Filed under: Euro, Hatchbacks, Ford
Ford Fiesta Crossroad not for offroad
Does anyone really think the world needs another tiny hatchback posing as a sport-ute? We were hoping nobody did, but apparently some guys over at Ford Europe thought this was a good idea. And so they've rolled out the Fiesta Crossroad.
We'll preemptively answer your first question in the negative: it does not have all-wheel-drive, or any real off-road equipment to speak of over the standard Fiesta. It comes down basically to some body cladding: the very worst kind of product engineering. The Fiesta Crossroad might look taller or higher off the road than its standard counterpart, but alas, it's all an illusion.
For an approximately one-thousand-euro premium, buyers get new bumpers, wheel arches and lower door panels in a contrasting shade, some roofr ails and (ooh, get this) special floor mats. We'd venture that the latter was to prevent getting mud all over the interior when the poseur driver mistakenly tries to tackle a dirt road only to get stuck like any ordinary car.
[Source: AutoWeek - translated]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Phillip 5:38PM (7/27/2007)
Is it me, or does it look like a squished Pontiac Vibe?
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Don 2:53AM (7/28/2007)
Sorta.
Give me that thing...I'll break it in an hour.
JC3 5:41PM (7/27/2007)
I'm 6'1" 220 lbs.(pure muscle).I like the idea of a tall car with lots of interior room.Most ,if not all small cars feel cramped.
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iQuack 5:54PM (7/27/2007)
I don't like Fords and that tarted-up Fiesta is no exception. But the cladding on the side makes plenty of sense for a car that's parked where inconsiderate schmucks ding your doors.
Too many new cars have no rub strips at all and it's a glaring error IMO. Plastic cladding in the right places can be designed to look good, and more car makers should offer it. Applause to Ford for the cladding!
The Fiesta would be selling strongly if offered in the U.S. Too bad it's not for us--we get Ford's crap instead.
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JeremySeattle 5:57PM (7/27/2007)
Phillip, You're right it does look like a Vibe. The funny thing is when you buy a Vibe with the unpainted cladding it costs $350 LESS than getting it painted.
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Bennet Pullen 6:01PM (7/27/2007)
I don't see this as being a bad thing... The main reason people buy SUVs in the first place is because of the look, seeing as 99% of them never see anything tougher than a gravel driveway. With something like this Fiesta people can have the rough and tough look they want without having crappy gas mileage, terrible handling and being a danger to other cars on the road due to the ridiculous ride height.
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Bill 6:16PM (7/27/2007)
I was in Mexico last week and I saw several Fiestas and liked them.
As corny as this package is, it would sell here. The Subaru Outback needs some competition, and Subies get lousy mileage. Even if it had something like a "foul-weather" package with heated seats/wipers, traction control, all-season tires, etc., that would be enough for the average consumer. I understand why some would hate the cladding, but if you live in areas with winter weather, it beats having paint chips from gravel and salt. The marketing is all psychology anyway. How many SUVs are sold that aren't very off-road capable, or never go off road anyway?
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Barrel 6:33PM (7/27/2007)
I'd like to see this car alot in the U.S. if it offered all wheel drive. It would still offer respectable gas mileage in a compact size and good winter driving ability, like the Suzuki SX4, which is a great car. The slightly raised clearance is good too, something that Subaru should've done with the Impreza Outback Sport.
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Barney 7:09PM (7/27/2007)
They called them station wagons at one point but now that it's to be called a SUV, it is suppose to fit the image. Nothing wrong with headroom nor having more usable space. Even a Ford Explorer can be had in two wheel drive.
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Snark 7:36PM (7/27/2007)
I actually really like the idea of a small, sporty wagon/hatch/crossover with some lower body protection...but only if it's accompanied by raised ground clearance, some underbody protection, a ruggedized suspension, some high-traction all-seasons that could take a rough dirt road, and the like. I don't even particularly require AWD. Thing is, this doesn't even deliver, it's just cladding, which is lame. I drive a Pontiac Vibe, which is not a lot different, but it at least has AWD and can take a rocky road easily.
There are a lot of people that dig the ability to bomb down a backcountry road without a) posing like they're running the Dakar or b) sacrificing gas mileage and driveability. Thing is, Volvo (too tweedy) and Subaru (terrible gas mileage for the class) have the class to themselves.
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Carlos 10:16PM (7/27/2007)
In Spain and probably much of the rest of Europe, it's not uncommon for the family to pile into a car this size and drive up to a chalet in the mountains on dirt & gravel roads. You don't need AWD/4WD, you don't even need ground clearance (but you do learn how to get your car unstuck). Scuff protection... maybe there's a market for that.
As far as I could tell when I was there, this was the norm because for decades cars this size were all most families could afford. And before small cars, those families just walked up to those chalets. Uphill, both ways, in the snow. it's not that hard, unless you're American.
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bathtub gin 12:08AM (7/28/2007)
How wonderful it must have been there, crawling with tiny little cars stuffed full of families puttering up gravel roads to the quaint chalet in the mountains. Forunately, we have pavement in 'Murica.
Ligor is an Idiot 1:05AM (7/28/2007)
Of course, the typical Euro family is an unmarried man, woman, their part-time lovers, one ligit child, and another unwanted.
Das Boese 10:31AM (7/28/2007)
They should've done it to the Fusion instead. I've always thought that it looks a bit mini-SUV-like already with its ride height and general shape.
I'd take it over the Fiesta any day. You get almost the same space as in a Focus and it drives like a blast, even with the small 80HP 1.4 engine.
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Kumar 10:38AM (7/28/2007)
Why even bother trying to make fun of a car that looks like an SUV but won't go offroad very well?
Maybe 2 years ago when everyone was under the gotta-have-an-suv spell, though they were and still are being used as heavy clunky minivans.
Just be glad the euros aren't sticking fake side air ports on everything yet....
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whofan 11:55AM (7/28/2007)
Ford needs to bring their European and Austrailan lines over here in the US and drop their us line except for the F series and maybe the Explorer. Then Ford would be in better shape, here anyway.
I can`t believe how much more attractive Fords foriegn cars are. They already have what they need for a turn around.
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Toledo Guy 1:16PM (7/28/2007)
I was thinking more like a Suzuki SX4. I liked the Suzuki when I looked at it, but didn't know how reliable it would be in the long run, so I passed. I'd look at this little Ford if it came stateside....
Alan Mulally are you listening?
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Manuel López Revol 7:52PM (7/28/2007)
Almost every small car in South America gets the same treatment. Surprisingly not the Fiesta yet. In Argentina you can get Fiat Idea Adventure and Palio Adventure (a small station wagon covered with plastic bumpers and a big wheel in the rear door that avoids you to see what's in the back of your car), or the VW Crossfox. Ford offering is the Ecosport, a SUV version of the european Fusion, with a lot of black plastic in the standard version. A lot of people here likes them (not me), as the argentinean dream car in the past years where american and japanese SUV, and these are cheaper.
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calebe 8:36AM (7/30/2007)
I like the Fiesta, and everyone seems to think they drive well. I doubt i would pay the extra just for the trim. I would still probably buy an sx4 even though it would get less mpg. With the exception of the Daewoo products, (which still sell for some weird reason ) Suzuki's are dependable.
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