First Drive: 2014 Ford Fiesta

Story and photos by John LeBlanc OTTAWA — After being re-introduced to Canada for 2011, the Ford Fiesta family of four-door subcompact hatchbacks and sedans is getting a mid-cycle refresh for 2014. As usual, you’ll find the typical exterior styling tweaks and interior refinements. The big news, however, for Ford’s smallest car is a pair of new engines. In addition to the front-wheel-drive, five-passenger Fiesta’s current 1.6-litre four-cylinder gas engine (that makes the same 120 horsepower and 112 pound-feet of torque just like last year), an optional 1.0L turbocharged three-cylinder with 123 hp and 148 lb-ft (that Ford is promising will be “the most fuel-efficient non-hybrid car available in North America”) and a high-performance (197 hp and 202 lb-ft, with 93 octane gas) 1.6L turbo-four (for the also-new Fiesta ST hot hatch) are being added to the menu. Unfortunately, I cannot comment much on either of the new Fiesta powerplants. Both engines aren’t going on sale in Canada until later in the year, so Ford limited our driving time to 2014 Fiestas with the existing 1.6L non-turbo-four, and some parking lot hot laps in a Fiesta ST that didn’t allow us to get up to any speeds beyond second gear in the standard six-speed manual gearbox. So until we can get some seat time behind the Fiesta’s new pair of mills, let me tell you about the rest of the 2014 models upgrades. On the outside, the 2014 Fiesta gets what’s being called the “new face of Ford,” which looks a lot like “the current face of Aston Martin.” Mid-cycle interior refinements include optional leather trim, heated front seats, redesigned centre console design and a revised MyFord Touch infotainment system that doesn't seem like an improvement. The touchscreen has shrunk, making the on-screen graphics smaller and harder to read and activate. Plus, the screen is beyond this average-sized writer’s arm length. Ergonomic issues aside, the Fiesta exists to try to pry customers out of their larger, less fuel-efficient vehicles, so Ford can sell more profitable F Series trucks. As such, it was designed to create a “big car” driving experience, and the 2014 Fiesta remains the class champ for driving refinement. The Fiesta was already one of the quietest small cars you could buy, and for 2014, Ford added some noise-reducing padding around the transmission tunnel and re-jigged the Fiesta’s dashboard sound-deadening materials to make it even quieter. As before, the small Ford’s suspension offers a nice balance between nimbleness and comfort (much appreciated over some of the bombed-out roads I drove north of Ottawa in Québec). What Ford hasn’t changed, however, is the Fiesta’s lack of rear passenger space. Just like the 2011 to 2013 Fiesta, driving enthusiasts will want to choose the standard five-speed manual gearbox to get the most from the 1.6L unit’s oomph. Gear changes are crisp and accurate and the clutch isn’t heavy. If three pedals scare you, you can always opt for the optional six-speed dual-clutch automatic. Ford has listened to deserved criticism that the autobox’s shifts were slow, unpredictable and clunky. The revised-for-2014 Fiesta auto is not as refined or sharp as Volkswagen’s class-leading dual-clutch unit, but changes to the Ford transmission now allow for sharper downshifts and smoother transitions between gears. Competitively priced with other small cars I like (such as the Kia Rio and Chevrolet Sonic), 2014 Fiesta pricing starts at $15,519 (all prices include a $1,550 freight and pre-delivery inspection fee) for the S sedan or hatch, and tops out with the $24,574 Fiesta ST. As for pricing on the 2014 Fiesta’s new 1.0L turbo three-cylinder, like the review, you’ll have to wait for that.

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