3rd place - 2012 Ford Fiesta (81.8%)
As the smallest of the lot, the Fiesta still captured our attention with its poised and comfortable ride and overall performance. Its more diminutive size did pose a few problems.
The 2012 Ford Fiesta 5-door starts at $13,999. For this kind of money, one can purchase the most European-inspired car in the segment. With a few options, an SES Fiesta can roll off the assembly line for about $23,000. With this level of features, the Fiesta is in near-luxury territory.
The Fiesta has been and continues to offer the most youthful outlook. More so that the Mazda2 or any other small car, the Fiesta Hatchback caters aesthetically to young people. As the average age of our test group hovered around 30 years old, the wiser looking Koreans beat out the Fiesta, if only by a nose.
The cabin drew mixed comments. Some thought it was young and jazzy while others thought it was bit much. Ergonomics did suffer because of this; however, fit and finish were quite good as was the driving position thanks to a telescoping steering column.
Downsides related mostly to its overall size. The rear bench is the snuggest, ingress and egress are laboured, but thankfully the seats were up to par. A fair amount of wind noise did creep into the cabin but road projections were well abated.
The 120-hp 1.6L engine, one of the more powerful in the segment, managed to keep smiles on our faces. The 6-speed PowerShift automated transmission and relatively light weight saved the day on a number of levels. The Fiesta turned out to be sufficiently quick but, better yet, returned the lowest fuel consumption average.
The Fiesta drove magnificently. On-center steering feel was spot-on as were the suspension and the chassis. In the driving portion of the test, the Fiesta fared very well.
We did complain somewhat about the less-than-ideal-performing brakes but otherwise, the Ford Fiesta struck a near ideal balance between sport and comfort.
Although visibility was hampered slightly, we raved about the convex door mirrors. The Fiesta is well priced and extremely entertaining to drive; however, its smaller stature hurt it most. The limited amounts of legroom and headroom are what ultimately put it in third.
As the smallest of the lot, the Fiesta still captured our attention with its poised and comfortable ride and overall performance. Its more diminutive size did pose a few problems.
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| Photo: Matthieu Lambert |
The 2012 Ford Fiesta 5-door starts at $13,999. For this kind of money, one can purchase the most European-inspired car in the segment. With a few options, an SES Fiesta can roll off the assembly line for about $23,000. With this level of features, the Fiesta is in near-luxury territory.
The Fiesta has been and continues to offer the most youthful outlook. More so that the Mazda2 or any other small car, the Fiesta Hatchback caters aesthetically to young people. As the average age of our test group hovered around 30 years old, the wiser looking Koreans beat out the Fiesta, if only by a nose.
The cabin drew mixed comments. Some thought it was young and jazzy while others thought it was bit much. Ergonomics did suffer because of this; however, fit and finish were quite good as was the driving position thanks to a telescoping steering column.
Downsides related mostly to its overall size. The rear bench is the snuggest, ingress and egress are laboured, but thankfully the seats were up to par. A fair amount of wind noise did creep into the cabin but road projections were well abated.
 |
| The cabin drew mixed comments. Some thought it was young and jazzy while others thought it was bit much. (Photo: Matthieu Lambert) |
The 120-hp 1.6L engine, one of the more powerful in the segment, managed to keep smiles on our faces. The 6-speed PowerShift automated transmission and relatively light weight saved the day on a number of levels. The Fiesta turned out to be sufficiently quick but, better yet, returned the lowest fuel consumption average.
The Fiesta drove magnificently. On-center steering feel was spot-on as were the suspension and the chassis. In the driving portion of the test, the Fiesta fared very well.
We did complain somewhat about the less-than-ideal-performing brakes but otherwise, the Ford Fiesta struck a near ideal balance between sport and comfort.
Although visibility was hampered slightly, we raved about the convex door mirrors. The Fiesta is well priced and extremely entertaining to drive; however, its smaller stature hurt it most. The limited amounts of legroom and headroom are what ultimately put it in third.
| 2012 Chevrolet Sonic LT | 2012 Ford Fiesta SES | 2012 Hyundai Accent GLS | 2012 Kia Rio LX+ | 2012 Toyota Yaris SE | |
| 0-100 km/h (sec.) | 10.6 | 10.5 | 10.9 | 10.4 | 11.6 |
| 1/4 mile (sec. @ km/h) | 17.3 @ 125 | 17.5 @ 127 | 17.5 @ 128 | 17.8 @ 123 | 18.1 @ 120 |
| Fuel economy (L/100km) | 9.7 | 7.6 | 8.8 | 8.2 | 8.1 |
| Engine @ 100 km/h (rpm) | 2,100 | 2,400 | 2,000 | 2,600 | 2,650 |