US Fiesta

[NecroJoe]

Ah, that would explain this, then;

I was over in California in late June / early July and I was on one of those city tour buses. We were driving down some street or other a couple of minutes west of Lombard St and we'd just passed by a Lotus / Bentley dealer and I spotted this (and scrambled quickly to get the camera fired up again);

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDAGYsJARkw[/YOUTUBE]

I believe it might actually have been this one; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vdEkQKvlyg

Those were a small number of the European model that were brought over to the US and given to a select few contest winners to drive for (I think) a year. Not the US-spec version.

There were a few of them in the SF Bay Area. I've seen at least 2 of the green ones, a white one and a black one since early summer.

 

[Mitlov]

I meant that if there are 2 versions of a car, the hatch looks better than the sedan one.

MkIV Jetta is WAAAAY nicer than MkIV Golf. At least in my totally subjective opinion. Same with both generations of the Mazda3.

Given a choice between a hatch and a sedan, I would choose a sedan 10 times out of 10. I like having a trunk. I think Ford is smart to offer both a Fiesta sedan and hatch instead of just a hatch.

 

[NecroJoe]

There are certain advantages to having a sedan over a hatch. One of them being, if you live in a cold climate, when you open the trunk, everyone in the car stays warm, they are typically quieter inside (less "boomy"), and if you transport chemicals or anything smelly, the trunk keeps those odors out of the cabin.

That said...I'll never have a sedan again, even from just having my lift-back Cougar. It's fantastic! I have a little coupe, and yet, I could get a 4-drawer filing cabinet in it, in it's box, and still was able to close the hatch! I couldn't even get a 15x15x15 box into the trunk in my old sedan, as the trunk lid was so short because the rear windows are getting more and more sloped.

 

[smib]

^Indeed, my tC can fit way more stuff than my girlfriend's Maxima.

 

[Mitlov]

There are certain advantages to having a sedan over a hatch. One of them being, if you live in a cold climate, when you open the trunk, everyone in the car stays warm, they are typically quieter inside (less "boomy"), and if you transport chemicals or anything smelly, the trunk keeps those odors out of the cabin.

That said...I'll never have a sedan again, even from just having my lift-back Cougar. It's fantastic! I have a little coupe, and yet, I could get a 4-drawer filing cabinet in it, in it's box, and still was able to close the hatch! I couldn't even get a 15x15x15 box into the trunk in my old sedan, as the trunk lid was so short because the rear windows are getting more and more sloped.

I moved from a Legacy wagon to a Jetta sedan. I like sedans because there's less road noise in a sedan, they stay cooler in the summer (less greenhouse to let the sun's rays in, plus a smaller amount of air for the AC system to cool), they keep your luggage from becoming projectiles in a crash, and they're more secure against smash-and-grab theft (especially if you lock the folding rear seats and the in-cabin trunk release, which I do).

The one and only thing I really miss about a wagon is a rear wiper. Why don't they put these on sedans? Air flow only keeps your rear window clean at highway speeds, not around town.

 

[Dr_Grip]

can one buy the euro bumper and slap it on?

Of course you can buy one in europe and send it over. I don't think a mid-size car part would even ruin one in terms of shipping and import taxes. Only question is: If you replace a part with the one that was altered to meet safety regulations, does the car stay road-legal?

 

[Spectre]

The one and only thing I really miss about a wagon is a rear wiper. Why don't they put these on sedans? Air flow only keeps your rear window clean at highway speeds, not around town.

Because at highway speeds, the backwash off the long rear deck at the base of the rear windshield can seriously batter a wiper arm or even rip it right off the car. Subaru fitted them to the JDM Legacy:

Apparently they had a huge number of problems with it.

Another reason is that even if you have a body shape or short rear deck where aero forces won't rip it off, where do you put the wiper motor, spindle, and arm? Most cars have the trunk opening begin at the base of the rear glass, so sticking it there isn't a good option. Pulling a Subaru and sticking it through the rear glass works, but that's expensive as hell and people will curse you when they have to replace the rear glass.

Finally, if you look at it from a purely cosmetic view, most sedan designs would look stupid/terrible with a rear wiper.

 

[NecroJoe]

I moved from a Legacy wagon to a Jetta sedan. I like sedans because there's less road noise in a sedan, they stay cooler in the summer (less greenhouse to let the sun's rays in, plus a smaller amount of air for the AC system to cool), they keep your luggage from becoming projectiles in a crash, and they're more secure against smash-and-grab theft (especially if you lock the folding rear seats and the in-cabin trunk release, which I do).

The one and only thing I really miss about a wagon is a rear wiper. Why don't they put these on sedans? Air flow only keeps your rear window clean at highway speeds, not around town.

I didn't notice a different in the heating/cooling from 4-seater to 4-seater, but I did notice it going from car to 2-seat pick-up and back...

Also, my liftback has a fairly sturdy "tray" that covers the cargo area...but I suppose most hatchbacks probably just have a roll-up-shade-type cover...

As for the wiper thing, the windows are also different. The glass probably has a foot or two less "height" so the wiper is much shorter on a hatch. Shorter arm = waaay lower abuse to a long arm.

 

[Steve Levin]

Hatchbacks are okay, but I prefer the additional space that the trunk provides.

If I were a furniture person, maybe I would feel differently, but generally, I can't see why ANYONE would buy a hatchback.

If anything, I am a "four bag" (race gear, helmet bag, regular clothing, laptop) traveler a lot more than a "IKEA traveler" and in a hatchback that means it's a two seater.

Steve

 

[NecroJoe]

Hatchbacks are okay, but I prefer the additional space that the trunk provides.

If I were a furniture person, maybe I would feel differently, but generally, I can't see why ANYONE would buy a hatchback.

If anything, I am a "four bag" (race gear, helmet bag, regular clothing, laptop) traveler a lot more than a "IKEA traveler" and in a hatchback that means it's a two seater.

Steve

For me, though, it was about the opening. My last car had a fairly huge trunk...but I couldn't get anything large into it. With each passing year, the year windows of cars are getting more and more sloped, causing the decklids to get shorter and shorter. This is making the openings more like a mail slot. I got so frustrated having to battle with boxes, and squeeze and smoosh bags into the opening. I'd have to have both rear doors and the trunk open when loading it up. I couldn't get everything into the trunk, so I'd have to put stuff on the back seat anyways.

I tend not to worry about "smash and grab" theifs because I don't keep anything visible, if anything is left at all. I used to have a soft-top Jeep...compared to that, a hatchback is a Brinks truck.

Just wanted to clafiry something, too...I've only been to Ikea 3 times. Once was with a pickup truck, and the other two times I was buying stuff I could carry out with one hand.

 

[Mitlov]

For me, though, it was about the opening. My last car had a fairly huge trunk...but I couldn't get anything large into it. With each passing year, the year windows of cars are getting more and more sloped, causing the decklids to get shorter and shorter. This is making the openings more like a mail slot. I got so frustrated having to battle with boxes, and squeeze and smoosh bags into the opening. I'd have to have both rear doors and the trunk open when loading it up. I couldn't get everything into the trunk, so I'd have to put stuff on the back seat anyways.

Lots of backpacks, suitcases, or files: sedan wins.

One really big box: hatchback wins.

It all comes down to what sort of luggage you carry more often. I'm in the former category.

 

[NecroJoe]

I'm definitely with you on the sound insulation of sedans, though.

 

[Mitlov]

Because at highway speeds, the backwash off the long rear deck at the base of the rear windshield can seriously batter a wiper arm or even rip it right off the car. Subaru fitted them to the JDM Legacy:

Apparently they had a huge number of problems with it.

Another reason is that even if you have a body shape or short rear deck where aero forces won't rip it off, where do you put the wiper motor, spindle, and arm? Most cars have the trunk opening begin at the base of the rear glass, so sticking it there isn't a good option. Pulling a Subaru and sticking it through the rear glass works, but that's expensive as hell and people will curse you when they have to replace the rear glass.

Finally, if you look at it from a purely cosmetic view, most sedan designs would look stupid/terrible with a rear wiper.

Thanks, I learn something new every day. That makes sense.

 

[PelicanHazard]

Those were a small number of the European model that were brought over to the US and given to a select few contest winners to drive for (I think) a year. Not the US-spec version.

There were a few of them in the SF Bay Area. I've seen at least 2 of the green ones, a white one and a black one since early summer.

They imported a few Euro-spec Fiestas and toured them around the States as a marketing thing, to raise awareness that the Fiesta was coming back (I talked to some people who owned Fiestas in their youth, and all of them were enthused about it coming back).

A red, green, and black one were making the rounds here in the East US; I couldn't test drive them when they stopped by, though, because I had to get to class

On a side note, anyone else wish they had gone with the Fusion-style chrome-trimmed black foglight/air inlets instead of the all-white ones?

 

[NecroJoe]

I don't think they are white. They seem all-chrome.

 

[PelicanHazard]

Well, whatever they are, I don't think they look good.

 

[Mitlov]

Well, whatever they are, I don't think they look good.

Neither do I. But...

I'm going to be seriously bummed if Ford responded to people's requests to bring what is arguably the best mass-market subcompact ever to the United States, and that car is shunned by prospective purchasers over a fog lamp. I hope that there's not a single buyer who says "well, I would have gotten a Fiesta, but because I hated the fog lamps and the grille, I got a Yaris instead." After all, isn't it the chassis, not the bodywork, that has made the Fiesta so loved in the UK?

 

[jetsetter]

http://img189.imageshack.**/img189/7595/fiestahatch110001922126.jpg
http://img199.imageshack.**/img199/7467/fiestahatch110011937917.jpg
http://img30.imageshack.**/img30/5508/fiestahatch110031964886.jpg
http://img198.imageshack.**/img198/4739/fiestasedan110071985866.jpg
http://img189.imageshack.**/img189/276/fiestasedan110042006239.jpg
http://img189.imageshack.**/img189/2082/fiestasedan110022026480.jpg

The Fiesta Movement, Ford's campaign to introduce the little global Fiesta car to the U.S. market, kicked off at the Chicago Auto Show earlier this year and will end this week during the LA Auto Show with, what else, a party. Oh, and the official unveiling of the 2011 North American version. We got a sneak peek of the Fiesta earlier today that it now seems was incorrect, based on these new pictures found buried on Ford's website.

The U.S.-style three-bar grille is thankfully not present in these official pics, though the hatch and sedan do wear different grilles (we like the hatch's version better, for what it's worth). The rest of the car remains as good-looking as the Euro-spec version ever did, and the interior will be a big draw for this car ? along with solid MPG numbers, of course. For those of you who hoped Ford would bring the Fiesta over from Europe pretty much intact, it appears your wishes have been granted. We'll have all the details from LA right soon.

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/11/30/2011-ford-fiesta-gets-another-early-reveal/

 

[argatoga]

The hatch still looks good. But the sedan's grill? What the hell?

 

[2Billion]

Hatchbacks are okay, but I prefer the additional space that the trunk provides.

If I were a furniture person, maybe I would feel differently, but generally, I can't see why ANYONE would buy a hatchback.

If anything, I am a "four bag" (race gear, helmet bag, regular clothing, laptop) traveler a lot more than a "IKEA traveler" and in a hatchback that means it's a two seater.

Steve

I don't think a trunk actually provides any additional usable space. Comparing the trunks I know to the hatches I know, what little extra space you get is further back and difficult (if not impossible) to reach. Comparing my old Escort - admittedly not the strongest example, but applicable when comparing compacts - the trunk could manage groceries with little difficulty, but just one basket laundry was an exercise in frustration to get in and out. I can still fit the same amount of stuff in the back of my Matrix, but I can actually get it in and out with ease.

Honestly, for my primary car, I could not live without a hatch. I tried it once, and it was the most frustrating and infuriating three years of my life