[el lobo 6061]

Benbsb, a lovely and awesome write up. Driving on India's 1st F1 track, wow what more to say and that too with Fiesta DCT. Any moment did you feel like under steer in the Fiesta, knowing that you weren't allow to push the car much. If Ford had even put in DCT in diesel they would have surely would have had many consumers vying for it.

The first picture in very opening is too good, very good composition. Fiery red all the way.

Originally Posted by benbsb29

took a ride in the pilot car, which was surprisingly a manual!

This was the icing on the cake for me, for a moment I was like . Nothing beats the fun of a manual on a race track.

Originally Posted by benbsb29

Regarding the Buddh circuit, what do I say? With the seats in the grandstand covered, it didn’t showcase the same livery of the national flag colors as we had seen in the F1 race

Dust to be the blame with high temperature.

[vb-saan]

Congratulations! And thanks for sharing the awesome experience
It will be great if you can give some more details on the how the car managed in the regular D-mode.

[anachronix]

Great stuff Ben! Driving on the BIC is a dream come true and I am sure you enjoyed the new little Ford.

Can you share more details of your conversation with Nigel, did she share any thoughts about the plans to reposition the Fiesta in the market!?

[fordday]

I am speechless. The opportunity to drive in a F1 circuit is itself a big high. Added to it is the new Fiesta.

I liked the first pic and the one with Nigel. Real eye candy stuff.

[benbsb29]

Originally Posted by el lobo 6061

Benbsb, a lovely and awesome write up.

This was the icing on the cake for me, for a moment I was like . Nothing beats the fun of a manual on a race track.

Thanks for the comments.
Rightly said, nothing beats the fun of the manual on track, although paddle shifts would be comparable. The way the Ford driver was employing the use of engine braking, and throwing the car around, it made me wish we got to have a lap with the manual as well.

Originally Posted by vb-san

Congratulations! And thanks for sharing the awesome experience
It will be great if you can give some more details on the how the car managed in the regular D-mode.

In my experience the D mode shifted up beautifully without any hint of a loss inbetween. However, for all the pluses, what was unnerving was the way the car began to coast in D mode without throttle input. That means no engine braking, meaning greater stress on the brakes.

The same was also observed and mentioned by GTO in the TBHP official review.

Originally Posted by anachronix

Great stuff Ben! Driving on the BIC is a dream come true and I am sure you enjoyed the new little Ford.

Can you share more details of your conversation with Nigel, did she share any thoughts about the plans to reposition the Fiesta in the market!?

Nigel Wark is a he. Our little talk was focussed more on the Fiesta DCT box, and did not venture towards any repositioning plans. What makes you think something of this sort is in the pipeline?

Ford are betting big on the Ecosport, from what i was able to gather.

Originally Posted by fordday

I am speechless. The opportunity to drive in a F1 circuit is itself a big high. Added to it is the new Fiesta.

I liked the first pic and the one with Nigel. Real eye candy stuff.

Thanks fordday. My favourite pic is that of the blue Fiesta pulling out from the stands.

[anachronix]

Originally Posted by benbsb29

Nigel Wark is a he. Our little talk was focussed more on the Fiesta DCT box, and did not venture towards any repositioning plans. What makes you think something of this sort is in the pipeline?

Ford are betting big on the Ecosport, from what i was able to gather.

Oops! That was a silly typo error in my previous post

Well, the last time the dealers got the pricing from Ford for the New Fiesta was back in Dec'2011. I have booked one and I still dont have a clue about how much its going to cost me and how long its gonna take to get one

This thread here strongly hints at a repositioning of the New Fiesta and Nigel went public about the Fiesta being priced higher than what the market expected which again hints about some work being in progress with the pricing!

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...-rejigged.html

[Utopian]

Great one, ben. The new red maroon color makes the Fiesta quite a looker.
What is the final ex-showroom for Fiesta DCT?

[bala80]

Fantastic report and nice set of pictures to compliment the same. The new red shade looks awesome on the car.

One request to ford - Please give us the fiesta hatch+DCT combo either in petrol or diesel guise. If the sedan's handling is good, the hatch can only be better.

[vvijay]

That would have been one hell of an experience Benny! The mere thought of it sends goosebumps all over me. You are such a lucky guy! Couple of questions to you:

1. The Fiesta Automatic comes with one additional safety feature which the manual one is not equipped with - ESP. Were you able to sense the feature coming into action at any point or did you notice any difference in handling compared to the manual either during your lap or when you took the ride in manual?

2. Were you happy with the way the Automatic pulled in S mode? I mean, with the upshift between 5,800-6,400 rpm, did you feel at any point the gearbox could have been tuned a little better to upshift at 4,500rpm to utilize a bit more of the power band?

Appreciate it if you could post the video of the car taking certain corners and the high-speed straight. It would give a feel of how the car really felt at a track like BIC.

[anachronix]

The team from Gaadi putting the Powershift to work! It doesnt drive anything like a AT Car

Ford Fiesta Powershift around the Buddh International Circuit (BIC).mp4 - YouTube

[amitg79]

Great report and pics. I absolutely adore this car. So badly wish it had more performance. That would have made it ideal. Well, there's always the hope of the brilliant new 1 L Ecoboost.

If one can switch between D and L modes on the move, its a good thing. You can go into 'nutter' mode for a short burst and then back to a relaxed drive. But I would still enjoy the complete control of a manual.

EDIT: Just saw the Gaadi.com video. Wow! Looks like an auto you can have real fun in. Btw, Benny didn't you say that overtaking was strictly prohibited? These guys were overtaking everything in sight!

[Sugeeta]

bensb29; I ENVY YOU!! (with all shades of envy applicable).

Till date the kinetic blue was my favourite; now I see the cherry red overtaking it by a big margin.

I am sure you enjoyed the day. Wanted to know if the manual version provided more fun to drive than the automatic? Did you find the looks of the new Fiesta offensive / ugly?

[dot]

Wow, it must have been some experience. Enjoyed the lovely write-up. Couple of questions, if you will,

Did the car drift when taking corners?

And it is ok to ask how much top speed did you attend?

[WhiteKnight]

Hey, now I understand why you are not seen on Bangalore circuit much!!!

Originally Posted by benbsb29

I also managed to bottom out the car as it climbed onto the horizontal section.
As I watched, quite a few people managed to bottom out the car as it climbed the ramp onto the level area.

I wouldn't blame Ford for this one. A weight loss program might help

[SPIKE ARRESTOR]

Benny, awesome, crisp report. The moment I saw your FB update, I knew you are up to something with a Ford Fiesta at the BIC. It surely must be a proud feeling for you.

BTW, any idea about the total number of participants?

Spike