Originally published June 16, 2012
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.
Sidebar: Understanding the terms
Three main factors determine the amount of monthly payments on your auto loan:
The loan amount; The interest rate; and The term, or length of the loan.One good auto loan calculator is at Bankrate.com. You can adjust the loan amount, interest rate and term quickly, easily determining how each one affects your monthly payment.
Remember, a longer term loan may mean lower payments. But in general, it is better to get a shorter-term loan, because you will pay less in interest and the car will be paid off sooner.
– Creative Services Staff
