[kanchan]

Hi All,

This is the first time when I can share some of my fruitful experiences with you all in this forum. The first and foremost thing I must say to many of you is “A Big Thank” who has helped (directly or indirectly) me in taking this decision.

Though I am a regular visitor of this site but number of posts by me may be very less . From the very beginning I was a big fan of Fiesta and that’s why I regularly kept close eyes to the posts related to Fiesta and other cars in this segment. It may sound that I am little bit biased toward Fiesta (can’t help) but I have enquired every details of other cars too.

My Requirement

- I was searching for my first car and I was always in favor of a car with large boot. So I never thought of any mid size car though there are truly few good mid sized cars in the market.
- I have Pulsar 150 cc bike. So it was obvious that I will go with a car which will give me maximum driving pleasure.
- My daily running is around 30 km and occasional weekend tour (that is not more than 200km). 10-12 km/l in city was Ok for me. So I never considered diesel cars.
- My budget was not more than 7.5 l on road.


Initial Test Drive, Final Selection and Delivery

I have taken the test drives of the following cars:

1) Honda City: Rear seat comfort, Good FE (may be best in class), interiors, city driving, ‘H’ brand are few positive sites of this car though it seems little to be overpriced (and so was going out of my budget) and driving pleasure is not as good as Fiesta.
2) Aveo: Best in class interiors and exterior, Good VFM are few positive sites of it but in driving pleasure, pickup in different gears, engine power it scores lower than few competitors.
3) Fiesta: FE( not best in class), Rear seat comfort, *** (though I have not heard anything that bad about Planet Ford Pune) may go against Fiesta but driving pleasure and engine power can help you forget all its negative aspects.


I have never considered SX4 as personally I don’t like the rear shape of it and it also does not give better FE than Fiesta though MUL scores higher than Ford in *** and brand name. So after many considerations I went for Ford Fiesta….

Planet Ford Pune has its good will for several years. So I directly went to them and not considered Talera Ford. I was in touch with a sales person from Planet Ford for last 1 year. I may have irritated him with ton of questions regarding Fiesta but he always solved my queries with smile on his face. It may be his duty to treat every customer this way but full marks to that chap. I have visited the showroom in the month of May and luckily there was an offer going on for Fiesta in that month. It was just before Ford launched 1.6 S and discontinued with 1.4 Exi P. I preferred 1.6 Zxi over 1.4 Exi as 1.6 engine give only 1km/l less FE than that of 1.4 engine. I did not opt for ABS/Airbags it was really going out of my budget. The color I went for is Platinum.

On-Road price for 1.6 Zxi P in pune was 7.13 l (including 1 yr extended warranty apart from 2 yr in build warranty). I have got cash discount of 28000/-, corporate discount of around 11000/- (though my company is not listed I have managed this somehow). They have provided all carpet floor mats, Ford Neck-rest Cushion, Ambi-Pure air freshener as free accessories. I have taken the loan from icici bank as my salary account is with that bank. I have got the rate of 12%. Apart from these I have opted for the followings:

- Art Leather Seat Cover- I have paid 4000/- for this which was actually quoted for 5500/-
- Waxoyl Treatment for whole car (including interior, exterior and underbody and engine) - I have paid for 7500/- after discount. Special thanks to Suman and vnabhi for your inputs.
- Music System - I have opted for Sony Xplod CDX-GT670US (Flip down FL Display CD/MP3/WMA/ATRAC3plus/ AAC Player with Frontal USB Input) and Sony Xplod Speakers (XS-GTX6940S and XS-GTF1625B) for which I have paid 13000/- in total (including the roof antenna) after discount.
- Sun Filming – I have also made it done from the dealer by paying them 2000/-
- Fog lamp kit – Though it was an integral part of earlier Zxi model of Petrol it is not that so now (courtesy to Ford). So I opted for this which cost me another 4000/- (though it is not needed unless you drive in fogy hilly roads and Fiesta’s normal head lamps are more than sufficient IMHO in normal Indian roads).
- Parking Sensor – I have fitted this as an extra and paid 4000/- for it. It is being very helpful for me while reversing the car.
- Extra 1 yr extended warranty – I have cancelled 1 yr extra warranty which was there in their offer and opted for another 2 yrs extended warranty. So it becomes 4 yrs OR 80k Km (2 yrs in build warranty which comes with Ford Fiesta + 2 yrs extended warranty I opted for in addition) total warranty. For this I have paid only 2000/- only.

So I have booked my first car on 30th may’2008. I was asking for Platinum color but unfortunately there was no Platinum color 1.6 Zxi in their stock. Considering my curiosity about the platinum color they have also offered me a February manufactured 1.4 Zxi (discontinued with the launch of 1.6 Zxi) platinum fully loaded which was the last one in their stock. But I was firmed with my decision of taking 1.6 Zxi and that too Platinum color. I was also ready to wait till the color is available even knowing the fact that something new from Ford Fiesta (not sure exactly what is coming) is coming in June. But luckily there was a Platinum 1.6 Zxi in their stock yard. Initially I thought this may be from Old stock. That’s why I have taken the chassis and serial number of the car allotted to me before registration. After doing some R&D I have come to know that this was April manufactured car. Thanks to this link – (Chart to identify the Ford manufature date from VIN or Engine Number). This will definitely be a useful info for all the Ford owners. I have also checked all the necessary details as advised by Team-BHP in pre-delivery inspection list.

At last the D day had come. 15th June’ 2008. My dream comes true. I took the delivery at around 4 pm. Initial ODO was showing 55 km. After filling the tank fully I have taken my car for Puja at near by temple. After that day I am actually is in dream world till date. When I am seeing my ODO now it is already 1k done. So here comes the review….of my … dangerously beautiful … “Beasta”…


Pros

- Driving pleasure and handling is superb.
- Engine is very much powerful though I normally maintain 2000 rpm mark till 1.5 k – 2k kms but it is very difficult to control this limit especially when you are holding the steering.
- Driver seat height adjustment and outside temperature display are big pluses in this model.
- Electronically controlled OVRMs are really nice.
- DTE is very useful addition in Ford Fiesta though I am not sure it is giving me the correct value. Can anybody help me to understand the logic in calculating DTE? Is it calculated according to the measurement under Ideal condition? For example, I am driving 10 km say, and then DTE should also decreased by same no. of Kms, right? It is not happening exactly.
- The engine is very silent from inside.
- Front visibility is very decent.
- Head lights are very powerful and adequate for Indian Roads.
- FE: I should not comment on this so firmly as I have done only 1k km so far but till now I can’t expect more than this. Normally my daily running is around 30 km (50% on clear road (not HighwayJ) and 50% in traffic with 25% AC on). With 1st filling I have got 12.008 km/l (using tank full to tank full method). In 2nd filling I have got 12.169 km/l. I think this is quite acceptable before 1st servicing.

Cons

Frankly speaking it is very difficult for me to find any cons of my car which I love blindly. But this is the Real world and so there must be few improvements (I rather say improvement than cons) which I can suggest for Fiesta 1.6 Zxi. The list is not so big but there are few …..

- Rear seat is not as comfortable as that of NHC.
- Bonnet opening button should be in driver’s side.
- Though many of you praise Fiesta’s gear but I felt the gear is not as smooth (even though I press clutch fully) as you mentioned. It may get better after 1st service. What say?
- Stock tyres are really undersized. I thought of upgrading the same to Michelin XM1+ but after getting the feedback from Suman and vnabhi I changed my mine.
- AC blower is bit noisy above 2 but AC effect at 2 is more than sufficient I guess.
- Ground clearance would have been more like SX4.

Maintenance

It is too early to comment on this but till now I am a satisfied customer of Planet Ford and I believe they won’t let down my expectations in future as many of my friends are already satisfied customers of Planet Ford Pune since the Ikon age.

Nothing can be perfect in this world. There will always be some scope of improvements. So keeping all the above pros and cons in mind I would proudly say Ford Fiesta is a complete package in terms of style, comfort, power and reliability (at least to me ).

I hope many of you will be interested in pics of my car. So here are few ….coming… enjoy

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[aaggoswami]

Nice and elaborate write up coupled with honesty. This colour also suits this car well.
The fuel efficiency you are getting is good.

Those neck " support " just below headrests are interesting bit. However do they really help ? How is the practical feel as when you are driving ?

You have also mentioned about ground clearence. Is it that your car bottoms out ?

[anikate]

Hey nice pics. I am planning on buying a Ford fiesta 1.6 zxi P too. Had planned on booking the car from planet ford by this weekend. Are you satisfied with the pre sales service from Planet ford Pune? You got a very good discount. Did you have to bargain for it? Some pointers would be very valuable. I am buying my first car.

[Path_Finder]

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

Those neck " support " just below headrests are interesting bit. However do they really help ? How is the practical feel as when you are driving ?

Those neck supports are a must, I must say. The headrests are a lot inconvenient and real pain in the neck.
I just did a TD of Fiesta SXi yesterday and really found the headrest very odd.

[bobster]

Many many Congratulations to you Kanchan, Great car there.
Your next modification should be a good set of Alloys, and regarding the "Neck Rests" they are horrible, they were provided as freebies on my car as well, one long drive and my neck pained the whole night , somehow i find them orthopedics wise not right. Anyways enjoy your ride.

[karanraheja]

Kanchan Nice Review. I love this Platinum Color. I agree with you the rear seat could be more comfy . NHC wins hands down here. Im quite surprised that you also have complained about the gearshift. Last few days few members have been complaining about it. I find it very slick. I think it might get smoother after 1st or 2nd service. Drive Safe ! Cheers!

[sridharps]

Originally Posted by Path_Finder

Those neck supports are a must, I must say. The headrests are a lot inconvenient and real pain in the neck.
I just did a TD of Fiesta SXi yesterday and really found the headrest very odd.

To be honest, I got more pain using those "Neck Supports" . Since then , I have discontinued.
Nice, Honest review. Congrats! and way to go!

[Path_Finder]

Originally Posted by sridharps

To be honest, I got more pain using those "Neck Supports" . Since then , I have discontinued.

Agree that this could be possible - it is indeed a matter of personal preference and things like ones height, posture etc. also has a affects.
I found them good for long highway rides only.

[vnabhi]

Congrats Kanchan! Your car sure looks good. Get yourself a good set of alloys when your pocket permits.
Stock tyres are good enough, unless you are a Niki Lauda type of guy.
As regards the additional neck rests, I too bought them, as I use them in my WagonR for long trips. But my trip to Mumbai in Dec did not cause any discomfiture, so I have not installed them yet.

[nemo]

@kanchan,

Congratulations on your new purchase, glad to know that you are enjoying your ride. As a Fiesta owner and having driven the car for the last couple of years i second most of your above comments.

The pictures look good and i really liked your seat covers - are they branded if so what brand?

[kanchan]

Thanks to all of you (aaggoswami, anikate, bobster, karanraheja, sridharps, vnabhi, nemo and Path Finder).

Neck supportsts are not bad. I would not comment on it's usability right now as I have not gone for any long trip so far.. But what I can guess it may add some comfort to my necks in long trips. Many people are complaining about the comfort but I guess one person's height is also a factor which will decide how much these supports will add comfort to your neck.

anikate, I am satisfied with pre sales service of Planet Ford. Actually there was a discount scheme was going on in May when I booked my car. I did not bargain for normal discount (25000+3000). But for other small discounts (which I already mentioned) I had to negotiate little bit but I beleive Ford dealers does not give much discounts normally. Mostly they have increased the on road price of 1.6 ZXi (litterally increased the prices for all models above 1.5 cc) in last month.

nemo, seat covers are not branded one but got it from dealer only. It is of art leather and cost me around 4500/-.

I will keep on updating you all as my car grows up .


Thanks,
Kanchan

[Glass]

Congrats Kanchan!
Can you post pics of what display comes up on that parking sensor monitor?