[petrolhead_neel]

Time just flies! Just 10 days to go and TooFun will be a full one year old! All I can say is that it has been a simply wonderful journey so far. She is the darling of the family and we just adore her, just like our pet dog. Every moment spent with her, every mile traveled, has been fun.

The engine just opens and opens. It has gotten much smoother, eager and agile over time. Refinement is just great, not Jap great, but still very good. And boy, the engine note! Such a treat to the ear! After 4k RPM, she just begs you to rev her to the limit. And good thing is that even near or at her limits, she doesn't feel stressed at all. Keep shifting at 5k RPM and you're still making great progress. Cruising at a relaxed 100 with the engine engaged to the top gear and humming a shade below 3k but found an open stretch? Drop down to 3rd and you'll be pushed back by the sudden thrush that you get. After the initial thrush, the power delivery is again very linear and you don't realize that you hit the revv-limiter. Not in the mood for spirited driving? The low down poke is enough to keep going.

Oh, the handling! The Fiesta is such a rewarding car to drive. Great poise, stability and agility. Just point her nose to the desired direction and shoot, you won't be disappointed.

The steering is very, very responsive. Just a slight twitch on the wheel will have the car change direction. This might not be to satisfying to everyone though, given their different driving styles. In fact, I have talked to a few people who have driven our car and while some were very impressed by the steering, some felt that it was a bit too responsive. But what everyone does agree to is the feedback that the steering provides and how beautifully it weighs up as the speedo needle climbs up.

Though I will still say that the brakes lack feedback and are a bit spongy, have to admit that stopping power is just amazing. ABS also kicks in perfectly when required, and steering the car under hard braking is not a very nervous affair.

As we know, tires perform optimally after they have run for a certain period. The Apollo Alnacs don't feel half has bad as they used to be when we first bought her home, and are turning out to be grippy enough to do the job. I would rate them to average. But again, we couldn't have expected Ford to have given us performance rubber at this price.

That sums up today's TooFun Report. Odo is now at 7995 kms, just a mere 5kms to go before she hits the 8k milestone. I have tried to be as unbiased as possible. 1st service will be coming up when she completes her 1st year with us and I will prepare a comprehensive report then.

Originally Posted by vamsi2390

Great car. Great thread. Iv been thoroughly impressed with your writing and attention to automotive detail. Please do continue doing so.

Coming back to the car. Yeah, fiesta 1.6 is a delight. Too bad its not sold anymore. :(

Thanks a ton!

Throwback!




Ciao,
petrolhead_neel

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by petrolhead_neel

Time just flies! Just 10 days to go and TooFun will be a full one year old! All I can say is that it has been a simply wonderful journey so far.

Congrats on the 1 year!! Many more years to come. And you said it right. Time just flies. Closing in on a year and half shortly and touching 15k on the odo. Barring a few incidents of rat bites due to which the car had to be taken to the Service Center, it has been going fine so far!

[petrolhead_neel]

Yes, dreams do come true. Ever since I was a small kid, I had this dream of my family owning a fast, sporty, stylish sedan that would take us places. And the car in question was always a red car. Flashback to a year, I finally stepped into my dream. We took delivery of our Classic 1.6. All I can say is that life is turning out to be even better than the dream that I once visualized.

Yes, she completed a full year today. And I will say it again, this car has changed our life. Gloomy? Sad? Want to celebrate? Just want to leave the urban jungle? "Let's go out for a drive" has always been the thought since then. This one year that she is with us has been so exciting! And the odometer nods in agreement too, reading a 8300+ km reading. Might not be much, but sure exceeds the <500km/ month running that we'd thought of while we had brought her home by a good margin. TooFun is surely one of the best things that has ever happened to us.

How is she holding up?

Extremely well, I would say. Apart from some fit and finish issues, nothing.

Will she age well?

As of now, the answer seems to be yes. But I will reserve my judgment since this is too early. Only time will tell.

Don't you sometimes feel outdated in a 10+ year old car which was phased out just after you bought one?

I will be frank, sometimes I do. I miss all the flickering lights, and buttons borrowed from aircrafts, and useless features which are there for showing off in friends' cars. But then, I realize, this car is different. She is unique.

TooFun has turned out to be very reliable as well. In this one year, she has always been there for us.

__________________________________________________ ________________

All of this definitely deserved celebration!

So, we set out today for a highway drive. Had lunch at a nice restaurant and continued. Roads were empty at that time of the day. Stereo on at medium volume, AC operating on full blast to beat the heat, we kept rolling on the highway. The highway is definitely TooFun's home turf. Cruising in this car at triple digit speeds feels so pleasurable!

Soon, we were greeted by a storm. A really bad storm. What a coincidence, isn't it? Celebrating one TooFun's birthday while experiencing the other!

No, that's not fog. That's a storm!


As we were contemplating upon returning back, the storm ceased and we continued again. The sky was clear now and the weather was simply perfect for a drive like this. Later, we also got to see a temple inside an Army cantonment and it was a one of a kind experience for us. Overall, a day that was very well spent with TooFun, one that we'll remember for years to come.

Home ground!


One of the best angles to shoot the Fiesta!


A bit over edited, I agree, But I couldn't help my excitement!


In front of the temple:


Alert: Red rocket approaching!


With her family!


TooFun trying to scare people?


Objects in the mirror and soon going to disappear! Downshift, pedal to the metal and...whoosh!


I hope she continues to drive as well as she does now for years to come. The
on your face is bound to occur each time you're behind the wheel!

Peekaboo!


She is due for her 1 year service and my next report will be after that.

Till then, keep revvin'!

'Special' is the word for this car, because she is special, and makes you feel special.

Neel

[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by petrolhead_neel

Yes, she completed a full year today. And I will say it again, this car has changed our life. Gloomy? Sad? Want to celebrate? Just want to leave the urban jungle? "Let's go out for a drive" has always been the thought since then. This one year that she is with us has been so exciting! And the odometer nods in agreement too, reading a 8300+ km reading. Might not be much, but sure exceeds the <500km/ month running that we'd thought of while we had brought her home by a good margin. TooFun is surely one of the best things that has ever happened to us.

Great to read how special this car has turned out to be for you buddy!

IMO there are only two kinds of cars that see higher than expected kilometers:

A diesel- your monthly running automatically goes up and you just keep driving the thing. Idling with aircon on while waiting for a friend to run a quick errand doesn't even bite away at your conscience

Delightful petrol- The way they grip, the sheer composure of their chassis while you are being pulled around a corner, the engine just begging for you to let it sing higher and longer, the responsiveness that hovers on life-like, and the way everything falls into hand, feet and arse, ergonomically. Sure they may not give you great fuel efficiency especially if you share the same enthusiasm that the car does with smooth tarmac, but you can't help it. You are under their spell. May not make complete sense economically but these are IMO the best kind

Originally Posted by petrolhead_neel

Don't you sometimes feel outdated in a 10+ year old car which was phased out just after you bought one?

I will be frank, sometimes I do. I miss all the flickering lights, and buttons borrowed from aircrafts, and useless features which are there for showing off in friends' cars. But then, I realize, this car is different. She is unique.

Nothing a simple ICE upgrade and reworked upholstery can't fix. Ought to keep you more than satisfied when you're not too busy hooning about.

Originally Posted by petrolhead_neel

The Apollo Alnacs don't feel half has bad as they used to be when we first bought her home, and are turning out to be grippy enough to do the job.

This car simply begs for better tyres and brakes according to me. If you think they are doing the job, I wonder how you'd feel a few thousand kms later once you choose to upgrade. The apollos cannot hold a candle to the chassis requests in terms of grip. Anyway, I can see you have plenty more exciting miles ahead as you push this little beast closer to its limits (ps: you're nowhere near) This baby has a lot of smiles in its arsenal just waiting to have them plastered on your face.

Cheers!

[vnabhi]

Congrats on Toofun's first b'day! I can empathize with your feelings pretty well! And mine too completed around 8300 kms in the first year.

Don't worry, your car will still be as much fun to drive as today, even after a decade. I'm speaking from experience of 9 years with the Red Injun. During the past 2 years of the project i was in, i had the option of working from home everyday. But who could do that with a 1.6 lying idle in the garage? So I used to drive to work at least 3 days a week. That's the special charm of the Duratec!

By the way, does the Titanium version have a leather-wrapped steering? My sxi has, but not my Figo Titanium.

[jprash75]

Originally Posted by abhinav.s

Congrats on the 1 year!! Many more years to come. And you said it right. Time just flies. Closing in on a year and half shortly and touching 15k on the odo. Barring a few incidents of rat bites due to which the car had to be taken to the Service Center, it has been going fine so far!

Brilliant! Both the car, and your review. Much has already been said about you, your writing, and your wheels, so will not say more.

Proud to see the petrolhead gene still alive in your generation. Prouder still to see that you chose the 1.6 in this era.

As someone who went ahead and got one last year (after having a Swift 1.3 for 10 long years), against all popular opinion, just to get hold of one from a dying breed, it gladdens the heart to see a mirror in you.

There was a tag-line to the print ads of the Gen-1 Honda City which read "Gem of an engine, Jewel of a Car". If there is any car still selling today, which deserves that tag, then the Fiesta (Classic) 1.6 has to be the one.

For the torque that 1.6 generates, in case you ever consider a tire upgrade, a "mild" upsize to 195/60 R14, would be worthwhile. The Bridgestone Turanza (AR10 or ER60) are reliable and recommended - that's what I swapped the stock tires to before taking delivery of the car.

Keep driving!

[petrolhead_neel]

Ownership Update: Life's TooFun!

An update has been pending for a long time! Sorry for the delay. Got too busy with studies. The 2nd service was completed quite sometime ago and she runs as good as new. No issues whatsoever. Engine oil and air filter changed, and the engine accelerates extremely smoothly now. This, is the car that I have always dreamt of. And not only me, all of my folks absolutely love her. She is indeed a part of the family! I could've never imagined my parents and grandmother to be so emotionally attached to her, none of them being car enthusiasts. That's what a brilliant car does. Life seems to be quite unimaginable now without TooFun.

Here are some recent pictures, as usual. Feedback appreciated!

Early morning photoshoot at our residence!









Look how her eyes gleam at the thought of going out for a drive!

Clean lines!


She also went out for a trip and got all muddy. Unfortunately, I missed it due to tuitions.

Originally Posted by vnabhi

Congrats on Toofun's first b'day! I can empathize with your feelings pretty well! And mine too completed around 8300 kms in the first year.

Don't worry, your car will still be as much fun to drive as today, even after a decade. I'm speaking from experience of 9 years with the Red Injun. During the past 2 years of the project i was in, i had the option of working from home everyday. But who could do that with a 1.6 lying idle in the garage? So I used to drive to work at least 3 days a week. That's the special charm of the Duratec!

By the way, does the Titanium version have a leather-wrapped steering? My sxi has, but not my Figo Titanium.

Thanks a lot Venu Sir! Your Red Injun is a huge assurance!

The Titanium doesn't have a leather wrapped steering, unfortunately.

Originally Posted by jprash75

Brilliant!
Proud to see the petrolhead gene still alive in your generation. Prouder still to see that you chose the 1.6 in this era.

As someone who went ahead and got one last year (after having a Swift 1.3 for 10 long years), against all popular opinion, just to get hold of one from a dying breed, it gladdens the heart to see a mirror in you.

For the torque that 1.6 generates, in case you ever consider a tire upgrade, a "mild" upsize to 195/60 R14, would be worthwhile. The Bridgestone Turanza (AR10 or ER60) are reliable and recommended - that's what I swapped the stock tires to before taking delivery of the car.

Keep driving!

Thanks a lot, Sir! It feels really, really good to know that we share similar tastes and have the exact same car! Would love to see a picture of your 1.6.

When roads like these call, it's hard to ignore. Dad and I have planned a one-day trip tomorrow, and it would be a surprise for my mother!


Neel

[Chetan_Rao]

You boy, have got one heck of a car, and it's lovely to see the obvious love your entire family has for the machine.

There's a black 1.6S in my office parking lot that's invariably parked near the door and I can never help turning around to grab a second look. They surely don't make 'em like that anymore, not even Ford themselves.

[jprash75]

Originally Posted by petrolhead_neel

Ownership Update: Life's TooFun!

Thanks a lot, Sir! It feels really, really good to know that we share similar tastes and have the exact same car! Would love to see a picture of your 1.6.

Neel

Don't intend to disrupt your splendid thread, but since you expressed the desire, here you go ...

This one was taken somewhere off NH6, on one of those exquisite coast hugging roads from Ganpatiphule to Ratnagiri in Konkan belt of Maharashtra ...

[petrolhead_neel]

Hi all,

This is going to be long post. Please bear with me.

So, it's been quite a while since this thread was updated. A lot has happened over time. Circumstances prevented me from writing this update sooner.

My last update was during the last week of June. Sometime after that, something terrible took place. My parents were riding on a motorbike, while a truck, which was going too fast, hit them and ran away. What he did was below human ethics. He spotted them, but decided to not slow down and drive away anyway. My Dad, riding the bike, was taking a U-turn. The road is usually vey busy, but it being an odd time of the day, there were not a lot of vehicles around. The truck was going at dangerous speeds right through the middle of the road. While he had the option of braking and steering clear of the motorbike, he didn't. He just hit the bike at the same speed and accelerated away. Thankfully, some people were there who helped them. Meanwhile, our chauffeur Ali Uncle was passing by the same road on his motorbike while he spotted them at the side of the road. He straight away called me and asked me to come down to the garage with the car's keys. We took TooFun and rushed them to a doctor. The doctor demanded X-Rays. As it turned out, my Mom had some deep cuts which would take time to heal. My Dad, however, had multiple fractures on his left leg. The rest is history and thankfully both of them are quite well now. In fact, my Dad has started riding his motorbike again! A huge thanks to Ali Uncle here.

Coming to TooFun, since my last update, she has covered a lot of miles. My parents are on a new venture and she has to regularly go places. So much so, that the odo is just a few kms shy of hitting 14k kms! She's doing great, albeit a few minor issues. During a cold startup, the car is making a whizz-whizz noise for the first few seconds. This doesn't happen once the engine has warmed up enough. Also, depressing the clutch seems to mute the noise. I checked the engine bay thoroughly but my eyes didn't reveal any suspect. Wonder what is causing that. Other than that, the gearshift has been behaving a little notchy over the last few days. Not very bothersome, but the gearshift seems to have lost a bit of the knife cutting through butter feel.

She has traveled a lot of miles, highway ones, city ones, village ones. That does deserve pictures!












She also made her presence felt in the Kolkata Chapter T-BHP Monsoon Meet, amongst other drool-worthy machines!


Posing with Uprasenjit's Ecosport!

We moved on to this location on the outskirts to photograph cars, after the necessary treats to the stomach...

Bidding adieu to mi2n's Figo!

She does need thin black frames on the number plates. They just don't cut it and look boring otherwise.

Beautiful monsoons!


I have been thinking of a project lately. Don't really know how successful or practical it would be, but am very eager to get my hands dirty on this. Here's the map :

Inputs, please!

Will end this post with a picture which describes what living with this car feels like.


Neel

[mi2n]

It's a horrible feeling when your parents get into any mishap. Been through the same. Glad that they have recovered fully.

Stunning pictures of Toofun and I really wish he stays with you till you get old enough to get your driving license. Because, as someone rightly mentioned earlier, they do not make them like this anymore, not even Ford.

The Pi Camera project looks very interesting. I'm currently hooked on to this dash camera I bought impulsively. Yesterday, after using it for a 300 km round trip, I ended up viewing the footage for few hours at a stretch on my TV.

[petrolhead_neel]

Exactly, a year earlier, this thread went alive. It was definitely one of the best days of my life and it will be etched in my memory forever. Just like TooFun herself, time flies! Thanks a lot Team-BHP for all the memories.

Am happy to report that she has got 16.4k kms on her odo right now! Here are some pictures! Credits for the first couple of pictures go to Samba Da!

With BHPian Samba's Figo at our residence!


I had initially came up with "Fast Fords" as a caption, however. Samba Da decided to give it a twist and re-captioned it to "Past Fords"!


This was after a tedious day of Puja shopping and hopping around for computer parts! Who said fun and practicality can't go hand in hand?


I have always updated this thread over the one year that it has been live. I plan to do so forever! This is not just a car review thread anymore, it is a blog containing tales of a family who found a superstar in the form of their first car and how things took a turn after that.

Neel

[chiranjitp]

Brilliant review petrolhead_neel, straight from the heart kind of review & also nice photos. Fiesta 1.6 is one of my all time favorite cars, mainly due to the brilliant 1.6 engine. The 1.6 has good low end grunt (missing in many new petrol engines), punchy mid range & an addictive top end. Also the Fiesta/Classic has a timeless look & according to me looks better than many sub 10 lakh sedans on sale now.

One of my cousin owns a 2011 Fiesta 1.6 Zxi whose odometer reading is nearing 130k kilometers & I never miss a chance to take her out, the engine still feels punchy even after all those kilometers. Only regular maintenance has been carried out so far expect for one problem of rusting on the driver side front door (below the ORVM), apparently its a common problem in the Fiesta/Classic. How's your car doing? You haven't updated the thread in over a year.

[petrolhead_neel]

Originally Posted by chiranjitp

Brilliant review petrolhead_neel, straight from the heart kind of review & also nice photos. Fiesta 1.6 is one of my all time favorite cars, mainly due to the brilliant 1.6 engine. The 1.6 has good low end grunt (missing in many new petrol engines), punchy mid range & an addictive top end. Also the Fiesta/Classic has a timeless look & according to me looks better than many sub 10 lakh sedans on sale now.

One of my cousin owns a 2011 Fiesta 1.6 Zxi whose odometer reading is nearing 130k kilometers & I never miss a chance to take her out, the engine still feels punchy even after all those kilometers. Only regular maintenance has been carried out so far expect for one problem of rusting on the driver side front door (below the ORVM), apparently its a common problem in the Fiesta/Classic. How's your car doing? You haven't updated the thread in over a year.

Thanks a lot. I am extremely sorry for not updating this thread, I'll list down a proper apology.

__________________________________________________ __________________

WOW! I can't believe I haven't posted anything in this thread in 2016. This was not the plan, was it? I am sorry, TooFun, I have failed you!

I have exams going on, and this thread deserves a proper, proper update. I will write an extremely detailed post as soon as possible, and that's a promise. However, I just had to update this thread. Ladies and gentleman, TooFun, our 2015 Ford Classic 1.6 Titanium has done 35, 500 kms! Yes, I do have lots of stories to tell.

For now, here are some pics which give a fair idea of how lovely TooFun looks, some recent, and some quite old. (Also quite excited to try out the new attachment managing system in the webstite!)

All of these are phone pics, so please bear with the average quality.










Regards,
Neel

[petrolhead_neel]

I hate to fail my deadline every time. This is becoming a habit now.

The last few months have been very hard for me, and my family. About four months ago, I lost my Thamma. I am yet to take it all in. Needless to say, Thamma was someone who was very close to me. I am lucky enough that while growing up, I have got someone like her by my side. She is an inspiration, and will always be. Life had been very tough for her at times, as a single mother raising three children. However, time and again, she had risen above all the odds.

She had become an inseparable part of my life. I would talk about anything with her, definitely cars, and she would listen with all of her attention. Lots of memories and lots of stories to tell as well. I still remember very well how she would call me to her room and show me car advertisements on newspapers, how worryingly she would discuss a recent accident on the road and warn me against it. However, she would never curtail my passion in any way, about anything.

She was a fighter. She braved and fought against cancer for a long time. The last few years have been beautiful for all of us. After we brought TooFun home, we would take any opportunity we got to hit the road and go places. And Thamma, she was always a sport about it. Here's a picture that I took on our last proper road trip together, to Mandarmani.


This picture just goes on to show how spirited she was. This was taken after a long day of driving and finally reaching the hotel just before sunset.

She loved TooFun, as much as I do. She used to call her the 'Rani' of the house. Every time I sit inside TooFun, memories fill my heart. I still remember when she was in Kolkata, December last year and her health was declining. While talking over the phone, she said "Send TooFun. I want to go home." My life seems very, very incomplete now.

I will update this blog, moving forward, for sure. I have definitely realised that it is the memories that matter. And reading through this thread definitely brings up a lot of them. Team-BHP, as a platform, is inextricably tied to all this.

Here she is, on her last birthday, the 'Rani' of the house.







Now, at around 40k kms, and memories about a hundred times more.

Neel