<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/economy/" rel="tag">Budget</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/hatchbacks/" rel="tag">Hatchback</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/ford/" rel="tag">Ford</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/reviews/" rel="tag">Reviews</a></p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/review-2011-ford-fiesta/"><img hspace="0" border="1" vspace="4" alt="2011 Ford Fiesta SES shown" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/08/lead1fiestasesreview2011.jpg" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><em><strong><small> 2011 Ford Fiesta SES - Click above for high-res image gallery</small></strong></em></div>
<br />
Remember when economy cars offered few concessions beyond roll-your-own windows, rear window defrosters and AM radios? It was only a handful of years ago that features on our <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/model/fiesta">2011 Ford Fiesta SES</a> tester would've qualified it for premium car status - if indeed items like Bluetooth, SYNC, a capless fuel fill and knee airbags were even available. <br />
<br />
<div style="border: 0px dotted black; margin: 5px; padding: 2px 3px; color: rgb(153, 0, 0); line-height: 120%; font-size: 1.5em; float: right; width: 220px; text-align: center;"><strong>There's no denying the steady trickledown of luxury goods into workaday iron, and the Fiesta is rolling proof.</strong></div>
As you might also recall, back about 10 years ago, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/make/jaguar/">Ford</a> executives and those charged with its British outpost, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/make/jaguar/">Jaguar</a>, worked themselves into a froth over the possibilities offered by 'The Democratization of Luxury' - boldly and conveniently overlooking that when a premium feature becomes affordable to everyone, it ceases to be a luxury at all. And while this sort of marketing doublespeak was the undoing of the ill-conceived Jaguar X-Type - and perhaps the undoing of Ford's ownership of Coventry's favorite feline altogether - there's no denying the steady trickledown of luxury goods into workaday iron, and the Fiesta is rolling proof.<br />
<br />
Of course, any automaker can lash a bunch of features onto a car and call it a day, but it's not a real value unless all of those baubles and braze-ons are bungeed to a platform and drivetrain whose creators have that whole engineering 'special sauce' thing figured out. In other words, the democratization of luxury is one thing - but does the Fiesta deliver the democratization of fun? Click through to the jump to find out.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="postgallery"><p><strong>Gallery: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/review-2011-ford-fiesta/">Review: 2011 Ford Fiesta SES</a></strong></p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/review-2011-ford-fiesta/#3062689"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/06/01fiestasesreview2011_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/review-2011-ford-fiesta/#3062690"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/06/02fiestasesreview2011_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/review-2011-ford-fiesta/#3062691"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/06/03fiestasesreview2011_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/review-2011-ford-fiesta/#3062692"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/06/04fiestasesreview2011_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/review-2011-ford-fiesta/#3062693"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/06/05fiestasesreview2011_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a></div><br />
<strong><em><font size="1">Photos copyright (C)2010 </font></em></strong><a href="http://www.drewphillipsphotography.com/"><strong><em><font size="1">Drew Phillips</font></em></strong></a><strong><em><font size="1"> / AOL</font></em></strong><p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/05/2011-ford-fiesta-ses-review-road-test/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Review: 2011 Ford Fiesta SES promises the democratization of fun</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/05/2011-ford-fiesta-ses-review-road-test/">Review: 2011 Ford Fiesta SES promises the democratization of fun</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.autoblog.com">Autoblog</a> on Thu, 05 Aug 2010 11:57:00 EST. Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/05/2011-ford-fiesta-ses-review-road-test/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/forward/19581492/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/05/2011-ford-fiesta-ses-review-road-test/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><em><strong><small> 2011 Ford Fiesta SES - Click above for high-res image gallery</small></strong></em></div>
<br />
Remember when economy cars offered few concessions beyond roll-your-own windows, rear window defrosters and AM radios? It was only a handful of years ago that features on our <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/model/fiesta">2011 Ford Fiesta SES</a> tester would've qualified it for premium car status - if indeed items like Bluetooth, SYNC, a capless fuel fill and knee airbags were even available. <br />
<br />
<div style="border: 0px dotted black; margin: 5px; padding: 2px 3px; color: rgb(153, 0, 0); line-height: 120%; font-size: 1.5em; float: right; width: 220px; text-align: center;"><strong>There's no denying the steady trickledown of luxury goods into workaday iron, and the Fiesta is rolling proof.</strong></div>
As you might also recall, back about 10 years ago, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/make/jaguar/">Ford</a> executives and those charged with its British outpost, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/make/jaguar/">Jaguar</a>, worked themselves into a froth over the possibilities offered by 'The Democratization of Luxury' - boldly and conveniently overlooking that when a premium feature becomes affordable to everyone, it ceases to be a luxury at all. And while this sort of marketing doublespeak was the undoing of the ill-conceived Jaguar X-Type - and perhaps the undoing of Ford's ownership of Coventry's favorite feline altogether - there's no denying the steady trickledown of luxury goods into workaday iron, and the Fiesta is rolling proof.<br />
<br />
Of course, any automaker can lash a bunch of features onto a car and call it a day, but it's not a real value unless all of those baubles and braze-ons are bungeed to a platform and drivetrain whose creators have that whole engineering 'special sauce' thing figured out. In other words, the democratization of luxury is one thing - but does the Fiesta deliver the democratization of fun? Click through to the jump to find out.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="postgallery"><p><strong>Gallery: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/review-2011-ford-fiesta/">Review: 2011 Ford Fiesta SES</a></strong></p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/review-2011-ford-fiesta/#3062689"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/06/01fiestasesreview2011_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/review-2011-ford-fiesta/#3062690"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/06/02fiestasesreview2011_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/review-2011-ford-fiesta/#3062691"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/06/03fiestasesreview2011_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/review-2011-ford-fiesta/#3062692"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/06/04fiestasesreview2011_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/review-2011-ford-fiesta/#3062693"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/06/05fiestasesreview2011_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a></div><br />
<strong><em><font size="1">Photos copyright (C)2010 </font></em></strong><a href="http://www.drewphillipsphotography.com/"><strong><em><font size="1">Drew Phillips</font></em></strong></a><strong><em><font size="1"> / AOL</font></em></strong><p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/05/2011-ford-fiesta-ses-review-road-test/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Review: 2011 Ford Fiesta SES promises the democratization of fun</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/05/2011-ford-fiesta-ses-review-road-test/">Review: 2011 Ford Fiesta SES promises the democratization of fun</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.autoblog.com">Autoblog</a> on Thu, 05 Aug 2010 11:57:00 EST. Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/05/2011-ford-fiesta-ses-review-road-test/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/forward/19581492/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/05/2011-ford-fiesta-ses-review-road-test/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>
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