I’m bAAAAAaaaack!!!!
The Fiesta has made its glorious return to the shores of the US. Most Americans remember the Fiesta as the little car that crumpled like paper when a leaf hit it, and whose life span equated to the trip home from the dealer. Many Americans in fact, do not even remember the Fiesta.
The new baby ford comes with an 118-hp, 1.6-liter 4 cylinder engine. You can have either a 5 speed manual or 6 speed automated-manual dual clutch transmission. This is one of the first entry level cars to feature such a transmission, and it does help to increase fuel efficiency and performance. With a curb weight of only 2462 pounds, the new Fiesta is quick enough for an entry level super-compact taking 8.7 seconds to reach 60. Ford has estimated that fuel efficiency will be 40 highway and 30 city, which competes with many hybrid cars.
The new Fiesta is surprisingly comfortable inside. The Dashboard is laid out a bit like a Japanese robot face, but once inside, it seems fairly easy to figure out your way around. The base model comes with no CD player, but does include an aux-in port for mp3 players. The SE adds the CD player and tilt and telescoping steering wheel, and the SEL and SES trims come standard with the Ford SYNC infotainment system. The storage space in the Fiesta is a bit smaller than similar models like the Honda Fit, but still enough to get most in-city drivers what they need.
The base model 2011 Ford Fiesta starts at $13,320 MSRP, but you won’t get any special offers at a dealership right now. Dealers are selling these at a premium, not even entertaining offers below MSRP. A fully optioned SES will run you about $17,120. Is it worth the price? If you live in a big city where you need to squeeze into spots, you may opt for this baby in front of other similarly priced cars, such as the Mazda3. But it’s real place on American streets seems very limited. Unless young, hip, urban socialites take up the Fiest banner this may end up being a car with a lot of buzz and little bang in the long run.
