[rageshgr]

Dear All,

I know the title might seem strange, but here is my predicament

The Fiesta classic which has been a dream car for me, has now slashed its price by around 70k, making the petrol version within my reach.

But I drive 90 km per day, and this will go on for 1 more year (after which my daily travel will be only 10-15 km)

So a diesel car would be a great option. Hence only the Figo fits my budget for a diesel car. But I REALLY want an enjoyable car and it is no secret that the Ford Fiesta classic is one of the best drivers car <10 lacs, w.r.t. ride , handling and steering feedback.

But the Figo is more or less based on the same platform and hence it is no slouch in the driving department either.

So my question is, by going for the diesel Figo rather than the petrol Fiesta, will I be comprising a whole lot in terms of driving pleasure. Obviously power is gonna be much less. But in the handling and steering department, is the Figo substantially inferior to the Fiesta?

Should I bite the bullet on fuel efficiency and go for the Fiesta?

[gsurya]

So u like Fiesta Classic. It's definitely better than Figo any day. You can afford it. It's available. It's got great deals going.

Why should you ask anyone on this forum to change your mind go for it!


Sent from my iPhone using Team-BHP

[ghodlur]

The question to be asked is whether you need a vehicle with boot or not. If yes, then with closed eyes, go for the Fiesta or else Figo would do everything which a Fiesta does. One thing you wouldnt like in a diesel Figo is the engine noise ingress inside the cabin.

Since your running would be reduced after a year, I feel you should opt for the Fiesta.

[rageshgr]

Thanks a lot Ghodlur and gsurya,

Actually boot vs non-boot is not a problem. My only predicament was the economy of the diesel Figo vs great driving pleasure of the petrol Fiesta. Since my travel will reduce within a year, may be I should not miss this chance and buy my dream car, the last of the drivers era cars

Originally Posted by gsurya

Why should you ask anyone on this forum to change your mind go for it!

No, actually I was hoping Fiesta lovers like you to re inforce my love for the Fiesta. Thanks

[IshaanIan]

I like it when someone is clear on their budget Diesel Figo or Petrol Fiesta eh? Well your yearly running easily warrants a diesel even with current fuel pricing trends. BUT, as a petrol-head who has never owned a diesel but driven several (literally 95% of my friends drive diesels) I can safely say that if you are able to afford it, the sheer pleasure a petrol gives in most cases, (was in the market for a small hatch in 2012 and I actually zeroed in on a ZDi Swift since I couldn't live with the petrol's city characteristics cancelled the booking after falling in love with the Kizashi but that is an entirely different story) is definitely worth it. Especially in the case of the Fiesta where, I infact never complain while driving my buddy's (yes the chassis is so good I don't care how slow it is) but would still given the choice, go for that gem of 1.6 motor.

Work out the math, if you are financially capable of it considering the 30k plus km a year average is only for the first year, (don't forget to add extra to the coming year for road trips though) then go for it

[rageshgr]

Thanks Ishaan,

That is a very interesting way to put it. It is all leaning towards the Fiesta then

[Blow Horn Ok]

Eventhough you sit and do the math 100 times, you will end up buying what your heart wants. And its clear that you want the fiesta/classic. Go for it. Even the new fiesta cant match he punch of old 1.6. Opt for a color that stands out in the crowd and soup it up with better rubber and alloys at the later stage and it will put costlier and newly launched cars to shame.

[mayankk]

One year down the line, when you only have to commute 10 kms a day, will you be able to suppress the regret of not buying a stonking performer of a car?


By the by, have you taken a back to back td of both cars?
Try and hold the classic at 3.5k and just drop your foot on an open stretch, till about 4-5k.
Then come back and tell us what all accessories you got for the classic....

[vinya_jag]

By the way, do they still have the 'S' variant with the stiffer suspension, wider rubber etc?

And did you say 70K discounts? The 1.6 on the Fiesta platform is a really good buy today. Awesome handler, (Same as the Figo, not much difference), low seating position, low Center of gravity, decent interiors, very good high end performance on the petrol. This will be for sure a great highway car.

But, having owned one, and driven both these cars (Petrol variants, 1.2 and the 1.6), I feel that they both are are really old for this generation. The new Figo will be here in a Jiffy, and the Fiesta/Figo will go the Ikon way. Costly spares, ultra low resale values.
And, have you seen what price you are getting the second hand Petrol Fiestas for?

And, with AC ON, they both return extra crude mileages in city. IN heavy traffic, it ranges anywhere between 8 and 11. I would suggest that you go for a newer car..
And thinking of a new car which ticks all the Fiesta boxes, I feel there are none, which is a bad problem to have.

My other suggestion would be to wait for the New Figo.

[ganesc]

Have been in the same dilemma some 2 years back but with Diesel Fiesta vs Figo. In my case, I had to go for Fiesta to get the boot for around 2 Lacs more than Figo But honestly none of the other cars did make any sense to me at that time as Ford even with its Figo interiors seemed far superior to many other competitors in terms of space, luggage capacity, interior, driving dynamics and so on.

But honestly if you don't need a boot, Figo is nothing but a Fiesta (minus the boot) and in fact Figo was more spirited than Fiesta due to less weight.

I somehow like Fiesta in terms of styling than other cars and Figo. Its a perfect shape for a car in every angle you look at. The diesel is no slouch until it hits 120 after which it starts to sound like a mini truck. Heard they had removed the hydraulic engine bed and insulation in Classic.

Coming to your Petrol Fiesta - Its resale value is still worse compared to its diesel counterpart due to its mileage.

Consider a used Fiesta Petrol or a new/used Figo Titanium Diesel. You wont regret your decision either way.

Point to note: On diesel case, I think though same engines, Figo service intervals were longer than Fiesta and Ford maintains Fiesta Classic spares costlier than Figo for some reason though parts are same. Figo spares and service costs are less expensive compared to Maruti Swift.
Figo has bluetooth audio which I have missed badly in my Fiesta Classic. ABS, Airbags and so on. Rear seats are not comfortable in both and Figo being worst among the 2.

Mileage: Diesel Fiesta - 18; Petrol Fiesta - 8 to 11 Max; Figo Diesel - 18 to 21.

Just to give an idea of resale value from my own experience.
1.4 TDCI CLXI Classic 2012 Mar - 8.34 Lacs (7.26 Ex-Showroom which is now 6.89)
Sold in Oct 2013 - Around 6 Lacs. Would have pushed max to 6.5 Lacs if I was not in a hurry. But a same aged Swift are still going close to 7 lacs.

Originally Posted by vinya_jag

By the way, do they still have the 'S' variant with the stiffer suspension, wider rubber etc?

They don't anymore.

The new Figo will be here in a Jiffy, and the Fiesta/Figo will go the Ikon way. Costly spares, ultra low resale values.
And, have you seen what price you are getting the second hand Petrol Fiestas for?

+1. Checkout the second hand cars. Ford doesn't have much resale value. Checkout this 1.6S with a decent kms run in Team-bhp classifieds itself. The advt has been active since 2 months and looks like not yet sold, so give it a shot with your quote highlighting the recent price corrections and try your luck.

http://classifieds.team-bhp.com/buy-...d/Fiesta.html/

Another new diesel fiesta.
http://classifieds.team-bhp.com/buy-...d/Fiesta.html/

And, with AC ON, they both return extra crude mileages in city. IN heavy traffic, it ranges anywhere between 8 and 11. I would suggest that you go for a newer car..

+1. Go for a newer generation car.

My other suggestion would be to wait for the New Figo.

This might not happen so soon in my opinion. Ford will still try to extract some more from Figo.

Sorry for the long post but just thought of sharing my thoughts if it would be of some help for you(or anyone) to decide. Many of the above pushes Fiesta but I would say give a thought of what makes sense in real life.

Now If I am in the market, I would consider a year old used car over a new car and what with those many choices available now. I would still consider a Fiesta/Figo when I myself need a car once I am back in India.

[tharian]

Originally Posted by rageshgr

Dear All,

I know the title might seem strange, but here is my predicament



But I drive 90

But the Figo is more or less based on the same platform and hence it is no slouch in the driving department either.

So my question


Should I bite the bullet on fuel efficiency and go for the Fiesta?

Rajeshgr,

Driving 90 kms a day for a year is going to pinch you when driving the 1.6 but will equally keep you happy with the power and driving pleasure.
A Figo diesel on the other hand is just all about good handling and planted feel. The engine is old school but a fuel efficient unit.
If your a petrolhead, go for the 1.6 or else one year down the line, you will regret, but of course they would be many more petrol options but not the classic 1.6

[rageshgr]

Wow! Thanks everyone for so many replies. The Fiesta passion is visible.

I am afraid to go for newer cars like Next gen Figo etc coz I am afraid they will even more mellow and all carbon conscious and fuel economy oriented. As we see on paper the new Fiesta produces more power, it is slower than the older Fiesta. I think the Fiesta is an icon (pun may be intended), one of the last cars made for petrol heads before we are peppered with "green" boats.

And I think Fiesta classic is the MOST beautiful car <10 lacs. It is simple yet iconic shape.

As you guys suggested, let me take a TD of both, and if I feel that in spite of the handling smiliarities, if the Figo is too boring due to lacking of power, I might go the Fiesta way. But my heart wants Fiesta. I find Figo a bit ugly as well. I had bottom aches the minute I sat in the back seat in a Figo. But mostly my driving will be with only 1-2 people. So back seat is not a priority.

Thanks a lot for the classified ads link. Used Fiesta is a good idea too. One of them is a 1.6S in my fav color. Goosebumps!

And yes, if I buy new, it WILL BE Red, no other choice.

Just when I was drooling over a Fiesta I got to know that the new Fiesta classic price starts at 5.18 ex- chennai. It was like the Universe telling me to go for it

[zulfi hansi]

Well, what do you drive now, cos I feel your timing to buy a new car is not good. If you are driving a diesel car as on date, I suggest you continue doing that, and wait for that right day when it makes sense to buy the fiesta almost a year later, I am sure it will still be there well into mid 2015, discontinuation of this car will not affect you since you are clearly in love with it and will not sell it for a long time, also 10 months down the line it might be even cheaper!
But if presently you are driving a petrol car 90 kms / day, or not using a car for that long commute, then just buy the f classic and don't think about the cost of running for the next one year.

[rageshgr]

Thanks Zulfi. I actually use a taxi so buying even the least fuel efficient petrol car now will make my travel cheaper. So all things considered , esp by the fact that the classic is now almost 1 l cheaper, all roads are now leading to rome

[zulfi hansi]

You are clearly in love with this car, but the diesel economy is itching you on the practicality side. Look at it this way, in one year you will spend about 1.25 L more on fuel, and that's about it, if you digest this, you will really enjoy the car. Also once it is through the warranty period in a year you can start your mods and make it better than the S version they had. Clearly you are not looking at selling this car might as well spend on it, stiffer springs, ECU remap, free flow filters and exhaust, the works. And later when you do decide to sell it, it would have clocked good enough kms because of the first year running, mentally satisfying you that you had a good run with it, and resale hardly matters then.