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."

31 people out of 31 found this review helpful

Was this review helpful to you?  yes | no | report abuse

LOVE my first Ford!

By NH driver (NH) on Thursday, March 14, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 22,000

Pros: "Gas milage, price, ride, handling, quality"

Cons: "rear seat legroom/child seat use"

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

"This is my first Ford and my first brand-new car. I was looking at a used Focus but the dealer gave me a fantastic deal on a new 2012 base model and I couldn't pass it up! My car has zero options boxes checked but still comes with traction/stability control, air conditioning, and a quality stereo with an mp3 jack. Unlike others (and Consumer Reports), I think this car has more than adequate acceleration. It's no Mustang, but bolting out in small traffic gaps in the city is easily accomplished, and I have no trouble reaching 80mph by the end of even the shortest interstate on-ramps. I've had this car 363 days now and put 22k miles on it, with absolutely no issues. I've only done oil changes and put on a set of snow tires. Speaking of, this car handles GREAT in the snow as well as on dry pavement. It corners so flat you could terrify your mother (or in my case, my wife) with g-forces without even a peep from the tires. The trunk is HUGE for a subcompact. Fuel milage is great, I am no featherfoot but I've seen no worse than 33mpg, and that was in bad weather with the snow tires on. In good weather and summer tires, I went more than 2 months straight getting 40-43 mpg on every tank of gas... the car's only rated at 38 mpg highway! The car is VERY solid and quiet going down the road, and all the materials have a quality feel. "Quality king" Toyota seems to have slipped by comparison; my mother-in-law has a 2012 Corolla that cost 50% more and several components of that car feel chinsy to me compared to the Fiesta, especially the door handles and dash controls. The Corolla also isn't as quiet going down the road. The only downside to the Fiesta is that the backseat is rather cramped, to the point that putting a rear-facing child seat in the car requires me to have my face practically mashed into the steering wheel. Oh, and the LATCH anchors are also nearly impossible to reach since Ford stuffed them back into the seat cusions so far. Luckily this is my personal work commuter car 95% of the time and we generally use my wife's full-size car for toting the kids around. So, great all-around car, but not the best choice if you want to cart the family around."

17 people out of 17 found this review helpful

Was this review helpful to you?  yes | no | report abuse

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."

17 people out of 17 found this review helpful

Was this review helpful to you?  yes | no | report abuse

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."

13 people out of 13 found this review helpful

Was this review helpful to you?  yes | no | report abuse

Well designed, efficient and practical

By Tom (WI) on Sunday, May 05, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 11,000

Pros: "Handles well, fuel efficient, stylish, good value"

Cons: "Can't handle aggressive acceleration"

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

"If you're in the market for a small car that's a great value, I recommend the Fiesta. I drive a lot of highway and small town miles, and I'm averaging about 38 mpg... 40+ on the highway. The dash is well designed, car handles well on the road, fit and finish very good, especially for an inexpensive compact. One caution: it's a bit underpowered on acceleration; slow and steady pressure on the pedal gets you up to speed at a reasonable pace from the on-ramp, but if you do a lot of aggressive daily urban driving, you might think twice before buying the Fiesta. Still, all in all, a great vehicle for the average driver."

7 people out of 7 found this review helpful

Was this review helpful to you?  yes | no | report abuse