A week with the high mileage low displacement Fiesta SFE
Pros:
Excellent fuel economy
Entertaining engine and chassis
Quiet interior for the class
Cons:
Poor rear seat room
Questionable fuel efficiency ROI
Limited rear visibility
2014 Ford Fiesta SFE
Back in 2011, Ford announced that its' lowest-displacement gasoline engine, a diminutive 1-liter, 3-cylinder, smaller than those found on many motorcycles, would be making its way over from Europe and into the engine bays of both Fiesta as well as Focus models.
The 2014 Fiesta was the first recipient.
Exterior
The 2014 freshening builds on Ford's objective of aligning the Fiesta's identity more strongly with both the compact Focus and midsize Fusion models. As such, it now boasts a more upright front fascia that sports a larger trapezoidal- shaped upper grille that rests above a small lower air intake.
Flanking the lower air intake are smaller fog lamp surrounds, while bracketing the upper grille, the leading edges of the headlamp enclosures are now more rounded. In back, the tail lamp lenses now feature a different lens combination with a new body-colored garnish above the license plate.
Interior
Inside, there's plenty of leg, hip, shoulder and head room for adults of just about all sizes up front. The seats are nicely bolstered and the driver's seat is equipped with a height adjustment feature allowing those who are vertically challenged to compensate for the Fiesta's moderately high beltline.
The rest of the interior is first-rate. Soft-touch surfaces are found throughout the cabin and include those dash surfaces closest to the driver and passengers as well as the all-important door arm rest area that is also surrounded by soft fabric.
The leather-wrapped steering wheel has a substantial feel and also tilts and telescopes, making it easy to find a comfortable driving position. Views out the front and sides, aided by fairly narrow A-pillars, are very good. But the small rear window, wide D-pillar and sloping roofline hinder views out the back and rear three-quarters. There's also no option for a rearview camera.
Since the SFE model isn't available with Ford's touchscreen infotainment system, the upper center stack features 30-odd buttons that control everything from the radio to the Bluetooth hands-free phone system. But you'll hear no complaints from us because all of them not only operate smoothly they're also intuitive to use.
Cargo room is a generous (for a subcompact) 15.4 cubic feet and rear seat backs have a 60-40 split. A particularly nice touch is the ability to flip the two outboard rear headrests forward to a horizontal position, dramatically improving what is still limited visibility out the rear hatch window.
But while the standard rear doors make ingress and egress easy, adults sitting in back will find that accommodations are really tight - this includes the head, hip, shoulder and, especially, legroom at just 31.2 inches.
One other minor nit that we have is the fact that the rear seat cushion doesn't fold forward. This means that when the seat backs are flipped down the rear cargo area doesn't feature a flat floor front to back.
Equipment
The Fiesta SE, on which the 1.0 EcoBoost version is based, comes with a fairly extensive list of standard equipment. As you would expect, power windows, mirrors (with blind spot "spotters") and door locks with keyless entry are all standard along with tilt and telescoping steering wheel, variable wipers and, in the rear, a spoiler, window defroster and wiper.
To that list you can add 15-inch alloy wheels (more on this later), a leather-wrapped steering wheel with cruise and audio controls, ambient lighting, a message center and Ford's SYNC infotainment and connectivity suite.
Finally, stability control and a full complement of airbags including driver/passenger, driver knee, side and side curtain airbags are also standard.
2015 Fiesta pricing starts at $15,190 for a manually-equipped base S model and top out at close to $26,000 for a fully loaded ST while SE models range anywhere from $16,420 to over $21,000. Our 2014 Blue Candy tester had a base price of $16,080. That Blue Candy paint job was an additional $395.00, while the EcoBoost package (steel wheels and wheel covers, the 1.0-liter engine, 5-speed manual transmission, EcoBoost and Super Fuel Economy badges) added $995.00 and the Comfort Package (heated front seats and side view mirrors, automatic climate control) tacked on an additional $290.00. Along with an $825 destination and delivery charge that brought the total MSRP to $18,515.
The good news is that, internally, Ford has reduced the price of the Sync & Sound option by $485, which translates to an $18,100 MSRP for a comparable 2015 model.
Under the hood
The SFE Fiesta is equipped with the smallest engine available in any Ford – an all-aluminum 1.0-liter, turbocharged, direct injection DOHC inline-3 featuring a split cooling system and an exhaust manifold cast into the cylinder head. It produces a maximum 123 horsepower at a fairly lofty 6,000 rpm and a robust (for its size) 148 lb.-ft. of torque at just 1,400 rpm.
As you might expect, fuel economy is the reason the SFE exists. The EPA rates it at a lofty 32/45/37 city/highway/combined mpg, while my own observed fuel economy was a still-impressive 34.2 mpg in some pretty heavy-footed driving both around town and on the freeways.
Here's why: in order to achieve those impressive EPA numbers, the 5-speed manual is equipped with tall gearing. To keep it in the torque band, around-town driving is best accomplished in first through third gear – while fifth is best relegated to speeds in excess of 70 mph.
On the road
The Fiesta SFE comes with agile and well-balanced handling. Not only does the Fiesta maintain a straight line without a
fuss, it begs to be thrown into corners. The suspension is firm and well damped and the steering, although slightly numb on-center, is very direct with great feedback to the driver. At freeway speeds the 1-liter Fiesta feels extremely stable and, despite its light weight, it's hardly affected by crosswinds. There's also hardly any body lean in corners and it tracks straight and true down the road.
Cabin sound levels are another one of the high points of the Fiesta. Although tire and suspension noise over large bumps find their way into the passenger compartment, overall the interior is extremely quiet in both around-town driving and expressway cruising.
The clutch is communicative, although the transmission throws are fairly longish - hardly what you would call "snick- snick." On the other hand, the front disc/rear drum brake setup is excellent and easy to modulate with plenty of feedback through the brake pedal.
The Bottom Line
There's a lot to like about the 2014 Fiesta SFE. It's nicely styled and fun to drive with solid handling, a composed chassis and a quiet interior. The engine also revs happily and fuel economy, even with a heavy foot, is excellent. The SFE is also quicker than an SE.
On the other hand, rear seat quarters are still tight, the engine can get a bit raspy at high revs, and the 1-liter package is an additional $995 that limits the additional options you can pick – no automatic transmission, alloy wheels, satellite radio or navigation system allowed. It also might be hard to justify that price difference given the fact that it could take 10 years or more to recover that extra grand, even with gas at $4.00 a gallon.
All in all, the Fiesta SFE is hardly a bargain, but it does offer a unique combination of handling, performance and fuel economy unmatched in the subcompact segment.
