SPIED: 2018 Ford Fiesta, Making a Move Upmarket

by Steph Willems

June 7th, 2016 12:37 PM

spied 2018 ford fiesta making a move upmarket

An updated version of Ford’s tiniest offering was just spotted on the road, and while the camo is strong with this one, it’s clear the subcompact Fiesta now sports higher-end clothes.

Expected to bow in mid-2017 as a 2018 model, the Fiesta (the unofficial car of TTAC) keeps its old platform, but makes big changes in design and, apparently, price.

No longer resembling a strawberry (or raindrop, take your pick), the upcoming Fiesta gains a mildly squared-off front and back end, and should get an updated version of the corporate grille.

By sticking with the old architecture for a seventh generation, Ford plans to pump the cash it saved into improved interior finishes and content. Expect soft-touch materials and an upgraded infotainment system, along with a larger touchscreen and SYNC3 interface. A host of safety aids, including lane departure warnings, blind spot monitoring and road sign recognition, should be available.

With all this new content, there’s good reason to believe Ford will drop the lowest trim lines from the Fiesta stable. Say goodbye to the Studio and Style trim lines, and say hello to a starting price in the $18,000 range.

No one wants to build small cars in the U.S., and Ford is no different — the next Fiesta rolls out of the company’s new assembly plant in Rayong, Thailand. Current models are sourced from Ford plants in Mexico and India.

[Images: @ 2016 Spiedbilde/The Truth About Cars]

#2018FordFiesta #Design #Fiesta #Ford #FordFiesta #FutureVehicles #SpyShots #Subcompact

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GeneralMalaise on Jun 07, 2016

One of the worst reliability records of any car on the market.

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Bullnuke on Jun 08, 2016

Fiesta's aren't bad for what they are, specifically the "S" trim models. An inexpensive vehicle, cheap to run and own without much else. In comparison with similar class vehicles of yore such as the Beetle, Fiesta's are far and above better cars. My daughter bought an "S" sedan new in '14 for right around $13.5k out the door and is very pleased with it (other than the engine power). Being my child she chose one with a 5MT so no PowerSh*t issues and commutes with it daily on a 60-mile state highway run. She looked at the Focus before her purchase and liked the Fiesta better as it seemed pretty much 90% of a Focus at a much lower price. As for reliability, the passenger side door speaker blew out (she likes her music) and she went to aftermarket for a new set of front speakers. That has been the only issue in around 28k miles. As an aside, our local dealer has hired an extra full time transmission man to service PowerShift transmissions - there are usually 3 or 4 Fiesta's/Focus's daily awaiting his attention.

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- HotPotato on Jun 09, 2016
  
  The fleet at my work has become an all-Ford affair, and it seems immune from these PowerSchlub issues. Other than jerkiness in reverse, the DCTs are indistinguishable from conventional automatics in our Foci. And in the Fiesta, where the DCT seems tuned for quicker, firmer shifts, it actually makes the hamster-wheel 1.6 enjoyable. Overall I prefer the PowerSchleps to the lazy conventional auto that fizzles the fun in our Fusions (which are otherwise a stellar drive). Then again, maybe we just haven't put enough miles on them. Our reservation computer is programmed to check out the oldest cars first, to push them over the replacement mileage expeditiously, so the awful box-shaped Malibus and floaty chop-top Stratuses have only recently disappeared.
  
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