ok,, not to be too nit picky here but , altho on paper this seems like a fine car, why has ford not gone a step further to make it a premium small car? For example,,,, get rid of any matte black painted plastic, including the antenna base (if hundai can paint all their antenna bases car color then ford can too) AND what's w/ the wiper on the passenger side? It looks broken or like it's supposed to be on a 80s hundai... Design it correctly... wipers should be unobtrusive and barely visible when 'parked'...
Wiper design
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Interesting. Guess it goes to show that different folks like different strokes...
I was afraid the U.S. would lose the wipers because they were so nice. These are literally the same ones found on high-end Mercedes...
I was afraid the U.S. would lose the wipers because they were so nice. These are literally the same ones found on high-end Mercedes...
I will be first to admit I criticized the "bent" passenger wiper during spy photo development, but I would like to retract any such criticism until I can take it for a drive in the rain. Perhaps the bend allows for more windshield surface area coverage in all the right places than otherwise. If that's the case and it's not very obstructive/intrusive when "parked" I will take some lashings for premature complaining.
The antenna may be a personal preference because I think a matte base works well since it has the stinger portion instead of being only a fin. If the base were painted it would make for an odd bump in the roof visually instead of having the separation matte black provides.
The antenna may be a personal preference because I think a matte base works well since it has the stinger portion instead of being only a fin. If the base were painted it would make for an odd bump in the roof visually instead of having the separation matte black provides.
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I was just looking at my car and the passenger side wiper intrudes into the windshield space just like it does on the Fiesta. It's barely noticeable unless you're looking for it. I don't see what the big deal is.
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You guys can always send Trevor a hollar at fordpartsuk.com and order regular european wipers for the Fiesta. I would like to see a side by side comparison of two different arms in action to see what kind of swipe each one takes. Then again the NA Fiesta might have bigger blades hence the need for a bent passenger side arm.
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My Mazda3 has a passenger-side wiper that's visible from the drivers' seat and kinda "bent"-looking and it doesn't affect my feelings about the car at all. In fact I only noticed about a month ago.
Color-coded antenna mounts? Really? Apart from BMW shark fin antennae I neither know of nor have noticed them.
Color-coded antenna mounts? Really? Apart from BMW shark fin antennae I neither know of nor have noticed them.
And those are GPS antennas!
The strange thing about the EU wipers is that I can't find a replacement set anywhere! I usually swap to winter blades this time of year, and none of the ones I have found will fit the EU arm.
Anyway, I really don't remember the wiper arm sticking up on the LA show cars like it was on the mules. If it was, it was so minor, I did not notice it.
Anyway, I really don't remember the wiper arm sticking up on the LA show cars like it was on the mules. If it was, it was so minor, I did not notice it.
I remember reading an article saying the front wipers path had to be changed, just another one of those funky USA regulations. Wish I could find the article, as the Ford executive that was mentioning this issue, was making the point of how many little issues arise and the costs incurred because of the differences in standards.
BTW, I am very impressed that Ford stay with the frameless front wiper blades. Very common on most segments here in Europe, but in North America these are usually seen on the upper end segements, such as entry lux and luxury vehicles.
BTW, I am very impressed that Ford stay with the frameless front wiper blades. Very common on most segments here in Europe, but in North America these are usually seen on the upper end segements, such as entry lux and luxury vehicles.
It looks like the differences between US and EU regulations are much deeper and extensive than most of us initially thought. It's not just the bumper requirements and the reflectors, it also affects dashboard shape, wipers, mirrors, etc etc etc. Kinda ridiculous if you ask me...
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Which is a joke of them stating the car is 90% Euro.
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$50 says that no one here could spot the differences between the U.S. or Euro Fiesta dash without seriously studying them. They're almost identical.
Just like the rest of the changes.
Also, the dash shape change had to do with crash testing... not Ford just deciding to re-invent the wheel.
But alas, explaining this concept is clearly futile...
Just like the rest of the changes.
Also, the dash shape change had to do with crash testing... not Ford just deciding to re-invent the wheel.
But alas, explaining this concept is clearly futile...
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I think they did a better job integrating the climate control/console with the rest of the dash on the American model than the Euro model. The knobs appear to be closer to the driver. I don't know if this was required by safety standards or not but it took my least favorite part of the Fiesta design and turned it into a positive.
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You don't know what you're talking about. European safety standards are better than North American. The cars are designed to take the entire blow of the impact unlike North American where some of that is transferred to the occupant of the car. In idiots terms European cars may get totaled in a wreck but the driver is going to walk away. North American cars might be fixable but the driver has injuries and probably a broken leg or two. Cars are replaceable HUMANS AREN'T.
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