My 2012 Ford Fiesta Review

I've had my 2012 Ford Fiesta for 6 months today. I've spent 10,700 miles behind the wheel of my stripped-down, base-model, violet-gray colored version and driven it on just about every surface and every condition, save snow - so I'll have to update you later on that.

Here is an exhaustive list of everything I don't like about the car:

1. The LATCH system anchors are waaaay too far back in the seat cushions. It shouldn't take me 10 minutes to install a car seat, Ford. It takes about 60 seconds in our Bonneville.
2. That stupid traction control system kicks in way too early, even in "off" mode. Yes, I know, nothing you can do about it Ford. Thanks for the regs, Uncle Sam.
3. A bit more room for my right leg, please. Or move the gas pedal an inch to the left.
4. 5th gear could be quite a bit higher. Yes, I might have to (yikes!) shift on the steepest interstate grades, but fuel economy would improve quite a bit (not that fuel economy is bad, mind you) - and I bought a manual because I LIKE shifting gears, not because I wanted to pretend it was an automatic once I got on the freeway.
5. A more accurate fuel gauge would be nice. Yeah, I'm really stretching here. Every car in existance has more fuel in the tank than indicated.

Here is an exhaustive list of all repairs and maintenance I've had to do on the car:

1. $42.95 synthetic-blend oil and filter change.
2. Yep, that's it. Ford says the car can go 10,000 miles between oil changes. I chickened out and did it at 7,500.

Here is a non-exhaustive list of everything I like LOVE about the car:

1. Outstanding gas milage. This car is EPA rated at 38 mpg highway, 29 city. Now, I do most of my driving on the interstate or state higways, but my worst-ever milage was 34 mpg, and that was during the break-in period. I've gotten between 40 and 43 mpg every tank now for at least 2 months. I don't drive it with an egg-under-the pedal mentality - I regularly bounce off the rev-limiter on freeway on-ramps, and I've driven it over 100 mph very fast on occasion. This is mpg performance that anybody not stuck in stop'n'go traffic should be able to achieve.
2. This car can corner extremely well, even if the electronic nannies do become annoying sometimes. So well that I was very surprised to bounce off the rev-limiter in second gear (which is, ahem, 55 mph) once when navigating a curvy section of road that most sane people drive at 25 miles per hour.
3. This car has lots of space for a car priced as a "sub-compact". It's actually practically identical in size to the "compact" cars of 15 years ago, except it's taller than they were, which means good things for trunk size and head room.
4. At the $13,995 sticker price, (and I bought it for $1,000 less than that) there are only 3 new cars in America that cost less. All of them are of inferior quality to the Fiesta in my opinion, and 1 of them is only a 2-seater. For that bargain-basement price, I still got air conditioning, power locks, power mirrors, and a AM/FM/Audio input stereo with surprisingly good definition and bass. Sound quality BMW owners would have been jealous of 15 or 20 years ago.
5. SoundScreen is printed on the windshield, and Ford isn't kidding. You roll that window all the way up, and forget shouting through the glass to someone standing next to the car. You may as well be screaming from opposite ends of the football stadium. This translates to a seriously quiet ride. At interstate speeds, wind noise is still just about nil.
6. That super cornering ability doesn't translate to a jittery, harsh ride. The suspension keeps the car firmly planted even over bad washboard, while providing you with a relatively smooth ride. It's not Lincoln Town Car plush, but you won't feel bounced around, either.
7. This car screams "solid" from the moment you shut the door. It shuts with an expensive and heavy sounding "thunk". No shake, rattle and roll from this car going down the road. It is just quiet, smooth, and sure-footed. The car isn't sports-car-quick, but the engine pulls smartly and evenly throughout its powerband - picture a big work truck with a big V8: you don't expect the truck to rocket out of the gate, but the engine isn't stressed getting you up to speed either.

To sum it up, this car is unbeatable in its class for nearly everyone. If you need large-wagon space in a compact and are willing to spend a bit more, get the Honda Fit. The Fiesta Hatch just isn't quite as versatile or as large. If you really, really, really, need to get into that micro-sized parking spot, or you can't parallel park to save your life (and you have to do it on a regular basis), buy the Smart ForTwo. Otherwise, the Fiesta offers the best combination of quality, price, fuel economy, fun, versatility, size and style you can get in a sub-compact.