[E = mc²]

Pretend that you're someone who's out in the used car market in 2019 and looking for a cut price 'Fun to Drive' everyday car, which can catapult you from point A to B, while putting an ear to ear smirk on your face everytime you see an empty stretch or rather, tarmac blessed with umpteen twists. At this stage of time, there are plenty of options to choose from but hey, you're an enthusiast and very well know that a 1.5L OHC vTEC is more fun than a 1.8 L Honda Civic, despite them both apparently ballparking around the same price and the latter having a bigger engine.

So, the first few exemplary options that'd run down through your intellect would be,

1. OHC vTEC
2. Octavia vRS MK I
3. Linea Tjet
4. Abarth Punto (We can't even dream about laying hands on it cheap down here in Kerala, but you folks in the North can rejoice)
5. Polo GTs

Those aforementioned cars are spectacular in their own terms and people have been wanting them for not just their cosmetic charm but also on how well they do on the roads. The OHC and the Polo might set you back around fast corners, but getting the right suspension tune could get the job done.

Alongside of these options, you would have thought of Ford as well. Oh yeah, a Figo S (an another spirited car). Is that all.? If not, what else does Ford offer (or offered).?

You do a bit of brainstorm and recall that they launched a special edition Fiesta back in 2008.

*Google up the car*. Find out that it's a random Fiesta with a few skirts, spoiler and different alloys. Duh! It's an another special edition Fiesta which they called "Sports", as the "Swift RS" was to Maruthi Suzuki. "I ain't looking back here ever again."

You got my point.

Here's the unsung Paladin for you, the Fiesta 1.6 S.

Jotting down here ain't a review of the car. I won't go around and explain the features the car comes loaded with or lacks within. You wouldn't want to know about that on a car which is a decade old, and also because the conventional variants of the car is out there in numbers and they share exactly the same things, except in terms of how they drive.

Prologue:

This particular variant of the Fiesta went unnoticed to my eyes as well. I was aware of its launch, and pretty much liked the Aquarius Blue colour, but didn't bother probing much into it. Only in 2014 the car really stroke me, when a friend who was into buying one then told me about the car. A bit of online research revealed it was something worth having a looking upon. Even though, I didn't contemplate on buying one, as there were already two cars at home and I being the only driver, there was no chance of approval for a third one.

Fast forward to 2016, I was no longer at home and the 2 cars were replaced by a KUV100. It has made into Team-BHP threads here - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-...-emotions.html (Mahindra KUV100 - 10,000 kms and Mixed Emotions)

Every time I came down during vacations, the need for a spirited car eagerly grew with time. The KUV wouldn't move under heavy inputs and long drives were a dismay. It's a good people mover, but not to my taste.

2 years down, in 2018 I landed onto my first job and as any petrolhead's mind would wander, I wanted a car. It had to be easy on the pocket and rewarding to drive, and I wanted the car in my hometown. My place of work is Singapore, where buying a car is the worst investment you can make, unless you really really need (I didn't say 'want') one. The cheapest brand new car here starts at $50,00 and you can drive it for 10 years before they scrap it.

Mind you, my tight schedules wouldn't allow me to get down personally and check the car I intend to buy. So, I knew that I will have to resort down to someone to get the car of my choice checked. Nevertheless, finding the car I liked on my own intuition was given the first priority and then getting someone down to check it was the later part.

I had a fair idea on what car to get. It had to be Naturally Aspirated, although I looked upon a few Turbo petrols as well, even when the chances of getting it was less. NA, because my car would be doing less than 5000 kms a year and most of the time it'll be idle at the garage. Maintaining one turbo petrol wasn't an apt choice for me. Alongside, I wanted one which has clocked less than 60k kms in the odo.

These were the cars which I checked,

1. MK I vRS

Definitely, the best car you can buy to the South of 5 Lacs. It's a fire breathing behemoth. I wanted this car so bad. But to let me down, there was the maintenance part. The car could simply break something when it wishes to. Parts cost a bomb and getting one with a complete service history was of no avail.

However, I had tried my luck on a few cars. Among them was this impeccable (to what the owner told me) vRS in a shade of black residing in Gurgaon. The car looked mint in the pictures. But I had to find someone who would help me to get the car checked, and not just someone, but some soul who knows more about turbo petrol and has a fair idea of this particular car from Skoda.

To my dismay, couldn't find anyone and there was this constant knocking in head to get that car (without getting the car checked) as everything seemed to be good. I have done many crazy things in life, but buying 2006 vRS without scrutinizing it is the last thing I wanted to do. Nuff said! Skipped the car.






2. OHC vTEC

A classic in everyone's heart. Looks timeless even today. Lots of mod potential and was Naturally Aspirated. A few cars were given a look in OLX and most of them were modified. They looked pristine and none of them had a valid service history. I'm aware that these cars are aged and not necessarily everyone would get it serviced it with dealership. But cars that from 2003-'05 with less than 80k kms drove me dubious. Even if it seemed flawless, I didn't want to end up having a car with a tampered odometer. Gut feeling said No. So, no vTEC!

3. Linea Tjet

Known for it's road handling, supreme braking and serene driver involvement, I thought I would have a look upon. Couldn't find any from Kerala, and the nearest I found was from Tamil Nadu. After a few analysis on how bad the suffering would be incase if the car encounters a serious breakdown, I let go off the car. The figures for which the car was available really made it the perfect bang for the buck though.

4. Laura TSi.

Powerful than the MKI Octavia vRS, but a suspension upgrade was mandatory. Mixed reviews on how the steering appeared to be lifeless to some. Again, I couldn't find a befitting one from Kerala. The best I've got was a 2010 TSi with ~60k kms on the odo at around 5.8 Lacs. Considering the ex-showroom price of the car, re-registering it in Kerala after the road tax paid didn't make sense, had I sourced one from a different state.

5. Palio S10

A couple of deals went past by me. From a well modified S10 from Cochin and 2 from Tamil Nadu. Despite 2 of them quoting slightly higher (circa, 50k-60k more), I thought it'd be worth getting them if it was well kept. However, the maintenance part scared me off. Not that S10s manifest troubles, but hands that know the car very well are very limited. As said above, considering my short vacations in Kerala, it's intimidating to spend most of days on getting the car sorted out.



6. Fiesta 1.6 Sports

It shouldn't have been 6th on the list. It was the car I always wanted and I knew it even while probing other cars. Initially, I wanted one in blue, only to later realize that this particular machinery does not come for sale everyday. "What matters is the car and its nick", I perceived. In the OHC vTEC part, remember when I said I can't live with a car having tampered odo.? I was lying there . The real reason was this very Fiesta Sports, If not for this car, I would have happily been off with the Honda.

I have had a look (online) at numerous 1.6S. I'll go ahead and list a few which I seriously considered down here.

1. White 1.6 S From Mumbai

Done about 75000 km. This car was for sale back from 2017. Apparently, none bought it. The rear doors looked re-painted (wasn't much of an issue, but easily discernible). I was quoted 2.75 Lacs for it and the best he could do was to take away five grand. Seemed okayish for the price. However, when inquired the service details from the dealership, I was alerted that it was last serviced in 2017 mid. It was 2018 October by then and as per what the owner told me, it had just done 1000 kms after the service, Something didn't sound right, and I backed off.



2. Black 1.6 S from Karnataka

The paint had surely taken a beating, and the interiors as well. As soon as I posted about the car in a group, along with it's location, a fellow member jumped out to help as it was a few kms away from his office. He connected with the seller and took a look on my behalf. Cosmetically, needed a revamp and some mechanical sorting too. My rough calculation ended up with a figure for 1.85 Lacs, including the painting. The best I was offered was 1.95 Lacs and the car had done around 55000 Kms and was serviced by Ford. Left the car, but would have looked back to it in the future, as I felt everything about the car was transparent.



3. Blue 1.6 S from Kerala

3rd owner car. This one as well was on sale for a long time. Quoted at 4 Lacs, the best I was offered was 3.6 Lacs. It had just done 30000 km in all those 9 years, with a valid service history! I knew I had to get this. The owner claimed it to be 'the cleanest Fiesta 1.6 S in the whole country'. Did some quick pings to a few friends in Kerala and some even knew the car. I was told to withdraw from the deal. Upon probing more, I was told that the car frequently visited Harry Ford for a overhaul on Fuel Economy issue. Yet, it wasn't sorted out.

The car had perfect body lines and looked fabulous, but there was this surprise awaiting under the hood. Up until then, I still thought of getting it as it was hard to spot one such car in the classifieds. As it happened, I thought of letting it go as it wasn't divulged to me by the seller about the FE issue and the frequent runs to Ford After Sales, while he kept rapping about the car and often citing it as the cleanest 1.6 S in India!.

The car before getting converted to its stock form




4. Another Blue 1.6 S from Kerala.

Boy oh boy, I almost transferred the token for this car. It had done 59000 km (in the odo) and was owned by someone from Alleppey. The owner sounded very genuine and even opened up that it needed a change of mounts, windshield and the tires would last only until a few kms. He had gotten the car from Maharashtra just 2 months back and he also paid the road tax to get it registered in Kerala (Allappey RTO). Upon asking why a quick sale, he stated some personal reasons. 3.0 Lacs was his quote and the best was 2.9 Lacs. Price seemed fair. He assured me that it was serviced by Ford throughout by the first owner and he himself cross checked the odo reading at the time when he bought it, although he now can't recall which dealership he went to. I believed it.

In between, there was a discussion on the registration process, during when he sent me a copy of its NOC. It had the car's chassis number printed. The thing with Ford dealerships is that they can't pull the details of a car just with the registration number which was serviced with a different dealership unless you tell them the chassis number. I called up Harry Ford and passed the chassis number of the car, only to know that the last service of the car was done at 93000 km . I didn't utter a word and slid away from the deal.



**Myriad number of cars in between, I'd rather skip those**



5. Paprika Red 1.6 S from Maharashtra.

The car was with a dealership and had just one owner. Ran about 32000 km and was serviced by SC Ford. Took the reg number and did a quick call to the dealership. The last visit was in 2017 end at ~30000 km. Seemed like a genuine deal. I had a few more questions to the unenthusiastic agent, who eventually stopped bothering me. It had been already 3 months into searching for a perfect 1.6 S by then and I couldn't wait any longer and this Fiesta ticked my boxes (but not all). The car had its fair share of muddles as well, but it was understandable for a car which was used in tight city traffics.

To start with, I had to get two new Ford emblems, the paint had taken few beatings in various places, aiding with some expected part changes. Fiestas are known for their rusting issues, which I didn't know then. Did a calculation on both expected and unexpected expenses and I finally decided to go with this one.





Out of blue, I texted the agent that I'll do an advance payment the same day, which revived our chat thread again. Sent a token amount of Rs.10,000 against the Rs.25,000 which he initially asked.

I kept blocking the car for a over a month hoping that I could personally fly down, check the car and drive it back home in Kerala in a few weeks' time. The dealership informed me that they couldn't take it any longer, either I pay them the remaining amount or let go off the deal. I wanted the car and that lead me to post regarding it in the same group which I mentioned somewhere above. Again, someone from Kandivali agreed to help me to check the car.

He liked the way it drove but nagged that it was bumpy. As expected, he pointed out some swirl marks at various places and assured that it had the aircon and all other electrical bits functioning well. I transferred them the rest of the amount the very next day and they arranged me a car transport service. Took down the apparent odo reading and a word of trust from the transport company that they would't be driving the car at any point.

With everything almost settled, the dealership arranged me the NOC and initiated the paperwork. The car touched down in 3 days' time and arranged two of my friends to receive the car. Alas! that feeling of owning a Fiesta S!

[E = mc²]

As I had already secured the car at home, I had half the load off from my mind. The car was just 1 year away from being a decade old and with that being said, I had to prepare myself from many unforeseen revelations. Being a Fiesta, I knew that it wouldn't be cleaning up my pockets even if I had ran into the worst complications.

As my friend took the car to the Service Center the very next day, I hoped if they gave me a clean chit for the mechanical part, as I thought they were most important and expensive to fix. My prayers were granted and I was reported the engine to be responding well. Although, the rear shocks were due for a change along with the Water Pump, Front Rotors & Pads, etc. The total bill came out to be Rs.29,927 including a general service and an interior enrichment.









Then came the moment of truth. Although the mechanical side was settled, a closer look revealed more on the cosmetic condition of the car. It badly needed a repaint. Rust has already started showing its toll at some body panels. A small dent at the boot lid had to be settled as well. The wheels weren't spared either. I wanted to keep the original set of rims, as they go very well with the car. So, they were too expecting an overhaul. All these meant, I was onto a restoration project, except that this wasn't a barn find .

At these stages, the only downer was that I couldn't be with the car. Everything was taken care duly by two of my friends, whom I trust my car with.

Moving forward, in January 2019 I disembarked down in a 11:00 pm flight and was excited as I got out of the airport. 35 mins drive to home and all I was thinking was about the new car at home which I'd bought myself and never seen in flesh. As the gates to the home opened, I was on top of world, seeing the car lying subtly at the porch. I was on cloud nine, very happy and cheerful seeing it embodied. Took a walk around the car, as the blackness of the night completely hid the blemishes - which helped to not deter my excitement for the day.




Short Review, nothing fancy:

Firstly, why a Fiesta S.? I could retort to it by simply calling attention to its sheer exclusivity and the road manners, but alongside this car wouldn't wash out you of every dollar and cent even if the worst happen. It's a car which came out from the factory, which even in the stock form can make you fall love with it. Since all the cars I had till date didn't see any performance/handling aftermarket upgrades, I thought this too would be alike those. So primarily, I wanted a car which even in the stock form can hit the spot. OHC v-TEC was a contender as well, which was later ruled out considering the age and a few modern driver aids on board (which the fiesta had). The fiesta I was looking here was even more newer by at least 6 years and comes equipped with ABS, Airbags and a better interior. I'm quite tentative on how many of you would look onto these, but these things do matter to me even if I'm into buying one just to have a sheer driving bliss.

How's It To Drive.?!


In one word, fun! Throw it a tarmac with perplexing corners and the it'll show you what really it is capable of. However, you shouldn't be expecting it to blast off to triple digits real quick on straights and such kind of roads aren't the car's cup of tea. That said, the car is no slouch either and never feels like one. Just that the power is spread throughout the band. There's ample low end grunt and doesn't feel like you have to rev the nuts out to extract the juice. The throttle response is so punctual - each dab with your right foot, even the slightest ones has an imperative impact on the car's momentum. Unquestionably, people weren't kidding when they exclaimed that it's one of the best FWD cars of its time (and even now).

Braking


I kind of get mixed feelings about it. It does stop but not at that great stratum which you'd expect from a car that drives this good. Perceiving the price at which a brake upgradation is available, I haven't yet given a thought to bite one. My usage pattern suggests that it isn't a worthy investment at the moment. It comes with two discs at the front with ABS.

Ergonomics and NVH

Ergonomics are very well reputed for this one. Steering and seat can be adjusted for height and there's almost nowhere that it could give you a blind spot. Although I miss a hand rest art sometimes, it isn't a matter of contention. The seating itself aids you in giving perfect view ahead. The Fiesta S is nothing short when it comes to giving a comfortable ride. Yes, it does come with stiffer springs but it isn't too firm to forgo a smoother ride. With ample legroom in the rear, none can complain.

NVH isn't something which the car excels at. Almost everything creeps inside. Nonetheless, you could consider damping the doors and dashboard to minimize those to a good extent. A friend had done the same in his fiesta and the difference was poles apart.

Fuel Efficiency

12 kmpl - 14 kmpl with 20% city driving and 80% highway. Frankly, if I had been a little delicate with the pedal, I'm pretty sure it can go up. I have many times given thoughts to see what maximum can I get if I kept driving throughout shifting up 1800 RPM, but the urge to take it past 3k is hard to resist. However, I don't usually take it post 3500 RPM either. Anywhere between 3k - 3.5k is a sweet spot for that sweet engine rumble and an apt gear change, unless you are into hill climbing or any of that sorts.

Summary: Positives and Negatives

+ Drives like a dream
+ Handles like charm
+ Good visibility
+ Affordable maintenance

+ Airbags & ABS
+ Spacious
+ Looks perfect with that subtle 'S' kit

+ Ford After sales

- Poor NVH
- Rust friendly

- Braking
- Stock headlights
- Common issue of door lock going kaput

[E = mc²]

January, 2019: Properly Driving It!

January, period when the car was vastly driven and clocked almost 3000 km. Despite being a decade old, the engine still had that thump. Past 3k rpm is where you get that subtle growl and the torque surging in. There ain't any 'be push into the seat' kind of thrust, but the car responds well to every bit of driver inputs and what you go through can be precisely defined by this extensively used cliche, "it'll put a smile on your face" (Yes, I rephrased it in the starting of this review )



The car was taken to hillruns multiple times and in the process, I came to discover new roads with bends and twists. Every drive made me feel it was different from everything (even the more powerful ones) I have driven till that moment. To put into perspective - You approach a corner at a moderate speed, aim for the apex and gas it down through the exit. You were expecting a tire squeal, but nope! You then realize that you took it slow. Personally to me, I have never pushed a car this much in to the corners. So many learnings there. I haven't felt the ride to be harsh on patchy roads. Nevertheless, rattles keep coming in from the dashboard and the doors.



It feels good realizing that there's more room to hammer it down as soon as you exit that corner. You keep coming back to the same place again and again, try different speeds and angles, until you hear that squeal and figure out that you could have whipped it even more if it were for better and tacky tires, and there you fathom the car's potential and realize what you drive is something special. It's how you naturally encounter that overtly used phrase which I mentioned just above.



Sorting everything out

The car looks fabulous in every angle. I have never admired Fiestas the way I do now. The spoiler looks apt for the car and so does the skirting too. However, there were these eyesores:

1. Fading Headlamps. I gave a shot in restoring it at a shop 40 kms away. They did a good job and the change was very much evident. Yet, I couldn't help myself from getting a new pair, which I'd postponed for my next vacation.

2. Smearing paint. I was baffling about getting the car painted, with two options struck in my mind - get in resprayed in Paprika Red or revamp it entirely to Aquarius Blue. I was in a happy quandary as both the shades go well with the car, although I was a wee bit biased towards the latter. As it turned out, I went for the Paprika Red. Getting the rusts corrected was the prime factor here, which was done thoroughly without leaving a trace.

3. Uneven gaps around the bumper. In spite of getting the random dents emended, the bumpers aren't well aligned. Gaps evident between the headlamps and the bumpers are miserable when you get close to it. To top it of, the previous owner had done a typical 'life hack', by literally screwing the bumper to hold it against the fender. I came to discover it only when the headlamps underwent a replacement. The bumpers are still due for a replacement.



Officially making it mine

I hadn't transferred the car to my name as of then. Since I had a grace period of few months from the date of NOC issue, I had almost forgotten it, except when someone used to ask about the out of state registration. I had a yearning for the number '165', which could have been cleverly fashioned into being read as (1.6 S), but that was a long wait for the new registration series to come forth and had to settle down with a random number. Next up was deciding which plates to go for, and it was F1.

Road tax amount : ~Rs.30000.
Insurance (Comprehensive) : ~Rs.14000.

Not just the car and the drives
(PS. I suck at captions)

Be it from the process of finding the car to owning it, I'm pleased to note that there's already a clique dedicated to this particular breed of car. What makes it even more bona fide is that none among them is into throwing outlandish body kits onto it. Here, people care on making it more exciting to drive, than making it more pleasing to the eyes (mind you, it already is). I could easily reach to fellow 1.6 S owners and have their take on the car. A few new people have been met along the way and finally, I could be a part of the pretended car meets .



*Well, that was the part about setting the car right to its original bits.*

Fast forwarding to a few months later, I got a call, informing me that the battery has gone kaput. The car wasn't moved from the spot for over a week and the dashcam was plugged in, which drained out the battery. Accompanying the situation, I was asked from home if I could consider selling the car as it wasn't making any use to them and the other car (KUV) itself is seldom driven. I got all mixed up there. It seemed sensible to sell off the car, but was foolish at the same time. Why would I sell a car on which I have spent a lump just after a few months into buying it.? I was in a complete vexation and decided to post it in OLX to see what I could get.

Should I sell it.?

Just a day after the ad came to life, a gentleman from TN came forward with an offer which didn't seem bad. I clarified his queries and he transferred me a token after we both confirmed a date. It was an impromptu moment - I was just a few yards away from selling a car which I'd bought after months of exploration and it was something which I thought I'd never do, at least not sooner. I started to miss the car already despite it still idling in my garage. I had a long talk with the gentleman, idirectly trying to back off him from the deal, who wasn't ready to. After a turnstile of event, the guy messaged me one morning informing me that his mother got him a Tigor JTP as a surprise and he is no longer considering the Fiesta, and that's when I figured out that the car is here to stay.

I could have easily cancelled the deal in the first place and refunded him the token, by blatantly saying that I've changed my mind from the deal, but I didn't feel right in doing that. I didn't want to be a moron here . Call it luck or whatever, it's not a usual thing to get a JTP roll into your garage unexpectedly.

The first and only Carbon Fibre bit: Viper Intake System!

I didn't think the car again needed an intake system to sound sweet, as I was already impressed by how it does after 3k rpm, boy was I wrong! I ordered a Pipercross Viper Intake system (VFC 7000) from Demon-Tweeks, which they shipped from UK to Singapore, from where I carried it down to Trivandrum.



The installation was done right next day at BigFoot Customs (Trivandrum) by Midhun, who after the installation did a Test Drive and praised on how smooth the engine has become. He immediately sensed that the car wasn't a frequent redline'er, to which I agreed and admitted that the RPM I usually maintain would be less than 4k at max. Post the installation, the car began to sound great at the dab of any accelerator input and the low end grunt.? Plenty of them!

A friend's S with the same Intake System and holds some other violent bits under the hood



I hadn't done any mods on any of my cars, be it cosmetic or any performance related as of then. For that reason alone, just realizing that my car runs on an aftermarket bit gives me more reason to drive it everyday (during the very short days I'm in the country) and notice the slightest behavioral change in the car. I took the car for a 450km sprint to Sivakashi, TN. The car kept it's pace all day long with 3 people on board and with some other heavy load.



I haven't been to a lot of customization garages but this one, where I took my car to undertakes some serious witchcraft, from rally prepping cars and bikes to doing bespoke mods.

[E = mc²]

With the car being 1 year old now, it has clocked ~8k kms and the odo stands at 40000 km. Honestly speaking, I'd like to personalize the car more in terms of both cosmetics and performance. The main setback is, I don't get enough time with the car, and whenever I come down for my holidays there ain't enough time to get involved in developing a FFE nor for other works that require the car to be held in workshops for days. For the time being, I intend to get a new set of tires, maybe with a new set of rims.

Talking about the future, these are the few things I'd like to do:

i) A Free Flow Exhaust. None other than Milltek has come forward with a full system exhaust for this engine. Some garages that claim to fabricate one has allegedly ripped off people with some stale pipping and no power gain.

ii) Suspension upgrade. Hopefully, bilsteins.

iii) Brake upgrade.


It's been quite a journey with the car, despite spending a very short while with it. As I said in the beginning, it doesn't have the fandom of a OHC vTEC or the fame of a MKI vRS. The car remained silent during its launch amongst enthusiasts and remains so even today. For the amount loosely lying around, you can have a decently spacious sedan, with a 1.6L 4 pot rev friendly motor, with tighter springs and the reassurance of 2 airbags.




...and that concludes my story so far with the Fiesta S, which I took 6 months to pen down

[GTO]

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

Congrats on your legendary driving machine . She's going to our homepage!

[Researcher]

Lovely review! One of the last greats from Ford India. And you are in good hands of Ford as most parts would be common with the regular Fiesta.
Slightly off topic, but back in 2017, I was also confused between the older Baleno VXi (no airbags or ABS) and SX4 ZXi (with airbags and ABS). Ultimately paid thrice for the SX4 compared to a similar Baleno. Kept on thinking if it was worth it, until one day I had to panic-brake and ABS had to kick in. You can say I thanked my stars and have never looked back.

[fiestarry]

As a Fiesta S owner of 11 years, I must congratulate you on your excellent acquisition. The car is a classic because of its timeless looks, solid feel, safety features, unmatched steering feel and the ENGINE.
With Ford spares being inexpensive and available at their open outlets, the car is very easy to maintain.
My car is near the 80 k km mark and has been a hoot to drive specially on the twisty roads.
I am contemplating a respray too by the year end.
A thing of beauty is a joy for ever !

[arun1100]

Congratulations on finding your dream S. A beautiful car indeed. The naturally aspirated 1.6L engine, the handling and the classic timeless looks makes this a very desirable car to own.

I own a 1.6 Classic Fiesta bought new in 2012. Driven for 55k kms till date. The experience of owning has been very good so far. The cost of spares is very much inexpensive. Here's a recent pic of mine.

[BZ25]

Definitely one of the better efforts by Ford India, along with the Ikon 1.6. I wonder where that company has gone? It's successor was great, but it was seriously a size smaller than its rivals. I do wish that Ford brings the Fiesta hatchback (even if it's the last-gen model) as nothing can beat it in driver engagement.

Hope you have a wonderful time with this machine, and please, don't sell this off for a very very long time.

[crazybiker46]

Congrats on 1.6s. Me and my brother were also looking for a 1.6s from mid 2018. I remember checking many of those cars you've mentioned in your post, even your car. If that car is from Pune, we backed off mainly because of rust issues you had mentioned.

Finally we ended up buying a stock 1.6 from Trivandrum as we sold our other car and needed one for necessities. Had plans for mods, but we both were busy and have not touched it except for audio upgrade. We are even struggling to find new wheels as every where it is just wider "rice" rims in stock

[Avinash_R]

Congratulations on the purchase.

I have a 1.6s in the dreamy aquarius blue and was thinking of selling it a few weeks back. Now, I am leaning towards getting suspension, exhaust upgrades and keeping it as my daily drive.

The service has always been inexpensive save for the Ford emblem on the alloy. One piece of it costed 900bucks but any other service has not been very expensive. Pity some of the service centers that I frequented have closed so these days, I give it an independent garage and a guy who I trust.

Take care of her, she will give you only smiles.

Attached is mine from new year trip to Masinagudi.

[niranjanrvce]

Congratulations on what is a special special car! I still have my 10 year old 1.6 and although I don't drive it anymore, my memories with it are some of the best I have with any vehicle. On twisty roads, this is the best smiles per buck you can have.

My 1.6 is now fully stock since I have sent it off to our village as a beater car. But prior to that, I had a BMC CAI with very similar piping and intake position to what you have. I also had a Red Rooster 4x1 headers+ exhaust and a Cosworth remap. I had dyno'ed to and measured about 20-22% gains all through the rev range after these changes. The car became even more free revving, torquier and could power out of corners so much faster. The only caution will be with the exhaust piping - even a slight change in the dia of the pipe will cause issues with vibes and eat away the weld points. I had to get arc welding done on multiple times to fix this issue till I went to back to bone stock.
Good luck with all your planned mods, this is a beautiful car to work on since it's so well balanced in stock form itself.

Good choice on not going for the T-Jet. I used to have a Jet earlier and for sheer fun, will pick the 1.6 anyday.

[man_of_steel]

One sweet thread man! Straight from the heart. Hunting for the 1.6S is one big adventure itself. The result is definitely rewarding!

[harmanjeet14]

Congrats on getting one gem of a car. I recently acquired my dad's 1.2 Figo which has done almost 1.2 lakh kms, but still runs in top nick. I plan to keep car just for the wonderful chassis, and slowly upgrade its performance, including a possible engine swap with a Fiesta 1.6. It would be really great if you continue to share upgrades on your car. Cheers !

[E = mc²]

Originally Posted by GTO

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

Congrats on your legendary driving machine . She's going to our homepage!

Thank You, GTO!

Originally Posted by Researcher

Lovely review! One of the last greats from Ford India. And you are in good hands of Ford as most parts would be common with the regular Fiesta.
Slightly off topic, but back in 2017, I was also confused between the older Baleno VXi (no airbags or ABS) and SX4 ZXi (with airbags and ABS). Ultimately paid thrice for the SX4 compared to a similar Baleno. Kept on thinking if it was worth it, until one day I had to panic-brake and ABS had to kick in. You can say I thanked my stars and have never looked back.

As much as I love cars that give in a raw feel, I'd give second thoughts before taking plunge on a car that's devoid of safety essentials - ABS and airbags to start with. Can never tell when these come to aid.

Originally Posted by fiestarry

As a Fiesta S owner of 11 years, I must congratulate you on your excellent acquisition. The car is a classic because of its timeless looks, solid feel, safety features, unmatched steering feel and the ENGINE.
With Ford spares being inexpensive and available at their open outlets, the car is very easy to maintain.
My car is near the 80 k km mark and has been a hoot to drive specially on the twisty roads.
I am contemplating a respray too by the year end.
A thing of beauty is a joy for ever !

Fun to drive, cheap to maintain and readily available spares that's the joy of owning a S. However, parts that exclusively belong to the S takes around a week to arrive, say the shocks (front & rear) but they don't fail randomly.

Originally Posted by arun1100

Congratulations on finding your dream S. A beautiful car indeed. The naturally aspirated 1.6L engine, the handling and the classic timeless looks makes this a very desirable car to own.

I own a 1.6 Classic Fiesta bought new in 2012. Driven for 55k kms till date. The experience of owning has been very good so far. The cost of spares is very much inexpensive. Here's a recent pic of mine.

Attachment 1988057

That's a low odo reading considering the year in which it was bought. My rate of usage should be even lower than that. Have you ever experienced rusting issues till date.? Btw, the car looks awesome!

Originally Posted by BZ25

Definitely one of the better efforts by Ford India, along with the Ikon 1.6. I wonder where that company has gone? It's successor was great, but it was seriously a size smaller than its rivals. I do wish that Ford brings the Fiesta hatchback (even if it's the last-gen model) as nothing can beat it in driver engagement.

Hope you have a wonderful time with this machine, and please, don't sell this off for a very very long time.

From what I heard, the global Fiesta launched here was a hoot to drive as well. I won't be selling it anywhere near, or maybe never, unless I feel that it's rotting away in the garage. The car apparently does just ~3500 km every year.

Originally Posted by crazybiker46

Congrats on 1.6s. Me and my brother were also looking for a 1.6s from mid 2018. I remember checking many of those cars you've mentioned in your post, even your car. If that car is from Pune, we backed off mainly because of rust issues you had mentioned.

Finally we ended up buying a stock 1.6 from Trivandrum as we sold our other car and needed one for necessities. Had plans for mods, but we both were busy and have not touched it except for audio upgrade. We are even struggling to find new wheels as every where it is just wider "rice" rims in stock

Mine was bought from Kandivali. Yes, it had rusting issues back then. Even with the standard Fiesta, the after sales can upgrade you with the 'S' springs and steering rack. Regarding the wheels, thought it'd be worth to slowly save up and go for real branded ones.

Originally Posted by Avinash_R

Congratulations on the purchase.

I have a 1.6s in the dreamy aquarius blue and was thinking of selling it a few weeks back. Now, I am leaning towards getting suspension, exhaust upgrades and keeping it as my daily drive.

The service has always been inexpensive save for the Ford emblem on the alloy. One piece of it costed 900bucks but any other service has not been very expensive. Pity some of the service centers that I frequented have closed so these days, I give it an independent garage and a guy who I trust.

Take care of her, she will give you only smiles.

Attached is mine from new year trip to Masinagudi.

Looks ravishing! A fiesta S in Aquarius Blue is the dream . The car being NA, you can't make it go faster after a certain limit but those upgrades can make it even more fun to drive. Just after that air intake upgrade I did, the car became more tourq'ey smiles started to widen.


If that's the hubcap you were referring to, I remember they were going for just Rs. 150 per piece and yes, from Ford itself.

Originally Posted by man_of_steel

One sweet thread man! Straight from the heart. Hunting for the 1.6S is one big adventure itself. The result is definitely rewarding!

Thank you, Sudeep. Indeed, it was a great adventure.

Originally Posted by harmanjeet14

Congrats on getting one gem of a car. I recently acquired my dad's 1.2 Figo which has done almost 1.2 lakh kms, but still runs in top nick. I plan to keep car just for the wonderful chassis, and slowly upgrade its performance, including a possible engine swap with a Fiesta 1.6. It would be really great if you continue to share upgrades on your car. Cheers !

Thank you, Harman. For sure, everything will be documented over here.

Figo is one spectacular car to own and maintain. Engine swap sounds awesome. Approach a well reputed garage for the that. If everything turns out to be good, it'll be a hot little hatch to drive!




Found this image from the archive when someone from Bangalore examined a Fiesta for me. Any guess on the car from which the image was taken from.?