The 2011 Ford Fiesta is getting close to sale here in the United States and Autoblog has had a go at both a manual version and an automatic, the sedan and the hatchback, and their review is quite good. They do have some negatives to point out, like how the soft touch IP looks much better than the non-soft touch door trims, but what competitor in this class offers even half the features or looks of the Fiesta? None! The Nissan Versa is one of the ugliest cars I have ever seen, the Toyota Yaris is downright boring (what Toyota isn’t?) and the Honda Fit is rather uninspiring. For the full review, head on over to Autoblog.
(Image source: Ford)
Chevy Aveo outperforms Honda, Toyota, Kia and Hyundai in low speed crash tests
Apparently when people get a good deal on a Hyundai or Kia, they need to look more closely at the product they are buying. I’m sure many out there would believe the Kia Rio to be a fairly inexpensive car to own, what with it’s 10 year, 100,000 mile warranty what have you. However, don’t expect that low cost of ownership to carry over after you’ve been involved in a low speed crash.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tested seven popular small cars – the Smart ForTwo, Chevy Aveo, Mini Cooper, Toyota Yaris, Honda Fit, Hyundai Accent and Kia Rio – in four low-speed tests: front bumper, front corner, rear bumper and finally rear corner. The cost of repairs was then used to rate the vehicles. The Kia Rio suffered $9,380 worth of damage from those four crashes. That’s almost enough to go out and buy a new Kia Rio! This staggering number earned it a “poor” rating. The other cars that fell into the “poor” category were the Toyota Yaris, Honda Fit, and Hyundai Accent.
The Chevy Aveo did one better with a “marginal” rating, while the Smart ForTwo earned an “acceptable” rating. For the details, head on over to Jalopnik.
Jalopnik has first drive in Ford Fiesta: they like it, they really like it!
2011 Ford Fiesta (Ford)
Jalopnik has had a chance to drive and review one of the 100 Ford Fiestas being brought over here from Europe as part of the Fiesta movement. Their verdict? Why don’t I just let a section of the article do the talking:
“It’s hard to know which cars to compare the Fiesta directly to. The Versa, Yaris and xA are priced similarly, but fall into the traditional American small car trap of being pieces of crap. The Honda Fit is a comparable drive and has ridiculous amounts of space inside, but it’s more expensive and not as luxurious. The lower end of Ford’s US-spec Focus overlaps the upper end of the Fiesta’s price range, but the Fiesta feels more expensive, not less.”
You heard that right folks. A Nissan, Toyota and Scion were all called PIECES OF CRAP when compared to a FORD! Maybe this little B-car can start to change people’s perceptions about American made products…probably not, but hey, I can dream (it is my birthday after all) can’t I? For the full review, as well as tons of great pictures of the car, head on over to Jalopnik.
