{"id":265,"date":"2009-06-05T10:41:04","date_gmt":"2009-06-05T15:41:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.racetech0722.com\/?p=265"},"modified":"2009-06-05T10:41:04","modified_gmt":"2009-06-05T15:41:04","slug":"what-would-my-fiesta-be","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.racetech0722.com\/?p=265","title":{"rendered":"What would my Fiesta be?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>By Bryan Redeker<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Lately, there has a heated discussion on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.focaljet.com\/\">www.focaljet.com<\/a> concerning the latest batch of spy pictures of the US Fiesta and how many current Focus owners are considering a Fiesta when they come out. The numbers in the poll seem to indicate there is still a concern that Ford US will make too many changes to the Fiesta and cheapen the car to such an extent that is becomes nothing more than the botched 05-09 Focuses. Looking at the spy pictures and knowing Ford&#8217;s track record with trying to bring Ford EU goodness to the states, their concerns are well warranted. Heck, I even lost sleep over the thought about what a group of misguided designers could do to the near perfect Fiesta I am driving. Thoughts of giant chrome grilles, cheap plastic, little wheels, soft suspension, removal of any tech features, large bumpers, fake chrome vents stuck on the fenders, basically turning the Fiesta into what the Focus evolved to. Scary vision for those of us who loved the 2000-04 Focus, and have felt sick to our stomachs since the botched 05 refresh and the terrible 2008 redesign that saw our beloved hatch go away. Europe received the absolutely amazing Focus, and we got stuck with hacked sheet metal and fake chrome vents. Disappointed is an understatement.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Enter the One Ford mission statement, and couple that with everything Ford NA is doing to promote the EU version of the Fiesta. The end result is hopefully an end to the era of top notch European Ford cars and mediocre US versions. I am sure the US Fiesta can&#8217;t be too different than the EU version, or else why bring the EU cars over here for people to try out. If Ford brought the current EU Focus over for people to test drive, and then delivered the 2007 US Focus instead, people would have cried. Everyone likes the new Fiesta, regardless of what side of the Atlantic you live on. Taking away the European feel of the Fiesta would remove some its allure. The uniqueness of having a small car with rear fog lamps, voice activated controls, leveling headlamps, key-less starting, incredible quality, outstanding fit &amp; finish, BMW-like handling, and sheet metal that is drop dead gorgeous is what makes the Fiesta different than other B-segment auto&#8217;s. Trying to Amercanize the Fiesta could prove to be a fatal mistake, and turn a winner into an Aveo. The spy pictures indicated possible disaster, but trying to extrapolate the final design from a hacked up test mule is not a good idea. Just seeing the lack of turn-signals in the mirrors was enough to turn the enthusiasts into pitch-fork wielding mad men. Are those mirrors going into production? Are they borrowed from another market? What is the cost savings from doing the switch? If the mirrors are different, what else is different? These are the type of questions that come up from seeing a few spy photo&#8217;s. The real question is, how much of a shift has occurred from &#8220;I will buy a Fiesta when it comes out!&#8221; to &#8220;I will wait and see&#8221; as a result of seeing the difference between the Fiesta Movement cars and the sedan spy pics. Even I teetered on the fence, but decided to put my faith in Ford NA and hope the US car is not botched. It is hard to change perfect, and perfect is the Hot Magenta Fiesta I drove to work this morning.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 So, if I do indeed order a Fiesta next spring, what would it look like? What options would I want to see? Well, here is my list based upon the car I am currently driving. All bets are off if the US car arrives with a leftover Fusion grille hodge-podged between the headlights. I am not a rapper, and I don&#8217;t want a chromed-out nose. Ok, now here is the list;<\/p>\n<p>Exterior and mechanics:<\/p>\n<ul type=\"disc\">\n<li>2011 Fiesta 5-door hatchback<\/li>\n<li>1.6L DOHC NA engine or possible EcoBoost if available<\/li>\n<li>Manual transmission, either 5 or 6 speed. Don&#8217;t care for a flappy paddle gearbox<\/li>\n<li>White exterior paint<\/li>\n<li>Aerodynamics package (once again, hoping it is offered)<\/li>\n<li>Front and rear fog lamps<\/li>\n<li>Chrome trim around the base of the side windows, and around the lower grille<\/li>\n<li>Performance or upgraded suspension package (same as the Fiesta Movement cars have)<\/li>\n<li>17&#8243; wheels, or possibly 16&#8243; so I can use them for winter wheels. I have my own custom 17&#8243; wheels I am planning on using.<\/li>\n<li>Front roof mounted antenna and turn-signal side mirrors<\/li>\n<li>Color-keyed door handles<\/li>\n<li>ABS and traction control, as long as the traction control can be switched off for track use<\/li>\n<li>Stability control, with on\/off switch for track and winter use<\/li>\n<li>A\/C with recirculation HVAC<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Interior and tech features;<\/p>\n<ul type=\"disc\">\n<li>Titanium equivalent interior appointments<\/li>\n<li>Black\/dark grey leather with heated seats<\/li>\n<li>Logo floormats<\/li>\n<li>Black carpet and interior trim<\/li>\n<li>Sync<\/li>\n<li>Rain sensing wipers<\/li>\n<li>Keyless entry\/push-to-start button<\/li>\n<li>Automatic headlamps with projector low beams<\/li>\n<li>3-spoke leather wrapped steering wheel<\/li>\n<li>SiriusXM radio, as long as the car keeps the front mounted antenna<\/li>\n<li>Interior accent lighting, just like the EU cars<\/li>\n<li>Center console WITHOUT an armrest<\/li>\n<li>Trip computer<\/li>\n<li>LCD interior temp gauge and HVAC function display (same as EU cars)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Many of the items listed are exactly the same as the car I am currently driving for the Fiesta Movement. In fact, if I could just buy my exact car in white, I would do it instantly! I could even live with Magenta if it meant getting a car that is as good as what I am driving. History shows that there are still some concerns. What if you can&#8217;t get a manual gearbox with the top of the line interior? The Fusion Sport is a prime example of how people don&#8217;t get it. Ford makes a sport version of the Fusion, but sticks it with an automatic. There is nothing sporty about an automatic. Could the same be true for the Fiesta? What if you get stuck with a flappy paddle gearbox if you want the upgraded suspension? What if leather comes only with an automatic? Trying to make packages for people to order is a bad idea. Let people pick and choose their options, rather than forcing them into packages. Chances are, if you buy a Fiesta, you don&#8217;t fit into a &#8220;package&#8221; demographic. You want to be different, you want to stand out, and you are not vanilla ice cream.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Bryan Redeker \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Lately, there has a heated discussion on www.focaljet.com concerning the latest batch of spy pictures of the US Fiesta and how many current Focus owners are considering a Fiesta when they come out. The numbers in the poll seem to indicate there is still a concern that Ford US will make [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[6],"class_list":["post-265","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fiesta-movement","tag-fiestamovement"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.racetech0722.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.racetech0722.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.racetech0722.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.racetech0722.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.racetech0722.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=265"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.racetech0722.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":266,"href":"http:\/\/www.racetech0722.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265\/revisions\/266"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.racetech0722.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=265"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.racetech0722.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=265"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.racetech0722.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=265"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}