2011 Ford Fiesta By ALAN GELL www.CarColumns.Net  It was the 2009  the Los Angeles Auto Show and there were a lot of new vehicles unveiled and introduced, but mostly just glitzy presentations.  One particular car stood out and I had already had a brief preview of it – the 2011 Ford Fiesta.

  The Ford Fiesta is a very fuel-efficient little car that has already been popular in Europe for several years.  It has stylish good looks and expressive design.  It is designed to be very personal and versatile for the owner, as well as adaptable to the owner’s lifestyle.  It is being marketed in the US as either a four door or five door hatchback model.   The four door almost looks like any other little sedan on the road, but the five door hatchback is the one that sets the attention-getting style.  The Ford marketing folks, however, said that the four door is expected to be the biggest seller of the two.

I was among a group of journalists that went to Ford’s Dearborn headquarters to preview the Fiesta about two weeks ago before the official unveiling in Los Angeles.  I was impressed then and that hasn’t changed after the showcase in California this week.  My son Justin says that for an older guy, I am fairly well hooked up to modern connectivity with Facebook, Twitter, and an iPhone.   The Fiesta is almost a benchmark for personal connectivity and technology.

The Fiesta was named the Scottish Car of the Year for 2008, Irish Car of the Year for 2009, Hellenic Car of the Year for 2009, and much more.  It is Europe’s best selling car, topping 500,000 during the first year of sale.  So why is it so popular beyond good gas mileage?  That is the number one reason for purchases in the small car segment, but customers want comfort and convenience as well.  Baby boomers, for example, want to downsize as their family shrink, but do not want to give up their creature-comforts and in many cases, want to do more.  They trade a large house for a smaller one, but add granite countertops and elaborate gas grills.  They trade their large party boat for a smaller, but faster, ski  rig.  The Fiesta offers the downsizing in the car with 15 class exclusive features providing enhancements in safety, quality, and convenience.

With the miniaturization of technology, vehicle engineers are doing so much more.  There is also a decline in conspicuous consumption.  Improvements in new vehicles is exemplified in the Fiesta , such as the use of ultra-strong Boron Steel in key critical areas.  About 65% of the vehicle is made up of this high-strength steel.  There is a rail inside the back bumper that provides an accordion crush feature.  Electronic Stability Control is standard on all Fiesta models. 

The exterior is attractive, with elongated headlights and sculpted front fenders.  Inside, there is a lot of comfortable and supportive material.  The center console sweeps down from the dashboard to the floor, between the seats, looking very much like the keypad on a mobile phone.  That design was not by accident. 
The Fiesta is powered by a 1.6 liter, four cylinder engine that provides approximately 119 horsepower.  The engine features Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing that offers good throttle response while keeping the gas mileage under control.  There is a new front end drive belt that is referred to as “stretchy”.  The elasticity of this front drive belt eliminates having a belt tensioner.   Mileage on the Fiesta is approximately 30 city and 40 highway.

Ford introduced the Fiesta in the US market by use of something called the Fiesta Movement.  One hundred young drivers were provided a European Fiesta this past year and their experiences were promoted on You Tube and Flickr.  The You Tube videos have had almost five million views.  Most of these drivers, referred to as “Fiesta Agents”,  were at the Los Angeles Show.  One of them, Hillary McHone, from California, had never had a driver’s license before.  When she was selected to be one of the Fiesta Movement drivers, she had to learn how to drive.  During the year, she became engaged and married.  She custom-designed her Fiesta and had her wedding dress designed to match.  Now that’s connectivity.

I really like the Fiesta and can hardly wait to get a lengthy test drive.  Ford calls it Drive Quality, Drive Green, Drive Safe, and Drive Smart.  If the experiences of those 100 Fiesta Agents are any indication, I think this little car will sell in the US as well as it has done in Europe.