Talking of features, Ford decided to skip something as simple and as inexpensive as adjustable headrests on the rear on the hatchback
which they provide in the export models and the Aspire.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rambo1o1 Looking at the specifications and features of new Ford KA+ I feel ford can offer some of those updates of the export models over here. |
I agree about the interior bits.
I spent an entire day with Aspire diesel recently. At the end of the day (after appreciating all its positives which outweigh the negatives by a big margin, at least for an enthusiast), the main thing that I felt that the car lacked was the 'feel good' factor in the interior. While it is not a deal breaker for me since I value the safety kit and the diesel engine's performance more, it would be a turn off for most mainstream buyers. I got that feel good factor immediately in the Tata Zest the first time I sat in it.
They need not have gone too far ahead. The European version's cabin looks so much better with slight changes.
The poor choice of color tones for the interiors are primary contributors I feel.
The cheap looking aluminium finish on the hatchback makes it look outdated. The piano black finish on the Euro one makes it look so much better.
Similarly, the tone of beige used in Aspire is not premium. Cars from Hyundai's stable, Tata Zest, Ford's own Endeavour etc. use lighter shades of beige which look much more premium. Also, they have gone overboard with the extent to which they have used beige.
Another turn off with the interior is the el-cheapo speedometer console (something the driver looks at very frequently). Apart form the white-blue color combination, everything is a total turn off with that speedometer. I mean, even the inexpensive Alto K10 gets a much better looking speedo!
The choice of infotainment system is another area where they messed up big time. While it felt great when Ecosport was launched in 2013, the infotainment systems in most budget cars back then sucked and OEM touchscreen was very rare.
While the Sync system on Titanium+ is acceptable, the one on the Titanium is rubbish with such a small screen surrounded by a sea of unneeded buttons.
Ideally, the Titanium and Titanium+ should have got a touchscreen (or at least the one from the Euro spec car) and the screen from the sync (without the sync feature) should have been given in Trend.
The last big annoyance was the door pads flexing when the windows roll up. Though it is not a big issue for me personally, it gives a cheap feeling to the mainstream buyer and again ruins that 'feel good' factor.
All these are things that could have been solved easily by Ford without much effort, but would have had a big impact on the way the interiors felt.
Coming to the build, the car I drove was an August 2015 manufactured one. Compared to that, the feel and sound when closing the door seem to have been improved by Ford in the recent batches. The newer car that I saw in a showroom no longer had the horrible tinny sound that the Aug 2015 car had when the boot was closed. The doors too felt a little better to close.
Hope they fix all these easy to fix short comings that will make these great cars much more
Aspirational.
No offence intended to owners.
PS: When a relative was asking my opinion about her car purchase, I recommended her to take a TD of Aspire diesel even though she was looking for petrol. The first thing she asked me was, does the car have touchscreen, does it have reversing camera and sensors etc.
She accepted to look at the car since she liked the fact that the car comes with 6 airbags, but after TDs, she came back unimpressed due to the interior (she had already experienced the interiors of Ameo and Zest) and the anaemic petrol engine. She liked the diesel, but wasn't willing to buy it because of the low running and the uncertainty of diesel's future.
PPS: Coming to the 'drive' factor though, I felt that the twins have been thrashed more than they deserve. While the old Figo and Fiesta were easily a few levels above (I'd say best in class, with the 1.6S being the ultimate), the new ones are not bad as they are made out to be. The steering weighed up acceptably at higher speeds and gave some amount of feedback, but it had some slack in the centre and felt artificial (like my G27 gaming wheel). Still there are much worse wheels in the segment. The car definitely does not understeer badly like the reviews say. The old Figo's underpinning (slightly modified) still shows its capability. The suspension is softer and the car rolls a bit, but still it is definitely above average.