mmarshall

There's been a lot of hype in the auto press about the new 2011 Ford Fiesta, and I've gotten a number of full-review requests from interested people, both on and off CL. There has been a slight delay, the last coupe of months, in the American-market introduction date. Originally, it was coming in April, and they did get a few last month at some dealerships in MD/VA that were not close by. Now, finally, they are now, just beginning, to start to show up at local-area Ford shops. I did an Internet new-car-search this morning, and one was located just a couple of miles from my house, at a very large Ford dealership (one of the largest on the East Coast), but didn't give the details. Still, I decided to go take a look at it, as I myself, for my own curiosity, wanted to see it, too. It turned out to be a top-of-the-line SES sedan, with automatic, black-metallic paint and the optional black-leather/pin-striped seats. However, though I looked it over, inside and out, and took notes, I decided not to do a full-review on it right now, for two reasons. First, this was a top-zoot leather sedan model that listed for over 20K, and was (probably) not characteristic of the way that most buyers would be interested in (or buy) the Fiesta. As I see it, most (or at least a majority of buyers), would probably want a less-expensive, cloth-seat hatchback....and no hatchbacks were available close by. Second, a few other people also stopped by just to take a look...but then immediately walked on. Then, I had the car to myself, for maybe about 15-20 minutes, to look it over throughly, inside and out, and take some notes. Then, however, a young woman, who (apparantly), had just graduated, came up with two of her male friends (and a female Ford saleslady)...they seemed to be seriously interested in it, and the girl said she would maybe like it as a graduation present (maybe she had rich parents?) . So, between me and the saleslady, we spent the next 20 minutes or so just pointing out features to them and answering questions (I had gotten familiar with the car myself). They had heard of Club Lexus, and were thrilled to find out that I was a member and did car reviews in the forum. Out of earshot of the saleslady, though, I quietly pointed out two things to the girl.......First, that this was an expensive version of the Fiesta, with black leather inside, that would likely be hotter than hell out in the sun. Second, that less-expensive Fiesta hatchbacks, with cloth seats, were on the way...in some BRIGHT colors, too, like yellow, pink/purple-magenta, bright red, lime-green, electric-blue, etc..... But she seemed to be falling in love with it, and said she wanted an upmarket version with leather seats, so who was I to try and talk her out of it?..........it's her car. So, for that reason also, I decided not to test-drive it, as I was obviously not going to buy it myself that day and she apparantly wanted it, and I would feel terrible if anything happened to it on the test-drive, even though my own insurance would probably cover it. So, I shook hands with her and her friends, wished them luck, told the saleslady I might be back when they had a hatchback, and left....last I saw, they all packed into it and headed out on a test-drive.

I still plan, per CL/non-CL request alike, to do a full-review on a cheaper hatchback model (as I think most people will want the car that way), but, in the meantime, will share the first-impressions I found today.


EXTERIOR

While, of course, I had only the black color to look at and no other paint colors to compare them to, the black-metallic paintwork and exterior chrome on this car was absolutely stunning; arguably the best I've ever seen on a subcompact. It approaches, if not equals, Lexus-grade levels of paint/trim work....I'm not exaggerating. And black, of course, is a hard color to get right....every imperfection shows. The outside mirror housings were well-done and has integrated turn-signals. The sheet metal/doors were solid but didn't close with a particularly solid sound or feel.



UNDERHOOD

A cheap prop-rod instead of struts (but, of course, this is an inexpensive car). A nice underhood insulation pad. Good underhood layout, with no plastic-covers, easy engine/battery access and room to work.



INTERIOR

OK for a subcompact, but not as impressive as the exterior. Mostly black, hard-plastic trim, with some fairly-nice painted silver-metallic trim pieces here and there, and thin-padded areas on the door-panels for elbow-rests. The seats, of course, were upmarket, with nice black/pinstriped leather. Gauges were simple and easy to read. Generally simple/easy-to-use controls.....but I didn't try out the more-complex Sync buttons. I didn't like the looks/pattern of the complex silver center-dash unit. I didn't try the stereo, which was integrated with Ford's Sync-system (I will, of course, on the upcoming full-review). The sedan's back seat seriously lacked leg/foot room and headroom for adults, especially with the front seat adjusted back...consider it mostly for children. (we'll see if the hatchback's is any better). One feature inside I liked (rare for this class, and limited only to the top-end Fiesta SES model) is the engine START/STOP button. And Plum (purplish) leather seats, with striping, is also an opition.....quite rare in ANY vehicle class.



CARGO AREA/TRUNK

A very small trunk-lid opening, due to the car's rear-body styling....but the trunk's actual space isn't that bad. Decent-looking/feeling black carpet on the floor.....hard-plastic walls. Rear seats fold down for more space, but not with remote-buttons. The usual (and not surprising in this class) temporary-spare tire under the floor.






Well, guys....that's my first-impression of the car, in sedan form. I'll give you a lot more details, of course, in my full-review coming up...which, I hope, can be done on a less-expensive hatchback version.


As always, Happy Car-shopping.

MM

Big Andy

How to ruin an attractive hatchback design by nailing a godawful trunk on the back end..

mmarshall

By sub-compact sedan standards, the trunk isn't actually that small inside, but the design of the rear-roof and body forces a quite small, awkward trunk-lid opening.

-J-P-L-

Thanks for the preview mmarshall.

This is perhaps the most anticipated sub-compact car in history.


You have a point. Unfortunately, the sedan's proportions in the back half of the car are awkward. The rare end just jets upward too much leaving an odd amount of surface area above the rear wheels. The C-pillar also extends too far back leaving a joke of a deck lid. Also not a fan of the taillights. Just a bit too generic.



The awkward angle...



The front 3/4 view is the better angle.



I have a feeling it looks better in person when standing over it.

mmarshall

Sure...Anytime. I'll do the full-review ASAP, whenever there is an available unsold hatchback....preferably a lower-line S or SE model.

In modern times, I'd probably agree. The hype on this car has been unbelievable. TV ads have been running in my area for weeks....long before the cars started arriving.

There was also a lot of hype, though, for the Dodge Omni/Plymouth Horizon sub-compacts back in 1978, America's first FWD sub-compacts.......and then they immediately flunked Consumer Reports' handling tests and were rated Not Acceptable.

The new VW Beetle, though you maybe (?) could call it a compact, rather than a subcompact, also brought an enormous amount of hype, when it was introduced in 1998.



Correct. It's nice up front, but this car just doesn't seem to function well, behind the front seat, as a sedan. Part of it, of course, is just the car's small size, and wouldn't make any difference anyway (we'll see how the hatchback compares), but the sedan's back seat room and the trunk lid-opening, as you note, are severely compromised by the rear-styling. Inside, however, as I stated above, the trunk size itself is not bad, considering the small size of the opening.




The first thing you will (probably) notice, when you stand over this car in person, is the superb exterior fit/finish, particularly in this high-chrome SES version. The interior, in contrast, is not the worst I've seen, but, IMO, is not anything out of the ordinary for an entry-level subcompact, exept for the leather-seat options.

CDNROCKIES

Solid as usual Mike.

This car is getting a fair amount of love from several of the forums you wouldn't expect. Another positive step from Ford.

C. McHale

More or less echoes my thoughts of this car when I saw it at the Chicago Auto Show (and they did have a model open to sit in). Really nice looking exterior, very well done by Ford, and with excellent paint schemes available.

The interior...not so much, especially considering all the hype and praise I've seen. If I weren't a snob now when it came to interiors, I would probably consider this car. The VW Golf has a much more upscale and premium-feeling interior...although it does cost significantly more too.

mmarshall

Thanks.

Yeah, the hype this car is getting just might turn it into another New Beetle.....or a cult car.

mmarshall

As I first stated, you could compare the exterior fit/finish, at least on the black SES I looked at, to many Lexus products. And that is one of the few areas, IMO, that Ford products have been a little deficient in for years, improving only very recently.

I agree on the general interior quality, which is about average for an entry-level cubcompact (mostly hard-plastic), but the Golf, to my knowledge, doesn't have a striped-leather seat option, and especially a Plum-colored one, like the Fiesta does.

ecr527

Great preview. I can't wait to read about the full review. With all the hype this car has generated, and limited quantities available, have the dealers been keeping the prices in check, or are they marked up the ying yang? If I recall correctly, Chrysler dealerships marked the prices waay up when the PT Cruiser first hit the market.

As far as the tail lights go, I think the ones in the first pics look better all red. It looks too busy with the amber signals.

-J-P-L-

Hard to say since it's barely out yet. Some areas have obviously gotten one but many areas still haven't received their first Fiesta including the Northeast where I am.

I doubt they'll be markups but you can bet no one is getting early discounts until production/inventory starts to pile up.

mmarshall

Thanks.


Yes, the PT Cruiser brought big mark-ups. So did the 2-seat Thunderbird. So did the new Beetle. So did the Nissan 350Z. So do most interesting new vehicles with a lot of hype. However, though it's hard to tell with the Fiesta from just one sample, the black SES sedan I looked at did not have a second-sticker on it, nor did the salespeople themselves mention a specific markup when I asked if there was one. They WERE, however, marking up Shelby Mustangs substantially....you weren't about to get a deal on those.

I left the place yesterday, though, when that young girl and her friends went on the test-drive. She obviously liked the car, but was mentioning it as a possible graduation present. In that case, maybe her parents (?) did the negotiating.....and the selling price would have been none of my buisness.

mmarshall

I don't know this for a fact, but I'd bet that, as is often the case, SoCal got the very first ones. We got a few in the Mid-Atlantic area (VA, MD) a couple of weeks ago, but they were in relatively far-off, outlying dealerships that were impractical to drive to for just one review. Yesterday was the first day I found any in my local area (D.C. Metro). The shop I was at said they had already gotten a pre-sold hatchback that was no longer on the list.

Just hold on a few more days, -J-P-L-. You should start to see some up there pretty soon....though the first ones might be already pre-sold. This website might help:

http://everycarlisted.com

I8ABMR

another home run review fro mmarshall. Thanks a lot buddy. Although I think the car is great I think the styling is a bit awkward . Then again many of the cars in this segment looks a bit different

mmarshall

Thanks, Friend, but this one was only half a review......somewhere between first and second base. The full-review (home run) will come when an unsold hatchback becomes available.......preferably a lower-line model. That's the way I think most people are going to want to buy this car. I could be wrong, though.....Americans have traditionally preferred sedans for most classes , but do sometimes chose hatchbacks for entry-level subcompacts.