Need For Speed? – Enter my New Ford Fiesta!

STARCHILD · 10th August 2011, 21:04

I got delivery of my New Ford Fiesta 1.5MT petrol yesterday evening and have clocked nearly 150 enjoyable KMs on it already.

CHOOSING THE CAR
I evaluated the City, New Verna and Linea before narrowing down the choices to the Vento and the New Fiesta. I needed an upgrade for myself (am using a 2007 Santro) and wanted a brand new set of wheels for my dad (happy with his 2007 Esteem), so decided to get both. I got delivery of the Vento couple of weeks back, and a comparison between the two cars will follow soon.

The City was ruled out because it’s too common and I expect a face-lifted version with improved interiors/features soon if Honda wants to remain in the race. The Verna though an excellent package has claustrophobic back seats, which is not a great idea if one is to be chauffeured around as is the case with my dad. The Linea was given thumbs down because of TATA dealers. At one place they kept pushing the Manza and didn’t even have the Linea on display. At another showroom my request for a TD was met with a “We will call you sir”—which never came! I can only imagine how the already iffy A.S.S of TATA motors will be for Fiat products.

So finally, we decided on the NFS. The thrill of owning a brand new model, which has received high praises from reviewers, and the possibility of grabbing many eyeballs on the road helped finalise the choice.

BOOKING
I booked the car with Harpreet Motors, Motinagar, after a short TD on 21/07/11. I tried to wring out some discounts/freebies but failed. I was told that I can expect to get delivery of the car in about 2 weeks. After a week I got a call from the sales guy that as per new policy I have to compulsorily buy the 3rd year extended warranty from them. I blew a fuse on hearing that and told them that I’ll cancel the booking in that case. He called back a short while later and told me that he has convinced his management to make an exception and not push the extended warranty on me.

DELIVERY
On the day of delivery, the sales guy requested that I pick the car up from their brand new showroom at Prashant Vihar since he had been transferred there and it will be the showroom’s first NFS delivery. The formalities were completed in about 2 hours, though there was nothing special done even though it was their first NFS delivery. I did, however, get a car perfume and pack of the usual sweet treats (butter toffees in my case).

EXTERIORS
This is a smart and modern looking car, in sync with the new design philosophy of kinetic/fluidic/arrowshot designs. The car, however, looks quite compact from the front and especially the rear.

The rear tyres look puny.

Need For Speed? – Enter my New Ford Fiesta!-1-nfs-side-1280x768.jpg

Truly a 21st century design but I feel the ORVM should have been completely body coloured.

The windshield looks great

Need For Speed? – Enter my New Ford Fiesta!-3-nfs-front-1280x768.jpg

The well endowed rear is not as attractive as the front.

Need For Speed? – Enter my New Ford Fiesta!-4-nfs-rear-1280x768.jpg

INTERIORS
Alas! the interiors are a big letdown. I agree that a grey and black colour scheme on the inside would have gelled well with the exterior design but it ought to have been just that, grey and black. Instead what we get are a kind of bluish grey and a dull black. The plastics used in most places are of inferior quality and poor fittings and panel gaps abound. It’s almost like being inside a totally different car that too from a segment below. My Santro has better quality plastics. The silver portions are glossy and look tacky. Ford has seriously cut corners on the inside which will put off many buyers, I’m sure.

It actually moves side to side on its hinges. The build quality is so poor that I think I'll keep it closed.

Need For Speed? – Enter my New Ford Fiesta!-5-nfs-storage-bin-1280x768.jpg

Ford has used cloth as insulation, similar to cotton tape, and fibers are already coming out of it.

Need For Speed? – Enter my New Ford Fiesta!-6-nfs-boot-wiring-1280x768.jpg

Such ill fittings and gaps are a common sight.

Need For Speed? – Enter my New Ford Fiesta!-7-nfs-light-gap-1280x768.jpg

Charging socket. The cap is not a flip open type, if simply comes off.

Need For Speed? – Enter my New Ford Fiesta!-8-nfs-12v-closed-1280x768.jpg

If you lose the cap then buy a cigarette lighter to put in its place.

Need For Speed? – Enter my New Ford Fiesta!-9-nfs-12v-open-1280x768.jpg

Quality is bad. The cup holders look awful. Could they not hide the cheap looking hinge?

Need For Speed? – Enter my New Ford Fiesta!-10-nfs-rear-arm-rest-1280x768.jpg

RIDE AND PERFORMANCE
In one word, awesome! This is where the NFS really sets the bar high. The suspension set-up is excellent. It glides over bad patches and makes potholes seem half their size. There is practically no suspension noise and the car maintains it composure when going over bad roads. The sound proofing is second to none. You feel cocooned from the cacophony of the outside world making phone calls through the car’s Bluetooth link a breeze.

This car is seriously fun to drive. The engine is peppy, the clutch release short and sweet, and the gearbox slick. The handling of the car is excellent. The steering is very precise. The car goes exactly where you want it to go, inspiring a lot of confidence. I adapted to it very quickly and was soon driving it like I had had it for months. The straight line stability of the car is amazing. When going straight, I noticed that I didn’t have to make any steering corrections even if there were undulations in the road. The steering wheel remained fixed and the car kept going straight like it was on rails. I guess the “Pull drift compensation” tech is not a marketing gimmick after all, it really works.

CONCLUSION
This is a driver’s car just like its sibling, the Fiesta classic. I guess my dad will be chauffeured in the Vento a lot more that he had bargained for because I just love driving this cracker of a car.

LIKES
- Performance
- Suspension
- Soundproofing

DISLIKES
- Interior quality
- No option of keeping only one ORVM open
- Power windows lack Auto up and down features; only the driver side has auto down.
- Fuel consumption displayed as no. of liters for 100 KMs rather than KMPL.
- Only one flip key with remote, the spare is a just a key.

No auto up/down on a 10 lac+ car?

Need For Speed? – Enter my New Ford Fiesta!-11-nfs-power-window-switch-1280x768.jpg

Toolkit tucked inside the 14" steel rimmed spare.

Need For Speed? – Enter my New Ford Fiesta!-12-nfs-stepney-1280x768.jpg

Lets see if it'll take 12.3L to travel 100KM then...umm...aaa...yes...its 8.13 KMPL. Why does ford want us to carry a calculator in the glove compartment?

Need For Speed? – Enter my New Ford Fiesta!-13-nfs-mid-1280x768.jpg

One touch and both ORVM can be opened or closed. COOL! Now how do I close just one?

Need For Speed? – Enter my New Ford Fiesta!-14-nfs-orvm-switch-1280x768.jpg

bluevolt · 10th August 2011, 23:27

Hi starchild,

Let me be the first one to congratulate you on your Ford Fiesta.

I guess this is the first new Fiesta thread here on Team BHP.

Do keep the thread updated with loads of pictures and service updates.

Wishing you happy and safe driving.

Mark 5 · 10th August 2011, 23:43

A hearty congratulations on your new buy STARCHILD.

As you pointed out the interiors a really a big let down for a car of this price followed by somewhat out-of-place rear (pardon me but that's what I think) but at the end of the day if you are happy with your car you need not worry about other's opinions.

P.S: The defects about the car's interiors will definitely keep reminding you each day

since you already own a Vento which has simple yet quality interiors.

MAS · 10th August 2011, 23:44

Hey Starkid. Congrats on two lovely possessions. NFS is a great car and look forward to your comparison report against the Vento. Any reason for choosing a petrol over the diesel?

Wishing you many thousand miles of enjoyable and safe driving.

volkman10 · 10th August 2011, 23:51

Congratulations on your new acquisition! A let down in quality was not expected by Ford.

Wishing you happy and safe driving.

Cheers!

carfreak77 · 10th August 2011, 23:56

Congratulations Starchild on your new Ford Fiesta. I got my diesel on Monday!
Enjoyed reading your ownership review.
BTW I noticed you mentioned no auto up/down for the windows. Well, my car has auto up & down for the driver's window. If yours doesn't happen, I suggest you take it to the service center and have them check it. Yours looks to be Titanium right?

dionysus · 11th August 2011, 00:05

Starchild congratulations on your new ride, i am sure its very engaging to drive.
WIll be waiting for your comparison with the Vento

el lobo 6061 · 11th August 2011, 00:23

STARCHILD congrats for your new ride, is it the first NFS on TBHP, might be? Looking forward to your comparison with Vento. Any specific reason for choosing petrol instead of oil burner?
The quality doesn't seems inspiring in NFS, mine Vento really has better interiors and that Jasper Blue colored interiors, why Ford, couldn't they have black or beige.
Looking forward to your NFS experience and we want more photos.

miharbe · 11th August 2011, 00:37

Congrats! i guess this to be the first new ford fiesta on the forum!? haven't seen too many on the road yet.

quick questions which trim did you get for both the Vento and the Fiesta. is the vento rear seat more spacious than the fiesta. i still think vento is only comfortable for 4, what is it like with the fiesta

perhaps you could give us a full blown user comparison between the 2 vehicles

enjoy 2 new cars

!!

vb-saan · 11th August 2011, 08:06

Congratulations Starchild for providing a well-weighted review with all areas covered. Looking forward to have more details on the driving impressions. Do keep updating the thread!

noopster · 11th August 2011, 08:09

This car is so gorgeous- is this the first NFS review on the forums? Congrats, starchiild!

Curious why you chose the petrol over the diesel especially since the engine has been roundly panned in comparison with its 1.6 lit predecessor.

Please post more pics. All the best!

nileshch · 11th August 2011, 08:34

Starchild, congratulations on the new car! The design is certainly modern and classier (less jazzy, to put it differently) than the ANHV, in my opinion. Though, as you mentioned, I find it compact looking from the front and rear. Would love to see some more pictures! Looking forward to your review on the performance and handling, eager to compare it to the Vento. The Fiesta (classic) was my choice for quite some time before I gave up on waiting for Ford to introduce the NFF.

adg_andy · 11th August 2011, 10:02

Kya baat hai Starchild. You have got the best of both worlds eh! A german car with good interiors and a peppy american car with not-so-great interiors

. Hearty congratulations

download2live · 11th August 2011, 10:25

Congratulations. I am kind of surprised with the cost cutting done by Ford. Well as long as it is fun to drive I guess we can live with it.

Newer versions of cars are now more and more watered down. Sad.

jk007 · 11th August 2011, 12:08

Congrats on your two new rides. Wishing you many happy miles, and drive safe!

Sad to see the cost cutting measures that Ford has gone with. When will they ever learn?

10th August 2011, 21:04	#1
STARCHILD BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: New Delhi Posts: 38 Thanked: 96 Times	Need For Speed? – Enter my New Ford Fiesta! I got delivery of my New Ford Fiesta 1.5MT petrol yesterday evening and have clocked nearly 150 enjoyable KMs on it already. CHOOSING THE CAR I evaluated the City, New Verna and Linea before narrowing down the choices to the Vento and the New Fiesta. I needed an upgrade for myself (am using a 2007 Santro) and wanted a brand new set of wheels for my dad (happy with his 2007 Esteem), so decided to get both. I got delivery of the Vento couple of weeks back, and a comparison between the two cars will follow soon. The City was ruled out because it’s too common and I expect a face-lifted version with improved interiors/features soon if Honda wants to remain in the race. The Verna though an excellent package has claustrophobic back seats, which is not a great idea if one is to be chauffeured around as is the case with my dad. The Linea was given thumbs down because of TATA dealers. At one place they kept pushing the Manza and didn’t even have the Linea on display. At another showroom my request for a TD was met with a “We will call you sir”—which never came! I can only imagine how the already iffy A.S.S of TATA motors will be for Fiat products. So finally, we decided on the NFS. The thrill of owning a brand new model, which has received high praises from reviewers, and the possibility of grabbing many eyeballs on the road helped finalise the choice. BOOKING I booked the car with Harpreet Motors, Motinagar, after a short TD on 21/07/11. I tried to wring out some discounts/freebies but failed. I was told that I can expect to get delivery of the car in about 2 weeks. After a week I got a call from the sales guy that as per new policy I have to compulsorily buy the 3rd year extended warranty from them. I blew a fuse on hearing that and told them that I’ll cancel the booking in that case. He called back a short while later and told me that he has convinced his management to make an exception and not push the extended warranty on me. DELIVERY On the day of delivery, the sales guy requested that I pick the car up from their brand new showroom at Prashant Vihar since he had been transferred there and it will be the showroom’s first NFS delivery. The formalities were completed in about 2 hours, though there was nothing special done even though it was their first NFS delivery. I did, however, get a car perfume and pack of the usual sweet treats (butter toffees in my case). EXTERIORS This is a smart and modern looking car, in sync with the new design philosophy of kinetic/fluidic/arrowshot designs. The car, however, looks quite compact from the front and especially the rear. The rear tyres look puny. Truly a 21st century design but I feel the ORVM should have been completely body coloured. The windshield looks great The well endowed rear is not as attractive as the front. INTERIORS Alas! the interiors are a big letdown. I agree that a grey and black colour scheme on the inside would have gelled well with the exterior design but it ought to have been just that, grey and black. Instead what we get are a kind of bluish grey and a dull black. The plastics used in most places are of inferior quality and poor fittings and panel gaps abound. It’s almost like being inside a totally different car that too from a segment below. My Santro has better quality plastics. The silver portions are glossy and look tacky. Ford has seriously cut corners on the inside which will put off many buyers, I’m sure. It actually moves side to side on its hinges. The build quality is so poor that I think I'll keep it closed. Ford has used cloth as insulation, similar to cotton tape, and fibers are already coming out of it. Such ill fittings and gaps are a common sight. Charging socket. The cap is not a flip open type, if simply comes off. If you lose the cap then buy a cigarette lighter to put in its place. Quality is bad. The cup holders look awful. Could they not hide the cheap looking hinge? RIDE AND PERFORMANCE In one word, awesome! This is where the NFS really sets the bar high. The suspension set-up is excellent. It glides over bad patches and makes potholes seem half their size. There is practically no suspension noise and the car maintains it composure when going over bad roads. The sound proofing is second to none. You feel cocooned from the cacophony of the outside world making phone calls through the car’s Bluetooth link a breeze. This car is seriously fun to drive. The engine is peppy, the clutch release short and sweet, and the gearbox slick. The handling of the car is excellent. The steering is very precise. The car goes exactly where you want it to go, inspiring a lot of confidence. I adapted to it very quickly and was soon driving it like I had had it for months. The straight line stability of the car is amazing. When going straight, I noticed that I didn’t have to make any steering corrections even if there were undulations in the road. The steering wheel remained fixed and the car kept going straight like it was on rails. I guess the “Pull drift compensation” tech is not a marketing gimmick after all, it really works. CONCLUSION This is a driver’s car just like its sibling, the Fiesta classic. I guess my dad will be chauffeured in the Vento a lot more that he had bargained for because I just love driving this cracker of a car. LIKES - Performance - Suspension - Soundproofing DISLIKES - Interior quality - No option of keeping only one ORVM open - Power windows lack Auto up and down features; only the driver side has auto down. - Fuel consumption displayed as no. of liters for 100 KMs rather than KMPL. - Only one flip key with remote, the spare is a just a key. No auto up/down on a 10 lac+ car? Toolkit tucked inside the 14" steel rimmed spare. Lets see if it'll take 12.3L to travel 100KM then...umm...aaa...yes...its 8.13 KMPL. Why does ford want us to carry a calculator in the glove compartment? One touch and both ORVM can be opened or closed. COOL! Now how do I close just one?
	(16) Thanks

10th August 2011, 23:27	#2
bluevolt Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: New Delhi Posts: 3,274 Thanked: 3,474 Times View My Garage	Re: Need For Speed? – Enter my New Ford Fiesta! Hi starchild, Let me be the first one to congratulate you on your Ford Fiesta. I guess this is the first new Fiesta thread here on Team BHP. Do keep the thread updated with loads of pictures and service updates. Wishing you happy and safe driving.
	() Thanks

10th August 2011, 23:43	#3
Mark 5 BHPian Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Mumbai Posts: 70 Thanked: 32 Times View My Garage	Re: Need For Speed? – Enter my New Ford Fiesta! A hearty congratulations on your new buy STARCHILD. As you pointed out the interiors a really a big let down for a car of this price followed by somewhat out-of-place rear (pardon me but that's what I think) but at the end of the day if you are happy with your car you need not worry about other's opinions. P.S: The defects about the car's interiors will definitely keep reminding you each day since you already own a Vento which has simple yet quality interiors.
	() Thanks

10th August 2011, 23:44	#4
MAS Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 1,940 Thanked: 1,615 Times	Re: Need For Speed? – Enter my New Ford Fiesta! Hey Starkid. Congrats on two lovely possessions. NFS is a great car and look forward to your comparison report against the Vento. Any reason for choosing a petrol over the diesel? Wishing you many thousand miles of enjoyable and safe driving.
	() Thanks

10th August 2011, 23:51	#5
volkman10 Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: -- Posts: 23,432 Thanked: 67,874 Times View My Garage	Re: Need For Speed? – Enter my New Ford Fiesta! Congratulations on your new acquisition! A let down in quality was not expected by Ford. Wishing you happy and safe driving. Cheers!
	() Thanks

10th August 2011, 23:56	#6
carfreak77 BHPian Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Mumbai Posts: 306 Thanked: 130 Times	Re: Need For Speed? – Enter my New Ford Fiesta! Congratulations Starchild on your new Ford Fiesta. I got my diesel on Monday! Enjoyed reading your ownership review. BTW I noticed you mentioned no auto up/down for the windows. Well, my car has auto up & down for the driver's window. If yours doesn't happen, I suggest you take it to the service center and have them check it. Yours looks to be Titanium right?
	() Thanks

11th August 2011, 00:05	#7
dionysus BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 64 Thanked: 50 Times View My Garage	Re: Need For Speed? – Enter my New Ford Fiesta! Starchild congratulations on your new ride, i am sure its very engaging to drive. WIll be waiting for your comparison with the Vento
	() Thanks

11th August 2011, 00:23	#8
el lobo 6061 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Navi Mumbai Posts: 2,049 Thanked: 2,195 Times	Re: Need For Speed? – Enter my New Ford Fiesta! STARCHILD congrats for your new ride, is it the first NFS on TBHP, might be? Looking forward to your comparison with Vento. Any specific reason for choosing petrol instead of oil burner? The quality doesn't seems inspiring in NFS, mine Vento really has better interiors and that Jasper Blue colored interiors, why Ford, couldn't they have black or beige. Looking forward to your NFS experience and we want more photos.
	() Thanks

11th August 2011, 00:37	#9
miharbe BHPian Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Navi Mumbai Posts: 315 Thanked: 263 Times	Re: Need For Speed? – Enter my New Ford Fiesta! Congrats! i guess this to be the first new ford fiesta on the forum!? haven't seen too many on the road yet. quick questions which trim did you get for both the Vento and the Fiesta. is the vento rear seat more spacious than the fiesta. i still think vento is only comfortable for 4, what is it like with the fiesta perhaps you could give us a full blown user comparison between the 2 vehicles enjoy 2 new cars!!
	() Thanks

11th August 2011, 08:06	#10
vb-saan Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: S'pore/Thrissur Posts: 7,273 Thanked: 12,405 Times	Re: Need For Speed? – Enter my New Ford Fiesta! Congratulations Starchild for providing a well-weighted review with all areas covered. Looking forward to have more details on the driving impressions. Do keep updating the thread!
	() Thanks

11th August 2011, 08:09	#11
noopster Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Pune Posts: 9,238 Thanked: 12,904 Times View My Garage	Re: Need For Speed? – Enter my New Ford Fiesta! This car is so gorgeous- is this the first NFS review on the forums? Congrats, starchiild! Curious why you chose the petrol over the diesel especially since the engine has been roundly panned in comparison with its 1.6 lit predecessor. Please post more pics. All the best!
	() Thanks

11th August 2011, 08:34	#12
nileshch BHPian Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: BLR / BOM Posts: 799 Thanked: 477 Times	Re: Need For Speed? – Enter my New Ford Fiesta! Starchild, congratulations on the new car! The design is certainly modern and classier (less jazzy, to put it differently) than the ANHV, in my opinion. Though, as you mentioned, I find it compact looking from the front and rear. Would love to see some more pictures! Looking forward to your review on the performance and handling, eager to compare it to the Vento. The Fiesta (classic) was my choice for quite some time before I gave up on waiting for Ford to introduce the NFF. Last edited by nileshch : 11th August 2011 at 08:36.
	() Thanks

11th August 2011, 10:02	#13
adg_andy BHPian Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Bangalore Posts: 515 Thanked: 315 Times	Re: Need For Speed? – Enter my New Ford Fiesta! Kya baat hai Starchild. You have got the best of both worlds eh! A german car with good interiors and a peppy american car with not-so-great interiors . Hearty congratulations
	() Thanks

11th August 2011, 10:25	#14
download2live Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: - Posts: 1,147 Thanked: 1,144 Times	Re: Need For Speed? – Enter my New Ford Fiesta! Congratulations. I am kind of surprised with the cost cutting done by Ford. Well as long as it is fun to drive I guess we can live with it. Newer versions of cars are now more and more watered down. Sad.
	() Thanks

11th August 2011, 12:08	#15
jk007 BHPian Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Chennai Posts: 63 Thanked: 5 Times	Re: Need For Speed? – Enter my New Ford Fiesta! Congrats on your two new rides. Wishing you many happy miles, and drive safe! Sad to see the cost cutting measures that Ford has gone with. When will they ever learn?
	() Thanks