2011 Ford Fiesta Review - Not for short people!!!!

[thepartsmancometh]

I'll settle for calling it a re-badged international conglomeration of parts

I don't really consider it American (same goes for 75% of what we call American cars...)

[fnkngrv]

My car here in Chevy Cruze and I am not impressed at all with it. It is fully loaded with leather, etc. The fabric I can see as being easily tarnished and dirtied after so long. The seats are not comfy at all and in all honesty I plan on trading it in tomorrow for something else because they hurt my tailbone so much. I think sitting in plastic folding chairs would be more comfortable.

[detroiter]

I will never buy a GM product, no matter how much I might like a car of theirs in the future. I don't support companies who sell out their native country to make bigger profits in India and China. They rave about how "American" they are yet if you look into it, they are putting most all of their efforts into making profits in China along with India. I understand the business aspect of wanting to make profits but to basically say "screw you" to your own country in terms of making a buck, that's the end of the line.

For instance, GM came out with their quarterly profits not too long ago and touted about all of the millions made in profits. What they failed to relay was that a major amount of those profits were not even made in the U.S., they were made over in China. I ask myself why would they do such a thing? It couldn't be because if they disclosed that, many more people aside from myself would view them as sellouts and traitorous, could it?

[Shroomster]

Originally Posted by fnkngrv

My car here in Chevy Cruze and I am not impressed at all with it. It is fully loaded with leather, etc. The fabric I can see as being easily tarnished and dirtied after so long. The seats are not comfy at all and in all honesty I plan on trading it in tomorrow for something else because they hurt my tailbone so much. I think sitting in plastic folding chairs would be more comfortable.

The one thing I will say about the Cruze is that it may just have the longest driver seat travel of any small or compact car out there....by travel I mean the lateral/horizontal seat adjustment from front of car to back. The drawback to this? loss of almost all rear passenger leg room

My biggest gripe about the versa hatch/sedan is the way the doors press up against the seats (read: there is no gap between the seats and the doors when they close at your thigh area)

[Hamster]

Referring to the first post, is it true that American cars and generally not made for short people? If so, it's not just the Fiesta. My parents have an extra car, a 2004 Chevy Impala, that I had to borrow recently. Man, I was terrified driving that thing. The seat couldn't be pulled as far forward as I'd like, so I felt like I was sitting a mile away from the pedals and from the steering wheel. I could barely see over the dashboard, and switching lanes on the interstate was very freaky. I am just under 5' tall. I feel like a Yaris is the perfect car for me. Its high ride height and the positioning of the pedals and the steering wheel is perfectly designed for short people.

Several people mentioned the Versa. Last year, I had a Versa sedan as my rental when I visited Colorado. That thing had more power than I expected, as I had no trouble climbing the mountains. The only thing I didn't like about it, though, is that is wasn't all that fun to drive. It felt like I was driving a big, heavy car. I'm not sure why, but that's just how it felt to me when I drove it.

[CTScott]

Originally Posted by Hamster

Referring to the first post, is it true that American cars and generally not made for short people?

That has been my life experience. Fords tend to be the worst cars for me fit wise. The most comfortable fitting car I ever owned was my 1992 Mitsubishi Expo LRV Sport. I used to do single day, 12 hour round trips for work with it and could not have been more comfortable. The Yaris is a close second, with my only issue being that the steering wheel is about 1-1/2" too far away when then seat is adjusted perfectly.

Originally Posted by Hamster

Several people mentioned the Versa. Last year, I had a Versa sedan as my rental when I visited Colorado. That thing had more power than I expected, as I had no trouble climbing the mountains. The only thing I didn't like about it, though, is that is wasn't all that fun to drive. It felt like I was driving a big, heavy car. I'm not sure why, but that's just how it felt to me when I drove it.

I had a Versa as a rental car on a trip to Toronto, where I had a day to kill, so I drove down to Niagra Falls. The Versa was comfortable, had plenty of guts, and got good mileage. I did find as well that it just wasn't as much fun to drive as a Yaris.

[fnkngrv]

Originally Posted by Shroomster

The one thing I will say about the Cruze is that it may just have the longest driver seat travel of any small or compact car out there....

I am just not seeing as how the Cruze is classified as a small car at all. It is the size of a Mitsu Galant. I know this because I was parked next to one almost every day at the hotel. This is the most confusing thing to me.


As for the Fiesta I am planning on getting one on one of my travels soon to check it out.

[Shroomster]

Originally Posted by fnkngrv

I am just not seeing as how the Cruze is classified as a small car at all. It is the size of a Mitsu Galant. I know this because I was parked next to one almost every day at the hotel. This is the most confusing thing to me.


As for the Fiesta I am planning on getting one on one of my travels soon to check it out.

they call it small because of where it fits in their lineup. between the malibu and the aveo(sonic), as it replaced the cavalier~cobalt. I hold the same view as you, though.

[thepartsmancometh]

I find my wrx pretty ergonomically sound. The yaris is OK, but I put the seat ALL the way back when I drive it (I'm 6' tall)

[carnageehw]

Originally Posted by CTScott

As I got moving, I decided to turn on the radio. The integrated center console had a button for satellite, so I poked it to see if it was active and sure enough it was. I decided to change the station and quickly found that the buttons on the center console area were completely non-intuitive.

Satellite radio controls are non intuitive in ANY car. Look at the after market radios; they look nothing like any car stereo you'll see.

The only real way to use satellite radio with the built in car stero is to use the presets. You have to select the radio stations into your presets, and then you just use them like the normal radio buttons. Once the presets are set, it's awesome.