[Surprise]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Isn't SXI the top of the line with all bells & whistles? Whats the price you paid and offers you had? Would like to know the ex showroom price as well.

Yes, SXI come with S.Leather seats/Beige interiors/Dual Airbags/ABS....I guess the original ex-showroom price is somewhere around 8.66 Lakhs, out of which they have discounted insurance (30k), Cash Discount (14k), Extended Warranty (7.5k).

Edit: With this pricing, Iam able to spruce up my ICE/Tyres/Few accessories.....a Petes box or Race dynamics kit down the line

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by Surprise

Edit: With this pricing, Iam able to spruce up my ICE/Tyres/Few accessories.....a Petes box or Race dynamics kit down the line

Good discount of almost 60K. And as far as I know Pete's box is way too expensive for Ford engines, so you might wanna go the RD way.

And when is the ownership log ON ? Congrats on the new car as well

[Sugeeta]

Originally Posted by Surprise

Yes, SXI come with S.Leather seats/Beige interiors/Dual Airbags/ABS....I guess the original ex-showroom price is somewhere around 8.66 Lakhs, out of which they have discounted insurance (30k), Cash Discount (14k), Extended Warranty (7.5k).

Edit: With this pricing, Iam able to spruce up my ICE/Tyres/Few accessories.....a Petes box or Race dynamics kit down the line

Congratulations Surprise.

Please post details and pictures of the SXI.

[Sugeeta]

Dealer says 1st lot for Delhi will be dispatched from plant by 27th / 28th July. Should get our deliveries by 1st week of August. Same schedule is being followed for all locations barring a some colours.

[adimicra]

I saw the Autocar show y'day where they compared all the Diesel sedans (SX4/Linea/Vento/Verna/Fiesta) in this segment.

Key takeaways -

• Fiesta is closer to Linea and SX4 in performance, rather than Vento and Verna. Not a surprise really as the BHP and Nm numbers also suggest the same.
  
• Ride and Handling is top notch along with the Linea
  
• Verna and Fiesta are the most refined, while Vento is the most noisy.
  
• All are equally matched on FE.
  
• Space is similar to Linea, much less than Vento/Verna
  
• Fiesta appears pricey on the price-to-features factor.
  

Overall, Verna was declared the winner as an overall package.
Fair comparison I would say _ Verna no doubt, is a great package

[Jammy28]

Originally Posted by Surprise

My booking is with Chennai Ford. I too wanted to cancel my booking after taking the delivery of Fiesta SXI in a day or two from MPL Ford. Did they mention any cancellation charges?

I too booked at Chennai Ford and when I booked the car, the SA promised to refund full amount in case of cancellation. He confirmed again today that there will not be any cancellation charges.

P.S.: Still the Diesel TD car is not available with Chennai Ford, Arumbakkam.

[carfreak77]

Originally Posted by Sugeeta

Dealer says 1st lot for Delhi will be dispatched from plant by 27th / 28th July. Should get our deliveries by 1st week of August. Same schedule is being followed for all locations barring a some colours.

Hi Sugeeta. My dealer has still not given me any commitment as yet. So, its good to know what you have said about 1st week of August delivery. Do you have any idea which colors will not be available immediately? Its only blue right?

[aravind.anand]

ACI august issue has a detailed comparo of all the Diesel sedans in the Fiesta segment fighting for the crown. Ultimately the Verna took the title! But it was the Fiesta which ran in very very close it was mentioned! It was the pricing and interior space that let Verna zoom ahead, the article says. The ride and handling were wildly appreciated. Low speed ride, high speed ride very both top notch amidst the competitiors, and also the high sppe and straigh line stability was unbelievable it is reported. Hadling, barking, Fuel efficiency, Build Quality, Steering feel, Grip, Refinement and Cabin insulation were all well praised If only Ford had localised it more, the crown would have been bagged by the new Fiesta! The article has increased the Fiesta's image in my mind and heart a lot

[souravc]

Originally Posted by adimicra

Overall, Verna was declared the winner as an overall package.
Fair comparison I would say _ Verna no doubt, is a great package

I agree , Verna is a fantastic overall package with no obvious negatives (unstable above 120 kmph shouldn't matter 99% of our drives) and the range of practical features .
Somehow I felt that if Fiat's mill had the horses ( and Fiat spent more on Ads ) then they would have declared it the winner

Interesting that they mentioned that the old Fiesta had a better steering which was more precise than the new Fiesta . Hope July gives the Fiesta a good beginning, we need to be spoilt for choice.

[figo_mba]

recently did a test drive of the fiesta and the Verna.
Will highlight some of the points which struck me.

Verna- I tried the top version and found that it was a bit of a squeeze for me in the drivers seat ( I am 184 cms). The height adjustment was put to the lowest setting and still my head was brushing the roof. Even the figo is better than that. I had to put the inclination to a tad obtuse angle to find the a safe (and comfortable) distance between my head and the roof. i did not find any space in the car worthy of a 10L car.

The i20 inspired (or should i say borrowed) steering wheel was a disappointment. I expected something more from a premium sedan. Probably just that I expected more. Something like the Fiat Linea (leather wrapped).

Another thing that they seem to have borrowed from the i20 is the suspension and E P steering. Both do not inspire confidence.


Fiesta
The steering wheel looked small and felt fragile
The plastics are better than the outgoing fiesta but not good enough. The plastics have that hardness.
Seats are good.
Voice control is goofy. really. I would rather change the temp to 18C instead of telling the system to do it for me and pray that it happens.

most of the people who would buy a fiesta would go for the base diesel version. They could easily get the 1.6Verna for that money.

It is really a trade off between a drivers diesel car (Fiesta) and a chauffeur driven diesel city car (verna).

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by adimicra

Key takeaways -

• Fiesta is closer to Linea and SX4 in performance, rather than Vento and Verna. Not a surprise really as the BHP and Nm numbers also suggest the same.
• Ride and Handling is top notch along with the Linea
• Verna and Fiesta are the most refined, while Vento is the most noisy.
• All are equally matched on FE.
• Space is similar to Linea, much less than Vento/Verna
• Fiesta appears pricey on the price-to-features factor.

+ 1. Watched the video today.

Originally Posted by aravind.anand

But it was the Fiesta which ran in very very close it was mentioned! It was the pricing and interior space that let Verna zoom ahead, the article says. Hadling, barking, Fuel efficiency, Build Quality, Steering feel, Grip, Refinement and Cabin insulation were all well praised

Looks like you are biased towards Fiesta a bit or missed some portions of the TD.

Fiesta scored ONLY on ride & handling / NVH as the BEST. It was not among the top runners for any other parameters.

Best ride & handling - Linea & Fiesta
Best NVH - Fiesta
Best steering feedback - Linea
Features - Verna
Rear Space & comfort - Vento
Mileage - Verna
Interior quality - Verna / Vento [Except for the top of dashboard plastic, Fiesta was criticized quite a bit]

The only car which didnt get any top spot was SX4.

And actually I don't remember them showing the rear space in Verna alone !! All other cars were checked on this with the same driver and passenger except Verna. Verna was declared winner because of the spec, features, quality & VFM factor. Don't think space was a factor which attributed to its selection.

Edit:: Posting the video of the shoot out. [Anyone quoting this post, please delete the video manually from your post to avoid inconvenience to t-bhp mobile users]

Part 1::

http://www.autocarindia.com/videos/d...n-comparison-1

Part 2::

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NJb2TksvnQ

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by adimicra

I saw the Autocar show y'day where they compared all the Diesel sedans (SX4/Linea/Vento/Verna/Fiesta) in this segment.

Key takeaways -

• Fiesta is closer to Linea and SX4 in performance, rather than Vento and Verna. Not a surprise really as the BHP and Nm numbers also suggest the same.
• Ride and Handling is top notch along with the Linea
• Verna and Fiesta are the most refined, while Vento is the most noisy.
• All are equally matched on FE.
• Space is similar to Linea, much less than Vento/Verna
• Fiesta appears pricey on the price-to-features factor.

Overall, Verna was declared the winner as an overall package.
Fair comparison I would say _ Verna no doubt, is a great package

Thanks Adi, even my guess was Fiesta will be closer to the Linea for driving dynamics and handling. And it’s not a bad thing considering the fact that the Fiat is pretty good at those. Maybe Ford has an advantage here because (1) its new, and (2) the management is not as cold as Fiat.

And from their parameters, Verna should be the winner, as it is the only one in this group which has got this ‘please all’ attribute.

Originally Posted by aravind.anand

ACI august issue has a detailed comparo of all the Diesel sedans in the Fiesta segment fighting for the crown. Ultimately the Verna took the title! But it was the Fiesta which ran in very very close it was mentioned! It was the pricing and interior space that let Verna zoom ahead, the article says. The ride and handling were wildly appreciated. Low speed ride, high speed ride very both top notch amidst the competitiors, and also the high sppe and straigh line stability was unbelievable it is reported. Hadling, barking, Fuel efficiency, Build Quality, Steering feel, Grip, Refinement and Cabin insulation were all well praised If only Ford had localised it more, the crown would have been bagged by the new Fiesta! The article has increased the Fiesta's image in my mind and heart a lot

Is there a marked difference in the video review and print edition? This is quite contradicting with the comments on the video review.

Originally Posted by souravc

Interesting that they mentioned that the old Fiesta had a better steering which was more precise than the new Fiesta . Hope July gives the Fiesta a good beginning, we need to be spoilt for choice.

Expected so. That change in precision is evident in almost cars that have moved from hydraulic to EPS – whether it is BMW 5 or Ford Fiesta. If I am right, the Linea is the only one (in the above comparo) which is still on HPS.

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Watched the video today.

I always take these reviews with a pinch of salt – especially those from the leading publications in India. Normally from the first few minutes itself, you can gauge their preferences, and at times those are very contrasting, and echo their personal preferences. Personally I find the reviews in NDTV car & bike show much more realistic, and he is pretty good in explaining the cars without much fake enthusiasm

Note: Why we are talking about all these reviews when we have the official Team-bhp reviews?

[dot]

Took a ride in a US Fiesta hatch today. The front is exactly similar to the Indian Fiesta while the rear treatment is miles ahead when compared to the sedan version. The dash is really the same as in the India version also a wee bit spongy. The car is very stable at 80+ speeds, as can be expected in a Ford product. However the US edition comes with a 1.6L petrol engine which is very smooth. Need to take the TD of the Indian 1.5L and find out if any perceptable difference can be felt.

[Fusion2006]

So, I have been getting multiple calls from Harpreet Ford Gurgaon to TD the new Ford Fiesta since I had registered my interest on the Ford website a couple of months ago.

As I anyhow needed to get my Ford Fusion serviced, I told them that I would do a TD when I visit the service centre which is just behind the showroom. They don't seem to keep a record of their calls, because I received at least 2 more calls after that about arranging a TD.

Anyway, there I was at Harpreet Ford after driving through all sorts of flooded muddy road to get to their service centre entrance. (Go round the front to their showroom, and you'll be greeted by a road with red tinted sewage! Pipe burst was the pity comment of the guard sitting there)

It's around 10.30am, and I am the only visitor there in the showroom, standing next to the NFS. Takes at least 5 minutes before one of the sales staff decides to come over and ask if he could help. Told them about the calls etc, and asked to arrange a TD of the Diesel version. Since I'm the only one there, not really a problem for an immediate TD.

Looks - I guess this has been talked about enough already on this forum, and all I can say is that I liked the car in the photos, and still like it in the flesh. But beyond this, things kinda started going downhill for me :(

Sitting inside the car (Titanium Plus), I immediately just felt that it was too small for me. I don't know if is the dark coloured interiors, or the wraparound feeling from the dashboard and seats, or the shape compared to my Fusion, or what?

Tried sitting in the back, and was appalled at how cramped it felt (I'm 5' 11''). I have been in the back of any number of Ford Fiesta (classic) taxis, and never felt this way, is the NFS really bigger than the car it replaces?

Couldn't get the Bluetooth to work with my phone, nor with the phones of two of the salesmen. Tried another car, and it worked for music and dialing out, but not for receiving calls. Though this may be because I have a dual SIM phone? Hmmm. The plastics were only just okay, really not what I'd expect in a car this price.

The TD itself was fine. This is the first time I've ever driven a diesel car, and really couldn't make out much difference except maybe for a bit of engine noise when starting off. Fairly comfy driving position, nice feel to the steering, though I could easily tell it was EPS rather than good old HPS. Nice clear instrumentation, but what's with the wierd shaped hood(s) over the dials! Drove over some typical potholed Gurgaon roads and the car felt just fine. Sales guy said the GC is only 156 mm - maybe that's why it's not mentioned on the spec sheets!

Looked in the boot and before I could ask, sales guy says the spare is only 14 inches. He says it is smaller, so that customers should only use it as a temporary until the puncture is fixed. Uhhh...if you just gave me a normal 15 inch alloy like the other ones, then it wouldn't matter would it?

Asked the salesperson how many bookings they have had for the NFF and he said around 20-25. Almost 10 days since the launch and only 25 bookings at the only Ford dealer in Gurgaon? Wonder how many of these were pre-launch bookings!

I have yet to see a single Ford advert in the press or TV for this new car - most people in my office haven't a clue about the new Ford Fiesta. New Verna Fluidic - yes, heard of that! Vento? Definitely heard of that. New Ford Fiesta? Nope, why have they launched a new car? You mean it actually costs more than the new Verna and VW Vento? No way!

Perhaps if Ford had spent as much effort on launch execution as they did on planning the webcasts and emails, people might actually know that they had a new model out...Seems like the Ford marketing chaps are expecting to sell cars on word of mouth only?

So, after the TD, here's my conversation with the sales guy about the accessories shown in the brochure:
Me: "Nice looking scuff plates, how much do they cost?"
Sales guy: "No idea, we have not yet got the accessory prices"
"Is it possible to get leather seats?"
"Yes sir, it is optional, but no idea about the price"
"What is the extended warranty available?"
"There is standard 2 year warranty, but we have not yet got the prices or details of any extended warranty"
"Is there a Total Mainteance Plan available?"
"Sorry, we have not yet got the prices or details of that"
"What about corporate discount? I work at xxxx"
"Yes sir we have corporate discount for xxxx, but not for new Ford Fiesta"
"O...K... what about Ford customer loyalty discount, after all I am currently driving a Ford?"
"Sorry sir, we don't have that for new Ford Fiesta"

Can you believe, it's 10 days since the official launch of the car, and the sales guys have no idea about cost of accessories, extended warranty, etc?

According to the photocopied pricelist, in Gurgaon a new Diesel Titanium Plus is Rs 11.53 Lakh on the road (if registered in Delhi, it costs even more). This after cost cutting on the spare tire on a 11 lakh car? Oh c'mon guys. And there is a Booking Cancellation charge of Rs 2,500 mentioned on the pricelist.

All the gadgets, Pull Drift Compensation and other whizbang stuff are cool, but the interior size somehow felt too small for me - and if I have to trade in my Fusion for a new car worth upwards of 11 Lakh, I want it to feel like a step up, not a step down!

All this has the makings of a real miserable flopshow, and another Honda Jazz case. And Ford actually should have learnt from their own Fusion shouldn't they have? Perhaps some business management guru will write this up as a MBA case study for how not to launch a new car in India.

As for my own plans on buying a new car, here are the options I now am looking at:
1. Continue with my trusty but not yet rusty Fusion, and wait for the 2012 Ford Focus which may be the type of upgrade I am actually looking for, and hope like hell that Ford gets its pricing right next time around.
2. Give the Vento a go, and just wait out the waiting period for delivery. Or maybe the ANHC. (Sorry, but just can't go for the Verna Fluidic if its handling is anything like the older Verna)
3. Spend a bit more and go for a Chevrolet Cruze!
4. Spend even a bit more and maybe go for the Renault Fluence (Petrol)!

[mdsaab]

From what i have heard the Verna rear is a bit cramped top. Leaving the legroom aside.
So not sure if its the ideal chauffeur driven vehicle. And that its not the ideal drivers car is a given.
So its somewher in between.

The Fiesta is definately not a car to buy and sit at the back in. Its the one to go for if you love to drive. With great handling characteristics and a solid chassis. Its going to feel well planted and inspire driver confidence. Also from what i have heard its pretty well insulated keeping outside noises to a minimum within the cabin.

Features wise it seems to be decently loaded.
The only place Ford went wrong is with the pricing. And with dealers not having an exact picture of accessories pricing etc. Its a recipe for disaster for Ford. How hard is it to get another team working on these aspects. Overall they were no very well prepared for this launch.

Coming to the motors. The one in India seems more tuned for efficiency than outright performance. They should have offered the 1.6 here too. There must be some reason behind it though.

Disclaimer ~ just my own views and points which i wished to express. Not in reply or connection with any posts posted so far. Yes i do rant, please bear with me