2012 Ford Fiesta Review

2012 Ford Fiesta Review

Bruce Sheridan

Overview

American small cars have come a long, long way in the last few years. After decades of mediocre at best compact cars, it looks like the page is finally turning on that chapter. The 2012 Ford Fiesta, for example, is one of the most well balanced cars of its kind.

Want an affordable vehicle deal? That's the Fiesta. Need great gas mileage? Try 29 city / 40 hwy mpg. Need the latest technology and options? Ford packed a ton into this car. Don't want to be bored to death driving? The Fiesta brings it all together in a fun to drive package.

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The subcompact class is more competitive now than ever before. With entries like the Ford Fiesta, Chevy Sonic, Honda Fit, Kia Rio, Hyundai Accent, Nissan Versa and more; one could make the argument it is the most competitive class of them all. While the Fiesta is not head and shoulders above the competition, it is certainly one of the leaders of the pack.

2012 Ford Fiesta

Starting MSRP	Max City / Hwy MPG
$13,200	29 / 40

Pros	Cons
Sporty subcompact	Interior room
Great gas mileage	Bare bones base model
Optional features

Trims

The Fiesta can come as either a sedan or hatchback, and each has three trims available. Both styles and all trims come with the same engine, the 1.6L inline 4-cyl. Performance wise they are not much different, aside from getting the optional Super Fuel Economy package. Your choice between sedan and hatchback is really just preference, and the trim options come down to how much standard equipment you need.

Sedan Trims
Name	MSRP	Engine	Best MPG City / Hwy
S	$13,200	1.6L 4-cyl	29 / 40
SE	$14,670	1.6L 4-cyl	29 / 40
SEL	$16,600	1.6L 4-cyl	29 / 40

Hatchback Trims
Name	MSRP	Engine	Best MPG City / Hwy
S	$14,100	1.6L 4-cyl	29 / 40
SE	$15,670	1.6L 4-cyl	29 / 40
SES	$17,500	1.6L 4-cyl	29 / 40

Performance

The 2012 Ford Fiesta is not the most sluggish car in this class, but then again it is also not the nimblest. All in all it is a solid, competitive car. The driving dynamics are smooth, responsive and quiet, even at freeway speeds. The Ford Fiesta comes with a 1.6L inline 4-cyl engine that gives it 120 horsepower and 112 lb-ft of torque. The engines come paired to a standard five speed manual transmission or with an optional six speed automatic. It is a surprisingly fun subcompact car to drive, but not the best in terms of performance.

Interior / Exterior

The interior of the Fiesta looks a bit out of place. This isn't a bad thing however, it's a great thing. This is one of the nicest interiors at this price level. So nice, in fact, you may forget you're sitting in a cheap economy car. That is until you notice how little interior room there is. That will remind you real fast. The exterior is nothing too flashy or risky; it's pretty much what you would expect a small Ford car to look like.

Features

One area that the Fiesta stands above the competition is in its optional features. Ford is making an effort to make it much easier to customize the exact car you want, even going as far as making engine types nothing more than options. They also group together feature packages for the Fiesta that make it more affordable to get what you want.

One of the best optional packages is the Super Fuel Economy option. The SFE package comes with slight modifications to squeeze out just a few more mpg. Ford's infotainment system, the Ford Sync system, is also available and standard on the higher trims. The base model does not come with much optional equipment, but everything you could ever want is easily incorporated in.

Safety

The 2012 Ford Fiesta scored very well in both government and IIHS testing. For the overall government crash ratings, it scored four out of five stars. The IIHS gave it full scores and honored it as an IIHS Top Safety Pick for 2012.

The Fiesta comes with all the standard safety features you've come to expect, including the full arsenal of seven airbags, electronic traction and stability control, and anti lock brakes. For subcompact cars, it doesn't get much safer than the Fiesta.