and the diesel, and then market the utility and fuel economy. Buck the "more HP is better" trend. Take a page out of Hyundai's marketing book, and take direct aim at competitors, even some that at first seem silly. Of prime importance, do not under any circumstances compromise quality to reach some cost target. Ford's quality improvements are just beginning to get noticed. Any move away from that would be suicide. Replies to this message: kirstie_h (Aug 28, 2008 11:28 am) mattandi (Aug 29, 2008 8:40 am)
#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.