Ford Fiesta 1.4 - Petrol & Diesel Test Driven

[tsk1979]

ROFL ajmatji . This is the funniest comment ever.
As for obsession with beige, it makes the tackiest plastics looks sophisticated. Example (Indigo GSX/SX)

[santosh.s]

exactly...

exclusiveness/upmarket feel is the main reason.... you will find plenty of grey dashboards in one shade or the other everywhere... like majority of hatchbacks, sumo's, qualis'es or even in mini-trucks I guess... beige is primarily seen in luxury cars! if beige was commonly used everywhere, it would not be a surprise if people had an obsession for grey instead

no offence meant, its only about the color... quality is different issue, like paying extra premium for beige-leather is quite understood. but most of the first car buyers may not notice that while "leather" is really costly, "beige" should come pretty cheap and its the later which matters much more

many people refer to grey plastic as "cheap", IMHO "too-common" or "boring" could be better words to describe it.

[zenx]

beige does look great though yes, the maintenance may be an issue. So the grey plastic bits might actually help there

[lamborghini]

I prefer the 2 tone finish actually in lower end cars.
Generally, the full beige dashboard tends to get dirty very fast as we came to know with the corolla so i think the two tome is a much better bet in the long term as it feels luxurious but can be kept clean.
Also some dash's like the accords, mondeo's, the beige would look cheap and tacky and wouldn't complement the car the way the 2 tone does.

[Boom Shiva]

I called up Shakti Ford in Malad yesterday to get a test drive, but they don't have any 1.6 cars...however, they're open for bookings.

How does Ford expect you to book a car without even checking it out, especially when they already have such a dodgy reputation in this country?

[Max]

well boom, the car is just launched so just give ford company some break.

btw, yesterday, I was watching ford company documentary on Discovery channel and it seems ford was the first company in USA who built cars for mass population (affordable/cheap cars) in 1920's.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by Max

btw, yesterday, I was watching ford company documentary on Discovery channel and it seems ford was the first company in USA who built cars for mass population (affordable/cheap cars) in 1920's.

Kinda late to the party, are we? That's car history 101 for you.

[.anshuman]

i agree to the fact that fiesta is best car in the segemnt now but i feel that the diesel is too underpowered and i have plans to buy a new diesel car in a month so the only choice i have now is viva crdi and ill get a pete's chip upgrade and k&n filter on it.i love the fiesta but i need performance.

[raajks]

Good review GTO. I found it interesting to read through it.

[Boom Shiva]

I finally test drove the 1.6 top end version. The guy at Shakti Ford took me to a quiet, straight road behind In Orbit mall, where I could "feel the 1.6 power". Well, here are my impressions:

The car looks nice, in a very neat way. It's about the Ikon size I guess, so it doesn't really have impressive road presence, but it's got an understated, Euro style presence. Something like a mini-Mondeo in front, an Ikon in the middle, and a mini-C Class at the rear. Needs bigger wheels though (why Indian carmakers, why do you insist on piddly wheels?!).

The interiors are really nice. I love the bit with the chrome and two tone interiors and everything. The CD system is useless though cause you'd probably want to throw it out and replace it with something that plays MP3s and is iPod compatible. Classy interiors, way better than Baleno and Accent, but I think the City is marginally better.

Anyways, I took it to the back road and floored it to "feel the 1.6 power". Heh. That's like their sales pitch or something...so yeah, I floored it, but nothing happened.

That is to say, the pedal was to the metal, and the car started accelerating and everything, but nothing impressive. A Baleno will kick its ***.

It's nice and refined (boring), will give you a decent average (boring), and according to the salesman, who was trying to save his car's izzat, "the power delivery comes later, so you get good average in the city, and great performance on the highways." Which basically means you'll get smoked by most cars in city traffic. And as for "highway performance", he said the top speed is just 170 km/h, so you'll pretty much get smoked on the highways too.

The salesguy then tried to tell me that this was the latest superior technology from Ford to give mileage + performance. So I asked him if he had ever heard of the Old Honda City Vtec, which could rip like an animal and give you great mileage at the same time. He didn't say much about the Fiesta after that. I guess he figured I wasn't going fida over the car. He even tried to sell me an Ikon 1.6 on my way out.

All said and done, it's a decent car, with decent handling and everything you'll need to commute in the city or take your family around or whatever. It's as if Ford has done to the Ikon what Honda did to the OHC, when it brought out the NHC.

Maybe the performance tuning guys can salvage something out of it. I have to admit I'm sorely disappointed however, and I'm not so sure I want to buy this car anymore. If I do buy it, it will be because there are no better options in the segment, not because I've "gone fida" (that ad campaign is one more reason I don't want the car...it sucks!)

[imjimmy]

That's like their sales pitch or something...so yeah, I floored it, but nothing happened.

Huh! Seems very strange. When i drove it, i found the car to be reasonably quick.IT seems it's got a fusion engine and drives a little more peppier than the fusion(bcoz of less weight maybe or engine retuning).. BTW which car are you driving, i hope you are not comparing it with a 1.8L or a 150+ Hp car.

A Baleno will kick its ***.

Yes, could be- in straight line performance(0-100 etc..) and the low end torque(where Baleno pretty much remains unchallenged). But for regular driving the 1.6 Fiesta seemed as quick. I drive the Baleno all the time so i can compare. Of course the throttle response is not in the league of Ikon 1.6 where a push on the pedal sends the needle soaring. But then Ikon is perhaps the best drivers car i have ever driven save perhaps the OHC Vtec!

It's nice and refined (boring), will give you a decent average (boring)

That's what people here want. Decent FE above all.That's why the Fiesta could be an even bigger success than the Ikon(whose FE is pathetic). But then i think the FE figures of the Fiesta will still be lesser than that of the Baleno.

And as for "highway performance", he said the top speed is just 170 km/h,

I seriously doubt that. The top speed of the 1.4 sibling is around 165 kmph or thereabout.

It's as if Ford has done to the Ikon what Honda did to the OHC, when it brought out the NHC.

he he..a little bit but not to that extent. There's light years of performance difference b/w the OHC and the NHC!

Overall for the performance freaks, i think Baleno/Petra would be a better deal.

[Boom Shiva]

Hey Imjimmy, I drive a Lancer 1.5, so I was expecting the Fiesta to feel much peppier. It sorely disappointed me though. Maybe because the salesguy hyped the "1.6 power" so much. I redlined it through every gear and i really didn't feel much enthusiasm from the engine.

Btw, the salesman said the FE is approx 10.5 in the city with the A/C. That's really nothing great to be honest. I get as much from my Lancer, and I think Baleno/NHC will also match, if not better that.

I thought the 170km/h top speed was a bit low too, but that's what the salesman told me, and I didn't get a chance to see for myself. I'm guessing you'll probably run out of road before you get to 170 anyways, because the car takes so long to get there.

[Mpower]

Originally Posted by Boom Shiva

IAnyways, I took it to the back road and floored it to "feel the 1.6 power". Heh. That's like their sales pitch or something...so yeah, I floored it, but nothing happened.

That is to say, the pedal was to the metal, and the car started accelerating and everything, but nothing impressive.

I think it has an electronic throttle, so no matter how hard you floor it, the ECU decides how much power you need. All this for fuel economy. The gearing may be tall as well.

The Ikon ROCAM 1.6 felt fast even though the numbers proved it wasnt. This one is the opposite.

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by Mpower

I think it has an electronic throttle, so no matter how hard you floor it, the ECU decides how much power you need.

Bloody electronic throttles...I've got on in the Safari too where the car decides how fast it wants you to go, not the other way around.

Whats the world coming to?

[imjimmy]

I think it has an electronic throttle, so no matter how hard you floor it, the ECU decides how much power you need.

I think this is more dependent on the ECU rather than the Electronic throttle.

Any cars with 32 bit ECU's even without Electronic throttle have similar characteristics.

Those days are long gone that when you floor the accelerator it will pump loads of fuel. THat's why you get decent Fuel economy even when you floor the pedal and redline the engine.