On one hand it was our goal to be one of the first to post our official driving impression of the 2011 Ford Fiesta, but we decided to hold off to see what the other media folks out there were saying about the car. As expected, it really wasn’t a mixed bag. Most of the media expressed similar opinions, from how fun the car is to drive, to how technologically advanced it is. And we agree…all of which are great attributes. On the other hand, we really held off to wait and see what Ford’s sales looked like for the first quarter of 2010…because the numbers won’t lie. Today, Ford announced its first quarter profit is at 2.1 billion. That’s correct, billion with a b! Once again, Ford is proving to the world they can build great cars that consumers want to buy.  So, before we get to the Fiesta, let’s focus on the Fiesta’s parents – Ford Motor Company. The launch of Fiesta symbolizes the re-launch of Ford from both a design and performance standpoint. The bold new “compact flagship” firmly supplants Ford again as a uniquely different automaker. Ford is continuing to launch vehicles for today’s multi-dimensional buyer. From the Flex and the F-Series, to the Fusion Hybrid and the Fiesta, Ford’s simply bringing more appealing vehicles to market than their competition. Many of these accolades can be attributed to Alan Mulally and his youth-inspired staff that includes Mark Fields and Jim Farley. Whatever recipe Mulally’s cooking up over there it’s working. Fun to drive? Now, on to the Fiesta. Based on the initial data and more than 6,000 pre-orders, it is a safe bet that the all-new Fiesta will begin selling in comparison to the iPad when it first launched and may likely result in a slight delay for eager consumers. That is how strongly we feel about this vehicle and the impression it will have on consumers, but now let’s get down to the experience. As we quickly ascended from sea level in San Francisco to the top of Skyline Blvd., we were puzzled at why Ford would have us test the car in such an intimidating locale. These weren’t foothills, they were aggressive mountain roads and pushing the 1.6-liter motor up these hills proved to be a challenge – or did it? Truth be told, the driving course was designed to showcase the fact that this little car that could—really could. We whipped the Fiesta through the back hills like we were driving a Mustang. The suspension proved to be tight and the 15-inch wheel package had no problem sticking to the pavement. Switching between cars so we could experience the manual and the automatic was equally enjoyable. On hilly roads, you expect to lose a little performance from the automatic transmission, but we were very impressed as both transmissions reacted similarly which is a rarity for this segment. One standout feature was the lack of road noise. During our drive the weather was less than perfect for testing. In fact, the temperature hovered around 30 degrees and the rain made for slippery and wet roads. No problem; the Fiesta was engineered to suppress road noise and it was evident. Most entry-level vehicles are affordable, but their fit and finish can be sub-par. Don’t get me wrong, this compact segment is full of safe and functional cars. However, the Fiesta seemed to be in a category of its own. Leather wrapped seats hugged the driver and passengers, and the sync system was full of new features that included a Twitter application (OpenBeak), Pandora music and specialized news feeds by Stitcher. After an enjoyable 60-mile journey through the mountains, we returned to the city to learn more about the technology features (please see my previous post title “It’s Fiesta Time”). Our second day of testing landed us at Candlestick Park, home of the San Francisco 49ers. The parking lot was turned in to a full-out autocross course and again we couldn’t help but think Ford was trying to prove something here. Of course they were. As part of a timed autocross, we tested the 2011 Ford Fiesta against its competitive segment, which included the Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris. We would have liked to see a Mazda3 in the mix as it may have given the Fiesta a run for the money. When you benchmark your vehicle against the competitive segment to showcase to the differences, it always shows us media folks that you have nothing to hide, and that’s exactly what Ford did. The Fiesta was tested in a straightaway “real driving” exercise where you have to swerve to avoid hitting a car (in our case this was avoiding a series of cones). After a pass through the course in the competition, we ran the Fiesta through its paces. Off the line, the Matrix felt pretty peppy, but when thrown in to the crash avoidance scenario, the suspension gave and you could feel the car was close to losing control. The Fiesta suspension was definitely tighter and we could see the differences. In defense of the Matrix, we didn’t check the mileage, but guess the car had some significant miles on it compared to the brand new suspension on the Fiesta. The autocross was surprisingly long and meant to give the driver a real competitive driving experience; we danced through cones, made hard hairpin turns and sped around the wide open parking lot. Again, showcasing the suspension, and in the end the Fiesta clearly proved why it will make a quick ascension to the top of the segment. Overall, the Ford Fiesta sets a new bar for this highly competitive segment. It proved to be an excitable car that is as sporty as it is economical. Getting an impressive MPG is one thing, but getting it while spinning the tires is another. Posted by Mike Caudill, auto expert, NADAguides.com

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2011 Ford Fiesta – This Ford knows how to Fiesta!