1st Nov 2015, 18:31
Review update!
SAFETY WARNING: The Fiesta does NOT have good passenger side accident ratings. The Focus has immensely better ratings at the loss of some aspects. You can find the results on http://www.safercar.gov
WARNING: The rear window wiper DOES automatically activate when the forward wipers are active and the vehicle is placed into reverse. Keep this window and its wiper clean and free of debris to prevent scratching.
NOTE: I do believe that the 2016 Fiesta has a far more ergonomic Sync control D-Pad (flush with the surrounding buttons) and resolves my initial issue with desiring a better UI control. I'm looking at seeing if this control design can be retrofitted, regardless of cost.
Three issues have arisen since purchase:
* The vibration ended up being the front right strut having failed on me.
* The Bluetooth subsystem entirely failed on me about 3.3k, but a visit to the dealer fixed it. Apparently it needed to be reset in a manner that the master reset didn't resolve.
|: NOTE: Bluetooth playback buffering stutter was resolved by updating Sync. This is available at https://owner.ford.com/tools/account/how-tos/keep-your-sync-up-to-date.html after you register you and your vehicle.
* All 4 tires needed to be refilled at about 1.5-2k and leaked almost evenly. TPM brought it to my attention. They've held pressure since.
The driver's seat has been quite comfortable since before 3,000 highway miles without any modification to the seating.
Oil was initially changed at ~4.3k and is planned to be again changed at 10k to bring her into sync with the 10k plan.
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I'm currently at 4.4k and we're into the wet season around here!
The OEM tires handle reasonably well in the surface wet. These are NOT good tires to have in the wet season if you drive constantly in rutted roadways. Even with 3 to 4 adult total weight, I was kicking water above the headlight beams in puddles deeper than 2". 1/2-1" deep ruts was pure skill that allowed me to maintain higher than 45mph. They are correctable in the deep wet, but simply do not shed water fast enough for western Oregon fall-spring driving. Shallow wet roadways are very well adhered to.
OEM low beams are reasonable in the deep wet & dark. I score them at being better than 9006 Sylvania Ultras and about equal to the 9006 GM Nighthawks (easier on the eye wear though and far better for oncoming traffic). I'm going to be upgrading them to the Philips H11 X-treme Vision +100, as the 9006 +100 version does illuminate better in such condition.
OEM high beams are awesome in all weather encountered so far. I've had *many* people hold back and follow me after they see how superbly well they project. They illuminate at about 190-200 degrees viewing radius. Yes, they do illuminate the sides of the road behind the mirrors. These are eventually to be replaced with the Philips H1 X-treme Vision +130 bulbs due to superior illumination in all conditions.
The wiper's variable speed subtly increases or decreases at any given speed in the delay bracket requested.
Using the windshield washer on the front is normal, but it does include a single final wipe to get those streaks that like to dribble down. Rear washer is normal in usability.
I'd recommend purchasing the window deflectors for this model due to the rain gutter design.
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MPG: She topped out at about 43.2MPG before the temperatures dropped. I'm in the upper 30s with the average daily temp not exceeding 60F. I have not removed any OEM accessory and run an average of +40lb cargo over OEM weight.
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Defrosters: They work superbly well.
Engine cold operation: She does not maintain engine temp very well at or around freezing with the internal heater running. I'm looking at constructing a radiator protector to keep the engine bay temps up.
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Would I still purchase a Fiesta again? Quite likely so! They're an awesome vehicle to operate with an absurd volume of internal cargo space. The only thing that I really have against them is the accident safety ratings, but my driving primarily solo keeps me from thinking about trading in for a Focus.
22nd May 2016, 03:56
By "not good passenger rating", it just seems to have 4 star for passenger in a frontal collision, but for everything else it has a 5 star rating according to the website you provided. I suppose the definition of "not good" is a bit subjective in this case.
5th Sep 2015, 02:31
Also, the best method to gain access to the bluetooth audio is double-press the voice command button and say "bluetooth audio". It does attempt to reconnect and start playing again, but doesn't always work.