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-   -   Ford Fiesta : Test Drive & Review (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/official-new-car-reviews/103224-ford-fiesta-test-drive-review-110.html)

Drove the 2012 Fiesta (a.k.a Fiesta Mark VI or Global Fiesta) 1.5L Diesel for about 300+ Kms in the City and Highways and here's my take on it.

Positives:

• Good handling especially when compared to the competition.
• The steering though electronic, nicely weighs up with speed. Being light in low speeds is so unlike Ford but for daily commute in crowded roads this is a boon.
• Solid build quality. The doors are so heavy!
• Noise insulation is very good. But the Goodyear NCTs were making a lot of noise and it was audible in the cabin.
• Stock Music System is very good!
• Seat fabric in the Titanium (Is it the same across variants?)
• The front seats are offer great support.
• The front looks are awesome and funky. The same cannot be said about the side and rear profile.

Negatives:

• Is the engine tuned heavily in favor of mileage? I found the engine to be very lazy and lifeless. The low and mid-range was poor in comparison to Ford's own 1.4 TDCi and the Vento’s diesel just blows this away. Overtaking needed to be a planned affair and once you lose the revs the engine loses steam and it's frustrating.
  • Maybe aftermarket mods like ECU re-map would help?
  • But is it possible to change the TALL gear ratios?
  • Can someone share the torque curve of the 1.4 & 1.5 L TDCi engines?
• Ergonomics is a disaster.
  • The rear seat head rests had to be removed for the passengers to be seated comfortably.
  • The front door handle and power window switches are oddly placed.
  • How difficult is it to integrate a bottle holder/map pocket in the rear door?
  • There are no interior lights for the rear bench nor is the glove box lit. The Fiesta MK V had 8+ interior lights.
• Isn’t as spacious as the competition.
• I personally liked the fabric seats instead of leather. But generally people were surprised that leather seats are not offered in an Rs.1+ Million car.
• Inconsistent quality of materials used. E.g. the finish of the exposed metal in the key hole.

GLOBAL Fiesta – So what does this mean for the consumer when he buys a car that’s sold globally?

• It's simple isn't it? One nameplate = One car in One World.
• WIDE bouquet of aftermarket parts. I envy the options available for the Japanese cars like OHC or Swift.
• On the flipside, the Indian touch is missing. Don’t we love the little extra legroom at the rear, leather seats , bottle holders, air vent for the rear bench, beige-black interiors etc.?

Overall:

• The enthusiast in me didn’t like car it just because of the engine.

Historically Hyundai has consistently trounced Ford in the Ikon-Accent and Fiesta MK V-Verna sales battles. But Ford consistently won the hearts of a small yet dwindling segment of car owners called the car enthusiasts with the Ikon 1.6 ROCAM or the Fiesta 1.6 S or even a remapped 1.4L TDCi Fiesta/Figo. With the Fiesta MK VI I don’t see that happening.

• The family was quite disappointed with the ergonomic disasters, lack of space, skipping items like bottle holders and lights which were there in the earlier Fiesta.
• The accountants aren’t going to be happy with the sticker price and suicidal resale value.
• The sales numbers reflect this in total.
• If cars had a voice this is what the current Fiesta Classic would be saying, "Did you re-name me for this? Hell, I still sell 10 times more than the car who stole my name. Crazy fellows"

With all the attention on the upcoming Ecosport and the fact that the Fiesta Classic isn’t going to made forever, is there hope for the Ikonic Fiesta brand in India?

Isn't there a 2 smilie per post rule? So I'll just use 1 - :Frustrati

Variant (petrol / diesel) : Petrol Automatic
Kms done : 12,000
Service interval / number (1/2/3...) : 1, 2
Total cost (regular stuff) : 2500 (2nd service oil and filter, gasket)
Accidental repairs or unusual changes & costs : Zero.

Another point to note, the 1.5TDCi is more involving to drive than the 1.5 Petrol. There is a bit of lag with the TDCi unit, however I found it to be a quick sprinter than the 1.4TDCi easily doing 3-Digit speeds on the favorite TIDEL stretch. The power delivery is a lot more linear compared to the 1.4TDCi, it might be that which made you find the New Fiesta to be lazy in comparison.

We will plan another TD soon along with DV!

Sure we can do a TD. I'm not touching the 1.5L petrol though :)

I own a petrol Fiesta 1.5. I see Petrol Fiesta 1.5 bashing on the forum which is not borne by facts and is little unwarranted. Once the car crosses 2000 RPMs, its quite a hoot to drive and all the power is available on tap. This I can say after driving 7000+ kms on the car (mix of city and high way driving). Clearly this car is best on the highways. I drive every day from South Delhi to Noida on DND flyover as well as monthly trips to Agra on Yamuna Expressway (what a highway! best in India IMHO).Fantastic drive with its supreme handling and driving dynamics coming into play. Never felt short on power or handling respects..

Does anyone have an idea about what are the current discounts on the Fiesta petrol 1.5?

I just booked a Petrol Style AT and got a discount of 64,000 in Mpl ford Chennai. OTRI of Rs 10.2l.

Congrats dsvikki. Its a brilliant choice. What colour have u booked?

Cheers,
Kaushik

Thanks and congratulations, dsvikki. Can you post your decision making process in selecting the petrol Fiesta?

Well, I wanted an automatic. Already have a NHC vtec +. Am selling my Ritz diesel to get the auto. Considered the Brio but dropped it as I was worried about safety if rear ended. Also at 7.18 otr it is expensive. I thought might as well get a sedan. My first choice was a City V AT but folks at home did not want a second City. Seriously considered a Vento but it was working out to a lakh more. RAPID was never in contention. Test drove the Fiesta and liked it. Rear space wasn't an issue as 90% of the time it's 2 people in the car. Got a decent offer and decided to take the plunge. My Kinetic blue arrives on the 23rd.

Hi Kaushik

I was wondering whether the tax, insurance and octroi calculations are done on the new Ex-showroom price or the original price. I was surprised when my dealer in Pune said that the calculations will still use the original ex-showroom price and not the discounted F&F price.:Frustrati

..Rishi

First service done at 2958 kms at MPL Ford, Alwarpet (opposite SIET college) I had no complaints whatsoever so car was delivered very quickly. Opted for 3M underbody coating. Many say that it is not necessary but have done it for Punto as well so thought might as well do it for the Fiesta too. Total bill was 2800INR + taxes for the underbody coat.

Car was brilliantly cleaned and delivered within 4 hours. Overall service experience was very good. Much better than FIAT I would say. Only time will tell how good the service is. Will be going to the body shop in a couple of weeks to get a dent repaired. Will have to get the front passenger door panel replaced as the dent is on the Kinetic design line that runs across the Fiesta's body. Also will be getting a couple of scratches touched up as well. The FE has been hovering around 16-17 kpl depending on my right foot :D The car has lived beyond my expectations and I am loving every km I cover in this beauty!

I must add that the paint and build quality of this car is simply stunning. I have been rear ended twice on this car and another rather weird incident of a drunk auto driver ramming into a pizza delivery guy who in turn fell on my door. I am attaching pictures of the dents and I am surprised at how little impact there has been on the Fiesta.




All the three cases there was very minimal loss of paint. I just polished the area with Armorall after giving the car a thorough wash and the paint from the other vehicle was gone.

@rishikt - I presume its done on the new ex-showroom price otherwise my registration and life tax charges would have been pretty high.

Went to a Ford dealership for Figo & Fiesta Classic TD. There was a new Fiesta parked right at the entrance and Boy Oh Boy, the car is HOT! (I guess I will be extremely unhappy with the Aston Martin grill coming in soon). Went straight to it, got inside and I was so excited!

Realized that such excitements are RARE for me and this car managed to do it!! Tried opening the doors and it's bl**dy heavy. After this Figo & Fiesta doors feel like plastics. :Shockked:

Sat inside, adjusted the driver seat to my comfort (am 6'2") and got behind it. My knees did NOT touch the front seat. I would NOT term the car cramped, but it's NOT very spacious too. I believe it can very well do the job; after all how many times do a 6'2" person sit behind another 6'2" person?!

I don't really find the rear plastics bad too!! Has Ford corrected these? Loved the seat fabric design on the car. I think the door pad fabric could be better though!

WHAT I LOVED THE MOST -- The power window switches! I was so excited by the precise "click" of it. Could not TD as the car was NOT available, will be getting a TD done next week. More updates to come after that.

Forget the power windows and all. Just take a drive and get a feel of that steering. You will never believe that it's an electric unit. Then see the lack of turbo lag and then finally the suspension setup. Almost everything hits the sweet spot.

Completely agree! The steering is really special, and the suspension setup, handling - all well sorted out. When I did the TD, the driver seat was indeed a happy place to be in. That said, the back seat is a bit troublesome. The perception of space is quite poor - probably due to the high windowline, and the protruding headrest design is another negative.