European Ford will make it to the U.S. market without compromise.
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Joe Bakaj, Ford of Europe’s engineering chief, says that the dynamics of the U.S. and European cars will be the same, a change from previous policy. If so, American drivers are in for a treat because this new Fiesta is probably the best-handling and most driver-friendly of all the world’s microcars.
In Europe, comparisons are also being made with the Mazda 2 and for good reason: The Fiesta shares the same platform, and Mazda took the lead in its development. However, this was a shared project even before Mulally set out to unify the world, and the Ford of Europe engineering team worked alongside their Mazda colleagues in Japan. Ford fits different engines and transmissions and specifies suspension and steering settings to suit its own criteria, and, surprisingly, the Fiesta has a sportier character.
The Mazda 2 made a point of weight reduction—220 pounds less than its larger predecessor. Ford claims a savings of only 88 pounds, but that’s because the previous Fiesta is more or less the same size. The essential elements are the same as with the Mazda: greater use of high-strength steel (55 percent of the shell, in five different grades) and fractional reductions in the size and weight of components. At a claimed 2200 pounds, a Fiesta five-door is significantly lighter than any comparable car on the U.S. market.
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