Ford Fiesta Launched

devarshi84 · 19th November 2005, 03:04

all the three engines look good to me.

But I am against using so many engine options in 1 car. It kills the charms.

a petrol and diesel option is ok but why 2 petrol engine options?

Boom Shiva · 19th November 2005, 14:46

Devarshi's right. Now I have to justify to my dad why I want the 1.6 vs the 1.4, and he's giving all the usual uncleji dialogues "what difference does it make in the city traffic, even a Ferrari will move at the same speed etc etc".

Damn you Ford! Just make the 1.6...

DCEite · 19th November 2005, 15:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boom Shiva

Devarshi's right. Now I have to justify to my dad why I want the 1.6 vs the 1.4, and he's giving all the usual uncleji dialogues "what difference does it make in the city traffic, even a Ferrari will move at the same speed etc etc".

Damn you Ford! Just make the 1.6...

Remember the Nokia 6600 Ad?

"Ghar to sirf rahne ke liye hota hai... Phone to sirf baat karne ke liye hota hai... Gadi to sirf Chalane ke liye hoti hai..."

satan_crazy · 19th November 2005, 23:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by trinadha

lets forget skoda fabia for now get more info on fiesta how big does it look i think still not yet come to hyderabad showrooms .Is it as big a OHC or is it of the size of petra come guys i am really sorry its not yet at hyderabad.tell us more

it's smaller in length than the baleno. sat in the car today. felt horrible. hardly any space inside. the dashboard has taken up a lot of space. there is no arm rest above the hand brake. couple of neat things i observed though - steering felt nice, the rear trunk opens by pushing a button on the dashboard. no test drive as yet, those guys don't have the demo cars at the moment. they said that the demo cars would be available only next week.

imjimmy · 20th November 2005, 00:51

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.

v_s_natarajan · 20th November 2005, 07:20

went to the Chennai Ford dealer today.
No test drives, it seem till 23rd.
me and my kid hopped around all three models.
The higfer end Petrol Fiesta looks very Good.
Inside and outside.
Comfy seats, leather and all.
same mondeo gear**** knobs, lots of chrome,
a Big Boot, good rear seat comfort.

Knowing that it is the same engine as Fusion, the drive should be good.

The diesel' s interior was drab, no drive side agjustment of side view mirrors, a different CD player. wonder what its FE though.
There were so many people keeping the sales guys busy, with the dealer in all smiles.

Hope the NHC new Vtec does not suffer since with higher BHP and Hodnda's engine, it surely is a better car

islero · 20th November 2005, 11:54

I just saw a Fiesta ad with a Cream coloured example, it looked really good.

I think this car will look the best in Cream and Black. Dark blue, white, silver I dont think will go well with this design.

lamborghini · 20th November 2005, 13:06

Well,
i think the golden colour, black and silver would look good. The purple, orange, red aren't my type of colours.
Saw the SXi model, liked it and the diesel is meant to have similar interiors minus the 6 CD changer and electric mirrors and leather.
Could live with that.

DCEite · 20th November 2005, 14:23

Has anybody got the pic of Fiesta's interiors? I searched the whole site (fordfiesta.in) but no Interior pictures..

If anybody has the link or pictures, kindly reply..

cnu · 20th November 2005, 14:37

dceite, the e-brochure shows a couple of nice pictures of the interiors. Download it from fordfiesta.in
The same pictures are also seen when you click "Fiesta Features" and then the "Comfort" link but are not very clear.

cnu · 20th November 2005, 14:59

Did anyone looked at the Fiesta Story ? Here's what fordfiesta.in says:

The team behind the Fiesta comprised of Ford engineers from India, Australia, UK, Japan, Spain, Belgium, Germany, Sweden and Korea.

- 82 prototype vehicles and 90 pre-production vehicles were build before the actual production started
- Over 700,000 test kilometers were driven and over 11,000 individual tests were undertaken
- Over 25 crash tests were conducted
- A dedicated team of over 150 put in over 500 man-years of work
- An average of 14 engineers from Ford Australia were on site in India each week through 2004-05
- The team made close to 650 trips to India and other countires to design, test and launch the Ford Fiesta.

Looks like Ford has invested good amount of money on this product.
That explains the aggressive pricing to capture the volume market.

zenx · 21st November 2005, 11:01

GTOs review in the review section is v useful. Yes, a (slightly) higher end 1.4 would be a killer and beige interiors are a must, at least as an option.
A base 1.4 TDCi would also do well - the current one is too much on road. If the petrol 1.4 is reasonably FE it should be a segement leader in no time given the fun-to-drive factor GTO described.

19th November 2005, 03:04	#301
devarshi84 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Ahmedabad - Tor Posts: 4,024 Thanked: 211 Times View My Garage	all the three engines look good to me. But I am against using so many engine options in 1 car. It kills the charms. a petrol and diesel option is ok but why 2 petrol engine options?
	() Thanks

19th November 2005, 14:46	#302
Boom Shiva BANNED Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Mumbai Posts: 1,055 Thanked: 18 Times	Devarshi's right. Now I have to justify to my dad why I want the 1.6 vs the 1.4, and he's giving all the usual uncleji dialogues "what difference does it make in the city traffic, even a Ferrari will move at the same speed etc etc". Damn you Ford! Just make the 1.6...
	() Thanks

20th November 2005, 00:51	#305
imjimmy BHPian Join Date: May 2005 Location: Chd Posts: 289 Thanked: 6 Times	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. Last edited by imjimmy : 20th November 2005 at 01:04.
	() Thanks

20th November 2005, 07:20	#306
v_s_natarajan BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: chennai Posts: 261 Thanked: 3 Times	Fiesta went to the Chennai Ford dealer today. No test drives, it seem till 23rd. me and my kid hopped around all three models. The higfer end Petrol Fiesta looks very Good. Inside and outside. Comfy seats, leather and all. same mondeo gear**** knobs, lots of chrome, a Big Boot, good rear seat comfort. Knowing that it is the same engine as Fusion, the drive should be good. The diesel' s interior was drab, no drive side agjustment of side view mirrors, a different CD player. wonder what its FE though. There were so many people keeping the sales guys busy, with the dealer in all smiles. Hope the NHC new Vtec does not suffer since with higher BHP and Hodnda's engine, it surely is a better car
	() Thanks

20th November 2005, 11:54	#307
islero Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Chennai Posts: 1,574 Thanked: 13 Times View My Garage	I just saw a Fiesta ad with a Cream coloured example, it looked really good. I think this car will look the best in Cream and Black. Dark blue, white, silver I dont think will go well with this design.
	() Thanks

20th November 2005, 13:06	#308
lamborghini Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 6,114 Thanked: 5,763 Times View My Garage	Well, i think the golden colour, black and silver would look good. The purple, orange, red aren't my type of colours. Saw the SXi model, liked it and the diesel is meant to have similar interiors minus the 6 CD changer and electric mirrors and leather. Could live with that.
	() Thanks

20th November 2005, 14:23	#309
DCEite Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: NCR Posts: 3,418 Thanked: 2,566 Times	Has anybody got the pic of Fiesta's interiors? I searched the whole site (fordfiesta.in) but no Interior pictures.. If anybody has the link or pictures, kindly reply..
	() Thanks

20th November 2005, 14:37	#310
cnu BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: BLR/HYD Posts: 297 Thanked: 114 Times	dceite, the e-brochure shows a couple of nice pictures of the interiors. Download it from fordfiesta.in The same pictures are also seen when you click "Fiesta Features" and then the "Comfort" link but are not very clear.
	() Thanks

20th November 2005, 14:59	#311
cnu BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: BLR/HYD Posts: 297 Thanked: 114 Times	Fiesta Story Did anyone looked at the Fiesta Story ? Here's what fordfiesta.in says: The team behind the Fiesta comprised of Ford engineers from India, Australia, UK, Japan, Spain, Belgium, Germany, Sweden and Korea. - 82 prototype vehicles and 90 pre-production vehicles were build before the actual production started - Over 700,000 test kilometers were driven and over 11,000 individual tests were undertaken - Over 25 crash tests were conducted - A dedicated team of over 150 put in over 500 man-years of work - An average of 14 engineers from Ford Australia were on site in India each week through 2004-05 - The team made close to 650 trips to India and other countires to design, test and launch the Ford Fiesta. Looks like Ford has invested good amount of money on this product. That explains the aggressive pricing to capture the volume market.
	() Thanks

21st November 2005, 11:01	#312
zenx Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,161 Thanked: 158 Times View My Garage	GTOs review in the review section is v useful. Yes, a (slightly) higher end 1.4 would be a killer and beige interiors are a must, at least as an option. A base 1.4 TDCi would also do well - the current one is too much on road. If the petrol 1.4 is reasonably FE it should be a segement leader in no time given the fun-to-drive factor GTO described.
	() Thanks