By Brandon Redeker
This past weekend I was able to log some time in the Fiesta. On Saturday we had the Fiesta Welcoming Party, and had a great turn out. My girlfriend is training to run a 25k, so I took the Fiesta and would meet her every 2 miles with water and something to eat. Along the way I took some pictures, click the link to see them. Now some of what I am about to say is the same thing Bryan has already said, however this is such a great car, it needs to be said twice, or three times or more.
The fit and finish of the car is top quality, from the interior panels to how the doors close. How you use the trip computer is great, everything right at your finger tips. How the HVAC controls feel, if your not using the voice commands. Everything is just great. It takes some time to get used to the voice commands, still working on it.
The FUN factor of this car, is well, you have to drive it to know what I am talking about. Every time I get into it to drive, I can’t help but smile and giggle a little. Going through the gears in corners is a ton of fun. My girlfriend just doesn’t understand, but she enjoys the ride none the less. The suspension rolls a little then its like the SVT Focus where it doesn’t anymore and the grip just seems to be never ending. The tires help a lot, they are very quite and smooth and gives a top of grip. When it comes time to autocross, the limit will be found. For the street they are great, even in the rain!
For me personally the shifting is a bit sloppy, I can’t feel the gears or the clutch pressure point. Going from 1st to neutral is about the same as going from 1st to 2nd in my Focus with the Steeda STS. You can tell the computer is thinking a lot on this car and trying to control everything, the rev’s don’t seem to be fluid, it is almost too precise. This all put together makes it hard to heel-toe-downshift. It also seems that is hard to modulate the brakes. That might change it gets driven more. The brakes do work really good, the initial bit is really good, don’t know how they will hold up when they get hot, but cold, they work very well.
Technology, well it’s got a lot for a small car, and it takes some time to get used to it. Once you do, you will start to wonder where it is at in your normal car. Key less start, great, no more dealing with keys and key fobs. No more sound of keys clinking when driving, no more reaching in your pocket to unlock the car, it’s great! The sound system sounds really good, could use a sub for better low end, but for stock, its sounds really good. Using the USB port to connect the iPod and flash drive is really great, still learning how to use it. I would never buy a car just for the technology, but it is a big selling point for a great car.
The shifting sounds disappointing. I would hope they can make it more snick-snick for those of us who are looking for real performance. The computer/controls getting in the way of the heel-and-toe is also not good.
Personally, I can’t wait to try the Fiat 500 Abarth. I’ve got a feeling we’ll see them here in the U.S., which will be interesting because they’re built in the same factory, same platform, as the KA. (Which I also want! LOL)….
You and your brother are doing a great job. Great photos. Great objective analysis of the car.
Thanks Tom!
I would not go as far as saying the shifting is a disapointment, it is just silky smooth. For people not used to the feel of a tight short throw, it will be perfect. I am sure the magazines will love it. Brandon and I like things a little less refined sometimes, and shifting, braking, and steering need to give us feedback. Brakes and steering feedback is top notch, but the shifting is just too stock for us. Like everything else we own, we will change it. Remember, for Brandon and I, the only new Mustang that is set up for us is the FR500C Koni Challange car. 🙂 For daily use, the Fiesta is really set up very well. After sitting in an hour long traffic jam, I was happy the clutch was easy and not as stiff as the one in my Mustang.
As for heel-n-toe shifting, I don’t think the computer is messing with the throttle too much, it just takes time to learn this car. It took months to get it right in my SVT Focus with the small pedals. It just takes time to read the Fiesta and understand what it is asking from you. You do need to be on the gas earlier than you think for heel-n-toe, but I am getting better at it. Be advised that only a few Fiesta agents even know what heel-n-toe is. 🙂
We are going to start working on a driving dynamic video to help go over what it is like to drive this car. One will be on track, one for autocross, one for in-town, and one will be public twisty roads. I would like to try snow, but since the stability control can’t be turned off in our EU spec cars, it would be no fun.