Ford's 2011 Fiesta: Moving in the Right Direction Across the Atlantic

For years, actually for
over a decade, I have
argued that Ford should
bring its European offer-
ings to the U.S. There
is no denying that the
auto maker has recently
given the U.S. market
some better vehicles -
Ford Fusion Hybrid,
Taurus SHO, and the
F-150 truck.

Finally, Ford is starting to bring its European offerings to the U.S. starting
with the 2011 Ford Fiesta. Production of the car began in early 2010 at
a plant located in Cuautitlan, Mexico.

With a length of 155.5 inches, the Fiesta will be a subcompact competing
with the likes of the Honda Fit. Compared to the Fit, the Fiesta is 6.1 inches
shorter and its rear seat does not fold completely flat. Thus, it does not do as
good a job carrying cargo as the Fit.

However, as driving is not just about carrying cargo, the Fiesta trumps
the Fit on the fun factor when driving a winding road. A European test
model was driven and it had a high rpm of 3500 at freeway speeds. Ford
says that the Fiesta's fuel economy will better the Fit and Yaris' and be
close to 40 mpg on the highway. Thus, the U.S. Fiesta will be geared
lower and have a more reasonable and quiet highway rpm.

The Fiesta will be offered here as a sedan (unique to the North American
market) or a five-door hatch. The engine will be a 1.6-liter in-line four
cylinder making 118 hp mated to a five-speed manual or a four-speed
automatic transmission. At 2462 pounds, the Fiesta will motor to 60 in
8.7 seconds.

The U.S. Fiesta will have excellent steering feel and a rock solid chassis.
It will retain the same suspension and tuning as the European car. Thus,
it will have good handing with a skidpad number of .84 g. Furthermore,
the car will have the ability to handle rough pavement and its ride quality
will compare favorably to many luxury vehicles.

U.S. safety regulations dictate that it will have different side mirrors
and small modifications to the bumpers. Otherwise, it should be the
European real deal!

The Fiesta's estimated base price will be about $14,000 and it will
come with leather, heated seats and climate control for about $18,000.
Expect a fully loaded Fiesta to top out at $23,000.

The 2011 European Fiesta is finally, finally, worth test-driving
and even buying.

Ford, bring em all over and the sooner the better!

Have an auto question or comment? You can email it to me at
Kbusch3@verizon.net. Kyle Busch is the author of "Drive the Best
for the Price..." www.DriveTheBestBook.com.