2011 Ford Fiesta: Get Your Party On.

Model Tested: 2011 Ford Fiesta 4-door Sedan

Competition in its class: Mazda MAZDA2, Nissan Versa S, Chevrolet AVEO5 LT, Hyundai Accent

How much?  MSRP starting at $16,099.00 for the 4-door SE Sedan

First impression was, “Aw, cute little car!” Yes, that’s a typical reaction from me when it comes to cars. Cute! Sweet! Beautiful! At one time or another I’ve used all of those words to describe a car. Drives my husband INSANE. The Fiesta is a sporty looking compact car that offers a lot more than one may assume at first glance. This baby came well equipped with power windows and door locks, remote keyless
entry. Which I can’t live without anymore: totally spoiled. Everyone
deserves a little less “you-lock” and a little more power.

Despite the small-ish appearance of the backseat, the Fiesta is fully capable of holding two full-size (read: MASSIVE) car seats. This car is really a great option as a commuter car, even if you have a couple of kids to tote around. Though the 5-year-old was a little miffed by the fact his cup holder had to be removed from the side of his seat, he quickly moved on when he noticed the colourful ambient lighting coming from beneath the seat in front of him. Ya. You can CHANGE THE COLOUR OF THE INTERIOR LIGHT! Seriously. Red, pink,
blue, white… you can choose any colour to suit your style, mood,
whatever. Sure it may be irrelevant, but it was an unexpected but fun and quirky perk. 

With great lines, fun colours, this car is eye-catchingly trendy. This sporty “mini-car” comes standard with seven airbags (including an air bag at the driver’s knee airbag to reduce lower limb injuries in the event of a head-on collision), hill-start assist (helps prevent the car from rolling backwards or forwards, kicks in automatically on a slope), and Ford’s AdvanceTrac® with ESC (electronic stability control).

The front bucket seats are pretty comfortable. On a semi-long trip (sitting in traffic) I was still quite comfortable and didn’t find myself shifting in my seat trying to find a good position as I normally do.
Every drive was pretty comfortable and relaxed. The kids (mostly the 5-year-old) complained about the lack of foot room in the back seat, but keep in mind: this is a compact car. I also had two grown adults in the backseat, on a separate occasion, and they never complained once. Go figure.

I was completely won over by the Sync hook-up and Sirius satellite radio. Oh, Howard (Stern), I have missed you so. The Fiesta includes all three modes of hook-up for us tech savvy people: auxiliary plugin, USB and a standard 12V power source. Though I wasn’t able to get the Sync to work (I know! So tech savvy, right?) I was able to work the Sirius satellite radio which, hello? FUN!
 
But can you fit anything in the trunk?

Trunk storage was pretty great. We didn’t try loading a full-sized stroller or anything, but two suitcases, some Halloween candy and costumes where in there with tons of room to spare. As for interior, there’s the standard glove compartment and a couple little crevasses up front for some smaller items. And cup holders: this little Fiesta has 5 of them – three in the middle console, one in each front door, and one in the rear. I can never have enough cup holders.    

The Fiesta packs a pretty good punch be it city or highway driving. It’s peppy and quick while navigating the city traffic. I was a little surprised by the cabin noise upon acceleration: it was pretty loud, which I attributed to the fact the car revs pretty high. It was a little unsettling at first when I realized the RPM (revolutions per minute) where exceeding 3500; I felt as though I was driving a manual transmission and had forgotten to shift.

Parking this baby is a dream thanks to the electronic power assisted steering. Downtown lots can be a bit of a challenge, but the Fiesta is so easy when it comes to maneuvering.

A couple of things you notice right away: the instrument panel has red lighting – which apparently preserves night vision capabilities, and there is no gas cap. The Fiesta has the Easy FuelTM capless fuel filler system which is fantastic for those of us who may have a tendency to forget the gas cap (not me, totally my husband, I swear).

Overall? It’s a pretty peppy ride. I’m not a fan of the high acceleration, but it’s great for urban driving.

Head over and see what Sarah had to say when she drove the Fiesta earlier this year!

Image source – gearlog.com