Ford Fiesta : Test Drive & Review

GTO · 16th July 2011, 19:07

Even after 13 years of dominating the C segment, and with such powerful brand equity, the Honda City couldn't sustain its premium pricing & took a beating in the market. Net result : Slashed prices. I doubt the Fiesta will be able to sustain this kind of pricing either. Except for cruise control (which I find useless in India, NEVER used it in my Mercedes) and the voice activated controls (Rehaan says they work well), there is nothing that's "different" from the competition. The looks aren't a USP (even the Fluidic is a looker for the masses), not the space (City), not the power (Vento Diesel & T-Jet)....I am still trying to figure out Ford's reasoning for such a strange, defective pricing strategy. I have no problem with the car, it seems fairly neutral and the market seems to love cars that do a li'l bit of everything (without a deal breaker). However, a neutral car ought to have a neutral price tag.

Base variants don't sell much in this segment, especially not in petrol (just ask Vento). Thus, I don't see much potential of a correction by launching a lower variant either. Anyways, what could the "Style" trim level lose? It anyways doesn't have alloy wheels or climate control.

The C segment is also incredibly crowded now, with some very competitive recently launched products like the SX4 diesel, Vento & Verna. Usually, the hotter a segment, the more that newcomers have their work cut out.

Revention · 16th July 2011, 19:53

The pricing is so shocking for team-bhians that no one seems to have gone for TD too

. No TD reports from other members yet !!!

prabhuferrari · 16th July 2011, 19:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by Revention

The pricing is so shocking for team-bhians that no one seems to have gone for TD too

. No TD reports from other members yet !!!

The cars are available for test drive only from 20th at most of the places.

Adi_k · 16th July 2011, 20:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Revention

The pricing is so shocking for team-bhians that no one seems to have gone for TD too

. No TD reports from other members yet !!!

The sales staff tries to put a brave face pointing out features like voice controls and cruise control but one can sense the disappointment if you push a bit.

Any yes, the TD vehicle will be available after 20th July.

Revention · 16th July 2011, 20:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adi_k

The sales staff tries to put a brave face pointing out features like voice controls and cruise control but one can sense the disappointment if you push a bit.

Any yes, the TD vehicle will be available after 20th July.

Got the call from a dealer too since I had to registered on website. There was no enthusiam there which was present in the calls before the launch. He tried to justify the price over verna, explaining features like dual stage airbags etc.

Though he didn't mention that TDs are available only from 20th, so was not aware of that.....

Yeldo · 16th July 2011, 20:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO

I doubt the Fiesta will be able to sustain this kind of pricing either. Except for cruise control (which I find useless in India, NEVER used it in my Mercedes) ....I am still trying to figure out Ford's reasoning for such a strange, defective pricing strategy. I have no problem with the car, it seems fairly neutral and the market seems to love cars that do a li'l bit of everything (without a deal breaker). However, a neutral car ought to have a neutral price tag.

Rightly said, and to think that the Titanium + adds just cruise control and rear parking sensors for around 25k, I share your bewilderment.

A350XWB · 16th July 2011, 20:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO

Except for cruise control (which I find useless in India, NEVER used it in my Mercedes) and the voice activated controls (Rehaan says they work well), there is nothing that's "different" from the competition. The looks aren't a USP (even the Fluidic is a looker for the masses), not the space (City), not the power (Vento Diesel & T-Jet)....I am still trying to figure out Ford's reasoning for such a strange, defective pricing strategy.

Thanks GTO for clarifying the point on which I was pondering over. Even I thought that with the current road conditions and traffic, the Cruise Control is not of much use in India. Even I'm wondering what can Ford market as the Fiesta's USP in this segment?
Vento, Linea, City, Verna and even SX4 has some or the other thing to their credit and are more sensibly priced than the new Fiesta. I think Style and Trend are the models which makes more sense. But there also, Ford has reduced certain essential features like DTE and Electrically foldable ORVM, in such a pricey car. I really don't understand the strategy of Ford.

vijayvb · 16th July 2011, 20:52

Saw the car at Garuda Mall. It looked quiet good in terms of looks. The exterior was ok. The interiors seems to be a let down. The cockpit design looks wierd. The display is facing straight back and sitting in the drivers seat i had to tilt a bit to the left to see the display. Over all the car inside looks small. Even the plastics inside seems to be just ok. Not to the levels you see on a VW or Honda. The voice recognition worked say 60% if the time. The seats were good. Good to see that have given bosch wipers.

shivasuma · 16th July 2011, 21:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO

Even after 13 years of dominating the C segment, and with such powerful brand equity, the Honda City couldn't sustain its premium pricing & took a beating in the market. Net result : Slashed prices. I doubt the Fiesta will be able to sustain this kind of pricing either. Except for cruise control (which I find useless in India, NEVER used it in my Mercedes) and the voice activated controls (Rehaan says they work well), there is nothing that's "different" from the competition. The looks aren't a USP (even the Fluidic is a looker for the masses), not the space (City), not the power (Vento Diesel & T-Jet)....I am still trying to figure out Ford's reasoning for such a strange, defective pricing strategy. I have no problem with the car, it seems fairly neutral and the market seems to love cars that do a li'l bit of everything (without a deal breaker). However, a neutral car ought to have a neutral price tag.

Base variants don't sell much in this segment, especially not in petrol (just ask Vento). Thus, I don't see much potential of a correction by launching a lower variant either. Anyways, what could the "Style" trim level lose? It anyways doesn't have alloy wheels or climate control.

The C segment is also incredibly crowded now, with some very competitive recently launched products like the SX4 diesel, Vento & Verna. Usually, the hotter a segment, the more that newcomers have their work cut out.

I think we will very soon see a limited edition of the style/Trend version with Titanium+ features. Looks like Ford just cannot sleep well without having limted editions in their cars. Also how would they price the Focus sedan? Man are they in big trouble or what.

vb-saan · 16th July 2011, 22:41

Ford on its part had a no. of ‘segment-first’ or ‘class-leading’ claims on the New Fiesta – Like segment class-leading passenger safety, precision engineering, best in class In-cabin quietness, class leading fuel efficiency, best in class driving experience, least cost of ownership in the segment (40% lower or something) etc. These are indeed tall claims, and maybe all these formed a base for their class leading pricing as well

Now my question is if there is no truth in these claims, or if these are fabricated or unrealistic, will the competitors sit quite and do nothing?

I guess the new Fiesta is one of their identified models to come out the blue-collar tag, and they had been fairly successful to do so in Europe and rest of the markets. But at least from the success of Figo, they should have correctly gauged the market preferences in India.

Saw this piece of information online today. Maybe lesser bookings are a boon for them at this time

Ford bumping into capacity constraints

carfreak77 · 16th July 2011, 23:36

I received news today that the Fiesta will not be available in Kinetic Blue for atleast 3 months more!!!

. This is apparently because they are facing production issues for the blue color. They have yet to standardize it and test it thoroughly. This came as a big blow to me as I personally liked that alot.
Now I have to rethink what color to choose. I think I will go with Moondust Silver. Also, as vb-san pointed out above, they are facing capacity constraints and will be producing only a few hundred cars in the first few months. No discounts will be available for the next 4-5 months atleast is what I am told.

swiftnfurious · 17th July 2011, 00:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by vb-san

Ford on its part had a no. of ‘segment-first’ or ‘class-leading’ claims on the New Fiesta – Like segment class-leading passenger safety, precision engineering, best in class In-cabin quietness, class leading fuel efficiency, best in class driving experience, least cost of ownership in the segment (40% lower or something) etc. These are indeed tall claims, and maybe all these formed a base for their class leading pricing as well

Some of those claims [except for 1 or 2] don't have any ground as I see.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vb-san

Now my question is if there is no truth in these claims, or if these are fabricated or unrealistic, will the competitors sit quite and do nothing?

As long as the new Fiesta doesn't unsettle rest of their sales by a huge margin, no competitor will bother I think.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vb-san

Saw this piece of information online today. Maybe lesser bookings are a boon for them at this time

I guess we all were thinking that Figo has lost customers which resulted in the lower sales figures. Now this is throwing a different light into the matter. The company says they are not able to meet the demand due to the production constraints!

autohead · 17th July 2011, 01:18

I have been following the Fiesta launch since December 2010, when i had bought the Figo, which i had immediately sold just after 3000 kms.

The first Ford i had driven was an Escort Just loved the Handling but the engine was a Dud, so was the case with the Ikon (Both Diesels), I had driven the Mondeo and the earlier Endeavour (Diesels again)- The highlight of all was surely the handling just like the Figo. Which was the reason i sold the Figo so early and waited for the New Fiesta - on the Hindsight i should've gone for the Old 1.6 S before it was stopped, other than the 1.6 S for some reason i never really liked the old fiesta.

For the last few months i read all sorts of reports available and was desperately waiting for the launch - though i prayed that FORD would launch the Hatch also.

Finally the launch Happened the car looked awesome - The dealer knew that i was one crazy guy (We even gave him a Ken Block video to play on the day of launch

‪Ken Block's Gymkhana THREE, Part 2; Ultimate Playground; l'Autodrome, France‬&rlm; - YouTube

) in love with the FORD's handling traits that he gave me a sneak preview, and a small drive in the parking lot.

Then came the pricing Bomb from Ford, it was so shocking that i did'nt even go for a TD which was offered to me on the same night the price was announced. I had made up my mind that I would not Buy it for 11.94 L OTR in Andhra Pradesh for the Titanium TDCi version or even 11.47 L OTR for the Trend it was simply RIDICULOUS

I got a call again the next day, then i though its better to check out whether if the car was really worth being disappointed about in the first place ? i would'nt know unless i drive it, so the TD Happened.

I drove the Titanium TDCi version - In one word its 'Brilliant' in the way it Drives, its closest to Ride and handling perfection a car in C segment can get to, The engine also revvs very freely but there is a slight hesitation in each gear, but once you are over it it responds very well and the best part is that it is so relaxed at a speed of 120 kmph that it can make for a really great highway cruiser.

I am 6'1" and it took some adjustments with the seat position and steering height to get myself into a good driving position which i did manage to find after some time - But unlike the Swift and the Laura which are so magical that your really don't have to do much to get into a comfortable driving position. The rear seat is much better than the New Verna which has one of the Worst seats across any segment (other than the BMW X1 i suppose)

I have an standard routine for all test drives:

1- Braking at 120 kmph - felt a little twichy, which i attribute more to brand new tyres rather than any braking issue, ABS is well calibrated

2- Taking Humps at 80-100 kmph: Felt quite stable, in fact better than the Renault Fluence on the same stretch.

3- Very Fast U-Turns - Brilliant ! felt almost as if turning on a pivot

4- Darting in-out of traffic at slightly higher speeds - Effortless

5- In gear acceleration - After the initial hesitation it did'nt feel under-powered as anticipated from a 90 BHP engine

6- Air-conditioning - Adequate, did'nt feel the chill, the car was roasting hot to start with after having been parked in the sun for long.

I feel the only reason Ford can justify the price tag (read - Premium) is for the driving experience which no other manufacturer has been able to provide in this segment - But looking at the number new Vernas on the road most people would'nt care. But according to me Ford (on Mazda Platform) makes good Cars and Hyundai makes good appliances ! ( But i would like to give credit to Hyundai for pricing the Verna so well especially with a brand new platform and new set of class leading - read powerful engines, and an AT option too. )

I sincerely feel Ford want to draw people to its showrooms, showcase the New Fiesta and make them buy the Classic on which they would be making hell lot of a money after so many years into the production. They would be more that Happy to sell the new Fiesta in limited numbers till they are not able to sell the Classic anymore. See it is about Making Money not about dishing out cheap but brilliant cars to Passionate Idiots like me.

Well Rest of the car -

1. Old upgraded Duratorq Engine - I cant believe it at the price you are made to pay for
2. Other that The Dash Upper, rest of the plastics belong to B segment
3. Not wide enough again B segment or B+ max
4. Features ! what features for the price, Style Variant with lesser features is more expensive than the VENTO Highline which has alloys, fogs, climate control and the works.
5. If you observe only the rear in isolation and remove the Ford badge it looks like a cheap Chinese car, Front is Beautiful though.

Summary - Even after more than 25 years of automotive revolution in India, the market is still not mature enough, people like your and me to whom a car is an excuse to travel rather than a means of travel, cant still walk into a showroom and buy a good car for an available budget and enjoy a well earned Drive - SAD

Poitive · 17th July 2011, 02:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by aravind.anand

My bad boss, I just read my post to find it isn't clear. My sincere apologies

I actually meant, 'since the earlier Fiesta D with 68 bhp had quite a lot of takers, the new Fiesta with 90 bhp will find its takers too. That is not as big an issue as the starting price of 9.27 ex-showroom for the Diesel model is going to be. Had the car been priced a lakh lower, no many would've complained about the 90 bhp engine right?

PS: Yes yes, T-bhp is terribly addictive. Cant take your mind of it so very easily

Aravind, you are a very polite person and it is good to have such interactions on the forum.

Yes, sure they will have takers. And yes again, that had it been priced lower there would have been lesser complaints. We really do base our expectations on what we pay for it, so it is pretty reasonable.

What one does think of the lost opportunity for Ford here. (and now one for Fiat Linea 1.6 too - A$$ can't change overnight). With a more realistic price point and focus around it's core appeal (driving pleasure) had they priced it lower (even if without all the fancy gizmos) it would have gotten a lot more takers. More on this line of thought below.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO

Except for cruise control (which I find useless in India, NEVER used it in my Mercedes) and the voice activated controls (Rehaan says they work well), there is nothing that's "different" from the competition.

Cruze control - pretty useless unless on is on the GQ cutting across Rajasthan.

Voice activated controls? Isn't it easier to just reach for (ergonomically designed) knobs?. Give it 1-6 months, one may never use it unless one wants to flaunt some gizmos to his girl. Remember voice activated features on cellphones?

Quote:

I have no problem with the car, it seems fairly neutral and the market seems to love cars that do a li'l bit of everything (without a deal breaker). However, a neutral car ought to have a neutral price tag.

+1

And it is a 'neutral brand' too!!! (wake up Ford)

Quote:

Thus, I don't see much potential of a correction by launching a lower variant either. Anyways, what could the "Style" trim level lose? It anyways doesn't have alloy wheels or climate control.

Possibly loose some 'body colour' stuff, some chrome, ICE (but they will have to work on getting a slot for standard size systems), OVRM's without indicators (if they have a provision to place them elsewhere), lesser electrical wizardry (intelligent and electrically controlled this and that), possibly safety features.

If Ford wants, with all this they'll get and excuse to price a model about 0.75-1.25L lower. Still retaining the handling and FE (especially in diesel) which pulls people to Ford/Fiesta. Now that would be an interesting model for Ford to launch around the festival season.

That may very well be the plan!

They get to position themselves as a Hyundai plus brand (questionably useful for their coming launches and brand positioning), Make use of the waiting lists on the Vento and Verna and when the time for big sales comes up, they are ready for a product with a killer price and more suited for what Indians ask for. Interesting months coming up

vb-saan · 17th July 2011, 08:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

I guess we all were thinking that Figo has lost customers which resulted in the lower sales figures. Now this is throwing a different light into the matter. The company says they are not able to meet the demand due to the production constraints!

Yes, I was also a bit surprised seeing this. I did read earlier that they are on location scouting for an alternate plant. And carfreak mentioned that they have production issues with the kinetic blue colour. That’s not very good, especially after taking their own sweet time for the launch.

Quote:

Originally Posted by carfreak77

I think I will go with Moondust Silver. Also, as vb-san pointed out above, they are facing capacity constraints and will be producing only a few hundred cars in the first few months. No discounts will be available for the next 4-5 months atleast is what I am told.

That’s a good choice of colour. I feel the lines are curves are more visible on a lighter shade. That said, I feel the Sea Grey also will look good in flesh.

Quote: