Ford Festiva

The diminutive Ford Festiva was introduced in mid-1987 as an early 1988 model. The Festiva was actually assembled in South Korea by Kia, which at the time was part-owned by Ford, and was based on the Kia Pride. Being a mere 140.5" long and a curb weight of only 1700 lbs, the Festiva was indeed small, some even joked about the car being "small enough to throw into the bed of your F150 pickup". The Festiva would be offered by Ford through 1993 with very little change until it was replaced by the slightly larger Aspire in 1994.

Here's a quick rundown:

1988-1993
With its short, tall body and only 12" rims, the Festiva was known by some as "a rolling telephone booth", much like the old AMC Pacer was known as resembling a rolling aquarium with its round body and expansive glass. Nonetheless, the Festiva fit the bill perfectly for those needing a small, inexpensive no-frills car that achieved over 40 MPG.  Trim levels were L, L Plus and LX.  The base (and only) engine was a 58 hp 1.3L (81 cid) I4 with a 4-speed manual standard on the L and L Plus while the LX had a 5-speed manual.  Initially there was no automatic offered.  For 1989, however, a 3-speed automatic became an option on all but the base L models.  In 1990, the L and L Plus got a 5-speed manual as the 4-speed was dropped.  The 1.3 engine became fuel injected and got a slight bump up to 63 hp.  The automatic remained an option on the L Plus and LX models.  Motorized seat belts became standard and the grille and taillights were slightly revised.

In 1991, the L Plus and LX were combined into one trim level now called the GL. The base L remained. The power steering option was inexplicably dropped as an option for 1992 (not that it was really needed anyway, considering the Festiva's size and light weight). A new "sport package" became available on the GL models that included aluminum wheels. 1993 Festivas were largely unchanged for their final year. The Festiva would be dropped after 1993 in favor of the new and slightly larger Aspire for 1994, which was also an existing South Korean-built Kia design.

A used (and very abused) Ford Festiva was featured in the 2005 hit movie Fun With Dick and Jane, starring Jim Carrey and Tea Leoni.

Main Competitors

 * Nissan Micra
 * Hyundai Getz
 * Mitsubishi Colt
 * Toyota Yaris
 * Honda Fit/Jazz
 * Tata Indica
 * Hyundai i20
 * Chevrolet Aveo