Ford has created a lot of buzz around its upcoming Fiesta, a small “B-segment” car it plans to import from Europe in 2010. Ford has also staked the company’s future on sharing worldwide designs, and the Fiesta will be one of the first fruits of that effort.

We had a chance to drive the new Fiesta around the congested rush-hour streets of Manhattan at the New York International Auto Show yesterday and formed some early impressions. Fiesta brand manager, Sam DeLaGarza, who went along for the ride, complimented me on making it all the way to third gear briefly on 11th Avenue.

The car we drove was a hatchback, with a 120-horsepower, 1.6-liter engine and six-speed manual transmission. DeLaGarza said that the U.S. market will likely get a larger engine.

The Fiesta will compete with other budget hatchbacks such as the Honda Fit and the Nissan Versa, just as it does now in Europe. And that is no, uh, small challenge. The Fit and Versa are really nice cars. Like the Fiesta, the Fit is fun to drive. It’s also has an amazing amount of room for both front and rear passengers and cargo space for such a small car. The Versa is also roomy, comfortable, and is quiet and rides very well.

Overall, the Fiesta was fun to drive and rode well. Inside, the hatchback has reasonable cargo space, and I felt comfortable up front, despite being a fairly tall driver. The back seat, however, was snug, though admittedly, I had the seat almost all the way back. Average-height staffers had better luck fitting in the back.

We look forward to doing a full road test when this car is available.

--Eric Evarts

See Consumer Reports' coverage of the 2009 New York auto show.