[Shreyfiesta]

Long-term Ownership Review : 2012 Ford Global Fiesta 1.5 Ti-VCT Petrol

Prelude 2011 :
The year was 2011 and it was the month of September. After almost a decade of owning a Ford Ikon 1.3, and my father crossing the age of fourty, we were in the market for a new car. It had to be fresh, no used car and it had to be something thrilling to drive. We had the Ikon for 9.5 years, and drove it for only a mere 51,000kms. Ford spoiled my dad's mind by its sharp handling characteristics and build quality. So, the next car also had to have a similar character. My family was hemmed in by a strict budget of ₹ 10-12lakh back then, parents were not much interested in investing a lot of money on what they still call as a 'depreciating asset'. I was just a 7-year old kid at that time, who was constantly nudged by his new car yearnings. The hunt for a new car began from there.

Requirements :
Our preferences were clear : fun-to-drive, ride comfort, solid build quality, and most importantly the car had to be a petrol-engined one since our usage was on the lower side. It was to be used just as a vehicle for the weekend to cover long distances in great comfort, same was the role of our Ikon as well. We already had an 800 and a Figo in our garage for short-distance commutes. No SUVs were considered since we didn't want one for our kind of limited usage. Also, the SUV game in the Indian car market wasn't much strong back then. Tata Safari and Mahindra Scorpio were the only options available in our budget. The Toyota Innova was too big in size, and buying a 7-seater for our family of 4 members made no sense. My dad being a sedan guy, almost set his heart on buying a Chevrolet Cruze without even taking a proper test drive. It was definitely out of budget, but he was ready to shell out more money for the Cruze. Since a petrol car was better suited for our low usage (read 300kms per month), the Cruze was slowly ruled out. We then considered both C-segment and lower D-segment sedans, and chose what suited us best.



The Contenders:
1. Volkswagen Vento 1.6 MPI
We did check out the Vento from EVM Volkswagen Kochi sometime in October 2011 and did a short TD of the car. Dad said "Not as much fun to drive as our Ikon, yet a lot more contemporary" after experiencing the Vento. Solidly built car, remained planted on the road, but the long term ownership costs of Volkswagen were unknown at that time and the service network was not great too. The Vento was truly a VFM deal otherwise. I had my eyes set on a Flash Red Highline at that time, but parents weren't keen on buying one after knowing about the high maintenance costs associated with VW-Skoda cars.



2. Fiat Linea T-Jet
I was a huge fan of the Linea's design, interiors and tech. Plus, I used to hear many Swift owners praising Fiat engines for their performance, reliability and maintenance aspects. Same was the case with turbo-petrol Linea T-Jet as well, auto magazines rated excellent opinion about this car back then. It was well-loaded too IIRC, rear disc brakes, leather seats, etc were standard for the T-Jet. This car actually ticked all the boxes, but Fiat reliability and ASC quality remained a question mark. Those were the days when Fiats were sold and serviced via Tata's network. Niggles were common on Punto and Linea back in the day, even ASCs were not able to point out the cause and rectify the issue in many cases. All these resulted in a flat-out no.



3. Skoda Laura 1.8 TSI Classic
Since my age of 4, I was thinking a Laura would be our next upgrade from the Ikon. We were not seriously considering the Laura since it was slightly more expensive than our budget. A quick, random visit to the Skoda website revealed that there's a newly-launched cut-price Classic variant positioned below Ambiente. Barebones transport that particular variant was, no alloys, no height-adjustable driver seat, no fog lamps and not even a double-din HU was existent. We were interested to see the car in person, but both St Antony's and Marikar Engineers (Kochi's erstwhile Skoda dealers) had no display car available. None of them seemed to have interest in selling the Classic variant, they were pushing us towards the Ambiente which was out of budget. Hence, the Skoda was out.



4. Hyundai Fluidic Verna 1.6 Petrol
The Fluidic Verna was a new launch at that time, much more contemporary in design than the Verna Transform it replaced. It was a serious contender until dad drove one. While going in for the test drive, dad already had an impression that Hyundais are bad handlers, and it happened to come true. Honestly speaking, it looked good, had quality interiors and was richly equipped too, totally worth the money. The only glitches were the poor dynamics and bumpy ride quality. Also, the test drive vehicle we got from MGF Hyundai had half worn-out tyres making too much of road noise. The dealer was demanding a waiting period of 2.5 months for the mid-spec petrol variant. After using Ikon for a decade, dad wasn't going to settle for something that handled like a boat. The Verna was hence ruled out.



5. Ford Global Fiesta 1.5 Ti-VCT
The then newly-launched Global Fiesta was in our wishlist right from the beginning of search, as a logical upgrade from the Ikon. Our nearest dealer had a bright blue car on display inside their showroom, and we paid a visit without much delay. This was a tech-overloaded car by 2011 standards, voice-assisted controls, Bluetooth connectivity, cruise control, etc were unheard of in this segment back then. Though the hard, scratchy plastics inside the cabin didn't feel like a ₹ 12-lakh car to us, dad was still interested to get a test drive. IIRC, it took 10 days for the dealer to arrange a petrol-engined TD vehicle for us. Once we got moving, dad liked the seamless, linear power delivery and the high speed stability of the car. All of us liked the build quality too, the doors were so heavy and closed with reassurance. The Fiesta also had the shortest waiting period so that was a plus for us. And that was that.



Choosing the variant & Dealership experience :
Kairali Ford Edappally didn't get back to us for a couple of weeks, after which we went to the Kottayam branch of the same dealer in December 2011, and got in touch with a salesperson who politely explained to us the variant-wise features and price details. The Global Fiesta was available in four trim levels back in the day : Style, Trend, Titanium and Titanium Plus. Features like front airbags, ABS with EBD, tilt-adjustable steering, height-adjustable driver's seat, rear defogger, etc were standard for all variants. We saw all variants from the dealer's stockyard in mid-January and decided to settle for the mid-spec Trend variant. It had all the essentials and safety features, at a steal price. Colour choice was Diamond White, because dad usually prefers his cars in lighter shades. The dealer had ready stock for the same variant in Sea Grey and Chill Metallic too. Our next car was finally coming, we booked it on 27th January 2012 from Kairali Ford Kottayam by paying an advance of ₹ 25,000.

This was the brochure given to us. I'm sure that I've read this at least 10,000 times


The price break-up was as follows :
Ex-showroom price : ₹ 8,80,000
RTO : ₹ 53,810
Insurance : ₹ 25,200
Extended warranty : ₹ 4,650
Handling charges : ₹ 8000
Basic accessories : ₹ 11,000 (Mudflaps, floor mats, body cover, aluminium pedals, etc)
Sunfilm (3M-CR50) : ₹ 10,500
Underbody coating (Waxoyl) : ₹ 4,000
Final OTR price : ₹ 9,97,000

Detailed price list of the Global Fiesta, dated 01.01.2012


The dealer didn't give us any other cash discounts since the car was manufactured in the same month itself, massive discounts were being offered for December 2011 manufactured units. PDI process was completed on the 3rd February 2012. The car was seen in person and found everything to be perfect, it already had 43kms on odometer. We had opted to take delivery with temporary registration as we wanted to get a fancy number. TP process was completed from Kottayam RTO without much delay. Interestingly, I clearly remember the temporary plate number (KL 05 P TEMP 3327) even now. The car was then sent to the dealer's bodyshop on the next day itself to get the underbody coat done. The SA was told to keep the car ready for delivery by 11:30 am on 7th Feb. We reached the showroom quite early on that day. Did the final inspection, completed the paperwork and was handed over the keys to our car. Finally, a gleaming white Global Fiesta rolled out of the Kairali Ford dealership on 7th February 2012.

A picture from the delivery day, this the only one I could find.

[Shreyfiesta]

The Car :



What I like :
• The 1.5L NA engine is an enthusiast's delight, though not as punchy as the old Fiesta's 1.6.
• Excellent combination of ride and handling, just how a Ford should be. I must admit that the EPS unit is brilliant.
• Refinement levels are superb even by 2024 standards. NVH is very well controlled.
• Overall build quality is tank-like. Thanks to the extensive usage of high-strength boron steel.
• Front seats are very well-bolstered and incredibly supportive.
• 6-speaker stock audio system has an impressive audio quality.
• Boot space is decent enough for a sedan of this size, though not much wide.
• Not even a single rattling noise from any corner of the car, even after 12 years and 75k kms of use.

What I don't like :
• Unexciting rear-end styling. This is something subjective and personal.
• Colour scheme used in the interior feels incredibly dull, plastic quality isn't great too.
• Missing equipment by 2011 standards (steering reach adjustment, keyless entry & go, rear air-con vents, driver armrest, proper dead pedal, etc).
• Under-thigh support of the rear seat is compromised, it could have done with a little more.
• Stock headlights are rubbish, it barely lights up the roads ahead.
• Contrary to the popular opinion, Ford’s service quality remains a hit or miss.

EXTERIOR :
The MK7 Fiesta was built based on Ford's B2E platform, we got the sedan version in India with the same wheelbase as that of the hatchback. Let me be honest, the MK7 Fiesta sedan has a front end from Mars and tail from Venus. The hatchback version was a looker though. Ford’s ‘Kinetic Design’ language is quite evident on the Fiesta. Swept-back multi-element headlamps and chrome-lipped inverted trapezoidal grille are common Kinetic Design elements from the late-2000s. What strikes one immediately is the extremely elegant, tasteful and European manner in which the lines have been penned. The sweep from the hood towards the windscreen gives the car a dynamic form as do the flared wheel arches which houses 15-inch wheels. Small quarter glass in both the A and C pillars together with the blacked-out pillars brings a large glass house effect. The boot section is integrated at a high position, with the taillamps having a single reverse lamp and a single fog lamp. There is an awkward-looking area around the rear wheel arches that makes the tyres look puny.

At the front, slot-like grille, stacked headlamps with darkened silhouette and heavy nose area brings a sporty image.


Swept back multi-element headlamps with darkened surroundings.


Chrome applique around the front fog lamps.


The rear-end design looks quite odd from this angle. There's a small integrated spoiler on the boot to reduce the drag.


Honeycomb pattern on the turn indicator slot of the taillamp is a nice touch.


Upward rising glass line from the front to the rear, notice the rear fender area that makes the car look bulky from the side.


ORVMs with integrated turn indicators used to be a big deal back in the early-2010s.


195/60 R15 tyres on 8-spoke alloy wheels.


The signature 'Fiesta' logo, a tip of the 'F' is broken.


There's this small flap behind the rear wheel. It was an add-on so the car could meet homologation rules in some countries that require a certain percentage of the wheel to be covered by the wheel arch.


INTERIOR :
While the interiors are not built exceptionally sturdily, and plastic quality could have been better, it still manages to look sporty. Plastics used on the lower part of the wing-like dashboard is cheap in terms of quality, the switchgear feels like they're borrowed from a low-end hatchback. The silver accents on the centre console, and around the air-con vents makes the word garish come to mind. Piano Black finish on the facelift cars have a premium feel about it. Ergonomically it's hard to find fault, with all the controls and switches being in the right place. The front seats are pretty good, they're firm but perfectly contoured to hold the passenger in place. These seats are from the sports package on the Fiesta sold in Thailand. Driver seat is adjustable for height and so is the steering wheel, thus it’s easy to find a comfortable position. The three-spoke steering wheel is chunky and feels good to hold and those rounded dials are lovely to glance at, especially at night. The rear seat is not as comfortable as the Honda City's and there is just about enough room to fit three adults. Legroom at the rear is strictly average, with the front seats pushed all the way back it gets seriously cramped.

Believe me, these interiors looked so futuristic back in 2011, compared to the Vento's boring layout.


The meaty three-spoke steering wheel is nice to hold, no leather wrap since this is the mid-spec trim.


Sporty instrument cluster is easy to read. The red-backlit MID displays odometer and tripmeter only.


The plastics aren't soft touch nor Verna-grade, yet they feel durable. A closer look at the nicely textured upper part of the dashboard.


Funky butterfly-inspired centre console and well laid-out buttons are nice touches. Sound quality is superb too. The Android HU was added later in 2019 for more connectivity features.


Buttons for the climate control functions feel good to use and are logically placed. There's a card holder and a storage space (intended to store an iPod or a feature phone) below the climate control unit.


Gear shift quality is butter smooth, the knob began to chip off after five years of use, a common issue with Fiesta and Ecosport.


Both driver and front passenger gets vanity mirror with neat flaps to cover. Ticket holders are present on both sides.


In typical Ford fashion, the indicator stalk is on the left and wiper stalk is on the right. Scroller controls for the wiper speed adjustment is a joy to use.


Solid doors require a firm hand to close. Power window switches on all doors are illuminated. Only driver's window has auto up/down feature.


Control switches for headlamps, front fog lamps and rear fog lamp are conveniently located below RHS air-con vent.


One of the finest OEM front seats I'd say, these are borrowed from the sports package of Thai-spec Fiesta. Oceanic Blue leather seat covers are from the optional customisation pack.


I find the rear legroom only to be adequate, the Honda City was light years ahead in this department.


The fold-out rear armrest opens out at a higher position, there're two cup holder slots as well.


ENGINE & TRANSMISSION :
The MK7 Fiesta for the Indian market came with two engine options, a 1.5-litre petrol and a 1.5-litre diesel. My car has the former, a 1.5L 4-cylinder 16V Duratec Ti-VCT petrol engine from Ford's Sigma series of engines. Power and torque figures of this naturally-aspirated unit are rated at 109bhp at 6,000rpm and 140Nm at 4,400rpm respectively. It's not a high-revving engine for the fact to be told. It doesn't boast of a very potent low and mid-range either, but that doesn't mean that this car is a slouch. 0-100kmph comes up in a scant 11 seconds usually. The engine actually sounds nice for most of its operating range and proves involving past 4,500rpm all the way to its 6,000rpm redline. Still I'd say that this petrol engine doesn’t have the sheer responsiveness of the old Fiesta 1.6 whose energetic, enthusiastic engine has much more grunt at low revs. Overall speaking, the engine is just about adequate and is certainly not as exciting as its diesel counterpart. The car has a smooth-shifting IB5 5-Speed manual transmission with well matched ratios and perfect throws to extract the very best out of the not-so-great engine. Thanks to a finely weighted clutch and good snickability through the gate, shifting all day long is never a dull chore.

Engine specs comparison table taken from the official review thread.


The 1.5L NA four-cylinder motor! Ignore the dust, it's been a while since the engine bay was cleaned.


The spare wheel well and the neatly tucked exhaust.


RIDE, HANDLING & BRAKING:
Fords have traditionally been good in the ride and handling department and this car is no different. Ride quality is typically European with a degree of authority, without being overly firm. The suspension comes raised for Indian roads and the 195/60 R15 profile tyres absorbs most of the poor patches. Handling is utterly brilliant, with the car showing great poise and good high-speed stability too. Unlike the Ikon and Fiesta Classic, this car employs an electric power steering unit. The pull drift compensation feature measures the driver’s steering input, adapts to road conditions and helps to compensate for directional shifts caused by crosswinds. Steering is light at low speeds, with excellent feedback at high speeds. I can confidently say that the steering is almost as good as that of a BMW 3 Series, in fact the best part of this car. Retardation is by means of disc brakes up front and drum brakes at rear. That combined with aids like ABS make for confidence inspiring braking.

Semi-independent twist beam suspension at the rear. MacPhersons up front. Ignore the dirt accumulated.


Recommended tyre pressure for 195/60 R15 tyres, Ford prefers a whopping 42 PSI for the rear tyres under full load

[Shreyfiesta]

OWNERSHIP EXPERIENCE :
The car has worked like charm in all these 12 blissful years of ownership. It has been a worthy companion for all our trips and has never let us down. Despite having it for so long, the car hasn't done much over 75,000km which I feel is quite less for a 12 year old car. Out of all the distance covered, 80 percent was driven on the highway because we use this car only during weekends to travel to our hometown (approximately ~120kms to and fro). It took almost 2.5 years for us to reach 10,000kms mark on this car. Unlike our Ikon, the Fiesta has proven to be a very reliable product till now. The car recently gave us a superb 12.9kmpl in the city and its taller gearing (compared to the Fiesta 1.6) helped return an even better 16.1kmpl on the highway with air-con switched on. We intend to keep this car for one more year, the next one I know will be a premium sedan from the pre-owned car space (a facelift W212 E350 CDI, maybe?), provided we get a good deal. This by far is the maximum we have retained any car after our trusted Maruti 800, which happens to be dad's first car. In fact, we had booked a Jeep Compass in 2019 as an upgrade from the Fiesta but had to cancel the plan due to several reasons. COVID-19 broke out in 2020, and the car upgrade plan didn't really work out after that due to fluctuating financial scenarios.

Ownership has been absolutely fuss free and the the car puts a smile on my face whenever I press the accelerator pedal. Users are likely to get service support for another 5 to 7 years but the commitment, labour and dealer motivation would go lower with each passing year. We have always serviced our car at Kairali Ford Palarivattom, of course with both good and bad experiences so far. I seriously feel that the quality of service has deteriorated post the exit of company from India. I have noticed that Ford ASC would ask to replace expensive parts even when repair was possible with child parts. For example, they asked to air-con compressor unit for a faulty cut-off switch. Another instance, they wanted to change entire drive shaft (imported from Poland, costing a bomb to replace) just for a worn-out rubber boot. I got both done out of Ford at a fraction of cost the ASC had quoted. Parts availability has never been an issue for the Global Fiesta, all consumable spares are readily available at authorised service centres. Spare parts are slightly expensive compared to those of a Honda City of similar vintage. For example, a set of front brake pads costs ₹ 2,800 while a fuel filter sets you back by ₹ 2,600. Even an air filter costs around ₹ 700 to replace. Cosmetic parts are made available on demand, and normally takes some time to arrive, say 5-7 days or so. Such components are a bit expensive as well. Fact to be told, this car shares a lot of its mechanical and cosmetic components with the Ecosport 1.5 petrol, so getting spares won't be very difficult in the long run.

Hope you enjoyed reading this ownership review thread so far! Now it's time for some miscellaneous photos.

The original keys that came with the car, along with a quick reference guide.


The owner's manual and information guide that came with the car, I always keep it stored in the glovebox.


Glove box is deep enough, with a significant part of it carved out to increase front passenger knee-room.


Storage compartment under the front passenger seat can hold upto 1kg weight.


Roof bezel holds the switches for reading lights, with no sunglass holder behind these switches


Height adjustable front seatbelts.


Airbag activation instructions on the vanity mirror.


All passengers except the driver gets spring-loaded grab handles.


Boot lid gets a proper full cladding/insulation, the Ciaz doesn't have this.


Spare wheel isn't an alloy. It's a smaller 14" steel rim shod with 175/65 R14 rubber.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[2JZ-GTE]

Great thread Shrey!

Finally the review is here, better late than never. It's been a few years since I've seen your Fiesta. Nice to know that you still maintain this car in pristine shape. By the way, I heard "House-full" with the i20 coming in, do you really have space to park any more cars at home? Only thing I miss is your erstwhile Lancer and it's unbelivably good audio system setup.

Wishing you many more happy years and miles together!

[MotoBlip]

Great read and a wonderful car that has been maintained really well. Wish you many more happy miles with the car

[wheelspinner]

Very detailed review. Assuming these pictures are recently taken, the car is kept very well. One can't believe this is a 12 year old car by the looks. I really admired the looks of this car back when it launched. Both the front and the rear. Very well proportioned in my opinion. I wonder why this model didn't sell in more numbers than the old Fiesta.

[guywithfiesta]

Excellent thread, felt really very nostalgic after reading your post as it goes very similar with my 2011 Global Fiesta (Diesel) ! And on that bombshell Happy Miles & looking forward for your upgrade for the Fiesta as I'm on the verge of same as you.

[relaxed_sight]

We had the same global Fiesta in white. Took delivery from Kairali ford Kottayam. I was a kid back then, and oh god what a great car it was! Always missing it dearly.

[hareesh3395]

Great thread, I could relate to most of the points.
We also had a Ford Ikon 1.3 and the natural upgrade for us would be the Fiesta but eventually we my father bought the Ecosport 1.5 diesel as Ford killed the Fiesta with the Ecosport and other competitors didn’t give the driving pleasure a Ford gives.

When it comes to driving dynamics - Nothing can match the feel of a Ford.

[Shreyfiesta]

Originally Posted by 2JZ-GTE

Great thread Shrey!

Finally the review is here, better late than never. It's been a few years since I've seen your Fiesta. Nice to know that you still maintain this car in pristine shape.

Thank you for your kind wishes Milan. I'll try to maintain the car in good shape as long as I retain it, which means I will keep troubling you with my car-related mechanical queries in the future

Originally Posted by MotoBlip

Great read and a wonderful car that has been maintained really well. Wish you many more happy miles with the car

Thanks for your kind comment MotoBlip

Originally Posted by wheelspinner

Assuming these pictures are recently taken, the car is kept very well. One can't believe this is a 12 year old car by the looks. I really admired the looks of this car back when it launched.

Let me be honest, that was my intention to surprise someone, and lead them into the confusion about the date of the images

Originally Posted by wheelspinner

I wonder why this model didn't sell in more numbers than the old Fiesta.

The MK6 Fiesta sedan in India never struck the chord with buyers while the hatchback version was a worldwide successful product. Ford India took a disastrous move by pricing it at par with the entry-level D-Segment. When the facelift came out in 2014, Ford began with the price tag and worked backwards, making the product significantly cheaper. Sadly, people had lost interest in the Fiesta by then because of the bad reputation created by the previous model.

Originally Posted by guywithfiesta

Excellent thread, felt really very nostalgic after reading your post as it goes very similar with my 2011 Global Fiesta (Diesel) ! And on that bombshell Happy Miles & looking forward for your upgrade for the Fiesta as I'm on the verge of same as you.

Thanks for the kind words, it is very interesting to see a comment about the Global Fiesta coming from someone with your username. For a car like this which is solidly-built and fun-to-drive, a upgrade would only mean going into the 3 Series/C-Class territory. In fact, the Global Fiesta is one car which is difficult to upgrade from.

Originally Posted by hareesh3395

We also had a Ford Ikon 1.3 and the natural upgrade for us would be the Fiesta but eventually we my father bought the Ecosport 1.5 diesel as Ford killed the Fiesta with the Ecosport and other competitors didn’t give the driving pleasure a Ford gives.

The Ikon was indeed a great automobile, my passion for vehicles began with that car. I must say that Ford India got things right with the Ecosport. Tough yet compact exterior looks, decent equipment levels and frugal and reliable engines for a killer price made it a value champion back in the day. Wish you many more happy miles with the Ecosport

[GForceEnjoyer]

Always nice to see a review of a Fiesta, regardless of the generation. This generation has become so rare that I turn my head if I spot one, often to the confusion of those around me.

Your car has been maintained spectacularly, hats off! Great to see that you're still so happy despite not having the top end variant; speaks volumes of how this car absolutely nails the fundamentals. Wishing you many more pleasurable miles ahead with this white elephant (pun intended)!

[DrViz_26]

Excellent review and Congratulations on your well maintained Fiesta !

Happy to say that I do have one of these beauties in near mint condition. An absolute pleasure to drive.

I would like to know more regarding the Android HU, you have retrofitted, since it would block the small display behind it.

Please share your inputs ! Thanks.

[Shreyfiesta]

Originally Posted by DrViz_26

Happy to say that I do have one of these beauties in near mint condition. An absolute pleasure to drive.

Do share some pictures of your car with us on the forum

Originally Posted by DrViz_26

I would like to know more regarding the Android HU, you have retrofitted, since it would block the small display behind it.

With no new CDs and a long list of MP3s on our devices, we needed a USB/Bluetooth compatible HU with the same or better sound quality. The Android head unit was purchased from AliExpress long ago sometime in mid-2019, it costed us around ₹ 28,000 including shipping and excise duty. I must say that this upgrade has certainly offered us more than what we initially hoped for, there is in fact a sim card slot that can even support 4G connectivity. The head unit screen has replaced the small red display that you are referring to, which means it sits at the same slot.

[Mustang111]

Hi Shreyfiesta,
I have exatly the same model and colour Global Fiesta Titanium Petrol which was bought in November2011. Infact even the seats are the same, and the F of the Fiesta badging broken exatly the same way. Even after more than 12 years and 79,000 km there is not a single rattle or noise. Just that the engine noise levels have increased and now you can hear the engine if you really rev hard. In the initial few years I never knew what the car sounded like because it was so quiet inside. There have been numerous occasions when the valet used to bring the car and I have tried to restart an already running engine. Finally once I stood outside in front of the car and told my wife to press the pedal down so that I could hear the engine sound.

But finally I have decided to get a replacement ,not because anything is wrong with the car but so many more new features are available now and 12.5 years seems like a long time to have the same car. After driving the Fiesta for such a long time and being used to its driving dynamics, finding a worthy replacement was difficult. After a lot of brain storming and test drives , have finally decided to go ahead with the VW Virtus GT Plus DSG. I have booked the Lava Blue colour and expecting delivery by the weekend.