It’s finally here, Ford has officially unveiled the US-spec version of the 2011 Fiesta.
As expected the US version of the Fiesta is pretty much identical to the version our friends in Europe get. The main distinction between the two is noticeable from the front where the body color grille of the Euro version has been replaced by the chrome three bar grille. Personally I think the Euro grille looks better, but I guess Ford knows better. In addition to the new grille are new LED light strips that are where the fog lights are on the Euro version. The fact that the lights are surrounded by a large chrome backdrop is off putting. Also what if buyers want fog lights? There were also some changes on the inside to the dashboard and seats.
Once you get past the few cosmetic changes, the US-spec Fiesta is pretty much the same as the Euro version, which is a good thing. The Fiesta is powered by a 1.6L four-cylinder with 119 horsepower and 109 lb-ft. of torque. The engine can be mated to either a five-speed manual or a new six-speed PowerShift electronic dual clutch automatic transmission. Unfortunately Ford isn’t going to offer paddle shifters with the dual clutch transmission. On the plus side Ford claims that the Fiesta will get 40 mpg on the highway when its equipped with the dual clutch transmission. Ford also claims that the US-Spec Fiesta will be just as fun to drive as the Euro version and will best the Honda Fit.
The 2011 Fiesta will be offered in four and five-door body styles when it is released next year.
PRESS RELEASE:
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 2, 2009 – Ford’s hot-selling new Ford Fiesta will deliver more than just great looks and top fuel economy of any vehicle in its segment when it goes on sale in North America next year. The 2011 Fiesta – available in four- and five-door body styles – also will set a new small car benchmark for safety, connectivity and powertrain technology.
In fact, Fiesta will offer North American buyers a stylish new choice of 15 class-exclusive technologies and projected highway fuel economy of 40 mpg, besting the Honda Fit, Nissan Versa and Toyota Yaris and Corolla.
“Customers are savvy. They want expressive cars that deliver not just great fuel economy but also high quality, new technologies and a fun driving experience,” said Mark Fields, Ford president of The Americas. “We plan to answer the call with Fiesta; an all-new vehicle in North America we hope will set a new standard for small cars.”
Fiesta is the next milestone under the ONE Ford plan to design and develop vehicles that meet the differing needs, wants and expectations of customers around the world. More than 500,000 Fiestas have already sold to customers in Europe and Asia.
When developing the new Fiesta, Ford conducted extensive global customer research. Findings clearly indicated the need for style topped the list of customer desires everywhere in the world. In Europe, across North America and in the Asia Pacific region, customers are looking for a distinctively designed small car that offers world-class quality, convenience, comfort and connectivity.
“Fiesta was developed with customers, not just for them,” said Derrick Kuzak, group vice president for global product development. “Fuel economy, spirited performance and efficient use of space are universal desires, across global markets – and Fiesta delivers.”
The anticipated new Ford Fiesta arrives in North America with strong consumer awareness, thanks to the Fiesta Movement program. With 100 social media mavens chronicling their experiences of driving European market Fiestas on American roads, Fiesta has generated more than 675,000 Flickr views and more than 5.5 million YouTube video views.
Kinetics and aesthetics
Kinetic design imparts a sense of movement – even while standing still – harmonizing character elements to reflect global Ford identity, enabling Fiesta to project its own air of confidence, style and individuality. Fiesta targets a youthful “design progressive” mind-set, a consumer group that values style and diversity as worthy assets.
“These influential, prospective Fiesta customers relate to the design philosophy of ‘energy in motion’ because it reflects their personal outlook and lifestyle,” said Kevin George, Fiesta design manager.
Up front, Fiesta sports the global Ford face, centering the Blue Oval badge on the grille over the signature inverted trapezoid lower grille opening. These subtle cues engender familiarity across the portfolio, providing aesthetic linkage between the distinctive new Taurus, the fuel-efficient midsize Fusion and the bold Fiesta.
Adding eyes to the Fiesta face are sweeping, elongated headlamps that frame and connect the hood to muscular, sculpted front fenders. Available in sporty five-door hatchback or four-door sedan body styles, Fiesta provides ample space for occupants and their gear.
At the rear of the car, many design elements merge, including the chamfered rear liftgate glass, the low roofline sweeping into a spoiler and dramatic taillamps with honeycomb detailing mounted high in the five-door’s corners. Muscular rear quarter panels, wrapped tightly, draw the eye to the wheels and Fiesta’s confident stance.
The Fiesta design is further enhanced with a choice of nine vivid new colors. From Bright Magenta through Lime Squeeze to Blue Flame, Fiesta’s broad color palette – more available colors than any other segment competitors – instills vibrant individuality.
Inside Fiesta
Fiesta is as dramatic on the inside as it is on the outside. Boldly sculpted surfaces, contrasting colors and comfortable, supportive materials make the interior as individual as the driver. The instrument panel centerstack – focal point of the new Fiesta interior – was designed to feel as useful and familiar as the keypad on a mobile phone.
The North American Fiesta features first-row bucket seats with a 60/40 split second-row seat. Cloth or leather seating surfaces vary by trim level offering comfort, style and individuality. High series Fiestas also offer leather with sporty contrast accent color piping. Soft, sculptured surfaces and the centerstack layout provide the Fiesta with a sense of harmony. Intuitive switchgear placement, comfort zone seating and available ambient lighting allow a driver to maximize the mood with seven complementary colors – switchable among three levels of intensity – for interior accent lighting.
And Fiesta keeps it green; 25 percent of volume series SE seat fabric inserts are comprised of recycled content.
Fun, with fuel efficiency
Fiesta’s flowing sculpted hood covers a 1.6-liter DOHC I-4 engine with an estimated 119 horsepower and 109 ft.-lbs. of torque. Spirited performance and fuel-efficient economy are signature attributes with the Fiesta expected to deliver best-in-class fuel economy at 40 mpg.
Fiesta’s advanced 1.6-liter engine features Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing (Ti-VCT) allowing the engine to be downsized for fuel economy while continuously optimizing camshaft phasing for throttle response, performance and flexibility.
Big results from a small package are possible with several new technologies in this new global engine, including an advanced new front end accessory drive (FEAD) belt with stretchy dynamics to improve the engine’s thermal dynamics. The elasticity in this new drive belt eliminates the need for a belt tensioner and contributes to overall fuel economy.
Fiesta features a standard five-speed manual transaxle with gear ratios selected to offer spirited off-the-line performance and exceptional fuel economy for drivers who desire three pedals and a stick shift to maximize driving experience.
Specially tuned front struts, bushings, dampers, stabilizer bars and a rear twist-beam axle keep Fiesta sure-footed and firmly planted. Sporty, European driving dynamics prevail.
Automatically game-changing
An available all-new North American industry-exclusive PowerShift six-speed automatic transmission combines the responsive performance and fuel economy of a manual transmission with the convenience of a traditional automatic in one advanced, dual dry-clutch package.
“Fuel economy leaders have traditionally been manual shift models,” said Pierro Aversa, team leader for transmissions. “Fiesta changes the game by offering an advanced PowerShift six-speed automatic that delivers maximum fuel economy.”
Twin internal clutches keep the PowerShift in constant mesh, always optimizing for maximum responsiveness or fuel efficiency, depending on input received from the driver’s foot on the accelerator pedal.
This “dry” transmission operates with sealed internal lubrication, reducing internal friction and adding to Fiesta fuel economy. The lack of pumps and hoses reduces under-hood complexity, saves weight and also contributes to fuel efficiency.
PowerShift has been proven in Ford’s European market and will redefine North American small car segment expectations for responsive shifting and fuel efficiency.
Power steering conserves fuel
For confidence-inspiring on-road dynamics, Fiesta features Electric Power Assist Steering (EPAS) which reduces complexity while saving weight and fuel. This advanced system is speed-sensitive – providing optimized assist based on speed, cornering forces and acceleration or deceleration.
Ford is aggressively moving to EPAS across its product lineup. The system already is available in several Ford, Lincoln and Mercury nameplates, and by 2013 nearly 90 percent of Ford’s lineup will offer this fuel saving technology.
EPAS also includes Pull-Drift Compensation to help Fiesta track true regardless of road crown or side wind conditions. In addition, active nibble control helps detect and compensate for tire balance irregularity. Both features – enabled by EPAS – are class-exclusives.
Strength, safety, quality and quiet
More than 50 percent of Fiesta’s welded body structure is made from high-strength steel, with ultra-strong boron steel used in several critical areas. This rigid body shell contributes to Fiesta’s confident road-holding, best-in-class occupant safety and quiet composure.
Fiesta safety is enhanced by an array of features including dual-stage first-row air bags, a class-exclusive driver’s knee air bag, side air bags and side curtain air bags. AdvanceTrac® with ESC (Electronic Stability Control) is standard on Fiesta, along with seat belt pretensioners, rear door child safety locks and a Safety Canopy® system with rollover sensors.
Tested and proven on virtually every continent where you can drive a car, Fiesta arrives with proven quality and customer readiness.
“For North America, the global Fiesta was tweaked, not re-designed or re-developed.” said Steve Pintar, chief engineer. “We built on the success of the European Fiesta and are really proud of how little has changed.”
Fiesta NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) control is taken to a new level of quiet for this segment, helped in part by a specially laminated, class-exclusive windshield that was chosen to help absorb and contain noise. Engine noise is subdued by a hood blanket, with enhanced door seals keeping wind noise minimized.
Special padding behind the instrument panel and foam baffles mounted inside the pillars keeps Fiesta quiet. Even the headliner material was specified for its sound-deadening qualities.
Much of Fiesta’s sound-absorbent materials are comprised of recycled content, helping to conserve resources as it preserves peace and quiet. In addition, Fiesta aerodynamics contributes to both NVH control and fuel efficiency.
Features and functionality
From class-exclusive automatic climate control to a standard aux input, Fiesta offers customers a number of standard and available features that increase convenience and add connectivity. Among them is Ford SYNC®, integrating a driver’s mobile phone with Fiesta’s onboard, voice- activated communications and entertainment system.
Fiesta also offers keyless entry and push button start, a feature unique within the segment. Drivers of all sizes can adjust the tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel to suit their individual preferences. Reflecting Fiesta’s versatility and adaptability, adjustable cup holders can accommodate Red Bull cans and Big Gulps along with every container size in between.
Fiesta also features Ford’s EasyFuel® Capless Fuel-Filler System, a North American industry- exclusive, as standard equipment.
Fiesta sales success
Fiesta is continuing its sales momentum as Europe’s No. 2-selling car and Ford of Europe’s top-selling vehicle, helping increase Ford’s share in Europe’s main 19 markets. More than 500,000 Fiestas have been sold since the car was launched last autumn. In Europe, the Fiesta name has long been synonymous with outstanding drive quality, design and value. It’s winning enthusiastic media reviews in Asia. Now, the all-new Fiesta offers North American consumers a stylish, fuel-efficient alternative.
PRESS RELEASE:
The all-new Ford Fiesta arrives with a responsive 1.6-liter DOHC I-4 engine, featuring Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing (Ti-VCT) to deliver the optimum balance of power and fuel efficiency
Fiesta offers buyers a choice between an advanced PowerShift six-speed automatic or traditional five-speed manual transmission
Fiesta brings European road holding and sharp handling characteristics to redefine North American small car driver expectations
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 2, 2009 – Ford Fiesta arrives with a sophisticated drivetrain – striking a balance between responsive and responsible – delivering both European driving dynamics and projected 40 mpg highway fuel economy to challenge the North American small car status quo.
“The Fiesta powertrain redefines performance, fuel economy and flexibility for the small car segment,” said Barb Samardzich, vice president of Ford global powertrain engineering. “The Fiesta delivers a fun-to-drive experience that will set it apart from the competition.”
Power to the people
The Ford Fiesta’s 1.6-liter DOHC I-4 engine delivers an estimated 119 horsepower and
109 ft.-lb. of torque, giving customers responsive performance. Big results from a small package are possible with several new technologies in this new, global engine.
Fiesta features Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing (Ti-VCT) which allows the engine to be downsized for fuel economy while continuously optimizing camshaft phasing for throttle response, performance and flexibility.
Ti-VCT gives variable – yet precise – control of valve overlap or the duration of time in which both intake and exhaust valves are simultaneously open. Valve overlap management by sophisticated controller mechanisms is critical to eliminating intake and exhaust flow compromises.
This technology also optimizes phasing on both intake and exhaust camshafts by spinning them ever so slightly to advance or retard valve timing, resulting in improved throttle response at initial throttle tip-in, reduced emissions at part throttle and enhanced efficiency at higher rpm. The outcome is more power, responsiveness and fuel efficiency from less overall cylinder displacement.
During development of this global engine measures were taken to keep overall powertrain weight as low as possible.
The block, cylinder head and oil pan – traditionally the heaviest engine components – are aluminum castings. To increase rigidity, these elements are ribbed for additional strength and durability. Pistons are cast aluminum, as well, with the light weight helping to reduce reciprocating mass and adding to fuel efficiency.
Composite material is employed to keep intake manifold weight to an absolute minimum while allowing for induction routing to increase thermal efficiency and improve low-end torque characteristics.
Another Fiesta powertrain innovation is the new Front End Accessory Drive (FEAD) belt with stretchy dynamics, to improve the engine’s thermal properties. The elasticity in this new drive belt eliminates the need for a tensioning device. This decreases under-hood complexity and weight, helps increase fuel economy, and eases belt replacement at specified mileage intervals.
Transformational transmission
Fiesta launches with an all-new, North American industry-exclusive PowerShift six-speed automatic transmission combining the responsive performance of a manual shift with the convenience of a traditional automatic.
Fiesta’s PowerShift transmission gives better fuel efficiency than a traditional torque convertor automatic or manual shift transmission.
“PowerShift is a transmission that changes the game,” said Samardzich. “Our fuel economy leader is now a PowerShift automatic. Traditionally, a small car driver needed a stick shift and a clutch pedal to enjoy the greatest fuel efficiency.”
Twin internal clutches keep the PowerShift in constant mesh, continuously optimizing for maximum responsiveness and fuel efficiency, depending on engine speed, vehicle speed and input from the driver’s foot on the accelerator pedal.
PowerShift is a dual dry clutch transmission, operating with sealed internal lubrication, reducing friction and adding to Fiesta’s fuel economy. The lack of pumps and hoses reduces complexity, saves weight and contributes to fuel efficiency.
Simpler, more responsive and more fuel efficient than a conventional four-speed automatic transaxle, PowerShift represents an innovative small car breakthrough.
Do-it-yourself alternative
For some small car drivers, the experience isn’t complete without being given the choice of shift points.
Fiesta offers customers a standard five-speed manual transaxle with the ideal combination of gearing to provide swift acceleration from rest, responsive power at mid-range speeds and relaxed highway cruising in the overdrive fifth gear.
Hydraulic actuation makes for smooth engagement with an easy-to-modulate clutch pedal, reduces the potential for slip and helps fuel economy.
Fuel-efficient power steering, with benefits
Fiesta features Electric Power Assist Steering (EPAS), which decreases complexity, saves weight and improves fuel economy by significantly reducing parasitic drag on the engine in comparison to traditional hydraulic power-assisted steering. EPAS is speed-sensitive, providing optimized assist based on vehicle speed, steering wheel angle, cornering forces and acceleration or deceleration.
For the Fiesta application, EPAS is tuned to provide an engaging driver experience.
EPAS enables Pull-Drift Compensation to help Fiesta track true. This software-based technology detects road conditions – such as a crowned road surface or blustery crosswinds – and adjusts the EPAS system to help the driver compensate for the pulling and drifting these conditions can cause. Pull-Drift Compensation is designed to be imperceptible to the Fiesta driver.
In addition, EPAS enables Active Nibble Cancellation. This technology senses for irregularity in wheel balance and the related steering wheel vibration – or “shimmy” – it can cause. Like Pull-Drift Compensation, Active Nibble Cancellation is designed and integrated to be seamless and unnoticeable to the driver while sensing and compensating for rotational oscillations due to wheel balance issues or uneven brake rotor wear.
Euro dynamics
The front-wheel-drive Ford Fiesta features MacPherson Strut front suspension. Tuned front shock absorbers – combined with a 22-mm front stabilizer bar – work in harmony with the EPAS system to preserve Fiesta’s European road holding and handling dynamics.
In addition, Fiesta features a twist-beam rear axle that provides the optimum combination of responsive handling, smooth ride and excellent space utilization. Specially tuned rear shock absorbers complete the package.
Like its European and Asian counterparts, the North American Ford Fiesta features front disc and rear drum brakes with ABS functionality.
Depending on series level, Fiesta offers 15- and 16-inch wheel options, fitted with grippy, all-season tires. A 17-inch Ford Racing wheel package is offered as well.
Fiesta’s powertrain and driving dynamics combine to provide the ideal balance between exceptional fuel economy – up to a projected 40 mpg highway – and responsive performance with world-class handling and responsiveness.
