By Bryan Redeker

I am up first to try the simulator, while Brandon stayed in the control room to watch my progress. I got into the Taurus-X, buckled my seat belt, and waited for the instructions to start. Sitting in the car, the only thing that is different is the gauge cluster, which is digital instead of analog. Otherwise, this thing is real. The screen lights up, and I am sitting on the highway next to some fields. I put the car into drive and start to accelerate up to 70mph. I mash the gas, and the simulator pitches up and vibrates just as it would if I was really driving. Once at speed, I test out the lane detection systems. I drift to the left, and an audible beep is heard to let me know I am drifting. This is the system from the Volvo line-up, and it works very well. I drift again, and this time it is not a noise, but a vibration to alert me. There were a number of different things I tried out to see my reactions to them.

Next task was to read a set of numbers near the console. First attempt I got 5 out of 6, next attempt I got all 6. More driving follows and I practice switching lanes, which moves the simulator a full lane width over. You really get a great sense of driving from this simulator. I get to do another task that distracts me from the road, and I find a semi-truck has cut me off. Do I slam on the brakes to avoid crashing? Do I dump the car into the ditch and miss the truck? Nope, I do the typical Bryan thing which is to check my mirror, turn the wheel, and hit the gas to drive around the obstacle. My brain calculated there was not enough room to stop, and the ditch would suck. I picked the best route to safety. My next move wasn’t so safe, but lots of fun. I made an attempt to do a 4 wheel drift down the highway at 80mph. The end result was a lot of laughing and a loud crash. Oops, I figured I could recover the spin, but I exceeded the allowable g-force and the simulator shut down.

Brandon jumped in the simulator next, and tried out the lane departure warning systems. We both had about the same thoughts on which ones were are favorite, and which we did not like. Brandon decided not to crash the simulator as I did, which I guess was a good idea. Instead of the number reading while driving, he used Ford’s Sync system. Since Brandon knew what was going to happen with the semi-truck, they turned the motion off on him without warning to see his reactions. It was strange that you feel more motion sick with the motion turned off than with it on. Neither of got sick, but driving with no motion was very odd feeling. After he was done driving, we got a chance to see the simulator’s mechanics up close. Everything is top notch, and the quality of the machining would make any engineer drool.

By Bryan Redeker

Now for the really fun part and the segment we can’t show you pictures of. After the simulator, we headed over the headquarters of SVT. For those of you that don’t know what SVT is? Here is a quick lesson. SVT stands for Special Vehicle Team, and are responsible for making all the stuff the enthusiasts want to drive. Their first creation was the 1993 Cobra and Lightning. They also produced a limited run of Cobra R Mustang’s in 1993 for dedicated track use. From there, they continued to build Cobra’s on the SN95 platform, Contours, Focuses, and Lightnings. Currently, they build the very quick GT500 and the Baja inspired Raptor truck. SVT is kind of like Kelly Johnson’s Skunk Works, in that is a small team of people working on some very cool stuff away from what the mainstream is doing. If it has the letters SVT on it, you know it is going to be good!

Trying to find SVT is hard; the headquarters is in a very plain looking building away from the rest of Ford’s campus. Parked out front is a number of GT500’s, Raptor’s, Lincoln’s, a couple of WRX’s, and a white Fiesta 5-door hatchback. Walking inside, the building looks just like any office building, except there is a Ford GT engine at the end of the hallway. Brandon and I met Patrick Hespen, who would be our tour guide. The building is split in two, with one side bearing the name Roush, and the other side is SVT. Walking into SVT will take your breathe away. Tall cubical walls line the office perimeter, while every wall is blanketed with Ford Racing posters. An entire wall is dedicated to the pinnacle of Ford Racing. Pictures of the Ford GT40’s at leMans, 427 Cobra’s, and Shelby Mustangs from the 60’s reminds the team of when Ford stood on top of the motorsports world. It wasn’t Ferrari, it was the blue oval. In front of the receptionists desk, sitting in a glass case, is the natural carbon fibre Ford GT wind tunnel test car. Down the hall from that is the 6.0L V12 GT90 engine, 4.6L DOHC Cobra engine, and Brandon’s favorite, the 2.5L DOHC Contour engine.

Once inside the cubical walls, it looks just like my bedroom when I was a teen. Car posters, racing posters, die cast cars, and tons of parts line every office. Wheels, struts, engine components, gears, springs, broken stuff, test samples, and prototypes were stuffed everywhere. I felt like I was a kid again with all of this stuff around. Seeing all of the racing posters on the cubical walls made me feel good. These people are car people! They are just like me, and maybe that is why everything they make is what I want. One wall had a collection of articles taken from magazines begging Ford to bring over the Focus RS and other European Ford’s. They even have a wall dedicated to the SVT Focus, Focus R concept, and RS. Walking thru SVT renewed my faith that Ford still keeps motorsports a big part of what they do. For me, motorsports is what makes me want to buy a product. I don’t care for “green” labels, I care about proving your engineering skills in the heat of competition. That is what makes great cars and trucks.

By Bryan Redeker

While touring SVT, I asked Patrick if they still had the 2.5L V6 powered European Focus. He responded that where we are going next has something much better. We walked past the Ford GT engine in the hallway, turned the corner, and went thru the doors into the work shop. A large garage full of lifts, machining equipment, and people wrenching on all sorts of stuff greeted us. Guys in dress pants and shirts are working on a number of Raptor trucks, GT500 prototypes sitting on lifts, stacks of experimental parts, and rows of wheels and tires. On the wall is the Ford GT that was used at the NAIAS display. This place just keeps on getting better. After a quick walk thru the shop, we head outside.

Just outside the garage door sits a row of GT500 prototypes in various stages of development. Many of which I will not tell you about. I saw the prototype front grille that were first tested, but changed due to the placement of the air intake. Just past the GT500’s was an entire row of Ford GT’s, including a few of the Gulf inspired “Heritage Editions” and a 2000 Cobra R. There was even a Fiesta sedan that was missing the motor. Ford Racing has the engine, and I assume they are working on some goodies. All I will say about the sedan is that it reminds of the Mondeo, which is a good thing. I also saw GT500’s with camo, and a few with some special things on them. What kind of things? I can’t say, but I liked what I saw. Then we came to Holy Grail of small Fords. Sitting in the back of SVT, with a halo of goodness surrounding it, sits a white European Focus. What is so special about this Focus? Well, it  has massive wheels, sticky tires, huge brakes, aggressive lower air intake with intercooler, heat extractor vents in the hood, widened fenders, a large wing off the back, diffuser under the rear bumper, carbon fibre trim, and special seats. This was the RS. Sitting there, just begging to be taken out onto the race track. To be standing in its presence is truly amazing. The car looks like it is ready to take on any STi or Evo, and beat it badly. This car is the anti-Prius, and it is exactly what I want. Please Sara, can I get one?

After seeing the back lot at SVT, Patrick met us out front of the building in a new Raptor truck. I don’t like trucks, I don’t understand trucks, and I don’t know why you would want a truck. However, when you see the Raptor, it looks like a truck that I would build. Motorsports is a big part of who I am, and the Raptor is a truck that looks like it just came from Baja. It has the look of pure function, and no lick-n-stick crap all over it. This is not just a decal on the back that says off-road, this thing is the real deal. Cast aluminum control arms, big brakes, coil-overs, Fox shocks, wide wheels and tires, and switches on the dash. Yep, this is a real off-road race truck. Patrick took us for a ride, and I was very impressed with the 6.2L V8 and how the engine mapping can be changed with a flip of a toggle. All of the electronics on this thing is meant to work off road. Grab your helmet, put some numbers on the door, and you can race Baja! I came away with a ton of respect for the Raptor. The nice thing about SVT is that when they make something, it really works. It is a package that works on the track and the street. I have tried to do that on my own, and it never works. It is either too much of a race car, or too much of a street car. You can’t beat what SVT does!

By Bryan Redeker

We got back from our Raptor test drive, and head back inside of SVT. Patrick presents Brandon and I with some paperwork to sign, and a set of keys. We sign our life away, grab the keys, and head back outside. Sitting in the parking lot is a brand new 2010 Mustang GT500 coupe. The GT500 looks menacing in dark grey with silver leMans stripes over the top. Dark forged aluminum wheels, the first using a 5-axis CNC milling operation for a production car, and massive sticky shoes beg us to take the car for a drive. Walking around the back of the GT500, the exhaust tips are dark gold, a sign that this one works for a living. It is not easy to get the exhaust hot enough to turn gold on a street car, so this one has spent some time at the track.

Brandon climbs into the passenger side, and I open the driver’s door. The seats are black with silver inserts to match the stripes. Sticking up from the center console is the short throw shifter with classic white ball on the top. Gears 1-6 and the shift pattern are printed on the top, with the leMans stripes going down the center. Adjust the seat, put on the seat belt, insert key, and push in the clutch. A quick turn of the key and the massive V8 shakes the ground. I think people in Windsor can hear this thing start. Staring me in the face is the tachometer, and a slight blip of my right foot sends the needle racing. I grab the shift knob and move it to first gear. Wow, there is only a few inches of travel with this shifter, something that is lacking on the Fiesta. Bring up the revs, let out the hydraulic clutch to find the pressure point, and the GT500 starts to move forward. Having gobs of power under your right foot is something that is slightly addicting.

I take the GT500 for a test drive around Greenfield Village and neighboring streets. Once in traffic, I realize that the GT500 is very civil. The car is not harsh on the Michigan roads, the exhaust note is not too loud, the brakes are not overly aggressive, and the clutch doesn’t require He-Man strength to push it in. You could actually use this car for daily transportation, as well as taking it to the track. Again, this car is a trademark of SVT. Instantly, I fell in love with the shifter with its very short throws, precise placement of the gates, and just the right amount of effort. I like to know that I am really moving mechanical parts when I shift, and you get that feeling with the GT500. There is no disconnect between you and the car. The only bad part about the car was that we were on city streets and not a race track. There is no place for fun on the street, and I wasn’t going to fool around with this car. I did get a chance for a quick take-off from a stop light, but you get the speed limit in seconds! I was able to test out the handling while coming up quickly on a turn. I did a 3-2 downshift, utilized the well placed pedals for a nice heel-n-toe shift, turned into the corner, and got on the gas coming out. Right away, you can tell this car handles far better than any other factory Mustang. Even for a live axle car, the back end stays well planted on the bumpy roads while putting the power down.

Brandon and I switch spots in the car, and he gets to take it back to SVT. We were both very impressed with how well the GT500 is as a package. The suspension is much better than the Ford Racing sourced components on our dad’s Shelby GT. The new GT500 looks like it wants to go road racing, rather than drag racing. The new car is much more refined than its predecessor. Even the look of the car is much improved. If Sara would let me have one, and I lived in a place with no snow, I could easily drive a GT500 every day. Since it is a tad out of my price range, and I need something that goes well in the snow, I will stick with getting a Fiesta. Before we headed home, we had a chance to meet Jost Capito. For Brandon and me, he is our version of a Hollywood star. Jost is the Director of Global Performance Vehicles, as well as the father of the Focus RS. Brandon and I were honored to meet Jost and spend time talking with him about performance cars. He really is the perfect person to run the performance vehicle division of Ford. Not since John Colleti have I talked to somebody at Ford’s management that speaks my language.

Overall, we had a great time going to Ford and SVT. The things we saw and did helped renew my faith in the blue oval. Motorsports and safety are a big part of Ford. Technology is what they use to accomplish the task of integrating safety and motorsports into the cars we buy.

By Bryan Redeker

Today Brandon took the Fiesta to show it to some people while I was at work, so I drove my Mustang. You would think that going from a 120hp Fiesta to a 380hp, 400+ft-lb torque, full race suspension from Maximum Motorsports, and massive brakes would cause me not want to go back. Honestly, that is not the case. You are right, the sound of a highly tuned V8 is addicting, and so is enough torque to make the earth spin backwards. But there is more to a car than just the numbers; it is the total package that really counts. The suspension on my Mustang is all race quality stuff, many tubular lightweight parts, spherical rod ends, CNC’d aluminum components, and has all been adjusted to provide the maximum amount of grip. That comes with sacrificing comfort. Replacing rubber with aluminum transmit a lot of NVH to the driver and passenger. The roll cage that stiffens the chassis impedes entry and egress, and doesn’t allow for anymore than one passenger. The big V8 only runs good when the weather is 80’F outside, and can’t adapt to anything else. Oh, it sucks a lot of gas as well.

So how does this lead to the Fiesta? Well, the Fiesta provides all of the cornering fun that my Mustang has in a more civil package. While the Fiesta has way less power, it makes better use of it. You really can go to WOT without having to worry about swapping ends! The turn in and steering response of the Fiesta is on par with the road racing suspension of my Mustang. I spent tens of thousands of dollars building my Mustang to go around corners. The Fiesta comes as a complete car, ready to go, and handles outstanding! The amount of confidence the Fiesta inspires is also a nice change compared to the Mustang. There is no doubt that a small mistake in my Mustang will end in disaster. The level of precision to drive the Mustang at the limit is something I lack. The Fiesta on the other hand encourages you to find the limit, it wants you to push, it gives you the feedback needed to be safe. There is a reason why my Focus ZX3 still holds the record for my fastest lap time. The car made me feel confident enough to push, and rewarded me with outstanding response and feedback. The Fiesta is the same way, the car communicates to you as a driver. It amazes me that Ford can build a small car that handles like a pure bred track car, right out of the box and it is comfortable to drive everyday. This car will make people better drivers because they will be confident from the feeling you get while sitting in the driver’s seat.

By Bryan Redeker

            I just finished reading Autoblog’s review of the 2010 Taurus SHO, and one of their complaints was the lack of feeling you get while driving. Reading that reminded me that one of the things I like the most about the Fiesta is the fact that you are part of the driving experience. You are not a passenger, you are involved. The car is quiet and smooth, but not to the point where you feel disconnected. You hear the engine rev, the intake roar, you feel the vibration in the seat from the drivetrain, the steering wheel gives you feedback on what the tires are doing and the brakes do the same. The feeling you get from driving a car is important, and the Fiesta gives you a sense of the mechanical fury that takes place in the engine. Too many cars disconnect the driver from the car. They isolate the driver from anything mechanical to the point in which you lose the visceral feeling of what the car is doing. Perhaps one of my only complaints of the Fiesta is the shifter, since it lacks the mechanical feel of a tight short-throw. I want a car to be an extension of me. The Fiesta does that, and that is why I feel so connected to this car.

By Bryan Redeker

            When you think of a small car, cargo room is one of the first things you think of that is compromised. The Fiesta is surely one of the smallest cars I have driven for an extended period, that doesn’t mean I have given up on moving things with it. On the way home from my surprise birthday party on Saturday night, I stopped by the shop to pick up my Mustang wheels. I recently had the ADVAN Racing tires replaced with something more street friendly, and another set of wheels mounted with a set of Hoosiers for track use. Since I was out, I thought I would swing by and pick up 2 of the wheels. I used my wife’s Escape Limited to take the collection of street wheels to get mounted, and I did not think I could transport 4 massive wheels and tires in the Fiesta. Once at the shop, I folded down the rear seat, covered the rear cargo area with an old sheet to keep it clean, and began putting in the wheels. Hmm, two wheels fit with no problem. Can I fit three, or four? Ok, the third tire is in the back, how about the fourth? With a little work, I rearranged the wheels so that I could indeed get all four 17″ x 9″ Cobra wheels and tires into the Fiesta. Wow, wasn’t expecting that to work!

            I jump back in the driver’s seat and realize that the headlights are pointing up too high. I kind of expected this since I once hauled 4 race tires, jack stands, jack, tool box, and a change of clothes for a race weekend with my Focus a couple of years ago. Brandon and I drove to Detroit with the headlights pointing up so high they missed the road. It just is not safe to do that, but the Focus lacked something the Fiesta has. Well, this Fiesta has, and I doubt the bean counters will allow for the US cars. Leveling headlights is the answer to what the Fiesta has that the Focus did not. I was able to turn the knob on the dash, lower the headlamps to the correct position to counter the weight in the back. Now I am not blinding people with headlamps, and I can get a clear view of the road. Another great safety feature! Once again, the Fiesta surprised me with its ability to haul all of my street wheels/tires and could level the headlights so I could drive home safely. There are many mid-size sedans that lack the cargo room to haul wheels and tires of this size, and lack the adjustable headlamps as well. Trust me, I know, I tried to haul these wheels once in a mid-size car. Took two trips to get done what the Fiesta did in one.

By Bryan Redeker

            This past weekend I attended the 60^th anniversary party for the Grand Haven Airpark. I took the Ford Fiesta and placed it on display along a number of classic cars ranging from Bug-eye Sprite to a 1969 Mustang Boss 302. The Fiesta gathers a surprising amount of attention where ever it goes, and I always get a few questions about the car. The most common question from this event was if it was a hybrid. I tell people that it is not, and that the Fiesta is powered by a 1.6L DOHC gasoline engine. Honestly, I am glad it is not a hybrid. Batteries are heavy, there is no delightful intake roar or engine noise, handling is less precise with all of the extra weight from all of the hybrid components, and you don’t get a tachometer with a hybrid. The Fiesta really is a driver’s car, and you smile like a little kid each time you drive it. I have driven hybrids, and they are ok. They dazzle you with fancy electronics, but in the end, they are not fun to drive. I would rather take a fuel efficient small car that is fun to drive over a hybrid any day. For me, hybrids are the clubs in my golf bag and not what is under the hood.

            I also got numerous comments on the Hot Magenta color, which seems to be well received everywhere I take the car. The list of features such as the knee airbag, voice activated controls, Bluetooth connectivity, key-free starting, automatic headlights and wipers, and the leather appointed interior really surprise people. Nobody expects those types of things in a small car, and that is what makes the Fiesta that much better than the rest of the B-segment cars. I handed out a good number of Fiesta Movement cards and hope to get a few test drives scheduled. It always shocks me how many people are interested in the Fiesta and how much attention it grabs. I am sure nobody would have bothered to look at my car if it was a Yaris or an Aveo.

By Bryan Redeker

            Before I write about the amazing time Brandon and I had with mission #2, let me tell you about driving the Fiesta out to Detroit. Brandon and I left Grand Haven mid-morning for Ford World Headquarters in Dearborn, and it did not take long to see again how well the Fiesta shines on the road. To avoid some traffic issues, we took a set of twisty country roads on our way to meet up with the expressway. The ground was still wet after the heavy rain earlier in the day. For many cars, this would cause an issue. Not so with the Fiesta, in fact, the car seems to really do well in adverse conditions. Every corner that I tossed the Fiesta into, it just responded with “is that all you got?” attitude and was begging for more. We took the car thru a banked “S” turn, cut the apex on both corners, and powered out to the straight part of the road. Instead of understeer, I was blessed with a perfect neutral car. No opposition for the tires, no fighting with the steering wheel, just nice balance. At one point I set up for what is a normal 2^nd gear corner, but since nobody is around, I will make it a 3^rd gear corner. Downshift from 5^th to 4^th while hard on the brakes, another flawless heel-toe downshift to 3rd and drift towards the center of the road. Turn-in towards the apex, and then quickly jump back on the gas to drift to the outside of the lane. Up-shift to 4^th, followed by a smile and a giggle. God I love this car.

            Once on the highway, the rain started again and the automatic wipers did a great job dealing with the changing conditions. The car is very comfortable to drive on the highway, no wind-noise, no vibrations, and excellent seats. Brandon and I stopped for some Shell V-power and a driver change. It’s nice not to have stinky gas hands or having a dangling fuel cap rub on the paint, cap-less refueling is really nice! Brandon took over and drove while I updated Twitter and Facebook about our mission status. The rest of his drive was fairly uneventful, and you can see it in his face that he really likes driving the Fiesta. Just outside Detroit, we stopped for some Taco Bell and for another driver change. It was my turn to get back into the Fiesta!

            Lucky for me, the on ramp back on the highway was long and twisty. I entered the ramp like I was taking the final turn going onto a straight away. Second gear, tight 90′, drift to the outside of the ramp and set up for the turns at the end of the straight. Wide open in 3^rd, coming up a kink to the left, just lift off the throttle and turn the wheel. Back on the gas, shift into 4^th for a small straight before another kink to the right. Lift off the gas, settle the car, turn-in, and drift back out while getting hard on the skinny pedal. Shift into 5^th and put on the blinker to merge. My heart races and my face hurts from smiling! The Fiesta is a car for people who want to drive, who love to drive, who live to drive. If you read this and your heart doesn’t speed up, then you should buy a Prius or a Camry and continue on with your vanilla life.

            As I get closer to Detroit, the traffic gets heavier and things start moving faster. The Fiesta has no problems keeping up with the traffic, and the great visibility make lane changes easy. One touch of the turn-signal stalk sends 3 blinks to warn people the Fiesta is moving. I love this feature! Convex side mirrors provide great views of the other cars, and are another unique feature of this car. The outstanding handling of the Fiesta make it easier to switch lanes when you find out you need to get off the highway on the right and you are 3 lanes over to the left. Steering response is outstanding, and so is the steering feel. Just point the wheel where you want to go, and the Fiesta reacts instantly. The valving of the power steering is also excellent at speed, it is not overly assisted like every other American branded car I have driven. Throttle response is also great, and there is no delay with the fly-by-wire system. In heavy traffic, the Fiesta is a joy to drive. As any trip to Detroit, once and awhile, everything grinds to a stop for no reason. Again, the Fiesta reacts with no complaints. Quick stab of the brakes hauls the Fiesta down to a stop with no zero brake fade. The suspension also stays flat under braking and avoids the dreaded nose dive causing the front tires to be overloaded and the rears to lift. The front spring rates and strut valving are some of the best I have ever seen in a production car. I would say it is closer to driving a M3 or Mini Cooper S than an economy car.

            Eventually we found the Ford Research Innovation Center with directions from my Tom-Tom and Kristen from JWT. It was very hard to concentrate on where I was going when everywhere I look I see European Focuses, Mondeo’s, Australian Falcons, and Fiesta’s. Everything that I hope comes to the US, all in one place. I wish I could show you pictures of many of things I saw, so that you could see the elegance and presence these European Fords have in the flesh. Bold Moves is dead, One Ford is alive and here to stay! Long Live One Ford!

By Bryan Redeker       

Hopefully by now, many of you have had the opportunity to look through my collection of pictures and analysis of the Fiesta interior. If you have not, please do so here http://www.flickr.com/photos/brgt350/sets/72157619610363000/ . Since I spend most of my time inside the Fiesta, rather than looking at the outside, I have been able to really study the interior. The more I drive it, the more I find that everything is well thought out. Usually I sit in traffic and stare at the cheap plastic of a rental car, or try to figure out what the designer was thinking when he/she put the radio controls behind the shift lever or some other thoughtless location of an item. There is also the complaint of when I first get into a car and can’t find a good place for my cell phone and my glasses. I don’t have any of those issues with the Fiesta. The original Focus was the same way, but the Fiesta really is a considerable step above the Focus. All of my items have a place, and all of the controls are placed very well in the cockpit. Here are a few examples of my favorite interior design elements;

• 1.) Steering Wheel: Probably my favorite part of the Fiesta, as it is designed exactly how I would want a steering wheel. 3 spokes, leather sides, reliefs for my thumbs, thin side spokes. Simply put, this car has the perfect wheel from the factory.
• 2.) Gauge Cluster: Bright red thin needles, large face for easy reading, elegant fonts, and a bright white hue to back light the lettering make looking at the gauges a joy. American Fords from 05-09 have had fat needles, huge fonts, little faces, and were hard to read. The Fiesta’s cluster suffers none of those issues. Cluster is on par with the 00-04 Focus and Contours. To top off the gauges, each pod of the cluster is painted bright silver metallic, and each juts out from the dash. The pods stick out just far enough to reduce glare, but too so far you can’t read the cluster. 2005-2009 Mustang’s suffered this issue, and was fixed in 2010. The painted silver pods are also a good contrast of materials when placed next to the soft dash.
• 3.) Interior Lighting: Finally, back to red lighting and not the boring blue/green of the 90’s. All of the buttons, displays, accent lighting are red. The only thing not red is the back light of the gauges, which is a cool white. Overhead lights shine down on the console, giving a red glow in the cockpit. Red lights above the glove box illuminate the passenger side floor, and lights under the HVAC controller help light the console in a red glow. Driving the Fiesta at night reminds me of being in a fighter plane!
• 4.) Center Stack: The radio and the rest of the high-use interior functions are placed towards the upper center of the dash. A quick glance down and to the right for the driver reveals all of the controls, and the large digital display. No more looking around low in the cockpit to find buttons or status. A short hand movement from the steering wheel finds the controls. This car has amazing interior layout! Of course, the entire center stack glows red at night.
• 5.) Rear Seat Belt Holders: One of my biggest pet peeves is the sound of a loose, clanking seat belt in the back of the car while I am driving. To combat this, I always buckle the rear belts to keep them secure. Well, the Fiesta actually has a spot for those pesky buckles. Another one of my favorite things about the interior is the small slots located near the c-pillar at the top of the rear seats. The slots hold the buckle in place and keep it from clanking around. Such a simple way to fix one of major complaints about having a car with back seats. Job well done!
• 6.) Center Console: There is a small slot next to the hand brake, just behind the gear lever. I have found this to be a great place to store my phone and my iPod while driving. It is the perfect size to keep the phone and iPod constrained while enjoying twisty roads. There is also a cavity below the HVAC controller that also works well for the iPod. Cup holders are out of the way of the shifter, and are deep enough to securely keep items from shifting around. A removable rubber insert would be nice to clean the cup holders after your coffee decides to spill. The rear cup holder has a decent size opening around it that can be used to place your fast food bags, camera’s, or anything else you don’t want on the seats and don’t want to slide around. The lack of an arm rest is great, since they always get in the way of shifting and look cheap. USB and 1/8″ input are also placed nicely next to the handbrake and allow for easy hook-up of electronic goodies.
• 7.) Turn Signal/Wiper Stalk: Just like the original Focus and Contour, the wiper and turn-signal stalks are placed directly at your 3 and 9-o-clock positions. Once again, the proper driving position awards the driver with controls that are at your finger tips. I have been in many cars that try to put every possible thing on one bulky stalk that looks more like a tree trunk sticking out from the steering column. You need to slide this, turn that, pull on this, push that, just to make things happen. The single stalk is a terrible design and should go away. The new Fiesta carries on Fords tradition in the European bred cars to use a stalk on both sides of the column. One side controls turn-signals, and the other is for the wipers. Simple up/down or push/pull does 90% of the functions. It is also nice because the functions match the Focus, so if I need to do a quick wipe of the windshield, it is one touch down. It is the opposite in our Escape, and that drives me nuts. The voice command button on the left stalk should really be placed behind the stalk, or moved to the back side of the steering wheel to make it easier to depress with a single finger. A small oversight and really only an issue if you use the voice commands.