In the October Car and Driver they do a three-way test of the Fiesta, Mazda2 and Fit and they ranked the Fiesta a distant third to the Fit (first) and the Mazda2 (second). Two items stood out in their dislike, the Fiestas interior which they did not like at all and the anemic 10.1 second 0-60 time (with a manual!). They also weren't all that enamored with the Hankook's but there I have to admit that they have a point, mine are going away next week.
Obviously their dislike for the Fiesta's interior is just one of those things, for some of us it works and for others it doesn't. Personally I think the 2's interior looks cheap and unfinished by comparison but that's just my opinion.
The odd thing is the 0-60 time. As folks know from my other thread 0-60 times for the Fiesta seem to be all over the board with no real explanation. This however is by far the slowest 5-speed 0-60 time I've seen published and a far cry from the best I've seen of 8.6. The Mazda2's time by comparison is the best I've seen published for it (next best was a 9.3 and I've seen as bad as 10.1). I have a couple of theories as to what's going on, one is that the Fiesta's engine doesn't make good power until it's broken in some and this was a low-miles example, the other is that to get the best 0-60 you have hold second all the way to the fuel cut-off and a lot of car magazines insist at shifting at the published redline.
Obviously their dislike for the Fiesta's interior is just one of those things, for some of us it works and for others it doesn't. Personally I think the 2's interior looks cheap and unfinished by comparison but that's just my opinion.
The odd thing is the 0-60 time. As folks know from my other thread 0-60 times for the Fiesta seem to be all over the board with no real explanation. This however is by far the slowest 5-speed 0-60 time I've seen published and a far cry from the best I've seen of 8.6. The Mazda2's time by comparison is the best I've seen published for it (next best was a 9.3 and I've seen as bad as 10.1). I have a couple of theories as to what's going on, one is that the Fiesta's engine doesn't make good power until it's broken in some and this was a low-miles example, the other is that to get the best 0-60 you have hold second all the way to the fuel cut-off and a lot of car magazines insist at shifting at the published redline.