The Grover Wheel

This article was one I wrote for the Grove City College Collegian during the Spring 2011 semester.

This week I tested Ford’s newest small car: the 2011 Fiesta. The Fiesa is the first of Ford’s new European lineup to make its way across the pond. It replaces the Focus as Ford’s smallest American offering as the Focus will be moving more up-market as it too is soon to be replaced by a European offering.

As its name implies, the new Fiesta is a fun and funky car with distinctive styling inside and out. The exterior on the hatchback is particularly zesty. In addition to the hatchback, the Fiesta is also offered as a traditional sedan. Americans traditionally prefer sedans; and while the sedan’s exterior styling is toned down from the hatch, it still remains an attractive car.

The Fiesta’s wheels sit right at its corners, giving it the appearance of small size. Couple that with the Fiesta’s swoopy styling and oversized front fascia and it gives the appearance of a cheerful puppy. You almost expect it to bound up and start licking your face. But the driving dynamics show that this little car has been to obedience school.

There is only one engine level and suspension choice for the Fiesta, but both systems are excellent. The upside to this is one-party approach that entry-level models drive just as well as their more optioned-up cousins; a boon to those looking for cheap and cheerful.

There are two choices of transmission: a five-speed manual is standard, or buyers can spend another $1000 and opt for the six-speed automatic. The automatic is unique for this price range. It is a dual-clutch automatic; a transmission type usually reserved for much more expensive cars. I won’t bore you with the details, but the upshot of the dual-clutch transmission is lightning fast and smooth gear changes.

In fact, smooth is an excellent term to describe the new Fiesta’s driving experience. Make no mistake, the ride is tuned to be sporty and fun, but the way the result is delivered exudes European refinement.

The steering is wonderfully responsive, and yes: smooth. The suspension, while providing level cornering and good handling, remains composed over bumps without passing jarring shocks through the supportive seats.

Some of the puppy spirit of the Fiesta does show through in the engine. It is incredibly eager to rev and will happily sprint up to the 6000 RPM redline until the transmission or the traction control steps in.

The traction control—a feature I appreciated with the Fiesta’s 16in sport wheels on snowy back roads—steps lightly; it never slams in or is overly intrusive. It merely moves in like a good trainer and keeps the Fiesta’s eager engine in check with a gentle but firm nudge.

Overall, the Fiesta provides a fantastic drive for little money. Although the version I tested was over $19,000, most of the driving enjoyment can be had in the lower spec models; spending more money gains things like Ford’s SYNC voice command system and heated seats. The base, manual-transmission-equipped sedan starts at a little over $13,000 with prices for the top-spec hatchback reaching close to $20,000.

The Fiesta, then, is all things to all men. With more people looking to fuel efficient vehicles (the Fiesta gets in excess of 38mpg) without sacrificing quality or features, the Fiesta delivers in spades. For those just looking for a cheap, reliable, and fun small car the Fiesta offers that too.

We would like to thank Jerry Taylor Ford of Grove City for generously providing this week’s test vehicle.