The time has come to turn a few more pages in the Fiesta Notebook series as I have now reached nearly 7,500 trouble-free miles in my Ford Fiesta . I’ve grown quite fond of this premium sub-compact in the various duties it has served- ranging from typical daily driving, to tearing up the autocross, to hauling around a hatch full of auto detailing gear for my detailing business.
Going into the Fiesta Movement I wasn’t terribly familiar with this specific car (considering it was a European model), but I am now grateful to have been chosen to be part of this car’s “longest vehicle launch in automotive history,†as some joked (The pre-launch campaign will last a year when all said and done).
If you refer to my first editorial, you will notice I was quite impressed with the Fiesta from the get-go. Now, after a few months, that initial high has surely worn down and I’ve had time to find a few criticisms.
The first thing I noticed that I wasn’t entirely happy with was the narrowness of the front seats, especially where my shoulders meet the backrest. Some following the Fiesta Movement have voiced very clearly that they want the Euro-market seats as-is, but I am hoping that the rumor that Ford will modify the seats is in fact true because I have had at least ten people independently agree with me.
I’d also like to see Ford Americanize the air conditioning. It’s simply not as effective as I’d like – my personal car, a Focus, gets significantly colder, which means the Fiesta has left something to be desired during the current Southern California heat wave.
Aside from enjoying the car itself, I have really enjoyed the entire experience that is the Fiesta Movement. It has opened many doors for me, including getting to film some how-to detailing videos with the car at Meguiar’s headquarters, interviewing some of Ford’s top brass, and I’ve taken some roadtrips that have introduced me to countless fellow car nuts. I’ll certainly miss the car come November 30 when Ford takes the keys from me and ships it back to Europe.
Most recently, I sat down with Ford’s President of the Americas, Mark Fields, to chat about the Taurus and Ford’s product renaissance in North America.
But this story is far from over as I have two more significant monthly mission videos to create, and a journey to Dearborn, Michigan, is in the works where I’ll have the opportunity to sit down with the likes of Alan Mulally, Jim Farley, and more of the Ford executive team to discuss the Fiesta Movement and other aspects of Ford’s future in North America.
In fact, if any of you have any specific and respectful questions for any of Ford’s executives I would appreciate it if you would post them in the comments sections here, or if you prefer, on my website.
The interviews will be filmed and, of course, shared with Leftlane’s audience.
Words and photos by Mark Kleis.
