2014 Ford Fiesta Preview: Los Angeles Auto Show

Why the 2014 Ford Fiesta Matters: Even as the subcompact segment has been seeing more and more attention from both automakers and shoppers, the current Ford Fiesta has faced some surprisingly stiff challenges here in the U.S. In fact, year-to-date sales have declined by a steep 22.6 percent through October, a month in which the Fiesta—with 3,991 sales—trailed the segment-leading Nissan Versa by 4,320 deliveries and was 1,506 units behind the No. 2 vehicle, the Chevy Sonic.

On the other hand, that actually represented some growing momentum for the Blue Oval’s entry, which did edge ahead of cars like the Honda Fit, Fiat 500 and Hyundai Accent in terms of October sales. With the 2014 Ford Fiesta, it will be time to consolidate those gains, and take aim at the Sonic. (It’s unlikely that anyone will catch the Versa as long as it remains the least-expensive new car in America.) Helping matters will be reduced competition—as a result of the recent Hyundai/Kia fuel-economy situation—and the chance for American hot-hatch aficionados to finally stop salivating over the Fiesta ST and actually own one.

Additionally, the freshened Fiesta will be a test case for Ford’s new I3 engine—the only one offered in a mainstream U.S. automobile—while also (it’s hoped) addressing customer issues with the company’s enhanced SYNC with MyFord Touch technology, another feature debuting on the new Fiesta.

The 2014 Ford Fiesta is expected to go on sale early next year with a price that’s still TBD at this point.

What’s New for the 2014 Ford Fiesta

 For the new model year, the 2014 Ford Fiesta will welcome:

• Two new EcoBoost engines, including a 1.0-liter I3 powerplant for high efficiency and a 1.6-liter I4 for high performance
• Refreshed exterior and interior styling
• The latest iteration of SYNC with MyFord Touch, boasting updated voice-recognition capabilities
• Ford’s MyKey system, allowing parents/guardians to limit certain vehicle functionalities—such as speed and audio volume—for younger drivers
• A premium Sony audio setup with eight speakers, HD sound quality and satellite radio compatibility
• The hi-po Fiesta ST, with a sizzling 197 hp and 214 lb.-ft. of torque

New 2014 Ford Fiesta: Styling and Design

The 2014 Ford Fiesta will present a fresh face to U.S. customers, and it’s not a moment too soon, either. The rounded-off snout of the current version gives the car a sort of overbuilt appearance in the front that makes it look top-heavy and unbalanced, but the new global family grille realizes a vast improvement for owners. Yes, the open-mouth grille and single-bar bumper have been seen from (many) other brands, yet Ford designers have deployed a nice execution here, and it’s enhanced by a slightly extended, tapered headlight treatment as well as much larger foglight pockets. The overall affect is to give the car a sportier, wider-looking stance, accentuated by a sharp new front-lip spoiler.

The cabin of the 2014 Ford Fiesta retains its highly detailed design, with a fairly busy center stack, but the latter has been retouched slightly to handle a bigger touchscreen for the car’s new SYNC setup.

Ford also will continue to work the personalization angle with the revised Fiesta. For example, the automaker will offer a number of ambient-lighting options to allow owners to set the mood in the cockpit, along with an increasingly wide array of vinyl graphics for the exterior. As an FYI, these are pretty cool, and Ford has a nifty customizer at http://www.fordcustomgraphics.com/ that's well worth a visit.

New 2014 Ford Fiesta: What’s Under the Hood

Okay, now this is where things get particularly exciting for the 2014 Ford Fiesta. The starting point for the car will continue to be a naturally aspirated 1.6-liter I4 engine that delivers a competitive 120 hp and 112 lb.-ft. of torque, while also enabling an EPA line of up to 29 mpg city/40 mpg highway/33 mpg combined.

Then, for the next model year, the Blue Oval will deploy a pair of EcoBoost powerplants for the Fiesta. The first marks the return of three-cylinder motivation to the U.S. mainstream, although you probably wouldn’t be able to tell from just driving the car. The compact, lightweight engine is fairly smooth and refined, and it actually delivers more power than the bigger standard engine: 123 hp and 148 lb.-ft. of torque, to be exact. Plus, it also will deliver more fuel-economy than that motor, with the Fiesta’s 1.0-liter I3 projected to deliver better than 40 mpg and drive the most fuel-efficient non-hybrid subcompact in America.

At the other end of the power spectrum will be the 1.6-liter EcoBoost I4 that nestles inside the engine bay of the Fiesta ST. Tuned to offer up 197 hp and 214 lb.-ft. of torque, this EcoBoost is still being counted on to provide EPA ratings of up to 34 mpg, yet it will transform the 2014 Ford Fiesta into one of the hottest hatches on the road—or the track. Ford hasn’t released 0-60 times yet or anything like that yet, but the Fiesta ST will come to dealerships with output advantages of 16 hp and 37 lb.-ft. of torque over the MINI Cooper S and an additional 59 hp and 66 lb.-ft. of twist as compared to the Chevy Sonic RS.

New 2014 Ford Fiesta: Features and Technology

The Blue Oval folks also will use the 2014 Ford Fiesta to launch another round of enhancements to the SYNC with MyFord Touch system. Now, that technology has drawn mixed reactions—to say the least—but Ford remains just as committed to the system as it is to its EcoBoost tech. The party line here is that, “The technologyis driving up purchase consideration and appeal of Ford products, proven by internal data showing new vehicles ordered with MyFord Touch exceed expectations.”

Still, customers will certainly enjoy the improvements debuting on the Fiesta, particularly the system’s enhanced accuracy in handling voice commands, as well as its ability to recognize more natural speech patterns and simpler commands. It also will be easier for owners to pair their Bluetooth-enabled phones with the system and enter street addresses on the car’s touchscreen—which grows from the current 4-inch unit in today’s Fiesta to 6.5 inches in the 2014 model.

The other major new tech advantage for the 2014 Ford Fiesta is the parent-friendly MyKey system. Created to “encourage safer driving and limit … teenagers’ exposure to risk at the wheel,” MyKey lets owners set maximum vehicle speed and audio volume levels, prevent available safety systems and driver aids from being deactivated, and keeps the car’s audio system on “mute” until its seatbelts are buckled.

New 2014 Ford Fiesta: What Autobytel Thinks

It’s hard to imagine the demand for small cars doing anything but expanding in the near-term future, so any mainstream automaker that cares about growing its business will need a competent player in the subcompact segment. The 2013 Fiesta was exactly that, but not much more, and for a long time it struggled for traction even against old-school rivals such as the Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris.

The 2014 Ford Fiesta family as a whole, however, is better looking, more powerful, more fuel efficient and better-equipped than not only the current one, but also the rest of the mainstream entries in the segment. Thus, it’s equally hard to imagine the new Fiesta being anything less than a complete success.