[anachronix]

Originally Posted by khan_sultan

Wow. which alloys are those? Where you got and how much cost? Look very nice.

Thanks! These are the Momo Revenge in 16" Anthracite finish. They cost me 32K for 4 wheels and 6500 per tire for the Conti MC5 in 195/55 R16.

Originally Posted by coolboy007

The wheels look heavenly anachronix, extremely good taste and they look fantastic. Can you tell which tyres did you opt for and what size? How is the ride on 16" wheels?
I can see a small dent on the rear quarter panel

Thanks dude! The ride has got mildly stiffer, but the tires feel more plush over rough roads and I don't think I lost much of the ride quality since the profile is only a few mm thinner compared to the stock size!

The tires as such are fantastic and I am very happy with the upgrade, they stick like glue through corners but I need to put in slightly more effort in getting the car up to the usual speed. I will cover more details in my ownership thread and stop hijacking Marty boy's place

[//M]

That's a fabulous buy Sir. Many Congratulations !

Very recently a close friend was in the market to buy a diesel sedan. We test drove the Vento TDI, Fiesta, City i-DTEC, Verna CRDi, Ciaz ZDI, Linea MultiJet but finally he chose to buy the Vento. However, the car which gave me most smiles per test drive was the Fiesta. The car handles brilliantly, such amazing dynamics. This car definitely deserves to sell more. It looks brilliant in white, and yes I am a beeeeeeeeg fan of the front nose of the new Fiesta's. Absolutely jaw-dropping in lighter shades !

Wishing you many happy miles with your new Fiesta.

[revintup]

An extremely enjoyable read. And honest to the core. Anyone who knows deet_john would also know that he is an extremely knowledgeable person when it comes to cars and is the 'go to' guy for all your automotive queries.

Originally Posted by deetjohn

if you are keen on the Fiesta, do take longish test drives. The more you spend time with the car, the more you will appreciate the effort gone into it. And if you aren't interested to bring a Fiesta home, don't ever drive it. Because once you do, its very hard to get this Ford out of your thoughts. Cheers!

Originally Posted by vaisakhr

In our last family drive I got a chance to drive the car for around 50km. deetjohn mentioned about one who asked whether the steering was EPS and the one who drove the swift back to back, that guy is me.

I absolutely adore the Fiesta, and thanks a ton to deetjohn for letting me drive the Marty boy.

Could not agree more with these comments. I will put it this way. The Fiesta is the sort of car which you take to pick up a guy about 1km away from you and make that a glorious 10km drive and get involved in the drive so much so that you just forget about the guy whom you were supposed to pick up in the first place !!!

[govindremesh]

Congratulations on your new car!

The first time I got to drive a Ford was with a TDCI Classic from Kochi to Trivandrum. After a hard day in office, after which I usually drop dead on the bed (IT guy!) I was forced by my cousins to drive to my destination the same day.

Insted of being totally drained, the car entertained me so much that I ended up fresh after the 220 KM drive ,which I completed in 3:45 hours! The hydraulic steering, the suspension, driving position ! Everything was spot on. And did ford make a mistake while branding the 1.4 TDCI as 68 bhp? I still refuse to believe that figure! It should be much higher.

I can imagine what an improvement the new Fiesta would be! Enjoy, and hope to meet u somewhere in Kochi some day!

Originally Posted by deetjohn

[list][*]Cruise control
This is a feature of much convenience as our roads get wider and faster. And Kerala is not yet there, but I still like it lots as its fun with a capital F on the Fiesta. Set a speed on the cruise control and a slight tap of either the brake or clutch will disengage it. And the way the car picks speed when you hit the resume button is absolutely wicked. Its feels as if the engine is on a completely different map altogether and you just cannot match that acceleration if you are using the A pedal. It’s one amazing toy.

Are you sure about the clutch? In the City, only the brake pedal disengaes it. I could shift while the car was accelerating on cruise control without disengaging the cruise. As said, the cruise control propels the car so much that it feels like a Labrador out of its leash! Good fuel efficiency while cruising too!

And the acceleration, oh boy! Chertala- Ernakulam stretch is the best place to use it, and no tension about being caught by speedcam either!

[adarsh76]

Originally Posted by govindremesh

Congratulations on your new car!

And the acceleration, oh boy! Chertala- Ernakulam stretch is the best place to use it, and no tension about being caught by speedcam either!

One of the best reviews I have seen. The one and only reason I did not consider this and took the City was the rear space. But, this is a real driver's car.

Cherthala - Ernakulam stretch is great Govind. But now we have the Angamaly - Mannuthy which is much more better and also the newly laid one in Wadakkencherry - Walayar stretch.

[Vibhanshu]

Hi deetjohn, congrats on the buy.

I've own the Red 2014 Fiesta, since last 2014 September. Some of my thoughts.

Originally Posted by deetjohn

Made in Germany tyres. I was so happy and used to flaunt them to everyone and it has managed to shock each and everyone. But after putting some miles on them, I keep quiet nowadays. These are not that great. LOL!
Those German tyres are good for boasting but not that great for ride comfort or grip. They are noisy and the tread or the side profile doesn't look that great as well. Will most likely get 15" Michelin P3ST if the 16” Momo bug doesn't get me.

Tires are one of the best. Noisy yes, but grip is amazing. Dry, wet, high speeds - all good! There is no need to upgrade them.

Originally Posted by deetjohn

The placement of the ORVM is perfect. But be careful about the blind spots around the thick A pillar.

I did not face this issue ever. But yes, the mirror has less of lateral cover (someone in almost parallel distance). My Cedia had smaller mirrors but covered well.

Originally Posted by deetjohn

Front Seats- Like Chris Harris say, it’s just Mega! I have a very modest frame and the bolstering on the sides are amazing when you’re sitting idle at a traffic light or throwing the car around corners. The Titanium version got extra thigh support as well and together they make it one of finest OEM seats.

Seats are great. But horrible upper back support, there's none actually. I don't remember when I rested my neck. I'm 6 feet tall.

Originally Posted by deetjohn

The Ground Clearance of the Fiesta is 156mm. And don’t let that fool you for a moment.

True.

Originally Posted by deetjohn

The suspension is not silent and you can hear thuds every time the wheels load/ unload if you’re crossing any bump on road a little too fast.

It's kindof silent actually. I drove Vento, City, Duster etc before making this purchase. This is the most silent.

Originally Posted by deetjohn

Fiesta’ suspension got very less travel. And the car sits pretty low. It is one of the few cars in our market which comes lowered from the factory. That means, the car doesn’t roll much even with swift direction changes.

There is definitely body roll, but only after a particular point under cornering. Till then it stays flat.

Originally Posted by deetjohn

By far, one of the best steering that I have come across. Also, the wheel itself is the perfect size with bolstering around the natural grip points.

True. But I wished it was half an inch smaller in radius (Civic like!).

Originally Posted by deetjohn

NVH
The Fiesta is spooky silent on the inside. It feels like a very upmarket diesel engine. but it is not as sporty as the MJD in the mid and higher revs and I miss the very endearing turbo whistle on the Swift. The turbo is not at all audible in the Fiesta.

Yes, the Turbo is not audible - but the engine sounds good after 2.5K RPM.
Note - the engine takes a lot of time to warm up. I've seen difference in engine performance if you warm the engine slowly or do it fast. For optimum performance, drive below 1.5K RMP for slow warm up.

Originally Posted by deetjohn

Warning chimes
There are lot of warning chimes on the Ford and it’s not at all intrusive. All very subtle and well thought out. It feels so much upmarket and I appreciate that very much!

Absolutely. Has warning for almost every thing.

Originally Posted by deetjohn

But the engine doesn't sound as nice as the 1.6 of VW at higher revvs though.

I haven't driven Vento in those RPMs but Fiesta is pretty decent too after 2.5K RPM.

Originally Posted by deetjohn

Brakes
The brakes got good feel and I am cherishing the soft feel of brake pads coming from the Swift.

Good brakes - Ford moved on from what they used to give earlier.

Originally Posted by deetjohn

Also, the 2014 car have revised rear head rests. Doesn't jut out like in the older version and very usable.

But hard as stone. Donno why.

Originally Posted by deetjohn

Gear shift
The gear shift is a bit notchy. The first is really short which I can understand considering how some diesel engines don’t like steep inclines.

Maybe in comparison. But otherwise, I always found it super smooth.

Originally Posted by deetjohn

Panel gaps
Panel gaps and fitting of the interior trim leaves a lot to desire.

Not at all. The panels gaps are very consistent. Material likeability is subjective sometimes, but the built is solid and consistent.
note - the panel gap outside on the boot is inconsistent. Not sure if Ford fixed in the latest builds. It was covered in the t-bhp review also.

Originally Posted by deetjohn

Side profile
It’s very difficult for sedans based on bold hatchbacks to look good. And the Fiesta sedan is no exception. The hatch looks so stunning, especially in that gorgeous ST version. But the sedan is a bit weird, especially the side profile. The rising window lines, the low and short bonnet, the high boot, smaller 15” wheels all make the Fiesta very unorthodox from the side. The sheer bulk of metal on top of the rear wheel is hard to miss. The best way to beat that is to get the car in that striking panther black shade and to slap on 16” wheels.

It will grow on you. Trust me on that.

Originally Posted by deetjohn

I also hate the chrome window line on the Titanium. The all black ones in the lower variants look much smarter. Also, it’s way too fat and is not that snug fitting.

I'm not a chrome lover by far, but looks fine here (Red).

Originally Posted by deetjohn

The alloys in isolation looks very good, but doesn't really suit the car.

Looks stunning on the Red! (mine is).

Originally Posted by deetjohn

Central locking
The central locking is really bizarre.

It's the Euro norm. Lock means, locked from outside, but can be opened from inside for safety.

Originally Posted by deetjohn

Ford recommends a whopping 42 PSI for the rear tyres under full load. Don’t think I am going to fill that much in it ever. The spare is a space saver (175/R14).

I use 32 for front, 30 for rear. Mumbai roads are not good.

2 shots for Fiesta! attached.

Ride Safe!

Vibhanshu

[Bhodrolok]

Congrats on the beauty & a lovely read.

However I still don't get why Ford doesn't launch a DCT gearbox option; this car with a good auto transmission would be a tough competiitor to the Vento with DSG option.

[rav11stars]

Originally Posted by deetjohn

[b]
I also aligned all doors during the first service and it looks much better than the way it came from the factory.

Firstly, an awesome write-up with brilliantly shot pictures. Congratulations on a lovely ride and wish you lots of miles.
I was returning back to Pune after my first trip home in the Punto_Evo. We were cruising on the patchy road somewhere in Karnataka. Something flashed by. I remember seeing a wide grill in the ORVM. Later we caught up and my wife said "I liked that car. It has that eye shape like I've always liked ". It was a 2014 Fiesta in the brown colour in which it was advertised. It looked amazing.

What did you mean by "aligned all the doors"?

[rosh_aveo1.4]

Dude...that was one super excellent review of the Fiesta and it looks amazing in white. This car is perfect in every sense except for the rear (which my family is big time into). Just wish I got this instead of the ever plain jane Sunny (oh well, got the Civic to compensate for that from time to time).
And your take on the steering position and gear level is spot on and as you rightly said, the first car in India to ever have that is the Lancer and I felt the very same (let down by a horrible engine though). Still feel the goose bumps when I sit in any of the old gen lancer.
I also loved the Classic Fiesta (my FIL had the 1.6 with 205 size tyres, astounding!). Maybe the driving position isn't as sporty as this Fiesta but it came with that same chunky gear lever and the lovely steering (hydraulic I believe)
Here wishing you many more happy miles and we got to meet in Kochi when possible.

[ramzsys]

Fiesta is about ~1200 kg and Ecosport ~1300 kg. That explains why the engine hesitates in the latter.

The in-gear acceleration is nothing to write about when compared to the 75 furious horses in the swift D. One would expect linear pull at lower rpm and strong pull around 2k rpm, but what we get is a flat performance throughout, which is a blessing for mad traffic city driving and a curse for the open highway overtaking.

[stormy]

Very well written ownership report deetjohn! The thread oozes with your passion for the car. The amazing pictures make the car look really desirable.

Congratulations and drive safe!

[VeyronSuperSprt]

If you like the handling of the diesel, you should try the pre 2014 one with the 1.5 TiVct petrol engine. The lighter weight of the petrol engine makes the car handle so well that it's probably the closest any car has got to a 3. (There, I've said it. Again) Even the 5 doesn't come anywhere close.

It also makes you aware that the relatively very good handling of the 2014 diesel is compromised by the heavier weight of the diesel engine.

This is a car that not too many are aware even exists at a fabulous price point thanks to Ford's marketing expertise.

Wish Ford had dialed in the go to match the show though.

[C300]

Excellent review deetjohn!
Quick question on the safety feature - Is the titanium model equipped with ESP?
The fiesta homepage has a demo video of Electronic Stability Control but its missing from the specifications.

[deetjohn]

Thank You all for the overwhelming response. I am humbled!

Originally Posted by revintup

I will put it this way. The Fiesta is the sort of car which you take to pick up a guy about 1km away from you and make that a glorious 10km drive and get involved in the drive so much so that you just forget about the guy whom you were supposed to pick up in the first place !!!

That really happened, didn't it?

A few weeks back, vaisakhr and I were tasked with picking up revintup near Thekkady. We missed a turn and went for 10 KM in the opposite direction before taking a U turn. Finally, we found revintup standing just a KM away from where we started. LOL!

revintup! So sorry buddy! Next time, we will come pick you up in a different car.

Originally Posted by govindremesh

Everything was spot on. And did ford make a mistake while branding the 1.4 TDCI as 68 bhp? I still refuse to believe that figure! It should be much higher....

Are you sure about the clutch? In the City, only the brake pedal disengaes it. I could shift while the car was accelerating on cruise control without disengaging the cruise. As said, the cruise control propels the car so much that it feels like a Labrador out of its leash! Good fuel efficiency while cruising too!

So true about all Ford diesel engines. The real world performance is always better than what the spec sheet tells you.

Yes, either a soft touch on the brake or clutch will disengage cruise control in the Fiesta. Imagine, you are going at 90 KMPH in 5th and if you engage the clutch, say shift to 4th, the rpm will shoot up if cruise control is still on right? I am not sure about how it's on the City.

And the FE goes down if you have too much fun with cruise control in the Fiesta. LOL! Never have had it engaged for a long duration yet.

Originally Posted by Vibhanshu

Tires are one of the best. Noisy yes, but grip is amazing. Dry, wet, high speeds - all good! There is no need to upgrade them.

Seats are great. But horrible upper back support, there's none actually. I don't remember when I rested my neck. I'm 6 feet tall.

Okay, we have completely different thoughts on the tyres. The ones in our car is noisy, hard and doesn't have much grip either.

On the seats, is the support bad because of your taller frame? Lot of adjustments on the seats possible. Have you tried to pull up the neck rest and give the seat back a bit more slant?

Originally Posted by Vibhanshu

It's kindof silent actually. I drove Vento, City, Duster etc before making this purchase. This is the most silent.

I can definitely hear the stoppers working when the roads are bumpy and I am carrying a bit more speed. Its very silent when the road surface is flat.

Originally Posted by Vibhanshu

I've seen difference in engine performance if you warm the engine slowly or do it fast. For optimum performance, drive below 1.5K RMP for slow warm up.

Oh! I am paranoid about engine temperature. My wife always complains on our crawl early in the morning when I am dropping her in office.

Wish the Fiesta had an analog gauge like in the Swift. In fact, I wait for a bit long even after all the 4 bars come on indicating optimum temperature. They reach there early when compared to our Swift.

Originally Posted by Vibhanshu

Not at all. The panels gaps are very consistent. Material likeability is subjective sometimes, but the built is solid and consistent.

In our car, all 4 doors were jutting out on their trailing edge after delivery. The front ones more so. Had to get that aligned during first service.

Originally Posted by Vibhanshu

It's the Euro norm. Lock means, locked from outside, but can be opened from inside for safety.

I am fine with that. But if the front doors are opened from inside once, they stay unlocked. But the rear stays locked still. Its a bit weird.

Originally Posted by Vibhanshu

2 shots for Fiesta! attached.

Very attractive colour that! The one I liked the most was the black. But decided against it due to upkeep. I hate washing the car every now and then. I vacuum and clean the interiors regularly though. Washing is done only once every 2 or 3 weeks and there is huge social pressure in KL to keep the cars clean, everyone does. And white is perfect for masking dust. LOL!

Originally Posted by rav11stars

What did you mean by "aligned all the doors"?

The doors were corrected so that they sit flush with the body. In our car, the trailing edge of all 3 doors were jutting out of the body frame and it was very evident from the rear.

Originally Posted by rosh_aveo1.4

Maybe the driving position isn't as sporty as this Fiesta but it came with that same chunky gear lever and the lovely steering (hydraulic I believe)

Yes, its hydraulic on the old one, same for the Figo. Yes, please join us in our meets which happen from time to time.

Originally Posted by VeyronSuperSprt

If you like the handling of the diesel, you should try the pre 2014 one with the 1.5 TiVct petrol engine. The lighter weight of the petrol engine makes the car handle so well that it's probably the closest any car has got to a 3. (There, I've said it. Again) Even the 5 doesn't come anywhere close.

It also makes you aware that the relatively very good handling of the 2014 diesel is compromised by the heavier weight of the diesel engine.

Yes, I can only imagine. I prefer petrol engines to diesel and Fiesta would be fantastic with a mighty petrol engine in it. But the 1.5 was not that good. It should have been the old 1.6 from the S with that exhaust note.

Originally Posted by C300

Quick question on the safety feature - Is the titanium model equipped with ESP?
The fiesta homepage has a demo video of Electronic Stability Control but its missing from the specifications.

This is still one big puzzle. The website says ESP is there and vb-san even got a confirmation on that while chatting with Ford personal on the website. I am honestly not sure. Knowing Ford, I wouldn't be surprised if its there.

[basilmabraham]

A very well written review of a car which is almost forgotten, even after being a very good one... Congrats and drive safe.

I liked the first pic, the car looks stunning, and the sight of an empty parking lot at Lulu makes it even more awesome.