2012 Ford Fiesta

The 2012 Ford Fiesta gives economy car shoppers reason to celebrate with its fun-to-drive personality, nicely trimmed cabin, tight build quality and unexpected features.

The 2012 Ford Fiesta is available in both sedan and hatchback body styles. Of course, the hatchback provides greater cargo capacity, but some folks prefer the more formal look of a sedan so Ford provides the choice. Either way, the Fiesta provides sprightly handling, a compliant ride and a quiet cabin at freeway speed.

In addition to the Honda Fit, the Fiesta also faces the newly speedy Hyundai Accent and the sporty Kia Soul, as well as the funky and aptly named Nissan Cube. Compared to these, the Fiesta hatch lags well behind in terms of maximum cargo capacity and rear seat room for taller passengers. The Fiesta sedan, meanwhile, has a bit less rear seat room than the Chevy Aveo, Hyundai Accent and Nissan Versa. But the feisty Fiesta wins us over with its more engaging and well-rounded personality and as such should be on your test-drive list if you’re shopping for a frugal but flavorful set of wheels.

2012 Ford Fiesta SES Hatchback

The 2012 Ford Fiesta comes with four doors in both sedan and hatchback form. There are three trim levels for the sedan (S, SE and SEL) and two trims for the hatchback (SE and SES).

The S sedan is the bare-bones, entry-level Fiesta and comes with 15-inch steel wheels, a capless fuel filler, power mirrors, a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, a four-speaker AM/FM stereo (with an auxiliary input jack and USB port) and a 60/40 split-folding rear seat. The SE sedan adds metallic cabin accents, power windows and door locks and a CD player. The SEL sedan adds LED parking lights, a rear spoiler, 16-inch “premium painted” wheels, a premium sound system (with satellite radio and six speakers), ambient lighting, an auto-dimming rearview mirror and the Sync multimedia voice-command system which now also offers turn-by-turn navigation.

The SE hatchback is equipped similarly to the SE sedan but adds a rear spoiler and wiper. The SES hatchback is equipped similarly to the SEL sedan but adds a rear wiper.

Every 2012 Ford Fiesta is powered by a 1.6-liter inline-4 that generates 120 horsepower and 112 pound-feet of torque. A five-speed manual transmission is standard and a six-speed automatic is optional. Technically, the automatic is actually a dual-clutch automated manual transmission; it provides quicker gearchanges than a traditional torque converter-based automatic and delivers better fuel economy than a conventional automatic, too. Disappointingly, there is no manual-shift feature.

Standard safety features include stability and traction control, antilock disc brakes, front-seat side airbags and side curtain airbags. Also included is a driver knee airbag, a feature unavailable elsewhere in this class of subcompacts. In the government’s new, more strenuous crash testing for 2012, the Ford Fiesta earned an overall rating of four stars out of a possible five, with four stars for overall frontal crash protection and five stars for overall side crash protection.

With its soft-touch dash top, metallic accents, edgy styling and tight build quality, the Fiesta’s cabin has a premium vibe to it that’s unexpected in an economy car. The center stack controls for the audio system look odd at first but prove intuitive, while the three-knob climate control system couldn’t be easier to use. Ford’s Sync system (standard in top trims) allows voice control over the audio system and your cell phone, and it also provides features such as voice-prompted turn-by-turn navigation (it works respectably well) and emergency assist.

The Fiesta’s steering is the new benchmark in this segment, from the weighting of its effort to the immediate and precise response. And the sophisticated suspension tuning makes the 2012 Ford Fiesta feel at once substantial and lithe. Handling is excellent, yet the ride quality remains supple, with bumps and ruts swallowed without drama.