Last week Ford invited us to take an extended first look at their 2014 Fiesta SE Sedan in city and highway driving as we drove in a caravan for an hour back and forth to Zoo Atlanta where Ford has played a major role in supporting the zoo and its message of conservation.

Exterior:

Coming in most of the colors you’ll find in a pack of Skittles, the Fiesta wins points on a “cute” scale but it also isn’t unattractive. Refreshed in 2014 to look more like the Fusion, the Fiesta does not appear as small externally as previous Fiesta models have, though it does have an undersized sunroof.

Handling:

From switching lanes to u-turns to keeping it between the lines, the Fiesta’s responsive handling was size-appropriate. The steering wheel’s diameter also feels appropriate to the vehicle size.

Seating/Storage:

Both front seats were taken up by people 5’7″, and we were comfortable with the fit. But be warned, while the Fiesta offers plenty of headroom, it certainly feels like a subcompact vehicle. Adults over 5’7″ sitting in the back seat had major legroom issues with the front seats when they were more than halfway back.

For a vehicle in its class, the Fiesta has an appropriate amount of storage and no red flags jumped out at us.

Infotainment:

Unlike the 2014 Ford Escape, button, nob, and screen placement in the Fiesta made sense, was easy to use, and sized appropriately for the vehicle class.

The Drive:

Driving the Fiesta took a little getting used to. Pulling out of parking lots and turning corners in the city quickly engaged the engine while putting the pedal down on the Fiesta was a smooth, rapid acceleration from 40-75 mph on the highway. While accelerating, there did not appear to be a loss of power due to the blasting air conditioning nor a boost in power when the air conditioning was turned off.

When accelerating from a stop on a hill, the automatic Fiesta we drove dropped back similar to a standard transmission vehicle before first gear truly kicked in. It was manageable, though unexpected.

In the city, the Fiesta felt zippy to drive and was a comfortable ride for the front passengers. Besides the lack of legroom for full-grown rear passengers, speed bumps and potholes left an impression on the passengers even at low speed.

top image courtesy of Ford Motor Company

Want to see photos from our drive? Follow us on Instagram (@drivemyfamily).