Team-BHP - The Sea Grey Shark Attack!!! Fiesta 1.6S delivered.

Hi BHPians,
Coming straight to the point lets get started with my initial ownership experience with the Sea Grey Fiesta 1.6S

LOVE AT FIRST DRIVE!

After having heard/read enormously about the 1.6S right here in the Team BHP forums, I was already half prepared to buy this beauty. The car had such good reviews that would put even the 3D blockbuster Avatar in shame!!

They say that “The first step is half the battle won”. This proverb held its meaning superbly when I test drove the 1.6S.
The sales guy came up with an Aquarius Blue demo car, exactly the one which I had in mind. Though the TD vehicle was 2 yrs old, it was in good condition. The ODO figures were not disturbing and interiors were very clean. (Quite unlike the Fiat Linea Emotion Pack I TD’d earlier, which is a shame on the part of the Fiat Dealership which hugely de-means another beautiful car). Well, I checked out the car from the outside from all angles.

The huge rear spoiler was striking at each glance. The side skirtings, dual headlamps, the black bezel around the head lamps gave it a funky kink, as if it was winking at me, inviting me for a fun filled drive.

Her wish was my command. Sitting inside I was transported into another world of sorts. Great, functional and yet simple interiors. The driver’s seat hugged me into place as if saying “you are in the right place baby!”.

I cranked the engine into power and still had to ask the sales guy whether it started alright or not? His creepy smile ensured that I was making a fool out of myself.

Ok, then the chunky steering wheel, very inviting and a pleasure to hold. The gear knob, pleasure to hold again and engaged in right slots in a very precise manner with short/accurate throws.

This was the most pleasurable aspect till now. But wait, more was in store. The pick up was fantastic! The car flew from its parking spot and I could sense the figures of 0-100 doing a math revision in my mind. 11.86 seconds, if I’m correct?

As I pointed her nose to an empty stretch of road, the car seemed to be communicating exactly what it needed. It was a sudden chemistry between us. My first crush, the first kiss, those teenage years, all came back to me for that moment. This car actually made me feel younger and fresher! Whoo-hoo, I can’t hold my excitement still.

The car speeds up effortlessly from 0 to 100. No strain can be felt yet. In fact you break the 3000 RPM barrier and the engine growls as if a tiger has tasted blood. It needs to kill and now!

I kept on pressing my right foot, she kept on responding, the sales rep kept on clutching the door handles till they almost came loose. I hit almost 130 in an instant and never bothered when those 11.86 secs had passed.
I slowed down to the great relief of the sales guy and pushed her into a 90 deg. bend, cornered at a speed of about 70 kmph. The car kept turning with confidence, which in turn gave me a lot of confidence to push it harder. Slight body roll, almost negligible compared to my long term server Santro Xing!

We returned to my apartment. I checked out the interiors. The in-dash music system seemed adequate and churned out pretty decent sound at both high/low volume levels.

THE DEAL WAS SEALED!

The test drive sealed the deal for me. I didn’t even bother to check out any other car models. I visited the showroom the very next day and booked the car. Now came the part where the heart breaks. I had already read in Frank Mehta’s & Gilead's thread that Aquarius color has been discontinued. But I still had hopes that maybe it wasn’t true. But it was! The Aquarius color was indeed discontinued in Dec 2009. So my next choice was a fight between the Paprika Red and the Sea Grey. The Paprika Red had a waiting period of over 35-40 days and I needed the car urgently, so I went with Sea Grey. The color was new and looked attractive in the Figo.

THE DELIVERY AND FIRST DRIVE IN THE BRAND NEW SEA GREY FIESTA 1.6S

I went for a PDI in sweltering heat of Delhi summer to the Harpreet Ford stockyard at Motinagar in New Delhi, about 30kms from my place. I sweated it out for 45 mins in hot glaring sun checking out my prized possession and not yet minding the drops of sweat which oozed out from every which where!! The car showed 56 kms on the ODO during the PDI and 72 upon delivery, which I thought was justified. I got to know her better alongwith the PDI incharge who was actually the second fiddle to the real PDI manager. He knew not too much about the car but then thanks to Team BHP and Fiesta owners here, I never actually needed any guidance on what to checkout. The infamous Team BHP PDI checklist was in hand!

Finally, after a long wait, endless finance games from ICICI Bank and the usual dealership agonies, I got her delivered on 3rd June. A dusty Delhi evening it was but for me it was pristine. The car shone in its fully loaded armour. The paint job excellent and the smell of brand new interiors enough to invigorate the senses of a true petrolhead.

The delivery ceremony was quite sedate. Me thinks because of the complaints I had filed to Ford MD. The sales MD of Hapreet Ford was quite surprised as to how I got the direct mail ID of Form India MD. Few good wishes were exchanged. The sales guy gave the keys to my wife alongwith a bouquet. We gave him a small gift as a token of his efforts. With all hard feelings drifting away, we bid adieu to the showroom in our brand new wheels of joy. The Mrs. drove it out of the gate and then I took her to a temple for the blessings of God, the source of all power, even the 1.6S.

KEY FEATURES – WHAT I LIKED AND NOT LIKED

Sporty feel. Good road presence. The spoiler and skirtings add to the overall effect.
Minimalistic, simple but good functional no fuss interiors.
Good quality plastics and switchgear. Some plastic parts are flimsy and rough edged.
Awesome aluminium drill holed type pedals. Brings out the sporty look by far.
Great steering wheel. Good to hold and very responsive and direct.
Chunky gear knob. Precise and short gear throws.
The double stitched fabric seats are a delight.
Confusing switch gear positioning and unorthodox as per Indian standards. (Blinkers on the left and washers on the right)
The OVRM switch hard to reach for tall drivers who push the driver’s seat far behind.
Height adjustment is minimal. It actually inclines the seat forward or backwards sloping.
The DURATEC 1.6L petrol engine is sublime, sweet, powerful, smooth. (and I’m running out of adjectives...)
Super ride and handling for a car of this class.
Build quality is excellent. The doors slam shut with a convincing “thud”. The paint work is excellent.
Power delivery is smooth and linear. The car accelerates very smoothly, without any loss of power in between.
Incredible gear ratios. You can drive 20-80k on the 3rd gear without any problem. (the earlier owners of Fiesta will vouch for this)
The brakes I felt were a little soft for a sports version of Fiesta. Need to press hard to brake hard.
A/C is an absolute chiller. You can cool your wine rack or your 6 pack beer easily.
The music system is very basic with no equalizer option. No USB which is a real dud!! These days even small cars come with this cheap/efficient technology option. The sound from the system is great and does not distort at high volumes. The bass is deep enough and will make the occupants feel good. Not good enough for audiophiles though! No, they are never satisfied!!
Amazingly quick on its feet. 0-100 acceleration is among the quickest in this segment.
Good safety features – ABS, EBD, twin Airbags.
Ample boot space. Can fit in 4 adults in the boot!!
PURE DRIVER CENTRIC CAR. No doubt about it. Its a delight and joy to be behind its wheel.:)

So guys this is my impression of the Fiesta 1.6S that I own proudly now. I have not pushed it to the limit yet. Not gone above 3000 revs yet! Its not very clear whether the modern cars need running-in or not. Some say yes, some say no but I’ll follow the manual as and when I get to it.
Right now I’m happy getting a feel of the car. Taming it completely to be under my command.

The current dusty Delhi weather is preventing me from taking photos of her in clean and shiny condition. But nonetheless its been a great pleasure for me to bring you all these pictures, dust or not.

And like I said before

”Only Great Horses gather dust while prancing to Victory!”