It was 99 degrees (felt like 100) last Saturday afternoon when Keith and Sandy Boggs climbed into the small back seat of the 2012 Ford Fiesta and rode with Jan and me out north along the Logan/Weld County line, a few miles south of Nebraska.
The Fiesta, a top-rated economical subcompact five-door hatchback, held the road impressively over the gravel we encountered after leaving Don Carey’s farm northwest of Sterling in search of the 1914 homestead of Will and Blanche Carey (grandparents of Jan, Don and Sandy).
Introduced in the summer of 2010 as an ’11 model, the Fiesta has established itself as, perhaps, the best of the little guys, with stiff competition from the Honda Fit, the new Chevrolet Sonic and several other subcompacts. Leading sellers in that market category are the Nissan Versa, Hyundai Accent and the Fiesta.
The Fiesta is at its best as a commuter car, back-and-forth to work, though its 1.6-liter engine handled the 75-miles-per-hour Interstate drive to Sterling okay.
Only when we reached a short uphill drive through a pasture did I shut the Fiesta down, leaving the offroading rights to Ron Davis’ Ford Edge and Ken Carey’s Chevy Traverse. After all, the Edge AWD has a ground clearance of almost 8 inches and the front-drive Traverse over 7 inches, while the Fiesta’s is around 5. And, I didn’t intend to return the new Fiesta with cactus tines in the tires; I’ll wait till I have a Jeep.
Interestingly, the Fiesta five-door hatchback is 13 inches shorter in overall length than the standard four-door model. The two share a 98-inch wheelbase.
The five-door gains a styling edge from its sloping hood, sweeping headlamps and arched roofline.
The Fiesta’s quality interior is comfortable, other than a shortage of legroom in the rear seat. Headroom is spacious and the rear-seat cushions are extra long. Cargo space beneath the rear hatch is only 15.4 cubic feet.
Quick steering and a short turning radius add to fun of driving the good-handling Fiesta, and its 120-horsepower 4-cylinder engine and 6-speed automatic transmission get the job done with little complaining. The review model earned an EPA fuel rating of 29/39, and my travels, mostly highway, produced an average of 36.2.
Ford Sync voice-activated premium audio systems, 15-inch aluminum wheels, the automatic transmission and heated front seats pushed sticker price of the Fiesta to $19,000. Among many standard items are power windows/locks/mirrors, side air curtain, air conditioning, rear-window defroster, trip computer and tilt/telescope steering column. Seven airbags and electronic stability controls are standard.
Sales of subcompacts in the U.S. for the month of May were led by the Nissan Versa with 8,643, followed by Chevrolet Sonic 7,205; Hyundai Accent 6,166; Ford Fiesta 6,080; Kia Rio 4,019; Honda Fit 3,879; Toyota Yaris 3,521; Mazda2 901.
Notes from e-mail
Bud, the photo in last Saturday’s Drive section showed Belleview College in the background. The building, which is still owned by the Pillar of Fire, has recently been referred to as the “Castle,” mostly by community observers, but is officially named Belleview College. I attended their schools, first through 12th grades (graduating in 1959), and grew up directly south of the building on 82nd Avenue, in a 1910 home my grandparents bought in 1927, very close to where the photo of the 2013 Hyundai was taken. The high school classes were once held in the college building, but school buildings are now directly north of the Castle. The main church is Alma Temple, a half-block south of the State Capitol on Sherman Streeet in Denver. – A.J.
Thanks, Art, for the history lesson, and for sharing the great photo of the ’62 Ford truck.
Bud, we recently purchased a 2011 Ford Taurus Limited with 33,000 miles and like it very much. We had a 2001 Buick LeSabre and it had a nice, soft ride which we liked. We find that our Taurus has a very stiff, had ride which we do not like. The Ford dealership says nothing is wrong and that is the way it is built. When I push down on the front of the Taurus, it hardly moves and feels very tight. Different tires might help the ride, but the suspension is so tight it won’t help much. We are disappointed with the ride. – F.B.
That stiff suspension, Frank, which all cars have gone to over the years, lends better handling and road-holding capability. Those old GM products did provide nice, soft rides. A big difference today is that you can round a sharp corner with little decrease in speed; with the old soft suspensions, you did not have nearly the level of control on the curves as today.
2012 Ford Fiesta SE 5-door
$19,025
(price as tested)
MPG City 29 Highway 39
Vehicle type: Front-drive hatchback
Wheelbase: 98 inches
Length/Width/Height: 160.4/67.8/58
Weight: 2,537 pounds
Engine: 1.6-liter 4-cylinder
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Fuel mileage: 36.2 mpg
Fuel tank: 12 gallons
Warranty: 3 years/36,000 miles basic; 5/60,000 powertrain
Competitors: Chevrolet Sonic, Honda Fit, Nissan Versa, Mazda2, Hyundai Accent
Built at Cuautitlan Izcalli, Mexico
THE STICKER
$15,670 base
$1,245 Sport appearance, alloy wheels, cruise control, Sync voice-activated systems
$1,005 Automatic transmission, hatch spoiler, heated front seats
$705 Destination
PLUSES
Exterior styling
Good handling, good ride
High fuel economy
MINUSES
Rear-seat legroom
Cargo space
