North Georgia Ford Compares 2017 Ford Fiesta VS 2016 Toyota Prius Near Ellijay, GA

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Ford Fiesta are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Toyota Prius c doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

The Fiesta’s blind spot mirrors use wide-angle convex mirrors mounted in the corner of each side view mirror to reveal objects that may be in the driver’s blind spots. The Prius c doesn’t offer a system to reveal objects in the driver’s blind spots.

The Fiesta (except S) offers optional SYNC, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to get turn-by-turn driving directions or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Prius c doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Fiesta and the Prius c have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front-wheel drive, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding and available rearview cameras.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Ford Fiesta is safer than the Toyota Prius c:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Ford Fiesta is safer than the Toyota Prius c:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

There are over 3 times as many Ford dealers as there are Toyota dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Fiesta’s warranty.

The Fiesta’s standard 1.6 DOHC 4 cyl. produces 21 more horsepower (120 vs. 99) than the Prius c’s 1.5 DOHC 4 cyl. hybrid. The Fiesta’s optional 1.0 turbo 3 cyl. produces 24 more horsepower (123 vs. 99) than the Prius c’s 1.5 DOHC 4 cyl. hybrid.

As tested in Motor Trend the Ford Fiesta 4 cyl. is faster than the Toyota Prius c (automatics tested):

The Fiesta has 2.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the Prius c (12.4 vs. 9.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Fiesta has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Prius c doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

For better stopping power the Fiesta’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Prius c:

The Fiesta stops much shorter than the Prius c:

For better traction, the Fiesta has larger standard tires than the Prius c (185/60R15 vs. 175/65R15).

The Fiesta’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Prius c’s standard 65 series tires.

The Fiesta has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Prius c doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The Fiesta’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The Prius c doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

The Fiesta’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (59.4% to 40.6%) than the Prius c’s (61% to 39%). This gives the Fiesta more stable handling and braking.

The Fiesta Titanium Sedan handles at .81 G’s, while the Prius c pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Fiesta Sedan has .5 inches more front headroom, 1.9 inches more front legroom, .4 inches more front shoulder room and .2 inches more rear headroom than the Prius c.

The Fiesta’s standard folding rear seats are split to accommodate bulky cargo. The Prius c One’s standard single piece folding rear seat is not as flexible; long cargo and a passenger can’t share the rear seat.

The Fiesta Automatic offers a remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The Prius c doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The power windows standard on both the Fiesta and the Prius c have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Fiesta is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Prius c prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Fiesta’s available exterior PIN entry system. The Prius c doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

The Fiesta has standard lighted power door lock, power window and cruise control switches so that they are easily found at night. The Prius c doesn’t have lighted switches.

The Fiesta’s variable intermittent wipers have an adjustable delay to allow the driver to choose a setting that best clears the windshield during light rain or mist. The Prius c’s standard fixed intermittent wipers only have one fixed delay setting, so the driver will have to manually switch them between slow and intermittent.

Consumer Reports rated the Fiesta’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the Prius c’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

The Fiesta SE/Titanium has a standard automatic headlight on/off feature. When the ignition is on, the headlights automatically turn on at dusk and off after dawn. The Prius c doesn’t offer automatic headlights.

The Fiesta’s power mirror controls are mounted on the door for easy access. The Prius c’s power mirror controls are on the dash, hidden behind the steering wheel, where they are awkward to manipulate.

The Fiesta Titanium’s standard rear view mirror has an automatic dimming feature. This mirror can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on it, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Prius c doesn’t offer the luxury of an automatic dimming rear view mirror.

Insurance will cost less for the Fiesta owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Fiesta will cost $165 to $1345 less than the Prius c over a five-year period.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Fiesta is less expensive to operate than the Prius c because typical repairs cost much less on the Fiesta than the Prius c, including $305 less for a water pump, $8 less for front brake pads, $159 less for fuel injection, $52 less for front struts, $123 less for a timing belt/chain and $220 less for a power steering pump.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Fiesta third among small cars in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Prius c isn’t in the top three.