[Simple_car]

Hi all,

Please do note that I will not be covering what features the car comes with in comprehensive detail. I would advise you to go through test drive reports of various publications and reviewers. They cover it better. The following lines reflect only what I look for and think of the car.
I am open for healthy discussions and different point of views from other members of the forum. After all its more fun learning this way.



So, whats a nanny?
According to wikipedia: A nanny, childminder, child care provider, or a mother's helper is an individual person who provides care for one or more children in a family as a service.

A car and nanny? Whats the relation?

Whenever I drive this car, I am only reminded of my nanny. (Yes, yes, I had one for 5 years when we had moved to bombay). She pampered me and my brother a lot. This resulted in us facing a lot of difficulties when we went to the hostels for further studies. Really.. a lot of difficulties. No, I seriously mean it.

Not so long ago, in the year 2012

I had just finished my studies for the day and was heading out for a walk. Today morning's times of india had a huge ad from ford announcing some freebie festival offer. I had a hunch that I'll be hearing from my dad soon.

6.30 pm and the phone rings

Dad: Have booked the fiesta dct
Me (why am I not surprised): Which model and color?
Dad: Hang on, talk to your brother.

Bro: Hey, wassup?
Me (now at full volume): ARE YOU GUYS CRAZY? DID YOU EVEN CHECK OUT OTHER CARS?
Bro: Woah, woah, calm down. We test drove the city manual. They didn't have the A/T one at linkway
Me: WHAT ABOUT THE VENTO, RAPID, VERNA? DID YOU EVEN CONSIDER THOSE?
Bro: Nah. Have decided this one. Its nice. The DCT one is fast and has great handling.
Me: What color?
Bro: White
Me: Why not the blue one? It looks nice in pics at least.
Bro: I saw it here. It doesn't look nice in real world. Trust me on this. You won't like it. I had my heart set on sea grey color, which looks awesome, but for all practical purposes it will be a pain to maintain one.

I hung up, very unhappy.

The car would be a replacement of our 2nd hand hyundai getz. The getz was now giving us a lot of trouble with steering failures, radiator replacements and the likes. It had served us well for 5 years. So, dad decided to replace it.

It had to be A/T since it will be mom's car, and she loves A/T's a lot for their convenience. The fact that we had fired our driver a few months back and were currently driver-less was another contributory factor.

Yearly running would be 5k kms at max, so petrol made sense. What didn't make sense was the cars price tag. It was insane. Just not worth the price. And the dealer had thrown in a measly 15k discount only just p****d me off. This, at a time when the car wasn't selling at all. Great, just great!
Not only will I get to drive a car which I don't like, it'll be expensive, and depreciate like hell. Why can't dad listen to me just once and get the city. Its so much better, reliable, relatively cheap to maintain, and will have a good resale as well at the end of 5 years when I am sure dad will change it.

A week passes by, and I am in bombay for a few days.

The car was booked at sc ford (we were a repeat customer). We had booked 2 cars, one figo (under company name) and fiesta dct (personal use). The entire deal included the exchange for our getz. The fiesta was promised in 15 days since it was ordered from the factory. The car had arrived early and me, dad, and my brother headed out in our getz to make final payments and do a PDI. I also wanted a few accessories, which we were going to finalize that day.
So, I asked for the price list of accessories and was not given stating some stupid reason. I only wanted one accessory. The armrest. I knew the price for the same on ebay was 8k landing cost. But, the catch here was it would take 2 weeks delivery time (else I will have to pay more for faster delivery). The salesman attending to us quoted 15k for the same. After negotiations, he was not budging from 13k. I asked to see the supervisor. The supervisor says 15k!
I ask them to please arrive at one figure and talk. This kind of double talk doesn't bode well to their reputation. The supervisor refused to budge from 15k. I told dad that if he gives it for 9k, then I am fine, otherwise forget it.

Dad: Fine, cancel the booking.
Supervisor: Sir, I am telling you, this is the official pricelist from ford.
Dad: Yet you refuse to share it with us. Clearly, the fact that I booked 3 cars from you in past year doesn't mean anything to you. I wish to cancel my booking. Either you give us aa reasonable quote or I would like to meet the g.m. of the showroom and talk to him.
Supervisor: Fine. Who am I anyways. Meri "Aukaat" hi kya hai? (What's my value anyways?)

Me to myself: Ouch! This guy just lost our business. He shouldn't have mentioned that word in front of dad without knowing him. (you see, my dad is a self made man. He doesn't believe in this "aukaat" stuff)

Dad (still calm): We are not talking about "aukaat" here. I just want to meet your g.m.

Supervisor (now at top of his voice): Oh yeah. Why? Is it because I don't have 3 cars and you do, you don't want to speak to me? Huh? Huh?

Dad leaves him, while his juniors try to calm him down. We enter the g.m.'s cabin without permission and appraise him of the situation. It turns out the g.m. is out of town and his deputy is sitting in front of us. He apologizes, and brings the situation to control. We tell him that we want a reasonable price on accessories, that's all. The deputy promises us that he'll give a good price below 13k; he just wanted a moment to talk the supervisor. We leave the cabin and wait out, while the deputy, supervisor and salesman are talking inside.

Salesman: Sir, the final price is 15k.

5 mins later, we walk out with our refund.

We book the car at wasan ford chembur, who gave us a 25k discount, and quoted 10k for the armrest. Car was delivered to us exactly 1 week later with 3/4 tank of petrol, 32 psi tyre pressure all round and a home delivery!

Other cars considered:
None actually. I am the only petrolhead at home and nobody listens to me. We usually know which car we want.



Why do I hate this car?
Topmost reason. Price!
At 12.4 lac on road, just not worth it. Sadly, it fits almost all criteria we look out in a car. For other reasons, read on.


So what was your criteria?
1. Petrol
2. A/T
3. Good steering (yeah, we actually look for this in our cars)
4. Good handling (this can be a deal breaker while choosing. We look out for good/neutral handlers)
5. Safety features: airbags, abs is a must. Esp is desirable.
6. Reasonable service costs (not cheap, but not expensive in the range of germans either)


What was not your criteria?
1. Rear leg room. Me and my brother are rarely in town. Only 2 people will be present in the car most of the time
2. Boot
3. Interior quality
4. Resale value (dad does not look at a resale value when buying a car)


So why didn't you buy the civic?
You know what, I will never know this. Would have been my pick.



Likes


1. The steering and handling:
Hands down, beats all its competitors. Wish it could beat its predecessor figo. Steering has to be experienced to believe it. The best EPS till date.

2. Robust build:
Feels like it will remain rattle free. Plastics are hard, but durable. Their quality is equal to the ones used in city (except for the dashboard in the city which feels much better). The boron steel (as ford calls it) takes abuse very well. The paint quality is outstanding. The best I have seen.

3. ORVM's:
Huh??
yup, love it in this car. Love the way the glass becomes extra convex after the dotted line. Love the shape.

4. The gadgetry
Although I didn't think much of it before, I now use all of it. Voice control, cruise control, the bluetooth audio and phone. Makes me feel like I am playing a videogame.

5. Safety features
ABS, ESP, Airbags, Traction control. Also has hill hold function and hill descent control which work flawlessly. Cars designed keeping Europeans in mind are generally more safer. The way they are built, the many small things which we will never come to know, just gives me a better feeling of safety psychologically.

6. The seats and the leather
We have the titanium plus version which gets the awesome leather seats. I love the lateral support a lot, and miss the lumbar support. This version's seat has better under thigh support than all other models in the range. The leather quality is outstanding, better than my expectations.

7. NVH (noise vibration and harshness)
The car was marketed as best NVH in class. Its true. The cabin insulates you from outside world very well.

8. A/C
Best in class. Keeps the cabin cool even in hot humid summers. Just put the auto climate control on and set the temperature. Enjoy a peaceful and cool ride home.



Dislikes

1. The engine and gearbox combo
What! but the reviews all over the net just praise this gearbox. You must be a nut. You must not have driven any other autobox.

Nope. I stand by my words. My reference points: Honda city a/t, cielo a/t, merc c class with 7 speed dsg, toyota cvt gearbox (I forget the car name)
Let me explain. The gearbox had a lot of juddering initially. The shifts for the first 4-5k kms were felt quite prominently. I researched the net world over, and found out that this box has this issue for first few thousand kms after which it settles down. Sure it did settle in my case as well, but still its shifts are not as good as I expect from a dsg gearbox.
Scenario 1: Stop-go traffic
I have driven this car only in stop go traffic of bombay 90% of the time. It is overeager to shift from 1st to 2nd gear. In stop - go conditions, when I don't require a shift to 2nd gear, it still does, and when I brake, it judders while going to 1st gear.

Scenario 2: Heavy traffic but can manage in 2nd-3rd gears
This kind of traffic is encountered on western express highway during peak hours. So I am driving along in 2nd gear. I see a gap. I press the accelerator. Here's what happens:
1. A seconds delay, since this engine has a slight lag (in interests of fuel efficiency)
2. A faint but audible grinding noise of the gearbox.
3. Nice whoosh of power
But wait!
The auto has already taken advantage of the time delay and has moved onto your lane.
BRAKE!
Wait!
The auto's passenger suddenly realizes that he has to take the left service lane to reach his destination. The auto swerves back into its original lane
AHA!
The gap is open. The engine revs are in its torque zone. What better situation can I ask?
Press acclerator!
Judder, judder..
What the?
Whoosh...and the car accelerates nicely to close the gap
This is the scenario most likely to be faced by owners. Yes the gearbox 'grinding noise and judder at low speeds only' is a know issue with this box globally.

Scenario 3: Nice open highway
Ah! Here I am all praises for this car. It outclasses everything else. Smooth shifts, good power (Note: power is good, but the city's vtec is better. The combo of the fiesta is better though in this scenario). The downshifts are reported to be slow by many reviewers. This, you needn't worry about, it's not a bother at all. This is the car's home. If anyone would have asked which car would I pick, no doubts, the fiesta dct!




2. Looks
I hate the looks of this car. The derriere reminds me of my nanny.



3. The armrest
What! Are you nuts? You fought for the damn thing, cancelled your booking at a dealership just to get this thing, and now you say you hate it?
What can I say? I hate it. Quality is downright pathetic. It interferes with handbrake use. But its useful during long drives. Not worth 10k. Scout out for local options (which I didn't do)



4. The nagging
Huh? Man this guy is nuts. I better report this guy to the mods as a nutjob. This is a car, you MORON. It does what you tell it to, it doesn't nag!
Well I'll leave this to the reviewers. But I beg you to hear me out.

Well this car is stuffed with electronics which interfere a lot with the way you want to drive. Let me give you the scenarios

Scenario 1: I am in the mood for some drag race
All right!
Press your foot on the brake, and floor the accelerator..
The revs bulid up.
The revs come down. (Damn you traction control)
Ok ok, so this traction control won't let me do a little launch. I'll teach him. I leave the brakes and floor the accelerator.
After a second's hesitation (which is common in all a/t's) all hell breaks loose. (ooh yeah.. now we're talking)
1st gear upto 6200 rpm..
Jerk (as the gearbox shifts to 2nd)
Into the 2nd gear.. 3000 rpm...4000rpm...4000rpm (there is a seconds hesitation making you feel that the something is preventing the transfer of engine power to the transmission. Hence the feel of nagging)

Scenario 2: The lovely Baroda expressway to ahmedabad
Am at 70 kmph in the leftmost lane @1800 rpm
A truck ahead, I want to overtake.
All clear for overtaking maneuver..check
Press the accelerator (not push down, just a dab)
Downshift (smooth)
Revs at 3000rpm...4000rpm
Upshift (smooth)
Revs at 3000rpm...still at 3000rpm (see the hesitation here)...4000rpm

[Simple_car]

Other salient points

1. The rear legroom is not at all bad as is mentioned in various reviews. Not honda city big, but certainly spacious. The shoulder space is at a premium though.

2. The engineers literally forgot about the rear passengers while doling out the car to indian public. No rear light, no door upholstery, not even silver door accents for the rear passengers.

3. Boot lip is high. Boot size is average at best.

4. The tyre of this car cost 8.5k per piece!

5. The build quality is seriously good.

6. Do note to learn how to place the stephney along with the jack. It very unique in the way its placed. Even the service personnel didn't know how to place it back, when I used the spare. Had to look up another fiesta present there for service and mimic it.

7. The spare is the same size as figo tyre. Its a space saver.

8. The car feels like a gaming console when viewed from the rear seat at night!

9. The headlight unit, although ergonomically placed, is difficult to view from a driver's angle. Had a little trouble in the beginning.

10. The driver side window switches are placed un-ergonomically. Have to bend your hand back. This is the only failure on the ergonomics of the car as far as I have observed

11. The petrol engine is a bit noisy compared to the competition. Not that I am complaining. Nice note!

12. Its highly recommended by me to put rear parking sensors. The design is such that its not possible to have a good view of your back.

13. The rear parking sensors (factory fitted in titanium+) are not painted to body color, and stand out.

14. While reversing, the music system volume does not dip down. Its difficult to hear the sensors. Be sure to cut the music while reversing

15. Factory fitted ICE is one of the best. Most people will not feel the need to upgrade. Me, I'll do so once the car is out of warranty.

16. Standard 2 years warranty. Can be extended for 2 more years. Highly recommended for ford cars. I have taken only one year extended warranty.

17. Ford has introduced AMC packages. Largely beneficial for diesel owners who will do high mileage. For most, they are not worth it.

18. My brother gets scared to drive this car. In his words, "the fuel guage just moves like the tachometer in this car". Real world F.E. for bombay traffic is 8-9 kmpl. Small tank (42 liters) along with low f.e. gives a realistic range of 300kms only. But, f.e. is not a criteria when we buy cars.

19. Highway efficiency should be around 15-16 kmpl realistically. Will give 20 kmpl if driven sedately.

20. At a standstill, if you press the accelerator when the car is in neutral or park, revs are limited to 3000rpm.

21. The A pillar is thick at the bottom edge where it joins with the door and fender; but doesn't feel obtrusive to me. Or is it that I have become a better driver?

22. Doors do not auto lock. This feature is present in the figo

23. The central door lock button is placed just below the hazard light indicator. Seems like ford designers think, it's important to warn others to be careful and not crash into its doors and meet instant death
Yeah, I looove the build.

24. Headlights: a) low beam is by far the best among OEM's. Good throw and visibility.
b) high beam is not bad, but a little disappointing after the ooh so good low beam.

25. The wipers are unique. I have never seen the likes in other cars. They have a button which has to be pressed to remove them. Difficult to find in local shops.

26. This is a question to all fellow new fiesta owners. I have observed that while driving during rains, the windows have a tendency to repel water. Yes, you may say that the air flowing around is causing the effect, but I find the windows quite clear even in traffic when the car is hardly doing any speeds. Sure there are water droplets, but they are not intrusive while trying to see the ORVM's. Not that I am complaining, in fact it's very helpful to me since I can see the ORVM's very clearly. Any fellow owners experienced the same?

Service and niggles

The car has completed 10k kms till date in a year. Yeah, we used it a lot than intended this year. Will revert back to 3-4k kms a year from now on.

1st service:
General check up. No problems. There is a noise which does come intermittently while going over potholes, but so far I have had no success replicating it in front of S.A.'s

Mom managed to tear the sidewall of one of the tyres while negotiating a curb. The goodyear nct5's which come stock with this car are imported and cost 8.5k per piece. Replaced all four with michelin primacy lc. The goodyears were good. I wouldn't advise for upgrade. It was my mother's fault.



2nd service:
1. Dad had manged to bang the car's driver door, when he accidentally opened it without looking at a busy street, resulting in an speeding auto colliding with the door head on. Was impressed with the impact taken by the door. Replaced it even though it was possible to get it repaired via denting. Cost including paint and labor was 15k. Wasan did a commendable job, and delivered car back in 3 days. We didn't claim insurance.
2. Got the 2nd free service done while the door was replaced. Cost: 1600 Rs. (1400 if you remove the consumables). I also got the air filter replaced, although it is not recommended by the company.
3. Windshield beading of left side came out. Replaced under warranty.
4. Noticed that the left side headlight was fogging, after car came from service. Immediately called up S.A.. Car taken by me next day itself to show them. They tried high and low to find out if I had an accident. Replaced under warranty. They never gave me the bill though (I knew they wouldn't. Cause was a hairline crack due to pressure wash. Their own fault)




3rd time service center visit:
Mom banged and crushed the left ORVM in such a way that it couldn't be fitted back. Replaced. Cost 8k (its 5-6k for the non electric folding ones).

Overall I was happy with wasan service.
.
.
.

Until recently.



4th time service center visit & Technical Service Bulletin:

I am a bhpian. I strive to make sure my cars are perfect mechanically. So this 'gearbox grinding and juddering issues at LOW SPEEDS only' issue was bothering me a lot. I researched, read everything on the net. Ended searching 50-60 pages on google (whew!), and read everything there was to know about the gearbox posted on the internet. Found out that this issue is indeed recognized by ford, and they had issued a technical service bulletin (TSB from now on) sometime in april-may 2013, for fixing this issue. It was a ecu software (is my terminology right?) tweak similar to the figo stalling issue solution.
BUT, it was only offered to customers if they complained about it. Not voluntary. So I wrote a mail to customer care ford, and requested them for the TSB here in India. Remember, my car was manufactured in 2012, and the TSB was 2013 dated. They replied back to me and agreed to the TSB. I requested for Wasan service center (since I had good experience with them), and spoke to their service head Mr. Nilesh, who confirmed an appointment to get it done.
I was out of town during all these interactions. I co-ordinated with my brother and mom, and sent the car for service. They took an extra day than promised, since they were finding it difficult to update the ECU. The car was returned, but I couldn't check whether the update was done or not for atleast 2 weeks. No follow up calls from the center only made me more suspicious. No follow up from ford either.

Surprise, surprise They hadn't done anything. The problem still persists. It has increased slightly infact, but that can be because the car wasn't used for 2 weeks. I have left it at this for now, since I will have to sit on their heads for me to resolve the matter. Will take it up during next service.


What if I am a concertmaster at an orchestra?
No, then this car is not for you. The engine and gearbox are simply not in harmony. There is interference in the way I am just not being able to define. That's why my comparison to my belated nanny. It's always interfering and trying to protect me from doing what I want.

Should I just buy the Honda City A/T then?
My review sounding a bit harsh? Is the combo as bad as I am portraying?
I have already written how the car behaves in different scenarios. It's possible that the TSB update may solve the 'gearbox judder and grinding noise at low speeds only' I am so irritated with.
All I request you is to take an extensive test drive of the car in stop-go traffic and scenarios you are most likely to face everyday and only then take a call. I did not have the opportunity to take any test drive of other cars.
If you really want to enjoy this car, then its the highway drives you should look at. It's simply sublime and at home. Drive it hard and it will put a smile on your face like none other.
For the city drives, I was a lot more comfortable with the city. Or may be it's the case of me expecting a lot more from Fiesta?
Please also note, I have heard that the VW twins (vento and rapid A/T's) are also very good in city drive scenario. Do a thorough test drive.
I may change my opinion after the TSB. But as on date, these are how things stand. By the way, this is my preferred car whenever I drive. I like it a lot. Just wish the judder issue was solved.
.
.
.
.
Why ford, WHY?

[Simple_car]

Am attaching a few interesting pics taken by me at the wasan showroom at chembur giving a comparo of price of spares. Please excuse me for the poor quality pics; The showroom is cramped, and little light filters through.








And here is the car (pics from the phone cam. It's the only cam I own)

1. The console


2. The cockpit (notice how lit up it is)


3. The passenger cabin (Do I hear a owl hooting somewhere?)


4. The derriere


5. The front



6. The gearbox


7. The ORVM (love the shape)

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!

[Batfreak]

Many congrats on the buy! You are going to love the car more and more as every day passes by. The things you mention about the gearbox come as a real shocker. I too, like you have said, only heard praise about the DSG. Wish you many happy miles!
Cheers!

[allajunaki]

I guess You could have lived with the Niggles better if they had an override option, or tiptronic mode. Agreed that it would take away some of the convenience offered by the auto, but then again you don't have to deal with the clutch (I drive a diesel vento, my left leg looks like it is the only one who has been to the gym).
I'm surprised that they did not address the enthusiasts market, especially since Fords are such exceptional handlers. The DCT could have done with an S mode and paddles (or even basic tiptronic) modes. The 1.5L may not have the creds of old 1.6L Duratec, but if the gearbox was brilliant, then shortcomings of the engine can easily be disguised.
The interiors look brilliant, but the derire of the car is a bit off.

[phamilyman]

Interesting. My friend was able to wangle a 6.5L ex-showroom price for his Skoda Rapid A/T (City was 9.5 ex-showroom) - I am still surprised about your folks going in for the DCT. That said, entertaining review. TFS

[thesilentone]

One hell of a way to review a car. The review literally had me in splits. Congrats and try to have a great time with the car.

[audioholic]

Congrats and nice write up! The car is really a good choice in its segment and can even manage to give the Honda city a good run with its state of the art transmission system. Given that Ford offers extended warranty on the transmission, this will be a hassle free experience for sure. Definitely a deserving car which needs to sell more, given the overall package.

The spare part comparison is cleverly laid out. However, front brake pads for the SX4 cost 1600 and not 2700 as said. So is the price of the compressor, which is wrongly stated at 27k. It is lesser than 20k. Also they have compared spares individually in each case. Where the Fluidic Vernas spare is cheaper, they have omitted that in the comparison. Moreover no mention of child parts that are available with MSIL(One need not replace entire starter, alternator etc).

[d_himan]

Honest feedback, rare and much appreciated!

So, the same transmission flaws in stop-and-go traffic would be present in the Ecosport as well...

Incidentally, I usually shift to second gear in stop-and-go traffic in my Honda AT. Prevents wear and tear of the transmissions due to the frequent 1-2-1 pattern.

[samarth.bhatia]

Crisp, honest, and hilarious. Loved it!

Are the footwell lights in the front factory fitted? When do they turn on? With doors open or with the parking lights?

Could you please put up some close up shots of the dashboard and console lights at night? I really like the "video-game" theme you spoke of.

Congratulations!

Cheers and drive safe.
Sam

[Simple_car]

Originally Posted by Batfreak

The things you mention about the gearbox come as a real shocker. I too, like you have said, only heard praise about the DSG.

Thank you sir. I will clarify one thing here. The gearbox is good. In fact no one else who drives this car has any issues at all. They don't notice the gearbox judder or grinding noise. I am the only one who finds it an irritant. The fact that ford has recognized the issue only makes it worse. That said, I am little obsessive about my rides.

Originally Posted by allajunaki

I'm surprised that they did not address the enthusiasts market, especially since Fords are such exceptional handlers. The DCT could have done with an S mode and paddles (or even basic tiptronic) modes.

Completely agree. If they had provided with a sport mode, I would have been happier. Good to see that the ecosport is coming fitted with sport mode.

Originally Posted by phamilyman

My friend was able to wangle a 6.5L ex-showroom price for his Skoda Rapid A/T (City was 9.5 ex-showroom) - I am still surprised about your folks going in for the DCT.

Thank you for your kind words sir. Good to see that your friend could extract the maximum from the dealer. Every car in my family, has a very interesting story behind how it was purchased. Here is a link to another of my family's car: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...let-spark.html

Originally Posted by thesilentone

Congrats and try to have a great time with the car.

Thank you very much sir. I really like this car a lot. Just the gearbox issue is a bother. Rest of the shortcomings, I am willing to live with.

Originally Posted by audioholic

The spare part comparison is cleverly laid out. However, front brake pads for the SX4 cost 1600 and not 2700 as said. So is the price of the compressor, which is wrongly stated at 27k. It is lesser than 20k. Also they have compared spares individually in each case. Where the Fluidic Vernas spare is cheaper, they have omitted that in the comparison. Moreover no mention of child parts that are available with MSIL(One need not replace entire starter, alternator etc).

Thank you very much sir. Glad you liked my style of writing. With regard to the prices, yes they are cleverly laid out. That's why I said 'interesting' pics. I knew there was a catch and they must not have been honest. That said, the overall price of parts are reasonable. Not cheap, but competitive.

Originally Posted by d_himan

So, the same transmission flaws in stop-and-go traffic would be present in the Ecosport as well...

Well, that will be seen from the ownership reports only. That said, the ecosports should theoretically come updated with the TSB.

Thanks for your kind words.

Originally Posted by samarth.bhatia

Are the footwell lights in the front factory fitted? When do they turn on? With doors open or with the parking lights?

Thank you very much sir. The footwell lights are factory fitted. They come on when the doors open and stay on till you start the car OR will dim if you lock the car from inside OR will dim on their own after some time if you don't do anything.
I am out of town for the moment, will post the pics you requested for as soon as I get back.

Thanks everybody,

Simple_car

[abirnale]

Thanks for posting an honest review Simple_car! Once we buy the car, very few tell about what you don't like in it with as much honesty as you did. We actually learn to love the way things are and defend as well

I just noticed the price comparisons for the brake systems with other cars. I am not sure when these figures are from - meaning timeframe. Just two weeks ago I replaced the break pads of my SX4 along with new wiper (the driver side, longer one). The total cost + labour + taxes all inclusive bill came as 2650. See attached image. This was in July first week of this year.

[bsdbsd]

Originally Posted by d_himan

Honest feedback, rare and much appreciated!

So, the same transmission flaws in stop-and-go traffic would be present in the Ecosport as well...

Incidentally, I usually shift to second gear in stop-and-go traffic in my Honda AT. Prevents wear and tear of the transmissions due to the frequent 1-2-1 pattern.

Not really required - as the gears (auto) change as per speed. The box itself does 1-2-1 pattern unless you display a trend in speed increase. Just put it in 'D' and forget about it. Why work harder?

[Maverick5490]

Congratulations on the Nanny - Simple Car, must say you have joined very recently and already are all over the forum with your interesting threads. You sure have a knack for writing, wish you many many safe miles!