2011 Ford Fiesta SEL Short Take Road Test

Cars Mania Blog

Auto Car | 2011 Ford Fiesta SEL Short Take Road Test | One of the small but brilliant stars of the 2007 Frankfurt auto show was a three-door hatchback concept that looked like the automotive equivalent of a piranha small but with a pretty fierce bite. Ford called it the Verve, but it was clearly a tease for the next generation (number six) of the Fiesta. And when high fuel prices provoked a crescendo in U.S. subcompact sales, Ford decided to bring the Fiesta back to this market, its first appearance here since 1980 and also the company’s first North American subcompact since the unlamented departure of the Kia-supplied Aspire in 1998.

Our initial encounters with Euro-spec Fiesta five-doors, including a New York–to–Seattle drive, were positive. But this is the Fiesta that Ford sees as the volume-selling version for the U.S., a formal sedan assembled in Cuautitlán, Mexico. Is disappointing too strong a word? The sedan it will be offered only in North America and China shares the hatchback styling as far as the A-pillars, with the addition of Ford’s U.S. three-bar grille. From there, however, it loses the five door’s sassiness, as well as the hatchback’s cargo versatility.

Something else that’s been lost okay, diluted is the Euro Fiesta’s performance. The rack-and-pinion steering is quick (2.5 turns lock-to-lock), and

transient responses are brisk, but braking and skidpad numbers aren’t as good as those of the Euro five-door tested last year [September 2009]. Blame the tires all-season Hankooks (195/50R-16) versus Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2s as well as mass. Last September’s five-door weighed a lissome 2462 pounds. This sedan, which is 13.5 inches longer than the hatchback, weighs 2583.