[Biraj]

Brilliant decision! Fiesta is one of the few cars available in India that has been designed by keeping the driver in mind. I purchased a car just a month earlier than you and had similar requirements. Fiesta was a close second to my eventual purchase and it somehow failed to clinch the extra point in VFM that the T-jet+ (with the extra discount) managed to offer. I have done close to 16K in these ~11 months and enjoying every bit of performance that an efficient petrol engine can offer (fuel price be damned) .

Wish you many more happy miles on this brilliant car.

[Kamen_rider]

Originally Posted by Shiv_1984

Allow me to congratulate you for owning one of the best looking cars (IMO) out there. wishing you many happy miles ahead.
Could you pls post some pics of the interior space, upholstery, boot space and seats if you don't mind ?

Thank you, Shiv! I love the looks too - and I will certainly share the pictures of the interiors and boot space around the weekend when I can take it out in sunlight.

Originally Posted by Sheel

Hi Rahul!

Am so glad to have you on board I believe this is the first Fiesta AT on the forums.

Please keep the thread updated & share the logs with Cars as well as otherwise here.

OT : -So what about two-wheels? Got something after the 250R?

Sheel Babu, thank you! Yes, first Fiesta AT it is, and frankly, I was surprised. Thought more people would buy at least one of the two variants.

As for the two wheels - the plan was to get the Fiesta and a Ducati or a BMW F650 or a Triumph, but didn't happen because none of the bikes launched last year!

Originally Posted by sgiitk

L mode is more for Descents that Ascents as you get engine braking.

Initially I thought so, but the L mode downhill is difficult to manage, with the car jerking ahead every time you press down. This is specially pronounced in lower speeds.

Instead, the gear knob has a 'hill descent' button, which when activated, keeps the car at a manageable speed, 30-40 if you leave the accelerator untouched. So the best way to descend is to use the D mode with hill descent control.

And you will have to use the L mode on very steep climbs, the D mode does not work at all.

Originally Posted by vb-san

Congratulations, and thanks for the excellent review.

I had a look at the Titanium AT, and what you mentioned is so true – the black leather interiors lift up the whole ambience inside the cabin. Much more classier feel than the fabric seats in MT variant.

When I started driving the steering felt very non-Ford-like, extremely light but once on the highway, it weighed up nicely. The rear headrest design is quite a deal-breaker though (for those who care)

Thank you VB-san, and you're right, the leather seats make a HUGE difference in how the car looks inside. Makes the interiors look a tier higher, and the seats feel better to sit in too. And not to mention, easier to maintain - at least for me, because I used to owning a lot of leather products.

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

Congratulations kamen_rider on a great choice of car. Correct if I am wrong, yours may be the first Fiesta AT on the forum!

Thoroughly enjoyed reading your well written review.

An Automatic car makes a lot of sense in Bangalore these days. You would'nt believe if I told you that I enjoy driving my i10 AT in the city more than my Laura TSI.

Santosh, thank you so much. My car seems to be the first on Team-bhp, it appears so. Hope more join the club - oh wait, I see another owner just below!

Concur, driving an Auto car in Bangalore is perfect. I am so relaxed these days, I don't even hurry up at signal. I have a few magazines and books which I read when I am waiting at a long signal. No kidding.

The i10 should be a treat in this mad town - an automatic hatch would be such a pleasure to drive around Bangalore.

Originally Posted by dsvikki

Was waiting for your review after reading your comments in the Official review thread. I was surprised too on not finding a single Ownership review of the Fiesta AT. Thanks for sharing. I have booked my Fiesta AT (Style - Kinetic Blue) this week with delivery promised next week. Hope to share notes given that we seem to be a minority on T-BHP (Fiesta AT owners).

Congratulations on booking the Fiesta AT - it is a great car and you will not regret it, look forward to hearing your experience once you get the car. And great choice of color, by the way!

Originally Posted by arup.misra

Congrats on your milestone...both 10k & the new Fiesta.

Nice to see a niggle free auto box performing so well. Between the Cruz & Fiesta, was parking the only sore point for having left out the Cruz.

Dear Arup, thank you! Parking was not the only reason I ruled out the Cruze. There were news of a facelift and it did not make its appearance by the time I bought the Fiesta. But for me, the level of the gearbox mattered the most, so I would have bought the Fiesta AT anyway.

Originally Posted by StarScream

Excellent review of an unappreciated and underestimated car. Thank you.

One other thing about the Fiesta AT - it's the only car this side of 16-17 lakhs that offers ESP, which you can only get if you buy a top-end Elantra, XUV5oo or petrol Fluence.

Starscream, thank you for the kind words. The Fiesta is indeed an underestimated car. A couple of my friends drove the car, and they had no idea this model even existed, otherwise they would have bought one.

I did miss out calling the safety features of the Ford Fiesta unique to its segment. The ESP, along with use of high strength Boron steel in the passenger cage.

Originally Posted by vnabhi

Congratulations for your new ride and many thanks for the excellent review. I wish you many, many happy miles on it.

One thing you've not covered is the F.E. on highway drives. And how difficult is to drop to L mode while over-taking? I'm sure it won't be as smooth as with paddle shifts, but was just curious.

Appreciate the note, vnabhi! The FE on highways is around 13-13.5 or so. But my driving is a bit spirited so someone of a monk-ish disposition might get more !

Dropping to L mode is easy. It is the last slot on the gearbox, so just shift down to L and floor it. The shift lock does not need to be engaged when shifting from N to D to L. But there is a huge difference is how gearing is set for the L mode vs the D, so the car transforms instantly (with some sudden engine braking) to a high RPM machine. Because of this change, I don't recommend using the L mode for speeds less than 60 kmph. It is NOT as smooth as the paddle shifts, tiptronic and other modes of manual override.

Originally Posted by anachronix

Congrats K_R! Drive safe and wish you many more trouble free years with the Fiesta.

Simple and straight forward review of a nice car that was killed by Ford themselves!

Thank you Anachronix. People in India look for a lot of perceptible/tangible value for their money and the slightly higher priced Fiesta did not make the cut for the masses. But for people in the know, the Fiesta is an awesome package.

The bright side is, you own a car which is super exclusive!

Originally Posted by pamishra

Thanks for the good review!
Just a question - While overtaking, for getting that extra power, it is necessary to shift to the L mode?

Not absolutely necessary if it is a long, normal overtake. But you need to overtake really quick, the L mode helps in going faster, like a short sprint.

Originally Posted by Biraj

Brilliant decision! Fiesta is one of the few cars available in India that has been designed by keeping the driver in mind. I purchased a car just a month earlier than you and had similar requirements. Fiesta was a close second to my eventual purchase and it somehow failed to clinch the extra point in VFM that the T-jet+ (with the extra discount) managed to offer. I have done close to 16K in these ~11 months and enjoying every bit of performance that an efficient petrol engine can offer (fuel price be damned) .

Hi Biraj - I used to lust after the Linea after it was launched, and it is one of the best looking cars around, with great proportions and lines. Italians are not know for their design sense for nothing. I still turn around when I see a Linea. Happy to hear that you are clocking mega miles in the car!

I am so glad I bought the Fiesta - great combination of the petrol engine and the advanced powershift! Yes, petrol prices be damned

[ampere]

Once you buy a Ford and you always end up with a Ford!
Nothing more to say about the way it drives! (For that matter all Fords.!)
And off-course AT in Bangalore is like a soothing rain in the Sahara heat.

Congrats once again and wish you many many more miles.

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

Yes, that is normally the case, but Ford has provided a 'Hill descent control' for such cases.

Hill descent control is more for stopping the car from rolling down on its own. The risk is that coming down a long descent you risk 'cooking' your brakes to the point where they fade.

[sandeepmohan]

Good call on the auto box. This is probably the most advanced gear box offered in the segment. It is unfortunate that our market does not accept automatics because it is supposed to bring down fuel efficiency. With todays modern auto boxes, if used right, I doubt if there will be any difference between a manual and automatic when it comes to fuel economy. Unfortunately, gaining that additional 1kmpl is more important than the convenience offered by a auto box.

Except for the old Escort, all Ford cars that have come to India have been great cars to drive. Even the truck based Endeavor is such a involving SUV to drive.

My first car was a Ford Ikon 1.6 and when I was ready for a upgrade. I wanted it to be a another Ford. It is unfortunate that the new Fiesta and this is my personal take, was just not good enough for me. When I checked out the car, the driving position itself nailed it. It was so perfect. Though I did not buy the Fiesta, I still have to say it has the best drivers seat of any car in its segment. I did not like anything else in the Fiesta though. It was loaded to the brim for sure but the engine was just not in the same league as my old Ikon. The Ikon on paper had less power but one drive of the Fiesta made me wonder if this engine was really 108 horses under the hood. My 11 year old Ikon could run circles around the New Fiesta (It would not stop though.he he...). The next thing that hit me was the low rent interiors. Even though the plastics may be durable, it did not look or feel 11lacs worth. The only thing that was reeking of quality was the steering wheel. Next was passenger room, the Ikon had more and buying the Fiesta felt like moving to a small hatch (which is what it is based on). Apart from the toys, the awesome steering and chassis balance, there was nothing that excited me about the Fiesta. The engine being the primary culprit. I was now looking at the previous gen Fiesta. By that time Ford dropped the S variant and this ended my hunt for a new Ford.

I have to agree with you on the quality of materials used on USA budget Fords. Have driven the 2010 Focus and the materials used were just alright.

Like yourself, I too believe that the way forward is a modern quick shifting auto box like the Power Shift. I agree that the feeling of driving a manual will be lost but there is just no way to beat the speed of shifting gears with a modern auto box. Everything about it is faster and driving is so effortless.

Ford have somehow managed to give all their cars a very good sound system. You do not feel the need for a speaker upgrade too.

[kpzen]

Congrats kamen_ rider.
Brilliant car but highly under rated.

Originally Posted by ampere

Once you buy a Ford and you always end up with a Ford!
Nothing more to say about the way it drives! (For that matter all Fords.!)
.

Drove an Ikon for 2 years, got hooked with its dynamics, braking was pathetic, though.
Recently, got the Figo, amazing handling for a hatchback with good braking.

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

Ford have somehow managed to give all their cars a very good sound system. You do not feel the need for a speaker upgrade too.

Too good for an OEM setup. It exceeded my expectation by a fair margin.
Any idea which brand speakers they use ?

[StarScream]

Originally Posted by Kamen_rider

The i10 should be a treat in this mad town - an automatic hatch would be such a pleasure to drive around Bangalore.

It absolutely is - I own a Santro AT and while it ain't the most refined or modern of transmissions, it is a pleasure to drive in the city. Whatever other car you own, a small automatic is becoming a necessity in our cities.

[Kamen_rider]

Originally Posted by ampere

Once you buy a Ford and you always end up with a Ford!
Nothing more to say about the way it drives! (For that matter all Fords.!)
And off-course AT in Bangalore is like a soothing rain in the Sahara heat.

Congrats once again and wish you many many more miles.

Thanks Ampere, this is my first Ford and I hope that I keep coming back to it. By the way, the new 2013 fusion looks awesome, hope they get it here soon.

Like any driver who loves their machines, the way a car drives is a big deciding factor for me.

Originally Posted by sgiitk

Hill descent control is more for stopping the car from rolling down on its own. The risk is that coming down a long descent you risk 'cooking' your brakes to the point where they fade.

The Fiesta powershift has two grade assist features. The first is preventing roll back/on when launching from a gradient - the car holds for 2.5 seconds. The second is the hill descent control, which uses lower gearing for controlling downhill speed. A milder version of the L mode, and the preferred way to drive on a forward gradient.

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

Good call on the auto box. I doubt if there will be any difference between a manual and automatic when it comes to fuel economy. Unfortunately, gaining that additional 1kmpl is more important than the convenience offered by a auto box.

The Ikon on paper had less power but one drive of the Fiesta made me wonder if this engine was really 108 horses under the hood. My 11 year old Ikon could run circles around the New Fiesta (It would not stop though.he he...).

I have to agree with you on the quality of materials used on USA budget Fords. Have driven the 2010 Focus and the materials used were just alright.

Ford have somehow managed to give all their cars a very good sound system. You do not feel the need for a speaker upgrade too.

Thanks Sandeep for the detailed note. People have a lot of apprehension about automatics based on hearsay, and there is some truth in that because of the sub standard autoboxes available here in the past. It is a matter of time, I think, before people realize that the fuel consumption isn't different for an advanced autobox, and the convenience which is definitely worth the price difference.

The Fiesta isn't a peppy car, I agree, but still drives extremely well. Wish they had put the 1.6 engine into this - they should have, considering they have done so in the American Fiestas.

The sound system is indeed good - no hiss and rasping even at high volumes, with deep bass thrown in.

Originally Posted by kpzen

Congrats kamen_ rider.
Brilliant car but highly under rated.


Drove an Ikon for 2 years, got hooked with its dynamics, braking was pathetic, though.
Recently, got the Figo, amazing handling for a hatchback with good braking.

Too good for an OEM setup. It exceeded my expectation by a fair margin.
Any idea which brand speakers they use ?

Thanks Kpzen. So less people buy the new Fiesta, that for the first few months the only other Fiesta I saw in Bangalore was my own car's reflection when I passed shop windows on a busy street

Now people are buying some numbers, and I see another one (Diesel MT) in my office.

Originally Posted by StarScream

It absolutely is - I own a Santro AT and while it ain't the most refined or modern of transmissions, it is a pleasure to drive in the city. Whatever other car you own, a small automatic is becoming a necessity in our cities.

The tribe should grow when people realize the importance of convenience over the autobox premium and gearboxes like the Powershift in the Fiesta and (hopefully) the Ecosports show that fuel efficiency is not sacrificed.

[Utopian]

Congrats for the auto Fiesta-one of the better auto boxes in the segment. Post some snaps of the interiors, especially of the gear stick and the dash indicators.
Happy driving.

[ak916]

Congratulations on the best auto sedan in the C segment. I had considered this car. Then the Tjet+ came into picture and much like someone else on this very page, i bought the fiat. I would love to still have the fiesta automatic though. The only negative for me was the engine felt underpowered yet it was a great package and the handling was fabulous.

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by ampere

Once you buy a Ford and you always end up with a Ford!
Nothing more to say about the way it drives! (For that matter all Fords.!)

You've hit the nail on the head. One of the main reasons we went for a Figo after owning a Fiesta.

By the way, I remember reading somewhere that the Fiesta AT has better FE than the manual petrol. Is that correct?

[coolmel]

Hi Rahul..Many congratulations on acquiring a really great set of wheels Any plans to upgrade the audio system yet?

[msmatic]

Originally Posted by Kamen_rider

Attachment 1038015
My hunt for a new car actually started around August 2011. From early on, I was clear on what I wanted - an automatic car which will help cut the stress of bumper to bumper driving in Bangalore. While I was not particular about diesel or petrol, I wanted a sedan which was safe, with nice front seat ergonomics and had an advanced automatic gear box. And I had roughly around 20 Lakhs to spend. Around that time, I looked around, and I had the Skoda Laura, Chevrolet Cruze, Toyota Altis, Civic, Vento, SX4, Verna and the City as potential candidates. After a quick visit to different dealerships and looking around, I quickly struck off these cars off my list:

1) The Laura (nervous about the DSG),
2) Civic (fuel guzzler, lazy autobox, facelift imminent)
3) Verna (4 speed autobox)
4) Vento (no dead pedal, how could they?)
5) City ( peppy car, but car a little flimsy for my liking)
6) SX4 (autobox no good)

@Kamen_rider, Congratulations on your wonderful car !! How do you find the ride quality inside the city, as compared to Verna ? Does it soak up the bad roads well at slow speeds ?

[sagarpadaki]

Congratulations Kamen_rider on the Fiesta AT. You have summed up a car which is very under-estimated by many. Wishing you many many happy miles on it!

PS-Are you Rahul,aka, Bluevolt(XBHP) who did a Golden Quadrilateral ride in his Ninja 250? Sorry , but you look very familiar to him. No offence.

[pamishra]

Originally Posted by Kamen_rider

The FE on highways is around 13-13.5 or so. But my driving is a bit spirited so someone of a monk-ish disposition might get more !

FE of 13-13.5 on highways looks pretty less, considering that Ford says that the AT box gives more mileage than MT. Can you please share the FE in city? Also whats been the best and worst figures that you have got? Thanks!