Ford Fiesta First Drive

At the 2009 New York International Auto Show, Ford provided a couple of European-spec Fiesta subcompacts for the media to drive, and I took one out for a spin on the streets of Manhattan. Of all the foreign-spec cars I've driven as teasers of upcoming American products, this one was probably the closest to what we'll actually get here in the States, which makes it all the more maddening that the 2011 Ford Fiesta is still about a year away.

I drove a five-speed manual with a 1.6-liter four-cylinder, which is basically what we'll get in the U.S., along with a four-speed automatic. Even with the four adults we had in the car, there was enough low-rpm power to take off repeatedly in a patch of stop-and-go gridlock. It's certainly powerful enough for driving on the flatlands, but I'd have to drive a loaded Fiesta on hills to know what it's really made of.

Ford Fiesta Video

The Ford Fiesta has been a huge hit in Europe, where its small size and fuel efficiency have won it praise and, more importantly, sales. Now it’s on its way to the U.S. as soon as 2010, where Ford hopes to duplicate its European success. Cars.com’s Kelsey Mays had a chance to check out the Fiesta at the 2009 Chicago auto show, and he runs down what Ford will need to do to make the vehicle a hit.

2011 Ford Fiesta Up Close

Behind the big guns introduced in Chicago — the Taurus SHO and the Harley-Davidson F-150 — Ford parked a European version of its new Fiesta compact. The car is part of a program that will loan a handful of models to so-called cultural influencers — cool people — before it goes on sale in 2010. I poked around in it and, as a gut check, went across the showroom floor to revisit the competing Nissan Versa, Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris.

My early take: The Fiesta trades quantity for quality. The interior feels high-rent, but larger drivers take warning: It’s no gymnasium inside.

Ford to Give Away 100 Fiestas

Act quickly and you could get your hands on a Ford Fiesta before it even hits American shores…and you could get it for free.

As part of a marketing campaign, Ford will select 100 lucky individuals — regular people, mind you — to receive Fiestas and build hype around the small, fuel-efficient car that has done so well in Europe. But wait, there’s more: During the sixth-month period in which they get the car, those selected will not only get to drive a free Fiesta, but also enjoy free gas, insurance and concierge service.

Applicants must put together a 2-5 minute video explaining why they are worthy of a Fiesta. Fair warning: Once you have the car, Ford stipulates that you must be willing to participate in “monthly secret assignments from Ford Mission Control that will take you places you’ve never been.”

With only a hundred slots, the odds of getting one are thin, but go to the Fiesta website to learn how to sign up.

Ford Giving Away 100 Fiestas for Six Months (Autoblog)

2011 Ford Fiesta Available Features Released

Ford, in its apparent love of mini-sites, has launched a new 2011 Ford Fiesta webpage. Call it premature, but with Ford desperately proving its relevancy to Congress, displaying some of its future rides makes a lot of sense at the moment.

Along with a few pictures of the car — which Ford points out are of the 2009 European model — there’s also some information regarding available content.

Judging from the luxury-like features, it appears Ford will market the Fiesta as a premium subcompact competitor to the Honda Fit. However, always more important to car shoppers is the list of standard features, which Ford has not released. But note that the 2011 Fiesta will sport standard stability control when it goes on sale in 2010. That’s a couple years before it will be mandated by federal law.

Check out the features and more just-released images of the Fiesta sedan which will go on sale in the U.S. in early 2010.

What Ford Will Look Like in 2010

This morning Ford announced a rather large loss in the second quarter of 2008 — $8.7 billion. Because the company needs to reassure stockholders and Wall Street of its future, Ford has detailed its product plans for the next two years in rather explicit detail. It seems dire economic times have broken through the secretive process Detroit automakers have had in place for decades. Check out our in-depth look at what products Ford will field in the next two years from Europe and North America, and if they’ll be worth the wait. We detail future Lincoln and Mercury products in a separate post.

Diesel Ford Fiesta Gets 63 MPG

When the all-new Ford Fiesta comes to the United States in 2010, it most likely won’t come with a diesel engine at all. That’s too bad, because today Ford announced the UK version of the Fiesta with a 1.6-liter turbodiesel engine that will get a combined 63 mpg (converted from 76.3 imperial mpg) in both two- and four-door hatchback versions.

Ford is calling the diesel Fiesta the cleanest car in England, producing just 98 grams of CO2 per kilometer driven. One figure we’ve seen says the average in Europe is 160 grams of CO2 per kilometer driven, with a voluntary industry standard of 140 grams per kilometer set for 2008, which doesn’t seem to have been met. Obviously, the bigger the vehicle the more emissions it will have.

We wrote about the possible gasoline engine intended for the U.S. Fiesta getting 38.9 mpg. Today’s figures make that number seem paltry in comparison.

More Fiesta News (KickingTires)

Fresh Ford Fiesta Photos

Ford released a bevy of new photos of its Fiesta compact car today, which will go on sale in Europe this fall. The U.S. version has not been officially released, but we’d expect it to look similar to the one shown in the photos here, with, of course, the addition of a sedan body style as well.

With so much interest in the Fiesta, we decided the photo gallery below would be welcome. 

More Fiesta News

Ford Fiesta Will Get 38.9 mpg Combined

Ford recently released information on the gasoline engine that will power its new Fiesta compact car in Europe. While Europeans will get the choice of a number of diesel options, the only gasoline powered model will be a four-cylinder able to hit 118 mph, do 0-62 mph in 9.9 seconds and get a combined mileage of 38.9 mpg, far better than any non-hybrid on sale in the U.S.

These are impressive numbers to be sure. What’s not impressive is the Fiesta goes on sale in Europe this October, but won’t hit the states for another full year, fall 2009. We also don’t know if the same impressive gasoline engine will be available in the U.S. version. If you want to tell Ford this is the engine you want, chime in below.

More Ford Fiesta News

Ford Adds Hatchback Fiesta to U.S. Launch

Today, Ford announced it will build the upcoming Ford Fiesta at its Mexican assembly plant. The bigger news is that along with a small sedan, Ford will also build a two-door hatchback version of the Fiesta for North America in 2010. When the Fiesta launches, buyers will be able to choose between the hatch or the sedan.

What’s being phased out of the assembly plant to make room for the new Fiesta? The F-Series pickup. The F-Series will still be produced at a number of U.S. plants, but this is an illustration of how the company is shifting production to match new demand for small, fuel-efficient cars versus trucks and SUVs. But will 2010 be too late for another small Ford car to hit the market?

Check out our previous coverage of the Fiesta for more photos and information.