[siddheshb]

I bought my Ford Fiestas SXi, Reona, 4 years ago. Having owned an Ikon, I was sold on the Ford family, and even though I had test driven the City, I couldn't settle on any thing else.

The major difference from my Ikon was that the Fiesta had power steering, and for the first few weeks, the lightness of the steering and the lack of feedback compared to the steering of the Ikon made me pretty unhappy - always felt the Fiesta wasn't throwing itself at the curves like my Ikon could. The feeling changed gradually over time, but even today, I miss the feedback of the Ikon's steering and the feeling of stability I got.

In terms of power and torque, the Fiesta never disappointed. I have hit 185 on the Pune-Mumbai expressways, the engine responds beautifully to the accelerator, and it's absolutely easy to weave in and out of heavy highway traffic, as well as in city snarls.



After the OEM MRFs rubbed off, I changed to fatter and lower-profile Bridgestones, and the driving experience just got a level of magnitude higher, without noticeable drop in performance. Definitely something I would recommend.

The Fiesta's interiors were a very high upgrade from my Ikon, the leather seats, the 6 speaker 6 CD in-dash system, the spacing and AC were absolutely high quality, although the City, for example, gives a slightly more high-end feel with it's beige color tones. After 4 years, the leather seats still are as good as new. The sound system still thrills, speakers can be pushed until your ears can take no more, and yet deliver crystal clear sound, and the AC is efficient and powerful even in Pune's 40 degree summer heat.

FE is very good, consistently delivering 12-13 kmpl in the city, with full AC. Highways are better, delivery close to 15 kmpl.

I had a 3 year TMP, and spent nothing in the first three years. Ford called my car to the service station to replace a couple of parts, including the steering column right at the beginning. After that, I have just had routine servicing, average cost of servicing less than 10000, once in six months. Electrical/charging/battery/ignition seems to be the most frequent concern, both on my Fiesta and my Ikon.

Overall, a fantastic and fulfilling 4 years/75000 kms! A highly recommended car for those who drive with their hearts.

[benbsb29]

Compared to the Ikon's stiff steering, the Fiesta's steering is designed to make city driving easier, which explains why they feel different.

As for the service charges, is the less than 10000 figure once in 6 months after the warranty period expired? Still feels on the higher side, IMO.

[siddheshb]

Also Ben, my Ikon had manual steering, it was the initial base version priced at under 5 lakh ex-showroom.

Yes, maintenance of the Fords is expensive, once you get through the warranty period. Hence, I highly recommend getting extended warranty, ideally a total maintenance plan for as long as you can, then let the dealer service your car for the next 2-3 years, and then switch to a local, trusted mechanic.

[WindRide]

siddheshb - Ford has claimed the Fiesta maintenance is now cheaper than what it used to be earlier, since parts are now made at chennai plant. Do you see a difference due to local parts, in your maintenance bills?

[benbsb29]

Originally Posted by siddheshb

Also Ben, my Ikon had manual steering, it was the initial base version priced at under 5 lakh ex-showroom.

Siddesh, thanks for clarifying. I didnt even know that such a version without power steering even existed! What was that variant called?

Yes, maintenance of the Fords is expensive, once you get through the warranty period. Hence, I highly recommend getting extended warranty, ideally a total maintenance plan for as long as you can, then let the dealer service your car for the next 2-3 years, and then switch to a local, trusted mechanic.

About the maintenance part, things have thankfully changed for the better these days, without a lot of rationalization happening across spares for Ford cars. I've heard about horror stories in the past, but things seem to have improved drastically now. As of now, Ford seems to be highlighting that the spare costs for the Ikon are very much comparable to that of the Maruti Dzire, as per hoardings in the dealerships.

[siddheshb]

Ben, the version was called CLXi. I think it had what was called an Endura engine, and gave pretty bad FE, sometimes as low as 8-9.

In terms of spares, the actual cost per se might have reduced (I do not have data to comment on right now), but the point is, where my local mechanic can replace one sub-part for 500, Ford will require the entire mega-part to be replaced for 20000! This happened to me when the induction coil in the ignition/starter assembly conked out, and Ford refused to change just the part that had gone bad and required me to change the whole assembly.

[benbsb29]

Originally Posted by siddheshb

In terms of spares, the actual cost per se might have reduced (I do not have data to comment on right now), but the point is, where my local mechanic can replace one sub-part for 500, Ford will require the entire mega-part to be replaced for 20000! This happened to me when the induction coil in the ignition/starter assembly conked out, and Ford refused to change just the part that had gone bad and required me to change the whole assembly.

They were looting you, then! I hd the ignition coil on my car replaced from outside, and where it would have cost about 7-8k to replace, i got it done for 3.6k, including fitting. As you mentioned, its always nice to have access to an independent garage.

[Astleviz]

Originally Posted by benbsb29

They were looting you, then! I hd the ignition coil on my car replaced from outside, and where it would have cost about 7-8k to replace, i got it done for 3.6k, including fitting. As you mentioned, its always nice to have access to an independent garage.

I had my ignition coil replaced by an OEM ignition coil from a ford dealer for 4400 bucks, so I guess that it is proof that the price of ford parts have come down considerably.

[WindRide]

This month's AutocarIndia mag has an article on the measures Ford has adopted to negate the public perception of Ford cars being expensive to maintain.

One of the areas they seem to be concentrating on was to actually repair a defective unit instead of replacing the entire assembly. Ford's approach of 'throw away the defective part and replace with a new one' seems to work well in developed markets, but it fails in cost-sensitive India.

It will be interesting to know if this Ford management decision has percolated down to the service centers.

[suman]

Originally Posted by siddheshb

I bought my Ford Fiestas SXi, Reona, 4 years ago. Having owned an Ikon, I was sold on the Ford family, and even though I had test driven the City, I couldn't settle on any thing else.

Hey, its great to see a fellow bhpian with similar ownership patterns as mine!

I too have Moondust Silver Fiesta 1.6 SXI, 4 years & 4 months old with 98k plus on the odo & 185x65x14 tyres....and my earlier car was an Ikon 1.6 ZXI!

I can understand your feelings perfectly. The Duratec is such a hoot to drive & you rarely need anything outside the routine service at the designated intervals. Not a single rattle on my car still!

Originally Posted by benbsb29

Siddesh, thanks for clarifying. I didnt even know that such a version without power steering even existed! What was that variant called?

Originally Posted by siddheshb

Ben, the version was called CLXi. I think it had what was called an Endura engine, and gave pretty bad FE, sometimes as low as 8-9.

Yup, I remember those versions.....then came the CLXI with PS

[mayankk]

Hey guys,
I'm looking to close on a petrol fiesta very soon.Its an '06,done 46k,no accident,service history impeccable, and quite fun to drive as well.just the bumps and scrapes of a 4 year running.
Just had one query though.
How do i know if the model is a Zxi or Sxi?
some obvious difference(is the seat adjust,airbag,ABS etc only on the Sxi?)
I'm picking it up for 2.6.Is that good?seemed fair to me(but a lot i know..)
and any specific problems anybodys faced in the fiesta?

Thanks guys..

[nairrk]

Probably, it will notified in the original Invoice and Insurance premium certificate whether the variant is 1.6 ZXI or SXI. Also RC books may also contain same
(in my case all the 3 documents have the variant notified properly)
ABS is there even in ZXI but Airbags are not there in ZXI (in present models - not sure how about these features in 2006 model).
2.6 for 4 year old car seems reasonable (all depends on the condition of the vehicle!).

[vnabhi]

Until late 2007, even the sxi did not have airbags. Zxi certainly did not have ABS in 2006 and it was an optional add on.
You also need to find out if it is a 1.4 petrol or a 1.6.

[mayankk]

The RC card says 1596 cc, i guess that should be believed,if not anything else.
@nairrk: Yes, it is quite well maintained.Hardly any nicks(its had a full body paint, but i had the doors opened up on both sidesto find out why by a bodyshop mechanic i know personally.confirmed that no accident/HUGE dents.No filler anywhere).
as for the engine and pull,it just blew me away!i have been checking out citys/Lancers/balenos etc from the same era for the past few weeks,so my expectations were quite shattered.But man did this fiesta blow me away!!!

so, any other "spot-the-difference" clues that someone can give me, for the 06 one?
hoping to have some fun with this one.

[siddheshb]

SXi had leather seats, richer trimmings, 6 CD changer, and more chrome (on gearbox handle, for example). ZXi had cloth seats, little or no chrome and I think a much more basic sound system. ABS was optional even on the SXi at that time.

Mayankk, at 2.6, this is a steal. But for a 4 year old Fiesta SXi thats done so little running, I wonder why you are getting it so cheap! I have a 4 year old with 75K km, and I would expect at least 4 for it. Rationale: tip top condition, can easily do 50-60 more, original price was almost 8, cheaper than an Ikon at 4, and insured value right now is around 3.5.