[frankmehta]

Update: ICEing has begun on the car. Doors and boot have been damped with Noisekill.
The sheet metal used by Ford is SO much better than the one I have encountered on the new age Hondas, as well as the 'wafer' thin metal on the Marutis of today.

Also, one more naughty act! I took her out for a spin on a lazy Sunday afternoon, and totally ripped her! LOL. 4 K RPM atleast 3 times, and touched 120 kmph.

Very short period of time, but I hope I haven't damaged the internals by being stupid. It was absolute fun, though, and my only complaint was the skittish behaviour of the PP2s on bumps, even at speeds above 100 kmph, which made things hairy, even while braking! (which are omnipresent on Mumbai roads)

[shajufx]

Originally Posted by frankmehta

Update: ICEing has begun on the car.

We all know that, you make us PANT like a dog running from one thread to another !

4 K RPM atleast 3 times, and touched 120 kmph.

Thats not very impressive. I managed 120 kmph at 3000 RPM itself on my 560 km drive 3 days back. I am not an expert to give an explanation though, may be the momentum each gear is engaged. I wish I could speak like a professional !

[Ravveendrra]

Originally Posted by frankmehta

......
The sheet metal used by Ford is SO much better than the one I have encountered on the new age Hondas, as well as the 'wafer' thin metal on the Marutis of today.

Also, one more naughty act! I took her out for a spin on a lazy Sunday afternoon, and totally ripped her! LOL. 4 K RPM atleast 3 times, and touched 120 kmph.

Very short period of time, but I hope I haven't damaged the internals by being stupid. It was absolute fun, though, and my only complaint was the skittish behaviour of the PP2s on bumps, even at speeds above 100 kmph, which made things hairy, even while braking! (which are omnipresent on Mumbai roads)

Like Shaju said, you keep us running between threads like we were interns and u were the Sr.Consultant! Nice to see so much happening all at once to your beaut.

Do not worry - 4K rpm and 120 do not count for 'ripping' the ticker in your car is fine.

If the PP2s are being 'skittish' perhaps they are overinflated - reduce pressures (the gurus recommend lowering air pressure from the company recommended pressure by about 2 psi for oversized tyres). Try filling them with nitrogen. Since I am a doubting Thomas, I tried it on one car first and am a confirmed convert now (just moved the other car to Nitrogen 10 days ago).

Cheers,

[frankmehta]

Alright sir. Surely I will. The trouble is HIGHLY varying calibration of air pressure @ petrol pumps. I will now make it an effort to fill up air at a pump, and maintain my 'clientelle' there. Nitrogen was there, but now it's been infused with 'normal' air since I topped up at a pump ;-)

[Chillout]

How is the Noisekill, is it effective and do you see a remarkable difference. Also how much did it cost you and how long did they take for the entire procedure



[quote=frankmehta;1468528]Update: ICEing has begun on the car. Doors and boot have been damped with Noisekill.
The sheet metal used by Ford is SO much better than the one I have encountered on the new age Hondas, as well as the 'wafer' thin metal on the Marutis of today.

[frankmehta]

Hi Chillout (sounds funny. Hi chillout.. LOL)
Yes, I have driven around about 30-40 km with the noisekill yesterday, and I didn't find too much of a difference in ambient noise from outside. The reason for this could be that, even before damping, the car was silent as hell. Eerie silent.
Hence, the damping will help more acoustically. Also, actually, there will be a larger difference when the speaker goes in, since there is a large GAPING hole in the door right now where the stock speaker used to be. Hence, it will improve even more when the speaker comes in.

Also, the doors have become heavier (atleast by a kilo and a half each,) which makes the resounding thunk while shutting the doors more prominent than before. Very satisfying sound. I love it, and it will be better after the speaker goes in, since we will be adding another 2 kilos to the door (speaker weight).

Mind you, damping is beneficial in a lot of way. It also adds to the resilience of the metal of the doors, even from outside. I had a small shunt in the earlier car and the noisekill (oodles of it) helped a lot in absorbing the impact and preventing the tinny door metal from going in, much more than it went.

[amit162]

I was thinking of going for the Verna or Ford as the Honda City I felt was really no value for money - considering the initial cost.Was very impressed by the Ford reviews and am also getting a very good discount from the dealer which had nearly convinced me to book a Ford Fiesta Zxi. However somewhere in this thread I have read that the heavy discounts may be because Ford is planning to release a new Fiesta Model and this is a common tactic adopted by them at the end of the product cycle. Since I dont want to buy a product which will soon be replaced , I am quite confused now.What should I do?

[yajaman99]

amit,
i too has in this was thinking along same lines before picking up my platinum 1.6zxi.
This is my personal opinion in the matter, how i decided i should go for the Fiesta.
1. I simply loved the way the current fiesta handles
2. The look is a time tested design which i found to be very pleasing.
3. On checking the US/UK ford websites the new Fiesta looks rocking. Certain online reviews say this is a global model, so chances are it would be the same one coming to india.
4. A factor which was important to me was Time
5. The release of the new Fiesta is not certain yet but would be expected.
6. Any new launch would would see an increase in price and no major discounts.
7. The car would need to prove itself.
Hence i opted for the Fiesta 1.6zxi and took delivery on 3rd sept, driven over 550km till date and am loving it. Below is the link to my review

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-...delivered.html (The Ford Fiesta 1.6Zxi Booked & Delivered)

I guess you would need to prioritize your needs and then come to a decision.

The performance , features and price makes the Fiesta 1.6zxi IMHO for a great VFM package.

Go Fida

[Chillout]

Ford is coming out with a small car next year and their focus is more on this product. Fiesta is also bound for an upgrade, but not sure when it would happen.

As for new version, it always happens, unless you have inside information, it is very difficult to determine as to when the next version is going to be launched.

My philosophy has been to buy when you need it, like it and can afford it.....

[chennai-indian]

Fiesta is not due for an upgrade anytime soon. Scheduled Fiesta upgrade is somewhere in 2013 so go ahead and buy the car if you like it.

[neotraveller]

Hmm. I do not think it's like a clearance sale discount to make way for new model.
Infact, discounts on Fiestas have been there regularly since Aug'08. There are newer/more-modern products like ANHC & Linea in market now. So Ford has to lure buyers with the heavy discounts/freebies. Same is case with SX4 now (I saw in paper some 55k itseems!).

The discounts seem to be paying off for Ford .. they are moving ~1000 cars/month. So they are good for now.
IMO they will look to introduce new Fiesta maybe september'2010 or jan'2011.

Originally Posted by amit162

However somewhere in this thread I have read that the heavy discounts may be because Ford is planning to release a new Fiesta Model and this is a common tactic adopted by them at the end of the product cycle. Since I dont want to buy a product which will soon be replaced , I am quite confused now.What should I do?

[ashishgandhi_00]

Originally Posted by Chillout

Ford is coming out with a small car next year and their focus is more on this product. Fiesta is also bound for an upgrade, but not sure when it would happen.

As for new version, it always happens, unless you have inside information, it is very difficult to determine as to when the next version is going to be launched.

My philosophy has been to buy when you need it, like it and can afford it.....

I agree. Ford is planning a new small car (hatchback) in early 2010. so i dont see the current Fiesta being phased out. The new one is quite some time away. Go for the current one , if you like it... the facelifted SXi premium has been recently introduced in the market

[frankmehta]

I have just gotten back from a 700 km round trip over a period of 2 nights and 3 days, across maharashtra! Went to mahabaleshwar and pune. Had the time of my life driving. She's just TURBINE smooth on highways, and grips tarmac like there's no tomorrow. The rate at which the engine accelerates is simply mind blowing, and she flies through the gears to absurd speeds without one even knowing it.
The ODO now reads 1449 km, out of which 700 were done in the last 3 days. The car didn't complain even once, and I maintained steady speeds of about 110-120 kmph.
There was this MAJOR dash that I made on the expressway, where I didn't even realize that the speedo had touched 160 kmph with the AC on. Such is the beauty of the Fiesta.
Of special mention is the beautiful steering that weighs itself up and gives an exact feel of the current speed the car is flying at.
Also, the response to the smallest of steering inputs is registered well, and I have taken corners at speeds where my Esteem would just give up.
Imagine taking a 60 degree corner at 110 kmph. Just unfathomable, but the Fiesta takes to corners with aplomb. It's just too good to believe, until you are actually driving.
The S showed its supremacy over the ZXi doing such things, and the exhaust note of the engine above 3000 rpm makes all kinds of aftermarket exhausts redundant.
My only grouse was, again, the hard edged suspension that thuds hard at the smallest pimple on the road. I maintained the tyre pressure to 28 psi, but didn't help much.
Also, I think this is the reason why rattles have developed. The dash has been rattling. One more from the steering column. One from the passenger door, and one from somewhere in the rear.
The average given by my car with 80% highway and 20% city running was less than 13 kmph. Not pardonable, but i have to attribute this to the thicker, heavier rubber, and maybe, my driving style. But the PP2's shone. And how! They exhibited some crazzzy amount of grip, integrity and absolutely NO noise! Now that is something I have never experienced in cars, even abroad!
The only noise I heard was the wind noise and the muted growl of the engine, and I am not complaining!
The car has done some serious mileage now, so I would consider the running in period as over
Mind you, this was with the AC on all the time, even @ speeds of 120+ kmph.
I am now going to cross 3k RPM whenever I want, but not above 4k.
Will cross 4k on 2500 KMPH.

Got her DIRTY too. Drove her in a slushy field and enjoyed her a lot, negative lock et all. Really really had a great time in that field, and here's a slightly poor, but fun video of the same!

YouTube - Ford Fiesta S: Getting her DIRRRRRRRTY!

[Sawyer]

Nice pix! Good to see someone else who is also not shy of his number plate - I haven't really figured this one out myself yet, its not as if the pics are of any illegal activity!

[Archer2005]

I guess the rpm - speed correlation may also be related to the road conditions.
I took out my maiden Fiesta (2 day ole') for a spin the other night on the near empty highway towards Shamirpet ( Secunderabad). I tried to be 'mature' by not trying to cross 2.5k rpm ( read somewhere in this form that you should avoid crossing that till first service - correct me if I am wrong). However, could not restrain myself from revving at a couple of open stretches. Saw the needle at 120 kmph twice, and on both occasions, the rpm was 3000.

[QUOTE
Thats not very impressive. I managed 120 kmph at 3000 RPM itself on my 560 km drive 3 days back. I am not an expert to give an explanation though, may be the momentum each gear is engaged. I wish I could speak like a professional ![/quote]