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"According to Ford, the 2011 North American Fiesta, which is built in Cuautitlan Izcalli, Mexico, actually has suspension that&amp;#039;s a bit stiffer than its European counterpart&amp;#039;s. Now, before you get all excited about this B-class econocar performing like Ken Block&amp;#039;s World Rally Championship Fiesta race car, the changes\u2014which include shock absorbers with marginally firmer damping (20-percent more rebound), slightly stiffer front springs and anti-roll bar bushings, plus a different calibration for the electric power steering\u2014were largely made to compensate for the U.S. car&amp;#039;s increased weight (due to our stricter safety and crash standards) and the taller, softer sidewalls of our 16-in. all-season tires (the Euros get summer tires standard).   The result is a car that feels just a tick less nimble than the . The U.S. car is still fun to throw into turns, mind you, especially compared to most economy cars in its class, but a bit of precision seems to have been lost in the translation\u2014a good part of that undoubtedly related to the all-season tires.   Besides a twisty road drive, Ford also set us loose on an autocross course and even provided a and a for comparison. While the Fiesta felt far more controlled and fun to drive than the Toyota, the Honda actually seemed the best of the three at negotiating the orange cones\u2014it feels lighter and livelier when you throw it around; the Fiesta feels more substantial, which for many will be viewed as a good thing. The Fiesta&amp;#039;s ride quality is also impressive for such a small car.   The 2011 Ford Fiesta comes in both 4-door sedan and 5-door hatchback body styles (I prefer the styling of the Euro-chic hatch, as well as its more useful load-carrying ability\u2014although you do have to remove the rear-seat headrests to fully fold the rear seats). The sole engine is an all-aluminum 1.6-liter Ti-VCT (variable camshaft timing) inline-4 that puts out 120 bhp at 6350 rpm and 112 lb.-ft. of torque at 5000. It&amp;#039;s a smooth and willing little fellow, and happy to rev beyond 6000 rpm, where its exhaust takes on a more enthusiastic note. Due to the Fiesta&amp;#039;s near 2600-lb. curb weight, this car is not exactly quick. But it is fuel efficient, Ford projecting 30 mpg city/40 mpg highway.   The Fiesta comes standard with a 5-speed manual gearbox. It&amp;#039;s decent for around-town use, but the throws are longish and a tad notchy\u2014not enough to detract from fun on backroads, though. Ford projects a good 85 percent of U.S. buyers will opt for the new 6-speed PowerShift transmission (the Europeans are ordering Fiestas at about 85 percent manuals), which performs pretty much like an automatic, despite its dual dry clutch setup. Shifts are smooth and quick. While it&amp;#039;s not surprising that Ford chose to save a few pennies by not offering paddle shifters (they&amp;#039;re available with Honda&amp;#039;s Fit, for example), the fact that the console lever doesn&amp;#039;t even have a manual sequential-shift mode is troubling. Lots of people, for instance, like to use engine braking on deceleration or hold a gear on a twisting back road.   The Fiesta&amp;#039;s interior is a breath of fresh air for an econocar, with styling and materials that are surely best in class. Derrick Kuzak, Ford&amp;#039;s group vice president for Global Product Development, said it was &amp;quot;designed to suit that of a typical 25-year-old female from Milan, Italy.&amp;quot; Evidently, Euro women must love texting on their phones as much as Americans because the large buttons on the high-mounted center stack look very much like the keypad of a mobile phone that can text.   The Fiesta offers loads of front head room and plenty in back as well, along with super comfortable front seats (leather is available) with adequate lateral support and a sporty, leather-wrapped steering wheel with a thick rim. About the only downside within the quiet cabin are the ridiculously difficult to find (and use) seatback adjusters, which are completely blocked by the lap belt. Turns out the Euro model comes with round adjuster knobs, but Ford had to fit a lever arrangement to suit Americans, and it &amp;quot;didn&amp;#039;t translate well,&amp;quot; according to Kuzak, who said the setup will be fixed, but it might not be until the 2012 model year.   The 4-door Fiesta will start at $13,995 and the 5-door hatchback at $15,795 when the car hits dealers this summer. That&amp;#039;s a very reasonable price, especially when you take into account the Fiesta is one of the sportiest vehicles in its class and that it&amp;#039;s available with what Ford terms &amp;quot;15 class exclusive features,&amp;quot; including pushbutton start, Ford&amp;#039;s Sync hands-free communication and entertainment system (of note, the Fiesta will be the first car to offer Sync AppLink, a downloadable software program that allows owners to access and control smartphone apps with voice commands and vehicle controls) and the twin-clutch PowerShift transmission, along with 9\u2014shall we say, bold\u2014exterior color choices. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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