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1st gen Focus vs. Fiesta specs

3668 Views 5 Replies 5 Participants Last post by  PowerShift
Thought it would be good to see exactly how close the 1st Focus was with respect to dimensions and measurements. All stats are based on 2003 ZX5 info from Edmunds and True Delta's info on the Fiesta. It is Focus/Fiesta in presentation.

Length: 168.1/160.1 in.
Width: 66.9/66.8 in.
Height: 53.9/58.0 in.
Wheelbase: 103/98 in.
Curb Weight: 2699/2537 lb.

Front Head Room: 39.3/39.1 in.
Front Shoulder Room: 53.7/52.7 in.
Front Hip Room: 49.4/50.6 in.
Front Leg Room: 43.1/42.2 in.
Rear Head Room: 38.5/37.2 in.
Rear Shoulder Room: 53.7/49.0 in.
Rear Hip Room: 49.5/49.2 in.
Rear Leg Room: 37.6/31.2 in.

Luggage Capacity: 18.6/15.4 cu. ft.
Luggage Capacity Maximum: 43/26 cu. ft.
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Interesting to see how close they are, and how much roomier the Focus was, though I think that has to do with the safety/regulations changes they needed to make for North America (they added 5in to the overall length for one thing), plus the Focus' 5in-longer wheelbase.
Well done! I wasn't lying when I said the Fiesta reminds me of my 2000 ZX3. The Fiesta and Focus are very close in dimensions and driving dynamics.
Here's another interesting comparison, compare the 2011 Fiesta Sedan to a Final Generation (3rd?) Ford Escort. Interesting how many of the interior dimensions are nearly identical. Crazy how much bigger the C-Segment cars have gotten over the past decade+.

2011 Ford Fiesta Sedan/1999 Ford Escort Sedan

Wheelbase [in] 98/98.4
Length [in] 173.6/170.4
Height [in] 58/53.3
Width - Excluding Mirrors [in] 66.8/67
Head Room - Front [in] 39.1/39
Head Room - Rear [in] 37.1/36.7
Leg Room - Front [in] 42.2/42.5
Leg Room - Rear [in] 31.2/34
Hip Room - Front [in] 50.6/50.2
Hip Room - Rear [in] 49.2/49.4
Shoulder Room - Front [in] 52.7/51.6
Shoulder Room - Rear [in] 49/52.1
Luggage Capacity [cu. ft.] 12.8/12.8
Fuel Tank Capacity [gal.] 12/12.8
Turning Circle [ft.] 34.4/31.4
Curb Weight [lbs.] 2578/2468


Obvious how much better the fiesta is compared to the car I currently drive (the 99 Escort).
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The Fiesta really doesn't have very good rear legroom though - it's even less than the Escort! That's the only thing that this car really loses in comparison with the Honda Fit (well that and the non-flat-folding rear seat, but some clever redesigning later on could fix that particular shortcoming somewhat, I'd think)
I was also a 1999 Escort driver. I can tell you that despite the numbers the Fiesta back seat is much roomier than the Escort based on my own observations. When a car is very tall you get a lot of additional seat comfort that often doesn't get reflected in the measurements.

Other than that it's amazing to see how similar the cars are overall.
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