After teasing us for years with all the sweet cars it sells in Europe — Focus RS, anyone? — Ford is finally bringing some of them to America. First up is the
The Euro-designed and developed Fiesta is Ford’s big push into small cars, an increasingly competitive arena long dominated by Toyota and Honda. You’ve gotta pack a lot of value into a well-engineered car to excel in this segment, and Ford largely succeeds. The Fiesta is a comfortable, competent subcompact that is supremely practical and, ultimately, hard not to like.
With those sharp angles, the steeply raked windshield and aquiline headlamps that make it look like the car is glaring at you, the Fiesta has a definite Euro look. Ford calls it “kinetic design,” and it works better on the Fiesta hatchback than the sedan we drove. We weren’t keen on the sedan’s look at first, but it grew on us. That said, the lime squeeze metallic paint (really, that’s what they call it) is louder than a Motorhead concert.
Authors: Chuck Squatriglia