[imjimmy]

Just Test drove the 2 petrol Fiesta Cars today 1.4 Exi and 1.6 Zxi. Had more time with the 1.4 but was only able to manage approx 2-3 km with a 1.6..
I'll just pen down my initial impressions. They might be inaccurate bcoz of insufficient driving time with the cars:

Briefly:

1.4 - I was expecting the engine to be underpowered with the 80xx Bhp. However i was pleasantly surprised. It's got good throttle response for a 1.4 and should outpace the NHC and maybe even the Accent.
The Engine is very silent. Even when cranking it up there is no noise. The AC does not seem to sap too much power of the engine.

The gripes are the Torque which is very low at the bottom end. Consequently floored the pedal at 900 RPM in the fourth and was a little disappointed (Maybe i was comparing it too much to the Baleno). Also the Idling speed seems high. I checked twice and it was idling at around 1k RPM on a warm engine.

The gearing is very short. I think i was already at 5000 RPM at around 65-70 in the 2nd gear(just an estimate).. Consequently I think that the FE of this car will not be the it's strong point.( THe salesman claims 16-17 on the highway,although)

1.6- The increase in power is immediately apparent. Better low end - not as good as the Baleno maybe - but good. 2nd and 3rd gears are taller than the 1.4 and you can feel the acceleration and the torque kick in.
Could not drive this car for much time as they were closing for the day. Initial impression was that the car seemed atleast as quick as the Baleno. (Maybe the Baleno and OHC can outpace it in a straight line)
Seemed more fun in normal traffic than the 1.6 Optra.. But again i drove it at only a straight road and back(with sub normal city traffic)..so did not have much time to judge..

Things i liked common to both the cars:

Excellent AC - Very Chilly and goes to the rear seats also. Fan vents positioned high. Even at step 2 it's fast and cool.

Very good brakes: Braked at 80 in the 3rd gear and the car came to a complete halt. Would rate them better than the Baleno.

Nice gearshift: Very sporty feel. Short Throws. Liked it!

Hated:

The front seat rider seat next to the driver has VERY little Head room .Especially for 6 feet + people (me).. It's almost unusable. Was very disappointed with this.

The indicator and wiper controls are on opposite sides compare to Maruti cars. It's a pain initially.

No arm rest on the handbrake( big issue for me).

Visibility from the inside of the car not that good particularly compared to the Baleno where you can almost see the end of the front bonnet. (should get better with time as one gets used to it.)

Even though i had gone with an open mind , to be critical and all(not to succumb to the plaudits of the ACI) - but i think on a whole the car is great and good VFM. It's a huge leap ahead of the Ikon which was a very good car IMO. And Ford also seems to have got the pricing right. They can have good sales with multiple models strategy of the 1.4 and 1.6.