Red Hot Chilli Paprika - Ford Fiesta 1.6 ZXI

[MeEncore]

Hi Guys,

Although this is my first post, I have been a passive (but voracious) reader of these forums for around 5 months now. Lapped up every thread, starting with the buzz around the launch of Punto and i20 Diesel. I had my heart sent on the Punto MJD E-Pack, but what really sealed the deal for me was all those threads belonging to the Fiesta owners - vnabhi, frankmehta, Raamki, ShajuFx to name a few, but I know this list contains around 40+ names (last time I checked). The passion that you guys have for your respective cars is simply awesome, and I just had to get into your shoes to feel what it is like, to own a Fiesta. Well, I will save the lengthy prose for later, and jump straight into the pics, because the spotlight is on her after all !

First Look:




My experience with Bhavana Ford (Kalina) wasn't the most pleasant, but I am happy with the deal. More on that later. I had her delivered on October 30th (original date was supposed to be 19th, to coincide with the festival of "Bhai-Duj")

PS: This is my first car, and believe it or not, I did not even know how to drive one until I got my hands on this beauty. Already had a driving license, and I took a 10 day crash course in driving from a local driving school (in an OHC). I wanted to get the feel and judgement to handle a sedan in dense traffic! I am extremely thankful to Team BHP, everything I have learnt so far about buying and owning a car has come from this site.

[Gilead]

Here comes another one! Woohoo. Congrats on the new car.

[kumar7]

Fiesta threads are increasing like anything!
Congrats & happy learning

[raamki]

hey buddy!! she sure is hot!! congratulations and welcome to the club pal!! so how's the feeling, now that you've stepped into over 40+ pair of shoes here??

there is something i have to bring to your attention here though, the spoiler! it looks exactly the same as the one Ashish has on his car which was incidentally bought from Bhavna Ford as well. You will know what am talking about if you've been following his thread, does not look like a genuine ford spoiler.

does it have an LED on it? sorry i bought this up again but i sure smell something fishy here!

EDIT: I may be wrong with my observation but it sure looks very similar to what ashish has from the 2nd pic (side profile)

[nairrk]

Congratulations MeEncore!
Fiesta in red colour also looks awesome.

Cheers

[MeEncore]

I finally got the time to type out my experience, I just can't seem to get enough of "The Goddess". So here goes...

The Hunt

It has been a long time dream of mine to own a car, but I had to simply keep procrastinating for one reason or another. Two years ago, I had walked into Continental Hyundai at S. V. Road Khar, having toyed with the idea of buying a Santro. The sales-persons at the showroom didn't do much to help me make up my mind. They just made wait there with a brochure for an hour, after which I walked out of the showroom and forgot about it for a while. This year, I swore to myself that I would buy a car, come what may!

Procrastination wasn't going to work. But my dilemma was, I knew nothing about a car. I started consulting friends who owned cars. I also got a lot of free advice from acquaintances. All that information overload left me all the more confused. As with all other problems in the life of a software professional, it was google to the rescue. I'm not sure what phrase I typed, but TeamBHP was the first site to pop up in the search. I surfed through it, checked out the various useful sections on the site, especially the car reviews. But what got me addicted, was the forum. The buzz around the launch of the Grande Punto had been going on, and I started reading. The scoops by sidindica, and reviews by GTO convinced me that Punto had to be my car (and also because it looked absolutely stunning). At the start, my budget was around 5-5.5 L, but I didn't want to find "anything" missing in my car. I could go for a petrol 1.4 E-pack, but Fiats are not known as much for their petrols as the MJD! So diesel it would be, or so I thought. A Punto MJD E-pack would cost me around 7L OTR in Mumbai. The very mention of "Fiat" raised a lot of eye-brows. Then the question - "You want to buy a hatchback for 7 lac rupees ??? Are you out of your mind ??" I had a hard time explaining what a premium hatch is, the idea wouldn't sink in so easily. With Punto at that price being questioned, i20 1.4 wouldn't even dare to cross my mind!

Until that time, the idea of buying a Ford had been brutally crushed by many skeptics whom I had happened to consult. But, I revisited the idea and found that Ford had some kind of "Limited Version" offer running. I realised later that it was the EXI with a few extras like ICE. The ZXI, however, was overshooting my already overshot budget. I went to see the car at Bhavana Ford showroom at Kalina with my dad. Dad loved the look of the car, so did I. The salespersons were good to talk to, and they thoroughly explained all the features on offer. Dad gave me the confidence to stretch my budget a bit more, all for a good cause (car). I got back home and started reading Fiesta threads on TeamBHP, starting with vnabhi's long-term review followed by suman's. Around that time, the Fiesta-rain on TeamBHP had started with frank, raamki, shaju and others. The more I read, the more I was convinced what a great car it was. Family was also happy that I was buying a "sedan", and considered it money well-spent. The awesome pickup and small turning radius made it an equally good car for the city as well as the highways. There was no point taking a test-drive, because I didn't know how to drive and TeamBHP had certified it the best driver's car south of 10 Lacs. Who was I to question it?

The Deal

Bhavana Ford at Kalina was close to my place and hence convenient. The salespersons were good to talk to as well. The Deal I got from them:

Free stuff:

Insurance
3rd year extended warranty
Corporate Discount 15K
Anti-rust
All mats
Leather seat-covers
Sunfilm
Mudflaps

I bought:

Reverse Sensor
Rear spoiler

Total comes to around 7.3 OTR

The Reverse Sensor --


I told them I wanted a car that was fresh off the assembly line, and not one that was lying around in the stockyard. I would also be doing a pre-registration inspection. Applied for car loan in Corporation Bank @ 8.5% interest for the first year. The delivery date was decided as 19th October, since my sister would be dropping in and she would also get to see the latest addition to our family. The approval for the loan got delayed because of a flurry of applications during Diwali and also due to the Assembly Elections in Maharashtra.

Meanwhile, after I payed the booking amount to Bhavana Ford, I never got a single call from them regarding the status of the car. I had to keep following up every now and then. They were only interested in when my loan would get sanctioned. The salespersons I had interacted with did not even bother to store my number in their respective cell-phones, so I had to introduce myself everytime I called. Notwithstanding the loan getting sanctioned, the Car had not even arrived from the Chennai plant till the 20th of October. Hence, even if the financing had been smooth, they were in no position to deliver it to me on the 19th. I went for a pre-delivery inspection at Bhavana Ford's primary showroom and stockyard in Nerul. She was kept under a flyover and was covered in a one inch thick layer of dust. I almost choked! I opened her up and noted down all possible codes and dates. Turned out, she was born in August 2009. The odometer read 100 KM already, which I thought was on the higher side, but it was fine.

I had the finances sorted out by then, and told them I wanted her delivered ASAP since the date had already passed. I passed on the Demand Draft and it was cashed the same day. Everytime they gave me a date, they came up with miserable excuses for not having her ready for delivery. I wasted 3 days-off at work because of their bungling. I was completely annoyed at their nonchalance, and told them finally that if I didn't get the delivery on 30th October at 8:00 am in the morning, they should as well hand me back my money. I got her home on 30th, without any hiccups this time. I was extremely nervous driving her in traffic, lest someone put a scratch on her the very first day. The positioning of the controls confused me even more. But all went well. However, the Bhavana Ford experience is still not done. I still have to get my money back, and they are as usual sluggish. One of the salespersons called me to tell me that they had goofed up on the octroi price in the order form. I told them, I didn't care what they had done, I would get the car at the price we had agreed upon, not a penny more! Still waiting...

Originally Posted by raamki

hey buddy!! she sure is hot!! congratulations and welcome to the club pal!! so how's the feeling, now that you've stepped into over 40+ pair of shoes here??

there is something i have to bring to your attention here though, the spoiler! it looks exactly the same as the one Ashish has on his car which was incidentally bought from Bhavna Ford as well. You will know what am talking about if you've been following his thread, does not look like a genuine ford spoiler.

does it have an LED on it? sorry i bought this up again but i sure smell something fishy here!

EDIT: I may be wrong with my observation but it sure looks very similar to what ashish has from the 2nd pic (side profile)

Raamki, You are right, the spoiler is identical to the one Ashish Gandhi has, and I am sure it is a fake. They said they "painted" it. The price quoted is 6K, and the one without light costs 6.5K. I was baffled at this convolution of logic. But I am going to grab their necks for this screw-up as well. They had originally told me that sun-filming costs 8500. But I verified with their own accessories dealer at Nerul that it costed just 1500. I gave them a good piece of my mind for this. Originally they had offered to give all the free-stuff at discounted rates (e.g. sunfilm @ 1500), but after this treachery, I demanded I want them all free, else I would go straight to Ford India. The final settlement is still pending, and I sure don't have the appetite for any more surprises!


After-market

What I learnt on TeamBHP is not to trust the stock tyres. I also wanted to get 15" alloys. Off I went, to Gobind Tyres - Off S. V. Road, Khar. Got the whole deal for 24000 - 15" X 4 Aura + Maxxis Victra MA-Z1 205/50/R15 in exchange for the stocks. I think I have been ripped off, but its a price I have to pay for being over-enthusiastic and under-informed. The stepney lies in wait for its turn (which hopefully shall never come), patiently inside the spacious boot. I got beige rubber floor mats to match with the interiors and keep the foot-dirt out. The beige interiors seem to be a hit with the ladies for some reason. Also got a nice cloak for her, to protect her against dust from the construction activity happening in full swing around my locality. Dad has taken the onus for keeping the interiors looking spic-and-span, which is difficult I'm sure.


Her footwear --




The Fun Part

Right from the first instant I revved her, I could feel the "cargasm" (sorry for violating IPR Frank). It was absolute ectasy, even a novice driver like me could tell this was driving paradise. Her acceleration was almost as good as my Pulsar 150 dtsi, and no rickshaw-walaa dared to cross my path or squeeze in through the gaps. The silent roar of the engine was tantalizing, a mere glimpse of the 1.6L beast that was inside. The temptation to floor the pedal is excruciating. The devil sits on my left shoulder encouraging me to do it, and the angel hovering on my right shoulder keeps reminding me to hold the RPMs within sane ranges. Sometimes the devil pokes his trident into the angel's bum and laughs as the RPM flies over 2500, and hovers dangerously close to 3000! Then I quickly come back to my senses. It is hard for a beginner to drive with a light foot, especially in bumper-to-bumper traffic. As of today, the odo shows 750 kms - after multiple pleasure-drives on the Bandra-Worli sealink, numerous visits to Bade Miya-Baghdadi-Mondegar-Leopolds @ colaba, Shalimaar @ Mohd. Ali Road, Bachelor's @ Marine Drive. Also did a saturday morning to and fro Lonavala with family on the Mumbai-Pune expressway. Everyone keeps telling me I don't drive like a beginner, but I tell them, its just the "Goddess" at work which makes even my elementary driving skills look good!

So far I have been able to extract a mileage of around 11 in the city and 14 on the highway using the TF-to-TF method. I have heard it goes up after the service engineers tune her to perfection, which is a good sign if true. I have put her on a healthy diet of Speed Petrol and make sure I go to the same petrol pump everytime. I have also pumped nitrogen at a pressure of 30 in her footwear. Gobind tyres does it for free since I have already given him enough to cheer about!

A few pics from my Lonavala trip, please blame the haze on the combined effect of my average photography skills and a pathetic camera on my Nokia 5800 XM and too much sunlight --

[nairrk]

You should have also gone for the body side mouldings with chrome line from Ford dealer.it costs about 5050/- (they will paint it in the car colour). This give more attraction to the car.Also Ford Door scuff - around Rs.1250/- Anyway nice review for a great carThanks

[kumar7]

Nice review!
As Nairji said go for side strips it not only gives good look but protects car from scratches.

[MeEncore]

Originally Posted by raamki

hey buddy!! she sure is hot!! congratulations and welcome to the club pal!! so how's the feeling, now that you've stepped into over 40+ pair of shoes here??

Thanks Raamki, feels like heaven!

Originally Posted by Gilead

Here comes another one! Woohoo. Congrats on the new car.

Thanks a lot Gilead. You're going to get yours as well eh? Looking forward to that!

Originally Posted by nairrk

Congratulations MeEncore!
Fiesta in red colour also looks awesome.

Cheers

Originally Posted by nairrk

You should have also gone for the body side mouldings with chrome line from Ford dealer.it costs about 5050/- (they will paint it in the car colour). This give more attraction to the car.Also Ford Door scuff - around Rs.1250/- Anyway nice review for a great carThanks

Thanks Nair Ji. Red was the next best thing to Aquarius Blue which is available only in S! I will probably get the mouldings and door scuffs soon.

Originally Posted by kumar7

Fiesta threads are increasing like anything!
Congrats & happy learning

Originally Posted by kumar7

Nice review!
As Nairji said go for side strips it not only gives good look but protects car from scratches.

Thanks Kumar. Yes they are, and rightly so! Its a brilliant car. I definitely want to protect her from the smallest of scratches, although I know they're inevitable in a city like Mumbai

[gksunil]

Congrats man. Alloys look nice. Please add a photo of the biege floor mats. I have not seen them anywhere.

[JackTheCrack]

congrats MeEncore! Welcome to the club. My fiesta 1.6 sxi has done 1200 kms so far, I still havent explored all its capabilities. You will never regret this buy! You said that the dealer has given free sunfilms. Why am I missing them in the snaps?
And regarding the refund from the dealer, it is definitely an uphill task. Almost all the dealers are the same. Once the car is sold, they just dont bother about the buyer anymore. Follow up promptly and get all the refund asap.

[lamborghini]

Congrats MeEncore!
The car looks fabulous.
About the spoiler: While the Original spoiler comes without lights, it still needs to be painted to matched the cars color, as it comes unpainted from the factory.
Also, regarding the sunfilm:
There are different brands, which cost different amounts. It can range from 800-10,000+ depending on brand. Maybe the dealership was quoting the price for a higher brand.
24,000 sounds like a fair amount for the tyres and alloys. Not terribly overpriced. I know dealers who make customers pay nearly 35,000 for 14" alloys and tyres (w/o exchange though, but even with exchange it comes to 27-28K).
How are these tyres in terms of grip? I like the tread, but not seen Maxxis tyres that much in India.

[nairrk]

@MeEncore

Your last picture is very ideal - You got your car, and then behind the road with a
Maharashtra state transport Bus an then far behind -mountains.
Cheers !

[nityanand.s.s]

@MeEncore: Congrats!! Welcome to the club. Love the alloys.

[Ramsagar]

Congrats on the purchase. Its raining fiestas in forum.The spoiler is not OE. Its an after market one.
Even I've seen many Innova's having spoiler with their roof lamps. That a fake one selling in showrooms with higher price tag than the original ones saying they have a LED's. It a daylight robbery.

NOTE:Always check if the car is equipped with rear stop lamp, if so the manufacturer will never provide a spoiler with LED for that model car.That's a thumb rule.

If anyone say its an original, kick them on @$$. Sorry for being rude. I don't like taking our Bhpian's for a ride, if not anyone for that matter.