The Ford Festiva the history and why it’s not really a Ford

The Ford Festiva is a Ford product that isn’t actually a Ford. Many believe this car was the successor to the early Fiesta. Both cars have a name with Spanish origin, both were small city style cars, Two doors and a hatch, both were cheap to buy and use however that’s where the similarities end. The Fiesta was designed and built by Ford of Europe for sale in Europe and later exported to America. The Ford Festiva is a car that was designed by Mazda and built by Kia for Ford. There are no actual Ford parts on the car anywhere excluding the Ford badges. Today we look at this car and how it became more important to Kia than it was to Ford.
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[@petertornabeni602]

This was a great entry level car. It had room and although not very powerful, gas mileage was good. Back in these days Ford was firing on all cylinders. From entry level to premium cars and sport coupes to trucks and vans - GM was ok … but Ford was dialed in.

[@upbeattvraw-hiphop8242]

Exactly. Back in the day when ‘enthusiasts’ actually had a variety of vehicles to choose from-rather than just repetitive SUVs.

[@HoosierDaddy_]

I owned several of these when I was younger. I absolutely love these cars. It's 12" wheels and all! It was comfortable, had lots of storage, and I drove all over the country in these cars. 10 gallon gas tank and I'd get 400 to 450 miles out of the tank. Awesome cheap little cars!

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for sharing!

[@bobuncle8704]

I had a Festiva for years. I’m 6’ tall and just under 400lbs. It was the easiest car to enter and exit I’ve ever owned. I used it for delivering for 5 years. This was an amazing car, despite its size. Kind of miss it.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

That's awesome! Thanks for sharing!

[@lobsterbisque7567]

That's amazing! I was a payroll courier for almost a yr, and used 3 different cars while at that job: an '02 Camry Le, a '95 Accord Ex with a fully modified suspension(incl. brakes, tires, 5lug conversion, coilovers, traction bar, etc), and an '05 Sentra 1.8S. The sentra made my job so much easier not only b/c it was the smallest, & most narrow of the 3 I owned at the time, and since my delivery route had a lot of city(stop & go) driving, the sentra was actually the best suited for that kind of driving b/c the max torque came in so low in the rev range: 2500RPM. And what made it even better was after each gear change, the needle on the tacho would always land on 2500revs. I never had to push the car, it always had such a linear torque curve from 0-50. Every time I drove it, it rarely ever revved above 3k. The only time it lagged was on the freeway going to & from my route. It hated going above 75mph, so I always left for my route early, and set the cruise control to 65mph when I was on the freeway. But once it was on the city streets, it was was a blast! After seeing this video, I wish I could run my old route for a week in a fuel injected festiva with a 5spd M/T. It would've been a blast!!😆😆😆😆

[@platinumuschannel]

My grandpa had a 1990 Festiva in Pop Yellow, my grandma had 1994 Aspire in metallic pink. Both 5-speeds, and both purchased to travel the country with delivering motor homes.

[@Kootenay613]

I had a 1989 Festiva, which I drove for 18 years. I knew it wasn't a Ford, but boy was it a great little car! I still have dreams about that car.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for watching and sharing your experience!

[@ThatGuy-br8py]

Still loving all the great videos every Saturday. One of the few things I look forward to throughout the week. So much hidden history and facts I never knew about. Keep em coming!

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you sir it is appreciated!

[@genericsomething]

Tony completes the Saturday morning trifecta, along with Gears & Gasoline, and Legit Street Cars.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

@@genericsomething Thank you very much!

[@TheLionAndTheLamb777]

I had a 1989 Ford Festiva. It was black, fuel injected, automatic, no AC, and no power steering. It was basically a tuna can sized tank. That vehicle ran close to 275K miles and I know that it wasn't treated very well before I bought it. I know who it was sold to and they didn't maintain vehicles at all and it just kept going. During the time that I had it I added a compact CB radio, a decent set of speakers and cassette player. I did install a large transmission fluid cooler on it as it was used on mountainous areas with the rear cargo usually filled up.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you for your comment and for sharing your experience. It is appreciated!

[@youtubesucks3393]

I had a blue 5 speed and it was a good little car , and it was amazing on gas , they need to make cars like that again

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Yes I agree they do!

[@brianmoore6306]

I owned a Festiva. Bought it brand new. Mine was a 1990. It ws the L Plus. It was roomy, fun and easy to drive. The engine was peppy too. Nice materials inside. Did not lok or feel cheap. It was a great little car. I drove it for several years and gave it to a relative who was going to college.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for sharing your experience!

[@iEnofadov]

Great clip, thanks for sharing it! Yes, because of Fords interest in Mazda at the time, Ford and Mazda came up with a new compact small car for the Japanese market. In Japan it was only ever sold as the Ford Festiva, there was no Mazda badged version for the Japanese market, even though the car was built in Japan, however, it was exported to most other global markets as the Mazda 121. Kia in Korea soon also started production of the vehicle, with Fords help and this is where the Festiva 5dr hatch came about. The Japanese built Festiva was only sold as a 3dr hatch and Ford then started exporting the Festiva 5dr hatch to Japan. Soon other export markets were added, like the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. It was also exported to Europe, but as the Kia Pride, they already had the Ford Fiesta for Europe. Here in Australia, we saw the car sold as the Mazda 121 first, then Mazda Australia stopped selling it and Ford Australia began selling it as the Ford Festiva, first as a 5dr hatch and then a 3dr hatch was added. In Japan, they also saw the Ford Festiva sedan! In Europe, there was also a 5dr wagon, under the Kia Pride name. 👍

[@kennethrine8171]

I had a 93 Festiva it was a great little car. I put 150,000 on it I gave it to a friend and he put another 165,000 on it and it's still going.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

That is awesome! Thanks for sharing!

[@Wooley689]

I don't know where you find the original TV ads, but dang it I like them.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you sir! I will keep them coming!

[@gahanhagerty4978]

Thanks for this Tony, brings back being young and having one.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you for watching!

[@dancingdingo]

I still have dreams 😊😊 about my mom's 1989. I learned to drive in 89...even though I was12. I drove that sucker until 1996 at when the clock went off the clock twice

[@WThomas66]

I had a 1989 Festiva. One of the best car I ever owned. I was in the military and I drove it all over the country!

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you for your service and for sharing your story.

[@darylthomas4676]

Did not know this Tony! Thanks again for some more Ford info. I would have never guessed that one. Hve a good week brother.👍

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you Daryl!

[@michaelsimko7694]

I still remember those tiny little hatchbacks. I never knew it was a rebadged Kia! And yes, I also remember the Festiva's replacement called the Aspire. The Festiva was so small by today's standards. They were like the Smart Fortwo of their time vs a Nissan Versa or Chevy Spark.

[@nolarobert]

I didn't realize that Kia built the Festiva for Ford. Kia has come a long way since the early 90s and now turns out excellent vehicles. My 2017 Kia Soul! is the best car I have ever owned. Thanks, Ford!

[@kevinthomson6324]

Had one of these festivas years ago was a great little car. I called it my go kart with windows. $17 to fill it and it would go for weeks.

[@iangrice329]

In Europe the Mazda 121 had more standard equipment and came with 5 speed manual as standard and the base modle had a 1.1 litre engine, top of the range had a full length electric fabric sun roof.

[@naeemzeynali3663]

My father has a 2006 model, which is the iranian version, and it's called Saipa Saba, and Saipa still producing them, but with some changes in body and engine

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

That's awesome!

[@johnjones393]

In 1992, I delivered pizza for a place that had three Festivas for delivery cars. All three were 5 speeds. We were required to fill the tank after we used one. I could drive for 100 miles during a shift and fill it up for about $5. They were actually rather peppy.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for sharing your experience!

[@KathyS0rowes]

Hi my name is kathy. I had a 91 Iwhen I was19❤😂 I loved it!!

[@sombra6153]

One of my family members bought one second had from a small town dealer who neglected to mention it had been wrecked. When looking under the hood, I noted a lot of nonfactory welding seams and bondo and pointed it out. Regardless the thing apparently ran pretty reliably for as long as they had it. It had an automatic and was pretty slow. I don’t remember what happened to it, but nothing spectacular.

[@chrisallen766]

I like that paint job on the Mazda version

[@1001Hobbies]

I had both a 1990 Ford Festiva AND a 1996 Ford Aspire. The Festiva got 43 MPG in MIXED DRIVING. I loved that!!! I had not problems with EITHER car. The Festiva was killed by a Buick. I traded the Aspire for another vehicle, and years later bought a used Aspire with high mileage that was all highway miles. Had no problems with it either. The Aspires only got about 38 - 39 MPG with the "big" 13" tires. The Festiva only had 12" tires, but it STILL had a "space saver spare." What space were you saving?? I have to admit.....both of these cars were trouble free for me. However, you could not sell cars like this now. The Festiva was not a car, it was the most basic transportation. The Aspire I got at least had AC, and a "radio prep package," meaning it had all the wiring for a stereo system, but no stereo or speakers. I put my own system in it. The Aspire seemed more like car than the Festiva. The Festiva was only a way to get somewhere. It didn't feel like a "car." However, both vehicles did what I needed them to do at the time. I can't complain.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for watching and sharing your experience! I think you could sell a car like this today and i need only point to the Kia RIo which is essentially the modern version of this car. The question is could Ford find someone to build it for them and still make a couple of bucks? I guess the answer is no as that's not happening.

[@1001Hobbies]

@@TonysFordsandMustangs - What I mean specifically about why a car could not be sold like this today is the bare-bones aspect. All of the interior panels were plastic. There were no padded panels. There was no cloth on the panels. The only option my Festiva had was rear window defrost. No AC. Mechanical roll down windows (no push-button option). No fancy electronics. No cruise control. No remote control for the mirrors. It didn't even feel like a "car" inside. It was just basic transportation. There was no styling, only function. The interior of the Aspire had more of a car feel because the interior was actually styled. It had some snoopy lines to it and looked more like a car that was made to feel like you were in a car, instead of mere function. All the panels were still only plastic. I did, however, get AC in my new Aspire. Today, people can't live without their electronics. They need GPS or else they don't know how to get home. They need voice this-and-that. They don't just want cruise control, they want the car to drive itself so that they can take a nap. These two cars were nothing of what today's market demands. If the seat isn't powered in 12 ways they don't want it. The seat has to massage you too. They also need a big screen to do everything electronically, even things that shouldn't be done electronically. The Festiva and Aspire were bare-bones, basic, reliable transportation that got you from point A to point B. They were also noisy inside (road, engine, and wind noise). Also, both of mine were manual transmission vehicles. The Festiva was able to get out of it's own way and pull out into traffic just fine. The Aspire, with the exact same engine, was just a little slower in acceleration. I don't believe the styling of the Festiva body would sell in today's market. Even the Smart car is no longer appealing in the market. It only sold when it did because of $4 a gallon gas, and higher. My 2012 Ford Focus Hatchback, with manual transmission, to me, is the modern day equivalent. Bigger than those cars, but still a compact, 38 MPG in mixed driving (40 MPG or more on the highway, and 50 MPG at 40 MPH if I don't have to keep stopping and going), reliable, no problems, but much quieter, better acceleration, MUCH nicer interior, better handling, and more fun to drive. I have 170,000 miles on it and it still runs like new, Of course I've done all the maintenance on it, and oil changes are on time. I plan to keep it another 10 years or more. I don't want to buy a modern car that is essentially a data collection device for the manufacturer. I don't want to be the product. You don't think "over the air updates" is for YOUR convenience, right? This way they can collect your data whenever they want, and use it and sell it. Also, with all the gadgets on today's cars, the chance of something going wrong with it is exponentially increased. I believe they are over complicated. I've been an auto tech, I've worked on cars for over 40 years (mine and my family's cars), I've restored and modified a few classic cars, and I have over 31 years working at a major auto manufacturer.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

@@1001Hobbies Thank you for your comment and from those aspects yes you are correct. I completely agree that many things have been added to cars that simply complicate things with no real advantage. The only place you could buy a car like the original Festiva was in India and that was a few years ago.

[@1001Hobbies]

@@TonysFordsandMustangs - Yes, with India having their Caste societal system, there is a big market for low priced, basic vehicles. I make a pretty good wage but I am a simple enough person for how I spend my money. At the time, I needed a car as cheap as a Festiva. It replaced a truck that I had to work on every weekend. With the savings in fuel mileage over the truck, and not having to do repairs, my car payment was less than what the truck (paid for) was costing me. My Focus is a good enough car for me, and I really enjoy driving it. If I was a millionaire it would STILL be my daily driver.

[@johnmarlin2750]

My dad ramped a deer with his Festiva and it only broke an axle somehow.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Impressive! Thanks for sharing

[@ponycarfan]

The Escort is still my favorite small car from Ford. That was a car that punched above its weight, in my opinion.

[@andyyu5973]

It had aome hot versions in japan, i believe using a fuel injected twincam 16 valve 1.3 making 90ps JIS (

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Awesome thanks for sharing!

[@luigi55125]

I have a 92. It's still reliable as stone. Unfortunately being a tiny econobox at 32 years old, it's really starting to show its age. Rust is becoming an issue after so many winters regardless of preventative measures. Everything else on the road is twice its size, and it accelerates half as slow as them. You need to take caution against road rage because of it. Parts are still cheap and easy to get, but the tires are becoming a problem. Those tiny tires simply aren't made anymore except for trailers which aren't the same. Still really good on gas, has the crash safety of a Pepsi can.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for sharing and i'm glad to hear it's still on the road!

[@roger628]

It confounds me how they could replace this great little car with the Aspire, which totally stunk!

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Hang in there for a week and you will out exactly how that happened. :) Thanks for watching!

[@howebrad4601]

There is just something very appealing about thesd basic no frills behicles. So simple conpared to todays overly complex "cars"

[@P_RO_]

Didn't know it was a Kia with a Mazda mill. I knew a girl who had one; 50 MPG on the highway which is about as good as it gets. Hers was an early base model and gave no trouble of any kind for the ~5 years till I lost touch.

[@Jason-ml3vs]

This was my first new car It was passed down to 3 other family members and went for over 250,000 miles.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Sounds like it did a great job for your family!

[@ManuaLiberty]

Ironic how ford was using Mazda powertrain, as the later model (2010s) era Mazda speed series cars used some ford ecoboost powertrains. Really came around full circle

[@nothanksguy]

Really, the EcoBoost powertrain was derived from the Mazda L engine, often referred to as ford duratec 4 cyl

[@ManuaLiberty]

@@nothanksguy I think I had heard that briefly before, never the story behind the duratec however 👍🏻

[@nothanksguy]

@@ManuaLiberty its a great motor, all aluminum dohc 4 cyl. Used in mazda& ford smaller cars from 05-14. I held onto my highschool car and use it as a winter beater. 07 2.0 focus zx3 w/manual 5 spd. Abused hard every day of its life from 60k miles to its current 175k.

[@ManuaLiberty]

@@nothanksguy that’s awesome man! I’ve heard mainly good tales about them

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Ford had an ownership stake in Mazda. At times it was as high as 35%. That cash helped Mazda stay afloat at the time.

[@adillon2four]

I think mine was an 88. 4 speed no overdrive with side graphics, upgraded wheels, and stereo.

[@alanstrong55]

I got to ride in a Cortina. Not exactly on a friendly day. Gunny Servantes was the escort as well as a chaser. I got barracks restriction in lieu of correctional custody. Article 15 is not a joke. The Cortina was a good car. Did not stay a long time. Gunny left the earth a few years back.

[@NLJosh83]

When I was 19 years old, my parents had a 91 Festiva and I had an 89 Grand Marquis LS. The girl I was pursuing at the laundromat thought the Festiva was mine and the Merc belonged to my folks. When she was corrected on the matter, she was surprised but still didn't put out. Fuck.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Sad story. Thanks for sharing.

[@TheHelado36]

They were cute cars !

[@nlpnt]

Kia had a relationship with Mazda going back to the 1970s and built Mazda Bongo vans for the Korean home market through the 1980s (the dictator that ordered them out of passenger cars akso gave them a monopoly on light trucks).

[@ricknel76nelson54]

We also got them in Australia.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

I think most of the world got these in one version or another. Thanks for watching!

[@alexandermathar7780]

Pride is all that's left now....

[@handyman9298]

I thought the KIA badge was shaped like the Ford Oval for this reason

[@lesklower7281]

In Australia we got the Ford Festiva up until the late 1990s we owned one and it was a good car didn't have any problems with it until it was stolen but to get into it the bent the top of the front door and we got the other things repaired but they never repaired the door properly and it leaked in the rain so we got rid of it had no real problems with it and it was built by Kia with a Mazda engine under the bonnet infact there is a Ford Festiva not far from were l live that still running and is used later we bought a Ford Fiesta brand new and it was the biggest pile of junk brand new percivered with it for 10 years but got rid of it because if an oil leak because l couldn't find it now bought four years ago a 1997 Toyota Hilux with 420000 kilometres on it it and it is so much better than the Ford Fiesta could ever be although l have had to to a few repairs on it and despite spending money on it and the original purchase price it is worth much more than what l paid for it 4 years ago and l am still in front if l was to sell it in Australia they are rare but not extinct and they sell quickly when ever one comes up for sale

[@michaelcoffey7362]

Cool 😎

[@runoflife87]

Well, I can only imagine frustration of a typical Ford buyer when the Festiva entered US market. Late 80's and early 90's KIA cars were ... as "good" as Yugo, maybe a little better. Never seen the Festiva here in my country, but used JDM 121 seemed to be a decent car being just too small for long journeys through "wild nature".

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

This car was MUCH better than any Yugo. Yes it was cheap but it was reliable and easy to service.

[@runoflife87]

@@TonysFordsandMustangs easy to service - yes, but not very reliable, because rust issues (a) and constant small breakdowns/ electric gremlins (b). They got much better in mid-00's IMO.

[@jimmytucker8365]

We need these small two door hatch backs with 3 cylinder engines back in production. The big SUV obsession is bad for the environment and for limited space in cities.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

It was a 4 cylinder but I agree. A cheap to buy and own car that gets great gas mileage should be a product people can buy.

[@AliMohammadJafarpour]

Why was festiva not produced in America? And why the sale of festiva was stopped in America

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

It's basically the same reason so many thing are made in China today. At that time South Korean labor was cheap so Ford took advantage of that. They also owned 35% of Mazda at the time so using Mazda Engines made sense.

[@BombsAwayLP]

5500 for a brand new car thats crazy

[@Justin-Hill-1987]

"Festiva" is an anagram of "Fiesta" with the letter "V" thrown in...

[@gregoryleo4640]

"Festiva" is missing the letter "I" which is the 2nd letter of "Fiesta". Also, "Festiva" has added the letter "I" after the letter "T' which "Fiesta" does not have...

[@Justin-Hill-1987]

@@gregoryleo4640 Fiesta: "I" before "T." Festiva: "T" before "I" Both use the same exact letters, but a "V" was added to "Festiva."

[@DavidPayne-j5z]

My late brother had a 89 Festiva you couldn't keep it on the road it always broke down

[@DanTheMailman330]

Thanks to that Mazda drivetrain it was the best cheap Kia that was probably ever made.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

That might be true.

[@Iowa599]

No wonder it was so much better than an Escort!

[@owlnswan4016]

Power steering optional, then unavailable altogether in this era. Wow.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

The car had tiny wheels and you didn't need it to steer the car with ease.

[@bigvicho19]

I am repairing the 93' festiva that belonged to my grandfather, for some reason he imported it used from the United States in 1995, when he gave it to me a year ago the car was not in its best shape mechanically, but now the only thing it is missing is a distributor and The car would be ready to go for another 30 years hopefully.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

That should not that difficult to track down. Best of luck and thanks for watching!

[@bigvicho19]

@@TonysFordsandMustangs I've been hunting for distributors in some wrecked kia prides in my city but no luck, the only distributor i found is one in aliexpress, im praying that hopefully runs fine for enough time for me to find a original one, i live in a small town tho not really conected to the rest of the country so maybe ill rely on chinese distributors

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

@@bigvicho19 I am not endorsing these guys but I would think you would be better served looking at a local rebuilder of distributors such as these folks. www.advanceddistributors.com/

[@bigvicho19]

@@TonysFordsandMustangs thats the thing, i am not from the usa, im from South america, i with i could get parts from america but the transport fee is too mutch for me :(

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

@@bigvicho19 take a look locally. There are many people who rebuild distributors. Best of luck

[@timothyforce1949]

HAHA, the Ford Aspire, the Ford that aspired to be a car. 😅

[@saleen367]

The Ford that saved Kia .... well that's unfortunate! 😂

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Ford needed a cheap car and Kia needed to get back in the car building business.

[@starrdogchamp1]

This car was terrible. My dad rented one and I drove it. Never ever felt more like a dork than when I drove this car once.