2019 Ford Fiesta
The Ford Fiesta is in its final year after a long good run; and if you count its years in Europe before it came to the U.S., that run has been longer and better. The Fiesta is a subcompact sedan and hatchback with a choice of three engines, from perky and inexpensive, to tiny and unique, to pocket-rocket responsive. It's got a spunky personality with nimble handling that makes it fun to drive, while its tiny size makes it easy to park. This is the ninth year of its generation, but because it's being phased out, there are no changes for 2019.
The base engine is a 1.6-liter four cylinder making 120 horsepower that isn't quick but feels peppy enough with the 5-speed manual transmission, if you work to keep the revs up. The Fiesta only weighs 2,600 pounds so that helps. It gets 30 miles per gallon with the 5-speed, or 31 mpg with the available 6-speed dual-clutch transmission.
The newest engine is Ford's 1.0-liter 3-cylinder, with 123 horsepower and a strong 148 pound-feet of torque. You still have to keep the revs up, with the 5-speed gearbox, but the little 3-cylinder likes it. Before the engine was put in the Fiesta, it was successful in Europe, where fuel mileage matters more because of high taxes on gasoline. The EPA rates it 36 mpg Combined; we got 41.9 miles per gallon on a 350-mile road trip that was two-thirds highway and one-third city.
The turbocharged Fiesta ST is perfectly named because it's as fun as a party on the road. Its 1.6-liter turbo-4 engine makes 197 horsepower and 214 pound-feet of torque, in overboost mode. It only comes with a 6-speed manual transmission, along with tighter steering and a firmer suspension and brakes, with summer tires. A Fiesta ST can easily take on the Mini Cooper S, Hyundai Veloster Turbo, and Volkswagen GTI, three other hot hatches. The little hot rod ST gets 29 Combined mpg.
Full EPA numbers for the base 1.6-liter engine are 27 mpg city, 37 highway, 31 combined for the twin-clutch 6-speed. Opting for the 5-speed manual drops those figures to 27/35/30 mpg. The Fiesta ST gets 26/33/29 mpg.
Some rivals get more. For example the Honda Fit is EPA-rated at 40 highway miles per gallon, 3 mpg more than the base Fiesta.
The 2019 Fiesta offers no automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitors, or active lane control. Ford's subcompact is one of few new cars not to offer any of those features.
The NHTSA rates the Fiesta at four stars overall, partly because a rear door panel struck a crash-test dummy in side-impact testing, the agency said. The Fiesta earned the top 'Good'? ratings in most of the IIHS tests, with a Marginal'? rating in the driver-side small-overlap test..
Full Review
Full Review
The Fiesta is a subcompact sedan and hatchback with a choice of three engines, from perky and inexpensive, to tiny and unique, to pocket-rocket responsive. It's got a spunky personality with nimble handling that makes it fun to drive, while its tiny size makes it easy to park. This is the ninth year of its generation, but because it's being phased out, there are no changes for 2019.
The base engine is a 1.6-liter four cylinder making 120 horsepower that isn't quick but feels peppy enough with the 5-speed manual transmission, if you work to keep the revs up. The Fiesta only weighs 2,600 pounds so that helps. It gets 30 miles per gallon with the 5-speed, or 31 mpg with the available 6-speed dual-clutch transmission.
The newest engine is Ford's 1.0-liter 3-cylinder, with 123 horsepower and a strong 148 pound-feet of torque. You still have to keep the revs up, with the 5-speed gearbox, but the little 3-cylinder likes it. Before the engine was put in the Fiesta, it was successful in Europe, where fuel mileage matters more because of high taxes on gasoline. The EPA rates it 36 mpg Combined; we got 41.9 miles per gallon on a 350-mile road trip that was two-thirds highway and one-third city.
The turbocharged Fiesta ST is perfectly named because it's as fun as a party on the road. Its 1.6-liter turbo-4 engine makes 197 horsepower and 214 pound-feet of torque, in overboost mode. It only comes with a 6-speed manual transmission, along with tighter steering and a firmer suspension and brakes, with summer tires. A Fiesta ST can easily take on the Mini Cooper S, Hyundai Veloster Turbo, and Volkswagen GTI, three other hot hatches. The little hot rod ST gets 29 Combined mpg.
Full EPA numbers for the base 1.6-liter engine are 27 mpg city, 37 highway, 31 combined for the twin-clutch 6-speed. Opting for the 5-speed manual drops those figures to 27/35/30 mpg. The Fiesta ST gets 26/33/29 mpg.
Some rivals get more. For example the Honda Fit is EPA-rated at 40 highway miles per gallon, 3 mpg more than the base Fiesta.
The 2019 Fiesta offers no automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitors, or active lane control. Ford's subcompact is one of few new cars not to offer any of those features.
The NHTSA rates the Fiesta at four stars overall, partly because a rear door panel struck a crash-test dummy in side-impact testing, the agency said. The Fiesta earned the top 'Good'? ratings in most of the IIHS tests, with a Marginal'? rating in the driver-side small-overlap test..
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| Engine | 1.6L I-4 |
| MPG | Up to 27 city / 35 highway |
| Seating | 5 Passengers |
| Transmission | 5-spd man w/OD, 6-spd man w/OD |
| Power | 120 - 197 hp |
| Drivetrain | front-wheel |
| Curb Weight | 2,536 - 2,720 lbs |
