The US-Spec Hatchback Spied

[Mark Kleis]

Any of you guys see the spy shots of the "new Ranger?"

Who's worried it will look like this?

[mrbirdman330]

I could care less about the Ranger, but seeing those pics of when it was first spied that front end is starting to seriously remind me of the US MK I Focus.

[Marc]

Clearly the shape of a 5-point Mazda grille. The non-US Rangers are built in Thailand on a Mazda platform and sold in Europe. Well, they are on the pricelist, but if they are actually sold? Haven't seen any of them here in the Netherlands in the flesh. Maybe in the UK or Germany...?

[PowerShift]

Did anyone ever see this photo of the US Fiesta Sedan?

It's from a year ago but it shows the front end pretty much uncovered. Granted, it's a simple black-plastic mock-up and the design could have changed since then.

Photo Gallery

The lower/upper grille motif is plainly evident. However, part of the lower "grille" is actually solid plastic, probably to support a license plate. Also, notice the scallops carved into the plastic where the foglights would go. What will they do for foglights?

My opinion is that the global Fiesta grille was fine and didn't need changing. However, I'm also OK with this front end. It is not a hack job. It's well harmonized with the carryover headlights and hood and is done in the same "kinetic" language as the rest of the car. It will still be the most distinctive front end in its class when it hits the streets next year.

[Marc]

So you want a small car with stretched headlights and a really big grille (or rather -- hole)?

[Marc]

Okay, it's slightly smaller, but at least it has those Verve foglight shapes .......



That's 5 MPH federal not-a-scratch-on-yer-bumper consumer protection for ya.
Of course, there's nothing wrong with the European safety standards of the car:
5 star rating: http://www.euroncap.com/tests/ford/fiesta.aspx

No bumper can withstand 40 MPH without scratching:






(Bryan, take off the bumper NOW and have a copy made before you hand it back to Ford )

[azulejost]

If the Verve sedan concept's bumper/fascia meets US specs, I can tolerate that for our version with possibly some changes on the side intakes and all their chrome. I agree that the large lower intake in the trapezoidal shape is crucial and going to a more conventional horizontal lower intake would be egregious. One problem that arises with the Verve fascia is the trapezoidal side inlets with what I believe were LED fog lights. I cannot imagine LEDs will be making their US debut on the Fiesta with the many cost concerns. A round fog light plugged into that trapezoidal section probably wouldn't look very good at all--see the current Fusion (the car looks good for all it's 3-bar razor but that detail could have been much better executed). It's just not as cohesive as the otherwise practically flawless execution shown in the Fiesta where every exterior detail works together--nothing looks added on or an afterthought. What to do with that could be as simple as keeping the round housing from the EU. That should still look good even with the enlarged upper air intake that seems to be coming for the US, and fog lights have to be part of the package.

Either way, one thing that hasn't been mentioned is the deleterious aesthetic impact the Fiesta will take for those in states requiring front license plates. The long, thin EU plates can be incorporated into the lower grille fairly well, but the tall, short US plates cannot be. I hope the US version doesn't include a thick enough solid plastic bar through the grille to mount the plate fully from top to bottom; maybe only to mount the top portion of the tag and have a bracket that dealers can add to support the remainder as is done on many other cars. Regardless, a completely unobstructed lower grille would look better than any solid bar.

Another issue with the license plate will be the impact on the airflow to the radiator, AC compressor, and hopefully an intercooler (which I assume the EcoBoost 4-cyl would utilize?) in the future. Maybe that is why Ford US seems to be insisting on the larger upper air inlet and could even explain a reason for the side air intakes.

[mrbirdman330]

This would make a bumper a hood swap easy then.

[BRGT350]

Marc, even with the black camo, the trapazoid lower grille is still there. The pics of the gaffers tape coming off are the ones that are really strange.

[GhiaFan]

Would be a shame if your Fiesta loses its strongest character, the lower trap design. Funny how designers always say the face is the most important design element of the car, which gives the looker 1st impression if they like it or not.
Fiesta face has proven itself to be a very well liked and desired around the world, funny how Ford America seems threathen somehow by this and needs to make some lame duck excuses that the design changes are necessary because of the different safety regs. I call BS on this as the other car company that has a very distinctive face like the Fiesta or EU Fords in general is Audi, with a solid grille type face which is identical whether seen on EU roads or USA roads.

How come Ford N.A. , Audi does not have to give up its distinctive face just for American safety regs????

And forget about the excuse that the Fiesta was not originally planned for USA soil, you have had 3 years to figure out how to execute the same design with the safety blah blah stuff inserted into the front end without the need to add the USA plastic surgery.