2013 Ford Fiesta

My 1 year 25,000 mile review

By Dutycat (KS) on Tuesday, June 12, 2012

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 24,533

Pros: "Great value and comfort for this class"

Cons: "Seats are difficult to maintain"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 10

"I bought my 2011 Fiesta S sedan one year ago today. The S is the most basic model and, with the Manual Transmission, I bought the most basic S model. I paid $13,600 new. I bought it as a commuter car to replace my aging Camry. I drive 110 round trip (mostly highway) on working days and about 50 in and around town on the weekends. In the first year I put 23,900 on it and got almost exactly 36 MPG (I am a geek and have kept a gas log for the whole year). My best tank was 42MPG. Except for discolored front seats the car looks like it did new. First impressions: I was shocked at how many airbags and the safety rating of this car. It handles better than expected and is more fun than I thought. The basic sound system is more than adequate, but see problems below. The price was significantly less than Toyota and Honda. I truly enjoy driving this car. I like the way it looks and feels. It is more quiet than I expected from this class of car. At first I had trouble accelerating to merge into 70MPH traffic. Once I got used to the engine and planned for it, it was no longer an issue. While not quite ready for a long weekend trip, the seats are more comfortable than I expected and not an issue for my commute. The back seats were not made for people of any size. Don’t plan on using the back seats for people other than the occasional 5-minute take the neighbor kids home from soccer practice. I love the spotter mirrors. Just a few MINOR problems that were eagerly remedied by Ford: While I didn’t expect a great sound system, the radio reception was poor and crackled. Strangely, brake pedal depression often dramatically increased reception quality, even when not moving. The dealership investigated and replaced the antenna without question. Reception is perfect now. I have manual windows. About once a month the rear windows would have slid down enough to make wind noise. I would simply have to climb back and roll them back up. This was a bit annoying. The dealership investigated and replaced a portion of the mechanism and successfully corrected the problem. I don’t eat in the car and I sit on towels when I think I might be sweaty or dirty. Somehow the seats have become discolored. I simply can’t imagine how this happened. I drive it to work and back home. I wear a suit to work. I carry groceries in plastic bags. I get the car professionally cleaned with every oil change. I simply can’t understand the discoloration. SO IN SUMMARY: I highly recommend this car vs. other cars in this class. This car, for me, was still the best decision and generally a pleasant surprise. It is an extremely safe, comfortable commuter car that gets amazing gas mileage. According to KBB it has only dropped $1,700 in value over the first year. It is NOT a car for people who drive more than one other person around regularly. I strongly recommend you give this car a thorough test drive on the city and 70MPH highways before you drive."

21 people out of 21 found this review helpful

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A blast to drive

By JD on Friday, August 26, 2011

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 980

Pros: "Great gas milage"

Cons: "No passinger arm rest."

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 10

"Recently bought the 2012 SE Hatchback with most of the bells and whistles. I have the 5 speed manual which makes this little car a blast to drive. My milage hangs right around 40-43 mph depending on the hills. I think the only option I do not have on my car is the sirius radio option. I do wish the passinger seat had an arm rest like the drivers seat does. I have seen many complaints about no arm rest, not sure if I got one with an option but it sure is comfortable. The only draw back to this car is the space in the hatchback. As my wife is in a wheelchair we have to partially disassemble it to get it to fit. Since it is only my wife and I the room in the back is not much concern but if you have bigger kids it could get crampted. I would reommend this to anyone that does not have space issues."

16 people out of 16 found this review helpful

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This ain't your father's Fiesta

By yfan (CA) on Sunday, October 30, 2011

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 350

Pros: "Fuel economy, Sync, price, agility, easy to park"

Cons: "Legroom a little tight in the back"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 10

"If there is one American car that threatens the dominance of Japanese car makers in the US market, the Ford Fiesta is it. I used to own a Honda Civic sedan that I traded in for this, and the Fiesta could present serious competition to the current Civic (which is a class above the Fiesta, the Fit, etc.) notwithstanding the price difference (advantage Fiesta, obviously), and size difference (advantage Civic). I bought the Fiesta for its superb fuel economy, fantastic handling, maneuverability, Sync hands free system, and the affordability factor. Not only does it live up to expectations or better in every one of those departments, my SE sedan is stylish and does not look or drive like a cheap car. So far I have been enjoying it tremendously."

10 people out of 10 found this review helpful

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Great car-a few minor complaints

By brandenj09 (WI) on Friday, November 02, 2012

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 1,000

Pros: "Fun to drive, good price, fuel economy, interior"

Cons: "No handles anywhere, no manual locks,"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 9

"I bought a manual violet gray 2013 Fiesta SE in early October. It has a soft touch dash which I was very surprised by and a great sound system. The back seats are smaller than I anticipated but the are large enough for any of my taller friends. The manual is a ton of fun and power comes really fast. I would definitely recommend the manual, especially after looking at the automatic reviews. The car has hill-start assist which for the manual which is incredibly helpful to me because I have to exit a lot of parking garages where the exit is uphill, so now I don't have to worry about going backwards. I do have a few minor complaints. My keyless entry remote went out already, not sure what that is about yet and for some reason shifting into second gear is really touchy, so it can be jerky at times. When the remote goes out you have to unlock the door manually and then go to the center button and hit it twice before you could get the trunk open because there is no keyhole on the trunk or the passenger door. There aren't any handles on the ceiling and the ceiling liner could seriously use some reinforcement. I'm kind of afraid if I touch it on accident I will permanently damage it. There aren't any manual locks on the doors, so you have to use the center button and hit it multiple times to let someone in on the passenger side. The trunk also does not have a handle, it's just a button that you push. When I bought the car I was mainly looking for a manual car with cruise, but in addition to that I got the Sync system which is pretty cool but also very confusing right now. The bluetooth calling is very useful, but I'm pretty sure that my use of sync is limited because I have a flip-phone that can't do many of the things a smart phone can do. I found it interesting that the engine and transmission were made in Brazil, which can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your opinion. Overall I love the car, it runs great and it's really comfortable. The trunk is larger than it looks. Now that Kia has busted for having higher than realistic mpg numbers, I think this is probably the best non-hybrid commuter car. I'm getting great gas mileage and I've never had more fun driving. I would definitely recommend it, but I would wait until there are good incentives. I got mine for about $2000 below msrp by waiting for the right time to buy. Good luck with finding your new car!"

8 people out of 8 found this review helpful

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Fun Little Car

By Mannix (IL) on Saturday, August 25, 2012

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 16,450

Pros: "fun to drive, sporty looking"

Cons: "no built in navigation system, back seats cramped"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 9

"I really like this little car - great for driving in the city. It's no sports car but it's got plenty of pickup compared to some other economical cars I have owned - and it handles extremely well. Also, even though it is a small car, I fit into it quite easily even though I'm a 6'3" non-skinny guy. That being said, I don't think anyone could sit in the seat behind mine if they had legs - so it's effectively a 3-person car for me, but as I'm single that has never been an issue. Looks nice also."

8 people out of 8 found this review helpful

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