[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by aravind.anand

I thought the entry petrol Style was priced at 8.23 L ex-showroom Delhi! Where is the mistake now?

Sorry Aravind, I mentioned in my previous post that the pricing is from the dealer in Kerala (Cochin).

Edit: Read through your post again, and understood the reason for confusion. The ex-showroom and the on-road prices are those underlined. They have separately mentioned the base cost and VAT (to make it more attractive I guess)

[aravind.anand]

Originally Posted by vb-san

Sorry Aravind, I mentioned in my previous post that the pricing is from the dealer in Kerala (Cochin).

Edit: Read through your post again, and understood the reason for confusion. The ex-showroom and the on-road prices are those underlined. They have separately mentioned the base cost and VAT (to make it more attractive I guess)

Oops sorry my bad boss And the Road Tax of 55k for a 9.2L car is one of the lowest I have come across. Kerala is definitely God's own country! So your really lucky, could you please let us know about the Verna 1.6 CRDi SX's and Vento Highline on road prices if you know them?

[PYSO]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

The additional brake light at the center (top) of back window is around 3-4 inches thick and it comes exactly over the person who sits in the middle. A person of 5'8 - 5'9 would be scrapping this break light when going through bumps on the road. Add that to the semi-bump on the floor, it is not feasible to take 3 people in the back for longer periods.

3-4 inches is 7 - 10 cms!!!
You must be exaggerating OR trying to sound funny

Originally Posted by lancer_rit

As the reviews have pointed out, the engines lack the 'grunt' for sporty driving, though the handling is good.

'Grunt' is for enthusiasts! Ford is clearly not targeting enthusiasts, but the premium buyers in C segment.
After all, Ford is a business; not a hobby club!

Originally Posted by Chrome6Boy

As for ANHC I don't think they messed it up at all. Until the Vento and the Verna came along they were really the king of the hill, if you ask me they might still rule the roost as far as Petrol Sedans go in this segment. The ANHC has great power with pretty decent mileage.

Check out the stories in life of ANHC. E.g. Re-introduction of base version, dealer discounts, price drops, et al. Not all of these are connected to increased petrol prices. Perhaps, ANHC did mess up the NHC story after all.

In general, to the average C segment buyer FE rules over 100bhp+ power.

Originally Posted by Poitive

I see two issues here.

How expectations were built for a VFM and cheaper than Verna pricing.

Had the build up been more towards a premium price, there may have been a lot better acceptance.

Ford is clearly not targeting VFM customers with NFF. They have a premium product with a premium pricing. My hunch is it could work. Afterall, C segment buyers are aspirational buyers, who tend to pay more for a 'displayable' car! The high sticker price, makes the car feel more exclusive, as well.

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by PYSO

3-4 inches is 7 - 10 cms!!!
You must be exaggerating OR trying to sound funny

'Grunt' is for enthusiasts! Ford is clearly not targeting enthusiasts, but the premium buyers in C segment. After all, Ford is a business; not a hobby club!

Well, my bad.
The intention was to help you understand why three adults (normal - nothing of the super-super-sort or whatever you mentioned) wouldn't be comfortable at all at the back. Also check what @NoRules mentioned regarding the width (which although might be true for Vento & Verna), and you should be able to get the point.

[Poitive]

Originally Posted by Poitive

I see two issues here.

1. The pricing (of course)
2. How expectations were built for a VFM and cheaper than Verna pricing.

Had the build up been more towards a premium price, there may have been a lot better acceptance. Guess Ford didn't manage that too well. Or maybe this is happening mainly on the forum.

The point I was really trying to make is in bold above. (Which is why I put the 'of course' after point no.1)

Originally Posted by rajivn

True. People here expected VFM but the price is premium. I also find lot of people commenting without TDing or even looking at the car in person. I saw the car in person, its definitely an impressive machine. Two of my friends who also saw the car were quite impressed with whats on offer. One even Test drove the diesel and felt it was absolutely great to drive and is on the verge of booking one though its beyond his budget by a lakh.

Just for the record, I did see it a few times from the outside over the months. And then when it was launched from the inside too. A pretty detailed report was filed a few pages before, on this very thread.

Yes, I too mirrored your thoughts that a lot of people seem to be commenting without really checking the car, before We need to give this one a chance before writing it off.

In my opinion, for someone who wants a premium C-segment sedan, this is the car after Honda City moved towards a VFM pricing. While Ford may not have that premium brand image to boot right now, maybe it wants to establish one for future launches. With this pricing, Ford should obviously be aware of lesser numbers it might report compared to competition. With production issues, Ford should only be content with reasonable numbers. I also believe, once, the ownership reports start trickling in and positive word of mouth spreads Ford should be able to sustain the price. Who knows, with car prices steadily rising every year, Verna and Vento prices might also go up and in a year should probably match the Fiestas pricing while Ford may not have the luxury to further increase the price.

Maybe I am not updated enough. Does Ford have production issues? If yes, then it may be another possible (good?) explanation to it's pricing strategy.

Yes, I think VB mentioned this before. About how their prices may be 'future proof'. My only issue is that if a car gets a bad reputation, it can take quite a while to get things moving. Optra Magnum could never really get itself out of that mess, despite the qualities of the car.

This is one car one 'wants' should do well (don't ask me why, as I too don't know!). Hope the word of mouth spreads fast. (*fingers crossed* - but how do I type now? )

Originally Posted by PYSO

Ford is clearly not targeting VFM customers with NFF. They have a premium product with a premium pricing. My hunch is it could work. Afterall, C segment buyers are aspirational buyers, who tend to pay more for a 'displayable' car! The high sticker price, makes the car feel more exclusive, as well.

Interesting point mate. Ford has taken this risk. And things just might go their way. If they do, they should have built a 'premiumness' around it's brand to some extent and may go a long way in their upcoming launches. Let us see how the market responds.

[blue_pulsar]

I drove a Ford Fiesta sedan here in U.S. last weekend. Drove it on all kinds of roads. Freeways, on hills etc (took it to 8000+ ft), in the city etc. Drove it for 565 miles over the weekend. It returned me an excellent FE of 34.5MPG(14.66 kmpl). The car handled very well on the curves. The down sides were lighter steering, not so good interior quality (and bad reflection on the windshield).

But the car is definitely not worth the premium pricing in India. I can tell that for sure.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by aravind.anand

Oops sorry my bad boss. And the Road Tax of 55k for a 9.2L car is one of the lowest I have come across. Kerala is definitely God's own country! So you’re really lucky, could you please let us know about the Verna 1.6 CRDi SX's and Vento Highline on road prices if you know them?

For Verna I am not so sure, but I can drop a note to VW in Thrissur and see if they can send me the latest pricelist for Vento.

Originally Posted by Poitive

Maybe I am not updated enough. Does Ford have production issues? If yes, then it may be another possible (good?) explanation to its pricing strategy.

Poitive, this was something I posted a couple of days back – referring to the capacity constraints: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...ml#post2432566

Originally Posted by Poitive

Ford has taken this risk. And things just might go their way. If they do, they should have built a 'premiumness' around its brand to some extent and may go a long way in their upcoming launches. Let us see how the market responds.

I hope this risk works well. Personally, I would like to see this segment evolve a bit more, and see manufacturers play up their core strengths and come up with ‘game changer products’, and not try to come up with a compromised product to satisfy everyone. And more importantly, push hard to support their cause (better sales and marketing, plus improved ownership experience).

[vnabhi]

I read on Cnet today that Ford is planning to introduce a 3 cylinder, 1 litre gasoline engine Fiesta Hatch in the USA.

Looks like they are planning to popularise frugality among Americans.

Sorry for going OT

[AutoIndian]

I believe the Test Drives of the new Fiesta are starting from today at most of the places in India. Eagerly awaiting to hear the first impressions from TD reports. I am sure folks who have booked this car would be the ones to TD it first. Please share your observations over here.

[prabhuferrari]

Just spoke to Metro Ford, Bangalore. The Petrol TD car will be available from today evening and diesel in a day or two. Contact person is Vasanth Kumar and his Bangalore mobile no is 8970013086.

[Mustang.101]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

I read on Cnet today that Ford is planning to introduce a 3 cylinder, 1 litre gasoline engine Fiesta Hatch in the USA.

Looks like they are planning to popularise frugality among Americans.

Sorry for going OT

That is true. That 1 L is a ford ecoboost turbo charged petrol engine. Its supposedly as powerful and more fun than a 1.6 duratec and is very very frugal.

[xingamazon]

Originally Posted by Mustang.101

That is true. That 1 L is a ford ecoboost turbo charged petrol engine. Its supposedly as powerful and more fun than a 1.6 duratec and is very very frugal.

Now this is interesting.

If I am not wrong, this is the same engine which was in the "Start" concept car which was introduced in Shanghai Auto Show. The car was good looking and so is the engine.

But I was not aware they are planning to put it into Fiesta.
I was assuming the Start concept would be one more india specific model (a la Figo), which will later be launched in other developing markets.

[Sugeeta]

After all the negative reviews on the pricing of the Ford Fiesta, I stayed away from all forums over the last 4 days and decided to check out the Verna and Fiesta in flesh.

I put my Fiesta booking on hold and took a TD of the Verna on Monday evening. TD'ed the Fiesta 2 hours ago.

My decision : I stick to the Fiesta booking.

Why : A 50K - 75K rupee difference is not a deal breaker for confidence inspiring driving.

My personal take on the attributes of both cars will follow in my ownership review in the next few weeks.

[gemithomas]

Originally Posted by Sugeeta

After all the negative reviews on the pricing of the Ford Fiesta, I stayed away from all forums over the last 4 days and decided to check out the Verna and Fiesta in flesh.

I put my Fiesta booking on hold and took a TD of the Verna on Monday evening. TD'ed the Fiesta 2 hours ago.

My decision : I stick to the Fiesta booking.

Why : A 50K - 75K rupee difference is not a deal breaker for confidence inspiring driving.

My personal take on the attributes of both cars will follow in my ownership review in the next few weeks.

Thats a good sign. Maybe Ford still has some surprises in stock. Looking out for your comparo test drive. Why don't you put it here rather than make us wait

[anachronix]

Took TD of the New Fiesta today from MPL Ford, OMR, Chennai! It was a TDCi Titanium+ in Black. Now that there are lot of negative mood about the Fiesta on this thread so far, I am going to talk only about the GOOD things

1. One of the best EPS equipped cars that I have ever driven. Loved the feedback. Hyundai would require another bilion years to re-engineer the feel/feedback of this Ford from an EPS unit on their cars.
2. I was worried about the driveability when I read a lot of reviews about the NFS lacking low end grunt. It wasnt that bad. It pulls really well with 4 people on board and I could easily hit speeds of 140KMPH. Its an excellent cruiser with a sweet midrange. It revs happily upto 4K RPM.
3. Driving position and ergonomics are best in class (Vento/Fludic/Linea/SX4). The way seats hug your back and the short and easily reachable gear stick all makes up for an excellent driving position.
4. Ride quality is again awesome. Ride quality on patholed roads is comparable to the Linea. It doesnt have the hard suspension feel of the Ikon/Fiesta or the confused/bumpy feel of the old Verna. I am yet to drive the Fludic though I have sad experience driving the Verna.
5. Visibility is good. The convex mirrors actually help & eliminate any possible blind spots.
6. Braking is good compared to the Fiesta Classic. Had to do a panic braking test around a nice corner. This is the amazing turn from TIDEL Park road into Madhya Kailash right behind the bus stop. The car was in complete control like every other Ford. I would rate it excellent compared to the Fiesta Classic.
7. Audio is good for OE unit.
8. Dint bother to test the voice features.
9. Tested the cruise control at 100KMPH. I did manage to stay on cruise control for hardly 5 seconds. Something that not at all useful in our indian driving conditions/etiquette!

...the pricing is defenitely higher for a C Segment sedan. However, I would recommend all you folks to take a TD of this car. It might just give you a different perspective. I am sure Sugeeta felt the same when she did the back to back TDs in the Fludic/Fiesta. Happy that she has taken the right decision.

I am planning to do back to back TDs of the Fludic/Fiesta tomorrow and see if the Fludic is really worth that price tag!