FIESTA Movement: I drove one!

[escapen]

SO I was just randomly wandering around downtown a few hours ago and its Denver's large annual Cinco De Mayo festival around our civic center and the capitol. Well I turn a corner and see what I recognized right away! A bright green Fiesta! I walked closer and realized it was a exhibit if you will for the recently kicked off Fiesta Movement

http://www.fiestamovement.com/

I was warmly greeted by "The Agents" that help promote the car. 5 cars were lined up, all 5 Door hatches. They asked if I wanted to drive it and of course I did! This being a very conjested urban area i opted for the automatic just because I knew my stick skills were a bit rusty and Id enjoy the experience more if I wasnt thinking of the potential to make an idiot of myself on the 5 speed.

All I had to do was get my liscense scanned and i was signed up to drive in 5 min.

The Driving Experience:

I threw my pack in the back seat of the dark blue Auto hatch, and first noticed how nicely the doors closed. i recently read a review from jalopnik or autoblog on how "german" the feel was of that. I hopped in the front seat and got a brief overview of seat and mirror adjusters and where the teloscoping wheel controls were to get at my comfort level for driving. The seats are firm but have a great supportive feel, (Id say they are more supportive in the lumbar area than my Edge).

The agent gave me a little backround about the car "This is the 2009 european model built in Germany, it wont arrive here till next Summer in June. (Wait...I thought they would be here by next April or May at the latest). But He set the key fob in a center cup holder and showed me the awesome Push Button start. All I had to do was engage the brake a push for about 3-4 sec. I adjusted the mirroes to merge out onto traffic and noticed the placement of the side mirrors are a bit low and I felt like I needed to point them upwards just to be level with the oncoming traffic. (So that might be some imput for Ford to adjust for the NA model).

The interior is great, the picutures I thought made it look a bit cheap even though other publications said interior fit and finish was top notch. The padded dash

The Agent then pointed out that the engine was underpowered for American tastes and a more "peppy" choice would be avalible on even the basic model when it arrives. I think I remember reading that this Petrol 4 makes round 109 HP? I felt a little struggle gaining speed and getting in the far left lane on a 4 lane boulevard. This could also be the auto transmission...
Off we went and It was a VERY positive driving experience, the car had no problem keeping up once it was at 25 or 30 mph in city driving. I think I got to around 45 at my fastest. The brakes were firm but not too good and didnt have that Jerky overpowering feel.

Overall the ride was only about 15 min, but it was a blast to drive. Driving in a very urban area is exactly where this car belongs, and especially since the agent said it get a bit more MPG in the city than highway. I actually had to parallel park it between 2 other Fiesta's when I returned to the setup on the street. The car maneovered awesome and it was hands down my quickest park job in that kind of situation. They gave me a card for free music downloads and i was on my way. (Before I left I was asked a 10 or so Questionaire about my perception of the Ford brand and if i had heard of the car. I was literally the only one who had.

Walking back, I interestingly found the 2nd of 2 Fiesta Movement sites and drove one a second time! shhhh.... So This time i drove it in Denvers real urban core through the financial district and it really gave me an idea of how it does in full blown urban driving. Overall, Im so excited to have had that opportunity, and Im excited for the Fiesta to arrive and for Ford on a great little car. Sorry, I dont really feel like explaining EVERY detail of the drive(s) but ask me any questions!

Also Go to the site above and check when the Fiesta Movement will be in your city! I'd also like to use this post as a place for anyone else who gets a chance to drive the car to tell us your impressions

This is Exactly what mine looked like:


...Then my 2nd one was red LOL

[tbirderic]

sounds like fun. Glad that you enjoyed the experience. Just out of curiosity, did you have a chance to assess how roomy the trunk and back seat were?

[Ttple]

That's great. I wish I had the opportunity to drive one. It seems to be taking forever for the car to come here. I highly doubt I will be able to wait until June of 2010 to buy a car.

[gmhashope]

That's awesome. I too thought the interior looked cheap in the pictures, but that's great to hear it looks great in person.

[escapen]

Back seat
http://www.autoblog.com/photos/ford-...n-nyc/1469891/

Cargo Area
http://www.autoblog.com/photos/ford-...n-nyc/1469905/

Hopefully these give you a visual idea of what the space situation is like. The rear seat looked tight (im 5'7) so not that tall or anything, but I threw my pack with my laptop in the back seat and it looked like the Fit might have the Fiesta on rear leg room. But who knows til the comparos come out

The trunk looks larger in person, I think it could hold 2 medium rolling suitcases or 1 large and a duffel. I think only about 1 golf bag would fit though. The seat does fold down with a 60/40 split so im sire thats more than adaquate. I like how the cover flips up when you open the hatch and there is also a 14' spare under the cargo floor. He was explaining its a good size for the 16' tires and wont be the hassle of a donut.

Look at this gallery though, my cars were the same except for automatic and sport cloth.

[2b2]

Really good review, Escapen - it's great to read 'real' reactions
couple questions about your review itself in red

Originally Posted by escapen

...
The interior is great, the picutures I thought made it look a bit cheap even though other publications said interior fit and finish was top notch. The padded dash ...missing part???

The Agent then pointed out... ...The brakes were firm but
not too good and didnt have that Jerky overpowering feel.
NOT too good???

&
a couple about the Fiesta:
- how substantial did the car feel?
(I drive a small car (~170" ovl) and did not get the even smaller model NOT because it was too small but cuz it felt flimsy in comparison)
- how was the rear & rear-side visibility? in driving/changing-lanes as well as parking
&
one Q for anybody who knows (I can't access most of the FiestaMovement.com from this laptop )
When are they doing testdrives in Chicago???

[Mr. Burns]

I think this is a great little car, hope it gets here soon as it will likely be a big hit for Ford.

[PA Dweller]

Sounds like an awesome little car, I know a friend of the family that might be interested in a car like this. Just one question, the transmission in the Fiesta you drove was it the DSG or a normal auto?

[87silver]

The last Fiesta that I drove was one of these. Things sure have changed.

[ARCANGEL]

I think this is gonna be a badass little car!

[escapen]

Originally Posted by 2b2

Really good review, Escapen - it's great to read 'real' reactions
couple questions about your review itself in red

&
a couple about the Fiesta:
- how substantial did the car feel?
(I drive a small car (~170" ovl) and did not get the even smaller model NOT because it was too small but cuz it felt flimsy in comparison)
- how was the rear & rear-side visibility? in driving/changing-lanes as well as parking
&
one Q for anybody who knows (I can't access most of the FiestaMovement.com from this laptop )
When are they doing testdrives in Chicago???

The car felt awesome in the way that there were NO rattles, I mean I think I subconsciecely thought the cars were pre production even though they are 100% Euro spec models so quality was the first thing I noticed...

Examples being:
-The door pulls on the interior (Dont they "Look" cheap in pics?), Well their not, they are somehow soft touch and dont feel cheap at all.
-The steering wheel is really nicely gripped and I think the overall theme in the fiesta interior is pleasant suprises. Things that Appear to be hard are really very soft and "grippy" for lack of a better word. The overall dash itself is so soft you can poke it with your finger and leave a split second indentation. The Agent pointed it out, and we were both touching all the surfaces of the dash that all felt good. So yes, the interior feels more than substantial and is better than my Fusion was and alot better than that of the current Focus.

*One side note was the very upscale noise the turn signal "click" made, and all the sticks on the steering wheel for lights and such were upscale feeling compared to most other Fords currently on sale.

Real visability was good in my opinion just because the vehicle im used to be driving, or maybe the short overall length of the Fiesta hatch. I know the window after the C pillar slopes up if not its non existant, so I could see some shorter drivers may have some visability issues, but who knows. I felt tall in the car but I think Ford did so in the driving position no matter how far jacked up the seat was.

Changing lanes was a bit dicey in my first ride because I felt the mirrors were placed low on the doors and I felt like I had to adjust them poiting upward, so in that aspect they might be Form over Function. I overall had no problems merging into busy traffic though in a visability aspect.

Looks like the Fiesta Movement wont be in the Chicago area this month anyway, the only dates in the central US are Cincinnati and Louisville KY. I almost wonder if they already came to your area, I mean Chi Town is a huge market.

Originally Posted by PA Dweller

Sounds like an awesome little car, I know a friend of the family that might be interested in a car like this. Just one question, the transmission in the Fiesta you drove was it the DSG or a normal auto?

I believe the DSG will come to all global models as the automatic after it reaches our shores next spring. The automatic on the versions we could drive were 4 speeders.

[Bravada]

Just as a sidenote - wasn't Pontiac the brand supposed to generate "excitement"... How much did Ford spend on marketing the Fiesta and how much free publicity they got?

[fp115]

Originally Posted by Bravada

Just as a sidenote - wasn't Pontiac the brand supposed to generate "excitement"... How much did Ford spend on marketing the Fiesta and how much free publicity they got?

What free publicity? Ford has spent a LOT of money on this car's marketing so far and hasn't even completely launched. My company is doing some more work with Ford for the Fiesta and they are certainly paying for it as they would with every other company.

[Bravada]

Well, would anybody be posting that much (and I am sure many other people are) if they just paid for a large billboard, print or TV ad? They get free publicity on top of their marketing spending. And I believe they could have spent half of what they did and still get the publicity and recognition.

[fp115]

Originally Posted by Bravada

Well, would anybody be posting that much (and I am sure many other people are) if they just paid for a large billboard, print or TV ad? They get free publicity on top of their marketing spending. And I believe they could have spent half of what they did and still get the publicity and recognition.

You still haven't specified what free publicity. I wouldn't be surprised if by the end of the day they end up spending close to $300m on the Fiesta's marketing. Not exactly cheap.