Used 2016 Ford Fiesta Consumer Reviews
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Front Wheel Drive blows.
Gavin, 03/23/2017
2016 Ford Fiesta ST 4dr Hatchback (1.6L 4cyl Turbo 6M)
12 of 18 people found this review helpful
Considering this is a FWD car it handles great and is a driver's FWD car. Unfortunately though, it's still FWD. The car torque steers all over the road if there is any kind of rut or standing water. The 17 inch rims are too big for the car and it gives the car poor ride quality, handling and makes road noise unbearable. The acceleration is pleasantly surprising. There is very little turbo lag which is nice for me personally because I have driven N/A V8 mustangs and pickups my whole life. The handling will surprise you and the car responds well to throttle burping/modulation while in the center of the corner as long as you don't enter too fast. Sometimes the back end will try to step out if you dive too hard after a Scandinavian flick, in my experience I have found this a somewhat typical trait of FWD cars. The rear wheels have no purpose and are therefore just along for the ride. One feature that often goes overlooked is the hill assist. For an experienced manual transmission driver this is the bees knees. I drove this car somewhere between 10,000 and 20,000 miles (sorry I'm not doing that math lol) for Lyft in San Francisco and never once smelt burning clutch. Generally I never even rolled back and it blew American customer's minds (they must've owned a prius). European tourists never gave it a second thought that I was driving a manual and some who had ridden with other drivers around the bay were relieved to see an American driving stick. The manual transmission is the selling point in this car, it is crisp and over built for the equipped 1.6L engine as it is the same 6spd found in the Focus ST which has over 50 more horsepower. The main reason I chose this car over other "Hot Hatch" vehicles is that there is no automatic transmission option so I knew going to the dealership I wouldn't have to search for a car with a stick. Storage space is an issue; however, I never had to turn an airport customer away for luggage although I did have some suitcase induced blind spots from time to time. Visibility in this car is great and I love how there is no backup camera. One of the best things about this car is that you can tell it was designed by a driver, not by a guy in a suit. The little corner mirrors within the side mirrors can easily be adjusted to eliminate blindspots. The sync 3 system is too much for me so I have nothing but great things to say about it. I didn't want or need sync 3, but I got it and I use it. The exterior design is very appealing and the kona blue color is stunning. Overall the car is impressive for what it is. If you drive it right you can hit a high 14 second quarter mile then drive home at 40mpg. I will say this though, you have to drive very conservatively to achieve 40mpg. I've done it with 3 tanks, the highest of those 3 being approximately 42mpg(92 octane ethanol free, 40.2mpg was my best on crumby California 91 octane). If you aren't that patient it's pretty easy to get over 35mpg despite the window sticker claiming only 33mpg highway and that is why manual transmissions are the best. I took the car to autocross one time and that was enough for me because I'm used to autocrossing my Foxbody mustang, the FWD is just lame and uninspiring. There is no way around it, FWD sucks. I'd also like to notate that I always turn off the traction and stability control for two reasons; 1: better driving feel, 2: better fuel economy(less friction, better economy). Driving position is great for visibility but my right knee gets banged up during hard cornering.
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Absolute POS
William W, 07/31/2021
2016 Ford Fiesta SE 4dr Hatchback (1.6L 4cyl 5M)
5 of 7 people found this review helpful
If you're thinking about it, don't. Get a Fit instead. Take your current payment and double it. That's how much you'll average in repairs to keep it running. Simple things like O2 sensors going bad immobilize the vehicle and leave you stranded. Not to mention Ford pushes really hard for you to take it to the dealer with their proprietary diagnostic tools. Not to mention the notoriously bad DPS6 transmission. Stay away.
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2016 Ford Fiesta for sale near you
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Fun little economy car
Andy, 03/02/2019
2016 Ford Fiesta SE 4dr Hatchback (1.6L 4cyl 5M)
3 of 4 people found this review helpful
First off, I have the SE hatchback with the 1.0 3 cylinder ecoboost engine (SFE package). It's actually pleasing to drive - acceptable power and fuel efficient to boot. It won't win any races, but it's not boring either. Comes standard with a manual transmission, which I prefer anyway- light clutch and solid shifts (although it's only a 5 speed and no reverse lockout). For fuel economy, I'm averaging between 33-38 mpg, which translates to 375-425 miles on one tank (12 gallons) depending on the season. But be careful, it's easy to go fast in this car because it drives so well. I can definitely tell this car came from Europe, handling is surprisingly good and car feels solid going down the road. My biggest gripe with the handling is the cheap economy Hankook tires this car comes standard with - fine in the dry but poor grip when wet or snowy. Upgrade your tires to get the most out of this car. Interior fit and finish is very good, doesn't feel terribly cheap like most American car interiors. Visibility is outstanding, LOVE the large windshield and the airy feeling it gives you. Decent stock audio system, but the base Sync screen is too small and recessed for my taste. And I find it annoying having to rely on voice commands to change audio source because it's otherwise buried in the settings if you do it manually. Sync reliability and functionality hasn't been great with my car and there is no update, but when it does work, it works OK. Interior cargo space isn't anything to brag about and the rear seats don't fold down flat, but apart from that, you can get a fair amount of stuff in the back nonetheless. Rear seats are best meant for small kids and only two of them at most, so this isn't a family car by no means. But the seats are fairly comfortable for all passengers that do fit inside. Overall reliability hasn't been terrible with only a couple things worth mentioning. So far, I've had to replace the A/C compressor, coolant tank, coolant hose, and oil cooler, with only the compressor covered under warranty. Occasionally, my Sync voice commands stop working and the only way to reset it is to disconnect the battery for a minute - dealerships can't explain why this happens or replicate the problem (go figure). But I'm currently at 53,000 miles and running strong despite all that. Overall, I'm satisfied with my Fiesta and it will serve me well until it dies. The Honda Fit has better cargo room, but I chose the Fiesta because it's more of a driver's car and gives me more smiles per gallon.
Good enough car.
Gregg jones, 06/22/2018
2016 Ford Fiesta SE 4dr Sedan (1.6L 4cyl 5M)
3 of 4 people found this review helpful
The front seat doesn't slide back far enough for someone 6 feet or taller. The engine is adequate and smooth, although it can bog when the AC is on high in the heat of summer. Handling is crisp, ride is good, but the brakes could be stronger. (Drums in back) Fuel mileage is pretty much as rated. The dual clutch transmission is Ok....Ford has worked out most of the kinks......however, it can still stumble at times. I think a torque converter automatic would be the best choice, even if it extracts a small penalty in gas mileage.
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Transmission went out 4 times
Dog Lover, 12/13/2016
updated 12/22/2020
2016 Ford Fiesta SE 4dr Hatchback (1.6L 4cyl 5M)
5 of 8 people found this review helpful
I have the automatic with sport shift option. When the car changes gears in automatic it has the sound and fell of a standard shift. I love this feeling. Fuel economy is almost 32 mpg in the city and nearly 40 on the highway. I chose this vehicle because of the low maintenance cost of a small car. i.e. tires, fuel etc. UPDATE: 6/19/2017 My 2016 Fiesta is still preforming excellent. I am still pleased with my purchase and the body integrity is holding up to two dogs that travel with me. No transmission issues either. I love the hear the transmission shift. I traded this in. Value dropped like a rock!
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