Potential new Fiesta owner

[BUJonathan]

Hi All:

I currently drive a 2004 VW R32 with 70,000 miles. My daily commute for work has increased to 45 miles each way, and I'm thinking about selling my beloved R32 for something more economical like a Fiesta.

One question: I have a bad knee, and vowed my next car will be automatic. How reliable long-term is the Powershift? Are there any high-mileage Fiesta owners out there?

I know there have been TSB issues, and the powershift doesn't always feel like a normal torque converter transmission. But I want to make sure it will be a durable transmission long-term. I'll be driving 30,000 miles a year!

[psi chick]

the car's only been out a year, there aren't any high mileage fiesta's yet, sorry.

there are TSB's with every car, and most of the "issues" with the powershift i think have more to do with people's expectations than the actual transmission. it's a new type of tranny, it's going to feel different and people have issue with that.

[Norm201]

Originally Posted by BUJonathan

Hi All:

I currently drive a 2004 VW R32 with 70,000 miles. My daily commute for work has increased to 45 miles each way, and I'm thinking about selling my beloved R32 for something more economical like a Fiesta.

One question: I have a bad knee, and vowed my next car will be automatic. How reliable long-term is the Powershift? Are there any high-mileage Fiesta owners out there?

I know there have been TSB issues, and the powershift doesn't always feel like a normal torque converter transmission. But I want to make sure it will be a durable transmission long-term. I'll be driving 30,000 miles a year!

FWW...Yes, Ford has had some problems with the automatic. But they have addressed it and it's fine. There are far more "running smooth" transmissions out than than not. Reading this forum and you might think there's nothing but trouble. Not true. We have talked about this phenomenon many times before. My advice? If you like the car (please take several test drives first) then go for it.
Just for contrast...My son bought a brand new Regal, 52 miles and less than 24 hours the transmission blew completely. It happens on every make and model car.
Right now Ford has a good reputation and is riding high. Quality is good and product delivers as advertised.
The problems that have been reported are not publicized because they are not wide spread enough and have been proplerly addressed by Ford. Not like the debacle of the Prius or brakes issues of the Toyota.
The only criticism I'll make about the power-shift is that Ford should've used some type of damper on the gas pedal to avoid the jerkiness when starting from a stop. However, when you learn to use a very light touch it's not a problem.

Are you considering a Hatch or Sedan? We have a running thread on that too!

[Darkbrew]

No one has a crystal ball but Ford has been following events, addressing all concerns and seems very committed to Power Shift as a future platform.

[Bertt]

How bad is the gas mileage in an R32? The Fiesta is a great all around car, and a suprisingly good highway cruiser, but coming from a hatch with that much torque would be an adjustment.

[Norm201]

Originally Posted by Bertt

How bad is the gas mileage in an R32? The Fiesta is a great all around car, and a suprisingly good highway cruiser, but coming from a hatch with that much torque would be an adjustment.

Bertt,

You had a 74 Javelin?

I had a 74 Matador! It wasn't the best car around. But I sure had fun driving that thing around. It seemed like the hood went on forever!

[BUJonathan]

Thanks for the insight guys!

I'm getting 25-27 MPG on my normal commute in the VW (~85% highway). On longer trips with a tailwind, I can get 30 MPG.

Yeah, I think it'll be quite an "adjustment" compared to the R32. One option I'm considering is to just keep the R32, pile the miles on it, and see how many miles I can get on it before it become problematic. The only real issue I've had with the VW was the 2 cool fans failed, and it cost $1200 at the dealer to fix them. It has been a fairly trouble free car for a VW, but the issues I've had have been expensive ones LOL.

[Bertt]

Well, you can easily clear 40 mpg in a fiesta (with a 5sp or an auto), and you don't have to put 91 in a fiesta like you do a VW. Plus, you can't put a price on peace of mind, and a high mileage VW can keep you up at night...

[Bertt]

Originally Posted by Norm201

Bertt,

You had a 74 Javelin?

I had a 74 Matador! It wasn't the best car around. But I sure had fun driving that thing around. It seemed like the hood went on forever!

The Javelin is in my dad's garage right now, getting the front suspension re-built. We built a 360 for it a while ago, it's not a show car by any means, but I always got a laugh when people at gas stations asked me if it was a Mustang...

[Cobra348]

Non-Winter around here, I'm getting 32-35 MPG 25/75 city/highway. Recent trip to near Altoona, PA and back I hit over 41 MPG going uphill to PA and 45+ coming back. That run was about 10/90 c/h driving and in the non-SFE sedan in my sigline.

Winter mileage varies between 24 and 26 with warmups and so forth. Thankfully thats really only about 3-1/2 months so it doesn't hurt too badly!

I rarely will praise products I use to high Heaven, but IMO Ford did it well with the Fiesta. While my car is a July 2010 build it is over 10,300 miles with only the weatherstripping issue that I have had fixed. I have made arrangements for an update to the transmission TCM but only to alter the seemingly high 1st to 2nd shift point.

I love the little car and am desperately wanting Ford to update the web site to '12 Fiesta so I can spec out what I want next.