[Poitive]

Originally Posted by Surprise

CAR BLOG INDIA video review on cruise control & voice command feature is really wonderful. Hope our review give even more detailed presentation.

There was some talk about voice control and Indian accents etc before too. In my TD of the Linea, had accidentally pressed the voice control button and used voice commands to get to help and exit from it. The system understood my perfectly 'desi' accent, well enough. It is unlikely that the system would have been 'trained' on accents by the dealer as he had not even taken normal care of the TD vehicle (almost put me off from reconsidering the car).

The above makes me think that Ford too should be able to incorporate a good enough voice control system which understood Indian accents.

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by ghodlur

The cruise control feature is a nice addition, under what conditions does the control when activated gets canceled?

Usually three conditions

1. Manual cancellation thru the button
2. When you hit brakes
3. When you hit accelerator pedal

From the video, looks like 1 & 2 are implemented in Fiesta. Since there is a button to increase the speed in Fiesta, the 3 option might not be there, but I would have personally liked it too.

[Guna]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Usually three conditions

1. Manual cancellation thru the button
2. When you hit brakes
3. When you hit accelerator pedal

From the video, looks like 1 & 2 are implemented in Fiesta. Since there is a button to increase the speed in Fiesta, the 3 option might not be there, but I would have personally liked it too.

In some implementation, when you intervene with brake or accelerator input, it overrides the cruise control setting momentarily but eventually keeps up with the setting. The setting doesn't get canceled until you manually choose to do it through the controls.

[aravind.anand]

More info about the Fiesta from IAB.com
Ford Fiesta for India - More tidbits | Indian Autos blog
I really liked the convex mirror feature. Really reduces the blind spots, very useful safety feature this.

[mohan41]

Originally Posted by aravind.anand

More info about the Fiesta from IAB.com
Ford Fiesta for India - More tidbits | Indian Autos blog

This carries a disappointing information for me.

America has the 6-speed dual clutch AT which has a higher fuel economy rating than the manual due to the extra gear and the dual clutch. In India, the market for AT in this segment has not picked up. India could get a low-cost AT next year. We believe Ford will watch the Verna’ progress closely to decide when.

Why do they think the market for AT has not picked up? Almost every sedan in this segment has AT (City, Verna, SX4, Vento).

I also feel cruise control is fully utilized in an AT than in a manual, because the transmission can also shift down if required to maintain speed. I had hopes that AT will be introduced soon if not at launch.

[aravind.anand]

Originally Posted by mohan41

Why do they think the market for AT has not picked up? Almost every sedan in this segment has AT (City, Verna, SX4, Vento).

All of them offer automatic options, but the volumes of the AT variants are low is what it means. And don't worry, the AT transmission would be launched for sure by year end or early next year

[Guna]

Originally Posted by aravind.anand

All of them offer automatic options, but the volumes of the AT variants are low is what it means. And don't worry, the AT transmission would be launched for sure by year end or early next year

It would be disappointing if they pick the conventional torque converter set up instead of the 6 speed twin clutch auto.

[Poitive]

Originally Posted by mohan41

Why do they think the market for AT has not picked up? Almost every sedan in this segment has AT (City, Verna, SX4, Vento).

I suspect it would be about the number of AT''s they expect to sell. Economies of scale playing a role. If the numbers are small, the choices may be to price it highly or to bleed on the specific product line (though building a broader customer base, which initself is important). India is a very price sensitive market, as we all know.

[aravind.anand]

Originally Posted by Guna

It would be disappointing if they pick the conventional torque converter set up instead of the 6 speed twin clutch auto.

Yes the info in the article that says Ford might develop a low cost AT for India is pretty bad news, lets hope they don't. The Power Shift, dual clutch gearbox is more efficient and also faster than its manual counterpart in places where its available! Lets pray it comes here then :'(

[Mustang.101]

Hello everybody, I am still on leave and have managed to get internet access. I will be available from June 15 onwards. I am up to date with this thread as of now. I am just using this opportunity to clarify a few doubts if you guys have them.

1.5 L Ti-VCT Duratec is actually a reworked 1.6 L Ti-VCT duratec and is more advanced than the current 1.6 L Duratec. It has better midrange and top range than the current 1.6L Duratec in the classic but it has slightly weaker low range as compared to the current 1.6 L in the classic.

The 1.5 TDCi is a reworked 1.6 TDCi and not a reworked 1.4 TDCi as some magazines have suggested. It has enough grunt to satisfy your 1.6 TDCi needs and will be extremely fuel efficient because of the large turbo. However, there is just one thing you need to know, turbo lag which was almost absent in the 1.4 TDCi is slightly present in the 1.5 TDCi, though it is not very noticeable. Its like if you feel the turbo popping in at around 1400 rpm in the classic, you will feel the turbo popping in at 1650 in the new fiesta. However the mid range is superb and peak torque stays with you till 2750 rpm and does NOT decline sharply even after 2800 revs.

PS - I have not driven the 2 engines, but a friend whose knowledge i trust has told me about this.

PPS - I will get you the final verdict on the 15th and please till then do not quote this post or ask any questions as i will be unable to answer them. Thanks.

[ghodlur]

Originally Posted by Guna

In some implementation, when you intervene with brake or accelerator input, it overrides the cruise control setting momentarily but eventually keeps up with the setting. The setting doesn't get canceled until you manually choose to do it through the controls.

So when you tap either the accelerator or brake pedals the cruise control is momentarily paused but not completely turned off, right. So what indication would say its off completely, the blue indication on the meter console as seen in the test drive?

What happens if someone accidentaly switches on the cruise control in the bumper to bumper traffic, would it get on at all since during that traffic the constant use of cluth and brake would not allow the feature to be activated at all.

Is there any change in the boot capacity of the new Fiesta from the Classic?

[ghodlur]

Any ideas on the pull drift compensation used by Ford in the new Fiesta. It seems it has been incorporated for the Indian driving conditions. What does this fetaure do? Any real life example how this feature helps on Indian roads?

[Surprise]

Yet another review & all of them share similar views. It now boils down to launch date & pricing. Sad that we didn't got an opportunity to TD it. Anyways, we are waiting for that special review

New Ford Fiesta First Drive (Deep Dive) 1.5 Petrol (Ti-VCT) And 1.5 Diesel (TDCi) Driven Road Test | New Ford Fiesta First Drive (Deep Dive) 1.5 Petrol (Ti-VCT) And 1.5 Diesel (TDCi) Driven First Drive | CarDekho.com

The New Fiesta Diesel is a more fun to drive than the petrol sibling. The TDCi Diesel engine is one of the smoothest that we have seen in the segment, a big part of the credit goes to the super silent cabin thanks to Ford using some hi-tech cabin insulation technology leading to highly reduced NHV levels on it. The Diesel Fiesta with the 1.5liter TDCi engine is agile and very responsive once the turbo hits in at the 2000 rpm mark. The Fiesta Diesel is super fun to drive in straight lines and to throw around corners if you wish to. The EPAS Steering lightens the effort that the driver has to put in but does not kill the steering feedback at all speeds. The Indian tuned suspension felt perfect on the Diesel Fiesta and the car handled tremendously well. Once you are out of the 2k RPM floor, pedal to overtake and the response is instant. The suspension feels still better on the Diesel Fiesta as compared to the Petrol one. Ford claims a mileage figure of 23.5kmpl as per ARAI on the Diesel Fiesta.

Originally Posted by ghodlur

Any ideas on the pull drift compensation used by Ford in the new Fiesta. It seems it has been incorporated for the Indian driving conditions. What does this fetaure do? Any real life example how this feature helps on Indian roads?

The steering feedback is amazing with the EPAS unit with Pull-Drift compensation working all the time.

How it works?

http://media.ford.com/images/10031/EPAS.pdf

[krish3]

The powerband of the diesel is too small. And this is speaking from exp of using the Fiesta TDCi. The lack of top-end really shows during tight overtaking manouvers on the highways of Kerala. Miss one overtaking and one could end up spending the next 10 mins behind the same vehicle.

I really missed the huge powerband of the hyundai diesel during my last cochin-kottayam drive.

Now everything depends on the pricing. If its anywhere near the Vento/Verna, then its goona be tough for Ford to grab sales away from them. Price it brilliantly like the Figo, and its game on. Its gonna be tough considering the pricing of the Classic SXi

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by ghodlur

What happens if someone accidentaly switches on the cruise control in the bumper to bumper traffic,

As I said in most of the implementations where I know of, cruise control shuts off completely when you tap the brake / accelerator pedals. Not sure which all cars have it the other way around, where it stays off momentarily.

And in case of Fiesta, I read somewhere that the cruise control can be activated only in top gear. Also I guess sometimes there is a min speed limit set for using the cruise control. These steps should take care of the control not activating within bumper to bumper drives.

Originally Posted by ghodlur

Any ideas on the pull drift compensation used by Ford in the new Fiesta.

Its discussed couple of posts before. Its basically the car itself adjusting any lateral movement due to wind / non-flat road surfaces. Say if the left side of the road is in a lower angle with a slope to drain the rain water, the car will have a tendency to keep moving to the left. The pull-drift will compensate by adjusting itself and will stay in the same lane as it is and will not let the car move further to left.