[Porschefire]

LIVE TO DRIVE, DRIVE TO LIVE

A simple tagline, made famous by our very own – TBhp.
And, I live by this tagline.
Honest.

I've seen a lot of ups and downs in my life but the only thing that has been constant ever since I was a little kid has been CARS & BIKES. A couple of ‘Hot Wheels’ cars were all it took my parents to keep me happy and content. Even today if you ask the one thing that defines me, I'll say its my love for automobiles. And this, I've got from my dad. He’s always been a petrolhead showing pure passion for every set of wheels, be it 2 or 4 that he’s owned. Whatever I am today, I owe it all to him.

OMNI SAGA

My childhood memory of travelling in a car was in my dad’s friend’s Ambassador. What a delight it was. I’d always insist on sitting in the front seat and would not get into the car unless I was given the right to do so. Spacious for 6 adults, the Ambassador was the epitome of luxury and a revelation in its time. I always hoped dad would buy a white Ambassador. Soon enough, he did buy a car for the family.

Our first car was a Maruti Omni which we bought home in 1992. It was not the Ambassador as I’d dreamt but it didn’t matter. It was blue, it was big, it had 4 wheels and the best part was that I could sit at the front without having to fight with dad. It was MY CAR, period! We traveled the length and breadth of South India in it. Supremely comfortable, reliable, fuel efficient and my god, it could carry the entire house it its boot! It went on to serve us extremely well for the next 17 years. During its course, it did about 98000kms. Very less considering the time that we had it, but trust me it had seen everything from a perfectly tarred road to literally a mountain. Though he has never told me, I know for a fact that the Omni was and is by far, dad’s favorite set of wheels till today. It was a special car for me as well as I learnt driving in it when I was merely 10 years old! I could see tears in his eyes when we finally sold it in 2009. 17 years of eternal bliss.

ENTER THE GETZ

After I finished my schooling, we moved to Bangalore. I got my first set of wheels when my parents bought me an Activa in 2002 and then a Pulsar 180 DTS-i in 2004. The whole of my college life were spent on these two vehicles. Ever since we moved to Bangalore, the evil desire in me started to grow. I hated the fact that we owned an Omni which was basically a bread box on wheels while everyone else in my family used to roam around in Matiz, Zen, Indica, Cielo and what not. I never drove the Omni in Bangalore. Why? Because I was ashamed to be seen driving it (days of immaturity you see). I did not want to drive a car that did not have a bonnet (what a silly reason that was, really!)

Finally in 2007, I completed my Engineering and landed myself a job. The pay was below average, but was I proud that I was earning now! And now was the perfect time to pester dad to buy a new car. After days, months and years of pestering, he finally relented.
Swift was the hot favorite car back then and we decided to buy it. Got the quotation for the VXI, decided on the finances and were ready to book the car. But destiny had other plans for us.

One fine day, while going somewhere, my parents happened to pass a Hyundai showroom and decided to give it a visit. The hot favorites from the Hyundai stable were the newly launched i10 and i20. Dad did not like the i10 and the i20 was out of our budget. However, in a corner was a familiar but not so familiar car. Dad had seen the car on road but did not know which car it was. The sales rep told it was the Getz. He checked it out and liked it. He immediately called me and asked what I thought about the Getz. Now, I was besotted with the Swift and that was the only thing that was running in my mind. However, when he mentioned the Getz, I just forgot about the Swift and said yes without batting an eyelid. It was an instantaneous reaction and even today it surprises me as to how I chose the Getz over the Swift!

Sure, the Swift was the king of the B+ segment but it was the Getz which introduced the segment in India in the first place. Had it not been for the Swift, the Getz would’ve fared much better than how it did. But that’s a different story altogether. For us though, it was a lot roomier, had a bigger boot space and more importantly, the Getz 1.3 was significantly cheaper that the Swift VXi. Dad, mom and I were in sync with the decision and booked the Getz 1.1GVS. We got the car home on 31 March 2009.

Although the EMI for the car was eating up half of my salary, I’d never been this happy in my entire life! We had bought a car of my choice in the color that I love – RED! Boy, what a feeling it was to travel in a truly modern car which had Air Conditioning, seat belts, bucket seats and a bonnet (LOL)! Add to the fact that I was the first person in my batch to buy a car with his/her own salary! It gave me a sense of pride every time I drove it and was my little achievement in life. Hyundai discontinued the Getz shortly after me buying it but that did not disappoint me one bit. Yes, the Swift was the car of my dreams but I had fallen in love with the Getz now and nothing else mattered. The ride quality was soft but mature and gave it a big car feel. The steering was precise and had a certain weight to it (HPS unit). The engine borrowed from the Santro was quite peppy within the city but lackluster on the highway. The reason for me buying the 1.1 over the 1.3 apart from the price was the fuel efficiency. The 1.3 was notorious for returning low FE. However the FE in my car was nothing to write home about. 11 kmpl within the city and 14-15 kmpl on the highway were certainly not great by any means. Hyundai tried to improve the FE by plonking the smaller engine but goofed up more as the engine just couldn’t handle the weight of the car. Nevertheless, these little things did not matter and I was very happy with my little car.

The Getzy was with us for about 5 and half years and had covered 60250kms. The only regret that I will have is that I could not see her for one last time and thank her for her unconditional love and service for our family before she parted ways, as I was not in India at the time we sold it. I would’ve not sold it if I could afford owning two cars. KA05 MG 3719 will always, always be special to me and will be missed.

This is how she looked just before leaving us -

THE 5 YEAR ITCH

Getz, like our Omni never gave us any serious problems apart from a tire change at 35000kms and front suspension replacement at 55000kms. Over a period of time, I improved my driving skills quite a bit and could understand the aspects like ride quality, handling, power delivery etc. in a better way. The car was aging well and could go on for another 3-4 years easily! But the 5 year itch had already started. Mind you, I still loved the Getz deeply and had no plans of replacing it but one corner of my heart had already started to look for an upgrade. I’d eagerly wait for the TBhp reviews and would go through countless ownership reviews, even during the office hours!

DECISIONS

Although the Getz ownership was niggle free, there were some points that were prompting me to upgrade –

- Since money was a constraint at that time, had to settle for the 1.1. It was under powered and not very fuel efficient.
- Lack of any safety features apart from seat belts!
- Though the ride was plush and stable at speeds, it was boring to drive.
- Lack of essential features in this day and age. Cannot blame the car though as it was introduced a generation earlier.
- Hyundai service cost was not very reasonable. Was shelling out 5-7k per service. Spent about 30k during the 30k kms service and another 30k when the suspension was replaced.
- The 5 year itch had already started.

Never in any serious plans of buying a car, I laid out a few must have points for the upgrade –

- Must be top of the line trim with ABS and 2 Airbags as the minimum safety requirements. Build quality (inside-out) must be good.
- Must be a driver's car be it petrol or diesel. Though I'm a sedate driver, I want the ride and handling to be sporty and the engine must have decent poke.
- Decent A*S*S.
- Must have the basic features that are offered in the top end trim these days. Anything over it will be happily taken.
- Must seat 4 in comfort while accommodating the occasional 5th passenger.
- Decent boot space.
- Prefer clean lines to the fluidic, kinetic and curvy designs. Not a deal breaker though.
- Budget - 8L for a Diesel hatchback and 10L for a Petrol sedan.
- Compact sedans not preferred but if something meets all the other 8 requirements, will consider.

The decision to buy a new car was taken when my dad’s colleague showed interest to buy our Getz. He was offering a price that was close to our expectation. We took some time and finally decided to go ahead. As I’ve mentioned before, we were considering both hatchback and a sedan. Though the decision to upgrade was taken last month, I had started the car hunt last year. The list of cars that I considered is as follows –

Fiat Punto 90HP
Maruti Suzuki Swift ZDI
Hyundai i20 Asta CRDI
VW Polo GT TSI
Fiat Linea Emotion TJet
Maruti Suzuki Ciaz ZXI+
Hyundai Verna 1.6 SX(o)
VW Vento TDI
Skoda Rapid TDI
Honda City
Ford Ecosport

I’ve driven the Swift, Vento, Ecosport and the Polo before but never really took test drives of any of these cars as such. I was very clear on my requirements and completely trusted the TBhp reviews. The cars that were shortlisted were Polo GT TSI, Punto 90HP, Vento TDI, Linea TJet, City, Ecosport and Ciaz.

The Polo GT TSI was out because dad did not want an automatic. As per him, automatics are meant for those who don't know how to drive (sorry no offence meant to anyone here!). How I wish I could make him understand what the GT TSI was! Also, the space inside was less than my Getz so it was out in my list as well.

The Vento was vetoed by dad because of the poor A*S*S and perceived high maintenance.

The Punto and the Linea were out of my list after looking at facelifts. Gosh, what’s with these manufacturers’ fetish with chrome! FIAT ruined both their perfect looking cars with the facelift IMO. I did not take a test drive of both the cars because I had zeroed in on the Fiesta and didn't want either of the cars to create confusion in my mind.

Going by the initial pictures, I was interested in the Ciaz. I liked the Baleno+Civic looks and thought it looked perfectly balanced with those 16inch wheels. However, once the review was out, it turned out to be another mediocre attempt by Maruti. The dimensions, comfort, features were all there but what’s the use when you have a lackluster petrol engine under the hood. I did not want another car which was dull to drive. The top end diesel would be out of my budget.

Ecosport was a hot favorite with dad. He liked the butch looks and his face used to light up every time I mentioned ‘Ecosport’. However, I was not sure. I did like the looks but didn't like the fact that it was trying to be an SUV when it clearly wasn't. If I was buying it, I wanted it with the Ecoboost engine option but the dealer quoted a waiting period of 8 months which seriously put me off. He was trying to sell us the 1.5 TDCI whose Titanium+ was 12.75 on road which was out of my budget. Convinced dad against it and thus it was out.

The City just didn’t strike a chord with dad and me and was out even without consideration.

The Ford Fiesta was never in consideration. When the news was out that Ford was launching the 2014 Fiesta, I was not impressed at all. The earlier Fiesta was a market dud and I wasn't sure how the new one could resurrect the ‘Fiesta’ brand again. I did see the initial pictures of the new Fiesta but never really ‘noticed’ it. It was just there to be seen, I saw and I just left it at that. Soon enough, the Tbhp review was out and that made me sit up and take notice of the new ‘2014 Ford Fiesta’. The review was mind blowing and everything that was said was in favor of the car. They had cut down the prices significantly and the top end Titanium was 11lacs OTR at the time of launch here in Bangalore, which made it serious value for money. I read the review ‘n’ number of times and was impressed with everything that was said about the car. Took a test drive when I was in town and had these points (which I've posted elsewhere in the forum) –

- The car looks absolutely gorgeous inside out. The Aston Martin-esq grill is the USP of the car. Alloys look good in person. The rear, though light years better than the old Fiesta, is still plain when compared to the front.

- Build quality is top notch. Dad and me test drove the Duster just before testing the Fiesta. The doors felt flimsy on the Duster and the dash was rattling. But when we sat inside the Fiesta, everything was leagues ahead. The 'thud' was prominent enough to get a smile on my face.

- Drivability is good. Noticeable turbo-lag below 2000 rpm though. There was a moment when on an incline I had to down-shift to 3rd from 4th and had to wait for quite some time for the power to come in. However, once in turbo zone, it’s a hoot to drive! The steering was super light within the city. Have to test whether it'll add some weight while on the highway.

- The ride was firm but not uncomfortable. Couldn't test the firmness since the drive was on a 2km stretch with no potholes whatsoever.

- Interiors are nice and feature rich. The steering wheel is nice to hold. Loved the positioning of the A-B-C pedals and the dead pedal too. Not a great fan of the interior design though. Too many buttons - Nokia 6600esq. I prefer the Polo/Vento interiors any day. The fuel gauge was hidden from my direct view and the power window buttons are too far behind. Ergonomically, not very good.

- I am 6'0 and the seat adjusted to my driving position, I could sit behind comfortably without my knees touching the front seat. The rear scooped out area on the front seat definitely gives that bit more space. My dad, who's a bit shorter than me was comfortable. However, space is for sure at a premium when compared to the likes of the City/Scala/Sunny and honestly, doesn't feel that bigger than our Getz. Also, the 5th passenger will definitely be uncomfortable over long distances.

-The boot is pretty big and enough for our needs.

-Only two colors on offer as of now - Grey and white. The dealer said the other colors will be available after October. We want the paprika red if and when we'll book it.

Impressed with the test drive, dad and I decided that the new Ford Fiesta will be our upgrade. Although the Titanium was more that my budget, the overall package made me extend it. After all, it would not make a significant increase in the monthly EMI that I’d be paying for 10L sedan.

[Porschefire]

FAST FORD

The key to Happyness!

Likes

- Aston Martin face = Lots and Lots of curious stares while driving. Clearly, one of the USP of the car. Give it loads of character. A refreshing design overall.
- Solid build quality inside out. Paint quality is immaculate and the quality of the interiors is very good.
- Supremely comfortable front seats. Lateral support is brilliant. For me, the best driver seat that I've sat in, till date.
- Ride and handling on the sportier side. A wide grin on the face is assured while driving through the twisties.
- Loads of features to keep me happy. Bluetooth connectivity is a boon. Wish the system could read messages as well. MID offers sufficient data.

Dislikes

- Space. Although, it was not a deal breaker for me, it is cramped on the inside when compared to its rivals.
- Ergonomic mistakes like the driver side power window buttons placed too far behind, exposed metal hinges on the center armrest which is an eyesore and re-circulation mode for the AC has to be selected every time you switch on the car.
- Lack of a petrol option. Fiesta with the Ecoboost would’ve been lovely and I’d have chosen this over the diesel.
- No electric blue color option for India. This was a bummer for me! How could you do this, Ford!!??
- Biggest of them all is the step motherly treatment towards the new Fiesta when it comes to marketing and sales.

Dealer Experience and Delivery

Note: I was not in the country during the booking process and the experience that I am penning down is solely based on the numerous phone calls I had with my dad and Mr Divyakumar, our sales rep.

The Color Dilemma

Once the decision was taken to purchase the Fiesta, we enquired in a couple of showrooms for the on-road prices and since the price difference were negligible, we decided to book the car at Lathangi Motors as it was closer to our place. The sales rep as I’ve mentioned earlier was Mr Divyakumar, an energetic chap who was always cheerful and open to any amount of questions that my dad was throwing at him. There were only two colors on offer – White and Grey. Now this was a bit of a bummer since the brochure and the website says ‘6 colors on offer’. It was fine by me though, I was interested in the grey. It was as close as I could get to own an Aston Martin ‘clone’, well atleast from the face point of view.




However, dad wasn’t very impressed with the color citing the reason that there were 4 other grey cars in our street and he wanted our car to ‘stand out’ amongst the crowd. I was like ‘jeez, dad..give it a break’, but, you see friends, I’ve realized over the years that I can never ever win an argument with my dad so I did not bother continuing it. We were getting the car of my choice and it didn’t matter to me in which color it came (now I feel it was the right decision to let dad choose the color!). Silver and golden bronze were out of the question as Divya plainly refused to deliver them anytime soon and we were not interested in either. I’d have loved if the electric blue was available and would’ve bought it without batting an eyelid. Too bad it’s not offered for India. Black was looking dicey as Divya wasn’t sure if he could procure it in time. Paprika red though, was available.

Since I was not in town, dad went ahead and booked a Paprika Red Fiesta by paying the booking amount of INR 50k on 28th Sept with the delivery promised within 21st Oct. On the very same day, someone posted a picture of a black Fiesta in the forum. It looked mind-blowingly good and I asked dad if we could change the color to black. He agreed and informed Divya to change the booking to black.

The “agonizing” wait started but thankfully it wasn’t very long! Couple of weeks later, dad got a call from the dealer that a paprika red was available and if we'd be interested. Now, dad and I had just the black in mind so we decided to stick to it. However, they refused to deliver a black Fiesta anytime soon citing the reason that Ford had currently stopped the production of black and would commence the production only in Jan 2015! We knew this wasn't true but decided to go ahead with the red as my dad's colleague would pick up our Getz soon and we did not want to be without a car after that for long.

The paprika red reached the dealer’s stock yard during the 3rd week of Oct. All we had to do was to get the finances in place and take the delivery. We were elated with the quick response from the dealer. I requested for the VIN number and asked my friend to perform a PDI before delivery. Armed with the Team BHP PDI checklist, he went and confirmed it was a Sept 2014 make and as per him, ticked all the right boxes. He gave thumbs up for the delivery and I asked dad to proceed with the formalities.

Finances

The dealer had tie ups with ICICI Bank and HDFC and the interest rates of both the banks were similar at 10.5% floating with the tenure upto 7 years. Our Getz was purchased through SBM and when dad went there to close the existing loan, he enquired if they would provide another car loan. They were more than happy to provide the loan for the Fiesta and the best part was since we were in no way defaulters on the previous loan, the documentation asked was next to nil. This made my dad happy and we decided to go ahead with SBM. Interest at 10.5% floating for 7 years. We got the insurance done from National Insurance as we were getting the NCB passed on from the Getz to the Fiesta. All the formalities were completed by 23rd Oct and we decided to bring the car home the next day.

Delivery

The 2014 Ford Fiesta Titanium TDCi was delivered to us on 24th Oct, the OTR price in Bangalore being INR 11.76L. 24th being a holiday in Bangalore, it was just my parents, I and a few of Lathangi staff present at the showroom. Delivery was smooth and met most of the expectations. The whole process took us about an hour. The dealer offered 10k worth of accessories free as a Diwali offer. We selected the following –
Car Cover
Scuff Plates
Sporty Pedals (yet to be delivered)
Front Centre arm rest (In stock – to be procured from the factory and fitted)

3M Teflon coating was also offered but I decided to head to 3M Car care instead for the paint protection and under chassis coating programs.

Being happy and satisfied customers, we distributed sweets to the staff and gifted a watch to Divya. I highly recommend Lathangi Motors and Mr Divyakumar to anyone who's interested in buying a Ford.


Dad and Mom receiving the keys from Mr Divyakumar

The Ride

Exteriors

- I’ll not say that the Fiesta is the prettiest thing out there but I can certainly vouch that it is interesting and fresh. Maybe because we do not get to see a lot of them on the roads so when you do find one, you sit up and take notice.

- The Aston Martin inspired grill is certainly the USP of the car and it has turned quite a lot of heads! I feel this is one of the best design integration we have seen over the years. It is outright aggressive and in your face while have that certain flair and elegance. I just love the front end.

- The bonnet has that power bulge which makes the car look sporty when viewed head on. The windscreen washers should’ve been hidden from the view though.

- When viewed from the side, it has a cab forward stance, ‘motion while stationary’ theme going on. It looks planted with those flared wheel arches. Not a lot of creases and cuts thankfully. However, I’m not a huge fan of the side view. I’d have preferred if it was a little sleeker in design. The designers have tried to minimize the bulk at the rear but it still looks rather bulky when viewed from the rear ¾ angle.

- The front door handles are of the grap-pull type and the front doors get a request sensor as well. Simply put, keep the key fob in your pocket, walk up to the car, press the sensor and lo, the car is unlocked. Dad though, was a little worried about this feature. His question was,’ what if the key is somewhere near the car and someone unlocks the car? Isn’t it not safe?’. Divya and I tried to explain to him that it doesn’t work beyond a certain range (which is not a lot) but he wasn’t convinced and is still not convinced! The boot also has a request sensor.

- The rear, while plain in comparison to the front, looks beefy and muscular. A couple of simple changes like extending the tail lamps more outwards and a mock diffuser below, the Ford design team has transformed it into a pretty looking derriere. The rear mud flaps have a funky design that I like.

- Thankfully, the chrome indulgence is kept at a minimum and is tastefully inserted both at the front and the rear making the car look premium. The chrome strip on the window line goes well with the paprika red.

- The OVRM’s are electrically adjustable and foldable. It’s sort of a party piece for me as they open outwards when you unlock the car and move inwards when you lock it. The puddle lamps which are placed below the OVRMs are very useful especially when the car is parked in dark spots. They light up quite a bit of the ground below.

- There was a mixed response for the design of the alloy wheels but I like it. It would’ve been better if they were 16in in the same design. The rear looks a tad under tired thanks to the bulk of the rear bumper when viewed from the side.

- Build quality is top notch. The panel gaps are tight in most parts with only the boot having an uneven gap compared to the rest of the car. Paint quality is superb and the paprika red shines under the sun while turning a deeper shade as the light fades.

- The headlight throw is very good. It was put to good test when I had to leave to Mysore at 10pm on one occasion. It lights up the road very well especially when the fog lamps are on. High beam is also strong enough to light up to a distance. An upgrade definitely is not required.

- On another occasion, while driving through a broken stretch of road in the city, the front lip touched the tarmac a couple of times!!! The front overhang is a bit too long IMO and care has to be taken while you are coming down a slope or negotiating big potholes.

- I’ve also managed to scrape the underbelly once on a speed breaker. But that might be because the car was fully loaded with 5 adults and a couple of suitcases in the boot. Bangalore speed breakers are the culprit in this one!

Interiors

- If you’ve been inside an Ecosport then you can relate to the interiors of the Fiesta, the only change being the color palettes used.

- Open the door and you are greeted by this funky and futuristic looking dashboard whose design is not quite to my taste. I prefer the more sober looking dashboard as in the Vento/Rapid. But hey, it’s not so bad and I’m not complaining.

- The doors require some effort to pull and close with that reassuring ‘thud’.

- The interior is adorned with beige and is light and airy while creating a sense of space (atleast at the front).

- The quality of the dashboard is excellent for most part. The top of the dash is soft to touch and the buttons, stalks exude quality. The steering wheel is leather wrapped and feels awesome to hold. The ergonomics are spot on and all the controls feel nicely to the hand without having to stretch. The same can’t be said about the lower part of the dash though. Hard plastics adorn the area with quite a few rough edges. However, the entire dashboard is certainly built to last.

- The front driver side door houses the power window switches and OVRM control. The window switches though, are placed too far behind and you’ve to get into a weird position to control the windows. This is clearly an ergonomic failure. It’s mostly hard plastics on the door pad with fabric provided only on the area where you rest your hand.

- A lot has been said about the front seats and everything is true! The seats literally hug you and keep you in place. You sink into the seat rather than sit on it. My mom felt that she was sitting inside a hole! However, I’ve still not found my ideal driving position. It’s because the seat has immense travel, height and seat back angle adjustments. Guess I’ll have to do a lot of permutation-combinations before I get that perfect position. Also, the under thigh support could’ve a tad bit better.

- The gear lever is nice to hold and falls perfectly on the hand. A center arm rest is missed though I will be getting it fitted through the dealer in some time.

- AC is a chiller and the climate control works well. Since it was mostly cool in Bangalore, couldn’t test its efficiency. One annoying thing is the recirculation mode switches off everytime you switch off the car and it has to be selected again when you switch on the car. In the review, Vid mentioned that this was the case with Ecosport and that they’ve rectified the problem in the Fiesta. Well, it’s not. The problem persists.

- Coming to the space inside the cabin, it’s adequate for my needs. It’s not spacious by any means. I’ll say it’s a tad bigger than our Getz. My dad and my BIL are almost 6 ft and they had no problems sitting one behind the other. But yes, that extra bit of space to stretch your legs is not available at the back if you are 6ft and above.

- The center arm rest at the back with its exposed hinges is definitely an eye sore. It always pricks my heart when I see it. How could they not cover the part when they came up with the upgrade? Guess they were too lazy to spend any time on it. Since, I’m driving most of the times, it’s hidden from my view and I pretend to ignore it.

- The boot space is sufficient for a weekend’s worth of luggage for 4. Again, it’s not the best in class but it is definitely a lot lot bigger than our Getz and I’m happy with it.

- Overall, the quality of materials used is very good. I’ll not say it’s the best, but since my previous car was almost two generations old, I’ll say the quality in the Fiesta is immaculate.

- NVH levels are good. At slow speeds, you will know that it’s a diesel you are driving as some engine noise creeps through the cabin but it isn’t so much that might irritate the occupants. On the highway, it’s barely audible. No vibrations from the engine and in the first month of ownership, no rattles or squeals either.

Drive

- It’s been over a month since we got the car and I managed to cover exactly 999kms on the odo before I had to travel on work again.

- This is my first diesel car and it took some time for me to get adjusted. But once I got the hang of the power delivery (which didn't take long) it was pure bliss!

- The first gear is rather short and you have to shift to second to get going. 2nd and 3rd are pure fun. The gearshift is not as precise as the Vento and feels a tad rubbery in comparison. Once past 1500rpm, the car pulls with much eagerness and is exciting after having driven lackluster 1.1L petrol for 5 yrs.

- However, there is no 'throw you back in your seat' kind of power surge yet, as I had experienced in the Swift and the Vista. Power comes in a linear manner. I’ll reserve this comment of mine for now as I’m sure that as I clock miles, the engine will surely open up and the power surge will be prominent enough to bring a smile on my face. Case in point being my friend’s Vento which I had driven when it was new and felt ridiculously underpowered. I drove it again after she’d clocks some miles in it and boy-oh-boy, it had transformed itself into a rocketship!!!

- The clutch is super light for a diesel and the travel is satisfactory. Brakes are adequate but I did not get an opportunity to really test them so I’ll reserve my comments for now.

- The ride is stiff, but not bone-breaking. Ford engineers have managed to find that perfect balance between handling and comfort. One can actually feel how tight the whole chassis-body-suspension package is, while taking a corner. Rides absolutely flat. On the NICE road entry from Mysore road, after the toll booth, there is a long-ish left corner which goes upwards. It is sort of like the ‘Corkscrew’ at Laguna Seca, only difference being you go up the corner rather than come down. I tried to take the corner flat out and boy was I impressed with the handling!!! The car rode absolutely flat, no body roll, no twitching and twirling and enough feedback from the steering! I was grinning from ear-to-ear. But I do have to point out that tires are not upto the task of spirited driving. They let go even before the chassis does. An upgrade is surely recommended.

- Do I need to say anything about the steering!? It’s light at crawling speeds and weighs up very nicely. My Getz had a very nice HPS unit and this one betters that! The responses are super quick. Point where you want it to go and it goes there in a jiffy! No drama, no hesitation whatsoever.

- The fuel efficiency was hovering at the 16-17kmpl mark for the entire 999kms that I drove her which included 70% city and 30% highway. I’m thinking the highway figure should improve after the first service. I’ve been using Shell Diesel.

- The response from the showroom during the delivery was very good and I hope that they do not disappoint in the after sales. The car will be going for its first service next month and will comment on the A*S*S then.

Closing Thoughts

My work requires that I travel a lot which is the reason that I haven’t been able to clock enough miles in it. My dad has been driving the car regularly since the time I left and he’s mighty impressed with it. There are cars which are better in most departments and offer more value but I can vouch that the Fiesta has soul. This was a decision made from the heart and the car has lived upto every expectation of mine. It is truly a gem and it’s hard for me think as to why it can’t better the sales of the Ecosport and possibly become the best seller in its segment! If only Ford were aggressive with their marketing for the Fiesta. C’mon Ford, it will not hurt if another car in your stable does well! Till date, I don’t remember seeing an ad in the newspapers or magazines which clearly shows the interest Ford has in the Fiesta. I just hope that it will not fade in the future.

As for people who are interested to buy and the others who are not sure, I’ll say just go for it. The car is worth every penny spent. There are very few cars on sale in India that will excite the child in you and the Fiesta is surely one of them!!!


















Leather document holder and free keychain offered by the dealer


Free car cover offered by the dealer. Quality is good.


Futuristic looking interiors




Boot space is sufficient for my needs.


Full boot cladding on the inside. Something that is ignored in many cars these days.


Alongside BHPian Prashanth's Polo 1.6 at 3M Car Care.




Getting the Paint sealant program done.


Underbody coating done.


Got the 3M NoMad car mats. Pretty expensive but they work and should last long.

Couple of parting shots -

[Eddy]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing.

[coolboy007]

Heartiest Congrats buddy, glad that you got the thread out without a long wait. Was dying to see the Fiesta in red and what a beauty she is, am so kicking myself for going in with the white color but i knew i would not be able to maintain a red car

Car is looking absolutely fabulous, agree with your opinion about the tyres, they tend to lose grip and slide way before chassis shows any signs of giving up but i do love to slide the car with these tyres, the rear steps out and its fun to use the steering to correct it. There is a lonely stretch of road near my residence and a wide right hander (really wide), this car just loves to slide wide left there. It is one lovely handling car and the seats, steering, driving position, suspension, chassis all come together to make the drive enjoyable.

Have fun and drive safe, lovely color choice.

[quakerme]

Congratulation Porschefire!
Red looking super hot! Glad to see many fiesta's making it to TBHP. As contrary to most online review's 1.5 is not at all underpowered. The vehicle is well planted and will take any curves without any hassles and is a wonderful drivers car. Congratulations once again,Have safe and fun drive.

[arvi86]

Congratulations! I drove the Fiesta once and just couldn't fathom why thousands of prospective customers every month are ignoring this wonderful car. The initial pricing fiasco and the limited space and comfort at the rear are the only sore points that prevented this becoming a hit. At about a million rupees, there are very few cars that bring a 'smile' on to your face and the Fiesta is one of them. Wish you several years of happy mile-munching in the Fiesta!

As you rightly said, the new Fiesta, with its Aston Martin-inspired grille, looks fabulous. In this shade of red, I'm sure she will be a head-turner. Never mind those 4 grey cars in your street, this will stand out for sure!

[chaudharysaab]

Lovely Pictures Porschefire. It could be really great if you can show pictures of Center armrest you installed as accessories.

[jeeva]

Congrats. The Fiesta was always a driver's car.
Hope you have miles of fun with it.

But it pains to know that so much of passion and love along with this 10L+ beauty will spend the nights on pavement.

[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by Porschefire

FAST FORD

As for people who are interested to buy and the others who are not sure, I’ll say just go for it. The car is worth every penny spent. There are very few cars on sale in India that will excite the child in you and the Fiesta is surely one of them!!!

Congrats Porschefire (Anil ?) on your latest acquisition bro, it's FIEST-ANTIC !!


I remember the last time we met including Prashanth (Speed_kills), it was when we both had Getz. Now, I think we must plan an another meet once your are in town considering we both have new steads.

I did TD the New Fiesta TDCI once during the delivery of my GT and I felt it should have been marketed better than what Ford did.

Nevertheless, Lovely Choice there bro and wish you many more happy miles.

[Mr.ASG]

Congratulations on your new ride, I love fiesta for its styling & in red colour it look stunning. I'm looking for a car in the C2 segment & fiesta in the top list. Please do update your thread & I'm looking forward to hear more from you.

[Porschefire]

Originally Posted by coolboy007

Heartiest Congrats buddy, glad that you got the thread out without a long wait. Was dying to see the Fiesta in red and what a beauty she is, am so kicking myself for going in with the white color but i knew i would not be able to maintain a red car

Thanks buddy! The thread was in the oven for quite sometime, glad that its finally out!!!
C'mon now, the Fiesta looks oh so regal in white. If it wasn't for paprika red, we'd have got home a white 'un for sure!

Originally Posted by coolboy007

Car is looking absolutely fabulous, agree with your opinion about the tyres, they tend to lose grip and slide way before chassis shows any signs of giving up but i do love to slide the car with these tyres, the rear steps out and its fun to use the steering to correct it. There is a lonely stretch of road near my residence and a wide right hander (really wide), this car just loves to slide wide left there.

Countering the oversteer with that super sharp steering should be hell loads of fun!!! I gotta try it!!!
Got a couple of long drives planned this time and hopefully with the first service out of the picture, the car should be more fun!

Originally Posted by quakerme

Congratulation Porschefire!
Red looking super hot! Glad to see many fiesta's making it to TBHP. As contrary to most online review's 1.5 is not at all underpowered. The vehicle is well planted and will take any curves without any hassles and is a wonderful drivers car. Congratulations once again,Have safe and fun drive.

Originally Posted by arvi86

Congratulations! I drove the Fiesta once and just couldn't fathom why thousands of prospective customers every month are ignoring this wonderful car. The initial pricing fiasco and the limited space and comfort at the rear are the only sore points that prevented this becoming a hit. At about a million rupees, there are very few cars that bring a 'smile' on to your face and the Fiesta is one of them. Wish you several years of happy mile-munching in the Fiesta!

As you rightly said, the new Fiesta, with its Aston Martin-inspired grille, looks fabulous. In this shade of red, I'm sure she will be a head-turner. Never mind those 4 grey cars in your street, this will stand out for sure!

Originally Posted by Mr.ASG

Congratulations on your new ride, I love fiesta for its styling & in red colour it look stunning. I'm looking for a car in the C2 segment & fiesta in the top list. Please do update your thread & I'm looking forward to hear more from you.

Thanks all!!! As I've already mentioned, this car is worth every penny spent because the amount of driving pleasure it gives you in return, is priceless!!!
Will regularly update this thread with info and pictures.

Originally Posted by chaudharysaab

Lovely Pictures Porschefire. It could be really great if you can show pictures of Center armrest you installed as accessories.

Thank you! I still haven't got the armrest my friend and to be frank, I've no idea when the dealer will source it for me. Will upload a pic as and when I get it.

Originally Posted by jeeva

Congrats. The Fiesta was always a driver's car.
Hope you have miles of fun with it.

But it pains to know that so much of passion and love along with this 10L+ beauty will spend the nights on pavement.

Thank you! Yes, it is unfortunate that due to the lack of space, the car has to be parked outside. Its not so bad though as we stay in a completely residential layout so the car is reasonably safe.

Originally Posted by Vik0728

Congrats Porschefire (Anil ?) on your latest acquisition bro, it's FIEST-ANTIC !!

I remember the last time we met including Prashanth (Speed_kills), it was when we both had Getz. Now, I think we must plan an another meet once your are in town considering we both have new steads.

I did TD the New Fiesta TDCI once during the delivery of my GT and I felt it should have been marketed better than what Ford did.

Nevertheless, Lovely Choice there bro and wish you many more happy miles.

Thanks bro!
Your steed is magnificent as well! If the Polo had a little more space on the inside, the GT TSi/TDi would've been at the top of my upgrade list after the Getz.
And yes, I do remember our impromptu meet up! That was more than a couple of years back and we also met during the coffee meet in HSR! We should catch up soon bro. Let's do it when I'm back this time.

[arnabchak]

Congrats.

The colour looks fabulous.
After driving the 1.1 Getz Prime, this is going to be a sea of difference in driving this car.

Congrats once again on getting yourself unarguably one of the best driver's cars this side of 20 lacs!!

[PVPal]

Many congratulations Porschefire. What a beauty she is. Enjoy the ride.

I am considering buying this one, though she is a tad (1 lakh) over my budget. But she is all temptation, and posts like yours are not helping ;-) There was/is a decent discount on the Trend variant, and want to explore if I can push for more to get her within my reach.

Its that and the rear bench that has held me up. My parents will find it a bit difficult with my kid to fit in the rear comfortably.

Hope Oscar Wilde's "I can resist anything but temptation" proves itself to be true yet again.

Keep us posted on any initial niggles, on how you are getting used to her, and on the fuel efficiency numbers, etc.

[Jude300]

Congrats buddy!!!

It has stunning looks. Love the colour. It adds to its character. I would have been confused choosing between this and the Ecosport if this was available last year.

Its a nice detailed review. Nice to hear that the headlights are good in the Fiesta. The mileage should improve as you cover more miles.

Happy motoring!!!

[vnabhi]

The car looks stunning with the new look and also in this colour (incidentally mine is the older Fiesta of the same colour). Thanks for your lovely review. Wish you many happy miles of motoring.