Video: 2011 Ford Fiesta

It's a subcompact that competes with the Toyota Yaris, the Honda Fit, and other cars of that size and entry-level price. The Fiesta subcompact comes in hatchback and sedan versions. The sedan's a little bit more conservative. You can see it looks like a Ford, it has a three bar chrome grill. The hatchback has a sportier look, more of a slit and a small frill in front. Now, Ford hopes the interior will compete with a premium subcompact like the Honda Fit. Overall, the materials are pretty good. I'd say above average for this class, certainly. They say there's a class exclusive soft touch dashboard. It's soft to the touch, but then again, how it looks is an issue too. Auto show cars tend to be bathed in Armor All, which makes it look a little bit shiny and maybe a little cheap. Out in the wild, it might look better. Overall though, nice, bright gauges and other important steps. This car has a tilt telescoping steering wheel, which is not seen in every entry-level car. Now, overall, this is not as large of a car as, say, the Honda Fit. The front seat is okay. I got plenty of room. Again, adjustable seat helps a lot. But in the back, not quite the same. Now, I remember there being more leg room than this in the Toyota Yaris. I'm six feet tall. Now, the front seat is all the way back, though. So it could be a little different if the driver wants to share some space. Now, cargo is the same story. The trunk is actually pretty big for a subcompact car. If you haven't looked in a few years, they've gotten bigger, but not the biggest out there. Same thing's true with the hatchback version of the Fiesta, not quite comparable to something like the Honda Fit, which is huge. Now, Ford is also offering some other segment exclusives, as they call them, including a push button entry. Another segment exclusive is a claimed 40 miles per gallon in highway driving, which does beat the other guys. Overall, from what we've seen so far, the Ford Fiesta is really strong. <v Man>For more car related news, go to Cars.com, or our blog, KickingTires.net.