AutoBlog: LA 2009: 2011 Ford Fiesta unveiled by agents of the Movement

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Filed under: LA Auto Show, Budget, Hatchback, Ford

2011 Ford Fiesta - Click above for high-res image gallery

We've been hearing about the 2011 Ford Fiesta for so long that it's hard to imagine that the U.S. version of the car was just officially unveiled today. We gave you all of the official details and photos late last night, but we can now give you our first live impressions of the North American-spec version. Ford's own Mark Fields officially introduced the car along with numerous Fiesta agents on hand who helped pull the sheets off the various Fiestas on the show floor.

Although just 60 percent of the parts on the U.S.-spec Fiesta are common with the European version, it seems that most of the charm of the car remains. Up front the grille has been revised to include the three-bar design (at least on the sedan), and the fog lights have been replaced by LED light strips surrounded by chrome. The interior design is relatively the same as well, although it's been tweaked to conform with U.S. crash standards and features soft touch materials, a four-inch LCD display, and available SYNC, auto climate control, leather seats, moon roof and more. Power comes from a 1.6-liter four-cylinder putting out a respectable 119 horsepower and 109 lb-ft torque. A 5-speed manual or new 6-speed PowerShift electronic dual clutch automatic will be the transmissions of choice, though the automatic goes without any manual controls.

There's plenty of more details in the multitude of press releases after the jump, and we've included all of our live shots of the 2011 Fiesta in the high-res gallery below.

Gallery: LA 2009: 2011 Ford Fiesta

Gallery: 2011 Ford Fiesta

Live photos copyright ©2009 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading LA 2009: 2011 Ford Fiesta unveiled by agents of the Movement

LA 2009: 2011 Ford Fiesta unveiled by agents of the Movement originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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[daves87rs 573]

I like it!

[the_yellow_dart 26]

Does anybody know why they took out the foglights?

[cire 2]

If I hadn't seen the Euro version (which I think looks superior to the U.S. version), then I would probably think the U.S. front end treatment (at least on the 5-door) looked fine. When compared to the Euro version, the U.S. front end treatment looks cheap and contrived. The Euro version looked classy and sporty. I'm a little disappointed. Other than the butchered front end treatments, I think both versions look great. I just wished Ford would have found a way to give us an evolution of the Euro front end treatment that still met U.S. standards and regulations.

[Blake Noble 151]

It's an attractive small car (that I won't be caught dead in).

[ocnblu 1,142]

It just misses the boat as a five-door. Needs a 3-door to spice things up.