by Bryan Redeker

            Now that we have had the Fiesta for over a week, and hosted 2 events showing the car off, I decided it was time to recap the comments. The first event was held for friends and family at a park in Grand Haven, and the second was held in Grand Rapids. The second event was to present the Fiesta to the Product Design Engineering students at Ferris State University. In total, around 75 people have had the opportunity to see the Fiesta up close and sit in the car. Listed below are the most common responses after seeing the Fiesta.

 1. Looks. When I tell people that I have a Fiesta, they immediately think of either the Festiva or any of the current B-segment cars being produced. Their mental image is of a poorly built small car that looks like a failed art project. This was most apparent when showing the Fiesta to the Product Design Engineering students at Ferris State University. While walking out to see the car, everyone was sharing stories of other small cars they owned, and how bad they were. The group of 30 students turned a corner in the parking garage and was greeted by the Fiesta sitting in front of them. Instantly, jaws dropped, and then everyone was saying how good the Fiesta looks. Over and over again, the students mentioned how it looks considerably better than they imagined, and compared to the competition, the Fiesta is hands-down the best looking B-Segment car. When you tell people it competes against the Yaris and Aveo, they look at you funny. All of the students thought the Fiesta was going against the Mini Cooper, Honda Civic, and larger C-Segment cars. The reaction was the same at the event held for friends and family. The initial shock of seeing the Kinetic-Designed  Fiesta in person, leaves everyone saying how incredible the car looks. For anyone who is into cars, and has seen what American bumpers can do to ruin a good design, they are first to ask what the NA bumper will look like. We all hope the US car will look as good as the EU version. Redesigning the front bumper of the Fiesta is almost as scary as asking a few lawmakers in Washington to give Heidi Klum a nose job. Yikes.

 2. Features and gadgets. Once you can get people to stop drooling over the body, they begin to climb into the interior. People ask about what kind of features the Fiesta has, and when I say things like; “Voice activated radio, HVAC, and phone commands”, “rain sensing wipers”, “heated leather seats”, “anti-submarining air bag”, “Bluetooth connectivity”, “key-less entry and starting”, and “capless fuel tank” people begin to smile and get excited. Most people then say “But the US car won’t have any of this, right?” I respond that the US version should have many of the same features, including Sync. People then ask why anyone would consider the Yaris or Aveo. The amount of content in the Fiesta is helping reverse years of damage caused by poorly engineered small cars. Gone are the days of the small car being something that people buy because they can’t afford anything else. The Fiesta is a car that people actually want. The one thing that could ruin this shift in thought would be if the US version comes with nothing more than an AM/FM radio with optional CD player. Wow, welcome back the mid 90’s. Fail.

3. Interior. People like to touch things, and when you say “small car” everyone expects to be touching cheap plastic. Anyone has driven a GM car in the 90’s knows what cheap plastic looks and feels like. It is that shiny kind of black, almost grey, maybe textured polymer that was hard as a rock. The type of plastic that creaks and moans as you drive and you have to stare at in disgust while you sit in traffic. When showing off the Fiesta, people knock on the door panels and press on the dash. To their amazement, the dash is soft to the touch, and the door panels don’t sound hollow. Amazed by the discovery, they start to touch all of the controls. Hmm, nothing feels cheap. No nasty glossy black plastic. Sat in a 2005-09 Mustang? Then you know what cheap plastic controls feel like. Thankfully, none of that plastic was used in the Fiesta. Instead you get soft-touch controls, mat-black textured parts mixed in with very shiny, high quality silver trim, accented by just enough chrome to be tasteful. Everything is balanced. Once again, Ford has a winner, and we all hope they don’t find some left over GM regrind plastic to use for our version of the car. Don’t skimp on the quality of the interior!

4. Size. As people walk up to the Fiesta, and when they sit inside, they realize the car is not the same size as a Geo Metro. Years of producing poor small cars that only had a purpose of making the CAFÉ standards look good have really damaged the American consumer. The Fiesta seems to fit a wide range of people, which helps undo the stigma of a small car. People sit in the front seat, and then climb into the back seats. “Wow, there is more room than I thought” seems to be the repeating answer when the leg room experiment is tested. Ample head room, good leg room, and a driver seat that almost has unlimited adjustment. Steering wheel is tilting and telescoping, so just about anyone can find a comfortable seating position. When they open the hatch (which is great because you don’t have to search around the interior for the release) the first thing noted is that it a little small back there. Once they see the folding seats, they feel better. The rear cargo area is fairly deep, and can hold my wife’s massive suitcase, which is a great test of cargo room. Sadly, it won’t hold a set of golf clubs with the back seats up. Not that big of a deal, my SVT Focus can’t either. At least the Fiesta will come in a hatchback, so you can actually use the cargo area. Try to fit stuff in Brandon’s Focus sedan. Nothing fits thru the trunk opening, so it ends up riding on the back seat. Funny, the same object fits in the Focus hatchback with no problems. I really hope some bean counter at Ford doesn’t axe the hatchback Fiesta like they did with the Focus. I have a feeling I am not the only one with that fear.

5. Mileage and Price. Now that people have looked over the Fiesta, gave it their stamp of approval, they always ask two questions; “What kind of mileage does it get?” and “How much will it cost?”  Since neither answer is exact for the US version, I answer with the standard response “upper 30’s-low 40’s, and it will be priced competitively to the Fit and Yaris”. Once again, people are amazed. So, lets get this straight, Ford is coming out with a very sexy compact car, its loaded with technology, has a beautifully sculpted interior made from high quality materials, it is roomier than many small cars, it gets good gas mileage, and it will cost around the same as the Fit? Yep. “When is it going to be out?” is the next thing I get asked. Clearly, the Fiesta is going to be a winner, as long as it stays close to what the Fiesta Movement cars are. This car is really changing the minds of people who see it.

Fiestamovement  #fiestamovement

by Bryan Redeker

The sun was shining brightly thru the hotel window, meaning it was time for me to get up and start day 2 of training. Today was the day for me, we would be learning the technical aspects of the Fiesta and then going to get our cars. All of the agents met for breakfast and began the technical training. I had many questions for Tim and Jeff concerning the Fiesta, and I knew what questions I was going to be asked from the enthusiasts. My heart began to race faster when I learned that the US Fiesta won’t be a stripped down, cheap version of the EU car. I had not even seen the EU Fiesta, but I knew it was going to better than anything Ford has made in a small car since the Focus restyle in 2005. We learned the safety features, went over the interior and exterior design philosophy, and then received our gas cards. As soon as training was done, we packed onto a bus and headed towards Alder Planetarium. All of the agents were very excited, and most were playing with their Webbie camcorders. As we got closer, Jenny and Brady handed out the keys to our cars. Soon we could see a parking lot full of cones and rows of new Fiesta’s. I envision heaven to something like that. When the bus stopped, we were told to run out into the parking lot and find our cars. By jumping inside and trying to start the cars is how we would find ours. I knew mine was Magenta without graphics, so I spotted a few in the distance with that combo. Getting off of the bus we were met by a camera crew, and all of the Ford instructors lined up giving us high-5’s as we exited. I ran quickly to the 2 magenta Fiesta’s parked together. Neither of them started. Damn, oh wait; there are two more of them over there. I ran to the next car, and it did not start. Only one Magenta one left. Sure enough, I pressed in the clutch, found the push-to-start button on the dash, and instantly the 1.6L engine came to life. I found my car! I look around and see the car is equipped with dark leather seats, beautiful bright silver trim work on the dash, and 16″ wheels. Yep, the only disappointment is the little wheels that are multi-spokes. Those are not fun to clean. Brandon and Sara show up to take a look at the car with me, and Brandon hops in to work on getting the Bluetooth working with our phones. My old Razr won’t pair, but his Blackberry will. Time for a new phone. After walking around drooling over the amazing exterior, we gathered for some last minute training before going out on the road. I was placed in the advanced driver group with two other agents, and we departed first for a trip around the grounds of the museums. I felt like I was in my second home, everything was right where I needed it to be. The shifter is a little “rubbery” compared to my short-throw Tri-X shifter in my SVT, but otherwise, I am liking this car! Few more laps around the Field Museum, and it is time to head out into the town. Couple laps around Lake Michigan Drive, once with my instructor, and I passed the driving part of the training. With training over, it is time to find Sara and Brandon with the Focus and head for home before the storms arrive.

Departing Chicago, following my SVT Focus, I realize just how good the Fiesta is. Navigating thru traffic I notice I am not having to search for where the turn signal stalk is, I am not looking for how to operate the wipers, and I don’t have any blind spots haunting me. The vast majority of cars that I get into suffer from poor placement of the controls, nothing is at my fingertips. Not so with this car, I can use my two hands to operate just about everything without even having to removing my hands from the wheel. Turning the AC off makes the car feel much more responsive, just like my 2000 ZX3 did. In fact, the Fiesta reminds me of the pure motoring joy I had with my ZX3. Not a fast car, but a quick one that handles like no other affordable car from the factory. We swapped drivers for awhile, and Brandon took his turn at the wheel. I know had a chance to see how the Fiesta looks going down the road. Stunning is how it looks! The nose is mean and aggressive, the short overhang is distinctly European, the headlights are pulled back, and the body side character line make the car look way more exotic than it really is. Everything is balanced on the exterior, nothing overdone, nothing childish, nothing arrogant. The last time I looked at a car and thought the same thing was when my 2000 ZX3 rolled of the transport and the first time I saw an Elise. Almost every car made has something for me to complain about, but the exterior of the Fiesta is perfect. Eventually, I was able to convince Brandon to stop for dinner and to get out of the Fiesta. He fell in love with the car, just as I did. We both agreed that the shifter needs to be more precise and tighter, but that is what Ford Racing is for. Usually the two of us rip cars apart after driving them. Instead of the typical “this car is crap” talk, we just sat in Taco Bell with big smiles and talked about how it is better than we could have ever imagined. I have driven Mini’s, BMW’s, Saleen’s, Viper’s, Corvette’s, WRX’s, Volvo’s, and about every Ford made since the mid 90’s. I drive the Fiesta for an hour, and realize it one of the most perfect cars I have driven. The next 6 months are going to be great!

fiestamovement #fiestamovement