The Fiesta performed flawlessly throughout the journey. Cruised at 120kmph for hours on our wonderful highways.

BHPian DocwithFiesta recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

The best way to refresh your mind is by visiting a hill station, and that was exactly what we needed.

After some back-and-forth discussions, we decided to go on a trip to Munnar, also known as the Kashmir of South India.

Now there are multiple ways to go to Munnar: by train(to the nearest station, and then by cab), by bus, by cab directly from home, or by our own car. It was a no-brainer that we were going by our own car.

We decided to go during the long Pongal weekend, beginning our journey on Sunday, the 14th of January.

I quickly sent the car for its 90,000 km service, on Thursday (11th of January), which was due, and advised them to thoroughly inspect the car and give a detailed report about the condition. The car was perfectly fine and was delivered back on Saturday, ready to begin a 1000+ kilometer road trip on Sunday.

We chose the Dindigul-Theni route and Maps showed a distance of 590 kilometers from our home to the hotel, which was 10 kilometers from Munnar.

We planned to start by 5:30 am, expecting to reach the hotel by 5:30 pm including stopping for breakfast and lunch.

We started at 5:50 am, on the morning of Bhogi Pongal and as expected the roads were covered with smog, which reduced our pace by a bit, but not much.

The initial 2 hours of driving was difficult, but we made it through. By 8 am, as we crossed Chengalpattu, the smog started to clear away, and we could increase our pace a bit.

My mom made breakfast and lunch the previous day so that we spent minimum time stopping for food.

We made our first stop at 9 am, for breakfast and a cup of tea, at a place named Dosa Spot/ Tea Bar, about 160 kilometers from home. They very kindly allowed us to have our homemade breakfast at their place, along with a cup of tea for each of us purchased from them.

After a 20-minute breakfast stop, we resumed our journey, and by this time the roads were perfectly clear of smog and we maintained a constant speed of 120kmph on our wonderful highways.

Traffic was minimal, which helped us maintain such speed for hours together.

The next 350 kilometers were pretty much smooth sailing.

Our next stop was at around 2 pm, on the Dindigul-Theni highway, right before the ascent, where we stopped for a fuel refill. Had lunch in the car, by the road, and quickly started again, now ready for the interesting and thrilling part of the journey: the hill climbing!

At the petrol station

Beginning of the ascent

The climbing part can be divided into two: the first part in Tamil Nadu and the second part in Kerala. The Tamil Nadu part is about 20 kilometers long and the Kerala part is about 40 kilometers.

The Tamil Nadu part is rather narrow and steep, as in the above picture, while the Kerala part is much wider and less steep.

It took us about two and a half hours to climb to Munnar, including stopping for some photos on the way.

The famous Gap Road

We reached the hotel by 5:30 pm, and that ended our first day. We chose Moonline Resort for our stay, as Maps showed very reassuring views from the rooms and it was a pretty good hotel as well.

Also, it was not very far from Munnar town, about 30 minutes (10 kilometers) or so.

The hotel was good, the views were mind-boggling, and we could see the Sunrise from our room itself.

Before the journey, I ordered a tyre inflator and a puncture repair kit, just in case we ran out of air on the way. Little did I know, the following morning after reaching Munnar I would be greeted by an almost flat tyre. The tyre inflator did its job in 3 mins, and we were good to go. Sigh!

At the hotel

We visited Pothamedu View Point first and were not impressed by the place, as there was nothing special over there. Disappointed, we continued to drive beyond Pothamedu viewpoint in search of a scenic location, but as we continued to drive, the wilderness kept on increasing and after 3kms of driving, we decided to turn back for our own good.

On the way to Pothamedu viewpoint

We then visited the Rose Garden, which was nice. The entry fee was Rs. 50, and it is a good place if you like flowers, especially roses.

We then proceeded to Photo Point, which was truly a wonderful place to take photos, as the name suggests. There were a lot of tourists there, and we were lucky to find a parking spot.

One shall find numerous photographers ready with their DSLRs and photo printers, at Photo Point. We had our own DSLR, and hence we didn't require their service.

Photo point

We explored the place a little more, and on the way found a Ripple Tea outlet, where we had their tea, and bought tea leaves as well. Ripple Tea owns the majority of tea gardens in Munnar. We then headed back to our hotel for lunch and ended the day.

The next day was the returning day. We had our breakfast, and by 8:50 am, started our return journey. Stopped multiple times at Gap Road, to click the perfect pictures, which did consume a lot of our time, but was well worth it.

We took a good 3 hours to cover the 60-kilometer descent.

Stopped for another full tank of petrol, and Nitrogen top-up at an Indian Oil pump on Theni highway. There are numerous petrol pumps on this stretch and Nitrogen is available at almost every alternate pump.

We then took a 2 km detour to stop for lunch on the Salem-Madurai Highway. Quickly had lunch and resumed our journey at 2:30 pm.

This time around, we wanted to take it slow and decided to cruise at a speed of 100kmph, which quickly got boring and we occasionally did 120kmph.

Our next stop was at a Tea Time outlet in Villipuram, at 5:45 pm. After a 15-minute stop, we resumed our journey and reached home at exactly 9 pm.

The Fiesta performed flawlessly throughout the journey. Cruised at 120kmph for hours on our wonderful highways, and climbed 4800 feet without overheating. We never felt a lack of power, never felt a lack of comfort, never did the car complain a bit. It was easy to keep up with most modern cars. I had no intention to compete or race with other cars on the highway, so didn't push the car hard.

Although the ABS light lit up just before reaching our hotel, I don't think there's any problem with the ABS system, as the car did not show any such symptom upon braking hard, and made the 600 km return journey without any problem.

At the end of the trip

• Total distance covered: 1270 kilometers.
• Total fuel consumed: Two and a half tanks (almost) i.e. 102 litres
• Average mileage: ~12.5 kmpl.

Munnar is truly a wonderful place and must definitely be present on everybody's must-visit list. The roads to Munnar, from Chennai, are truly wonderful, and there are no reasons to not go by car.

The initial 20 kms of ascent is a little sketchy, and one must be careful during that time. The rest 40 kms is absolutely amazing.

It took 12 hours for us, both ways.

Also, do carry basic medicines with you, as during such long journeys, you never know when you may fall sick.

Thank you

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The car is primarily used by my parents and I intend to replace it with a SUV soon.

BHPian Porschefire recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

The humble Fiesta will turn 9 in a month's time and continue to perform its duties without any complaints. Ford leaving India hasn't caused many issues as most spares are available over the counter and the basic service cost remains affordable (~ INR 5000) even today.

I describe the car as humble because it is fairly outdated in terms of technology and equipment and you compare it with the cars of today. But, I doubt if any of them can match its ride & handling prowess + the frugal 1.5 TDCi gem of an engine.

The Continental MC5s served well for about 55k kms and I replaced them with the UC6s. Completely satisfied with both sets.

@ ~99k km as I pen this and will be the first car in the family to cross 1L km. Every km has been memorable

The car is primarily used by my parents and I intend to replace it with a crossover for their easy ingress/egress and an automatic for the ease of driving. Replacing the Fiesta will be tough as I need something simple, reliable and safe within the 20L budget and I'm not a big fan of most of the available options. Well, that's a problem for another day, for now, the Fiesta it is.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Also present at the get-together were a Ford Fiesta ST and Genesis G70.

BHPian vj123 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Rust Belt States Meetup #10 - Tail of the Dragon #2

Same destination, same weekend and a year later, we had a great meet & drive covering the best roads in the country one more time. With great cars and a wonderful bunch of people, I would say that this trip was even better than our last year's ToD meet.

For the first time, the majority of the vehicles during our meet were from American OEMs and we also didn’t have any German vehicles (at least by brand) in the mix. Most of us drove from different parts of the country (Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Detroit, New Jersey) and a few flew all the way from the West Coast (Seattle) for this meet. A few regulars were not able to make it to this meet and we also had some nonmembers joining us for the first time.

Initial talks about this trip began during our Spring meet in AnnArbor and it gained traction again in May. Towards the end of May, we were able to zero in on the accommodation based on the confirmed participants and our Airbnb had some amazing views of the Smoky Mountains along Foothills Parkway. Thanks to Rohit again for finalizing the detailed itinerary of the drive. We increased our drive time on both days and it had around 6.5 hours of driving (according to google).

Based on our previous experience, we included new roads for the drive and they were amazing. This itinerary was perfect and we would just carry it over for future meets in the area as well. We had a chance to try out other vehicles in the group as most of them were unique in their own way. We took plenty of videos this time but they do not capture the enthralling experience of the drive, especially with a group of enthusiasts on the best roads of the country with literally no traffic.

jeevadeepan with Genesis G70 3.3t

vj123 with Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

rohittunga with Ford Fiesta ST

thecarguy with Toyota Supra 3.0

Bharath (non member) with Toyota Supra 3.0

Nitin (non member) with Ford Mustang GT

Vishnu (non member) with Dodge Charger Scat Pack

Day 1: AirBnB - Tail of the Dragon - Wayah Road - Moonshiners 28 - Fontana Dam - Tail of the Dragon - AirBnB

We were at Tail of the Dragon first thing in the morning and there was hardly any traffic. Everyone had some fun with the 318 curves along the 11-mile stretch. After clicking some pictures with the Dragon statue, we headed over to the fuel station. I had a chance to drive the Charger and was able to enjoy the V8. After the fuel stop, I drove the G70 which was very capable and also luxurious. I was looking forward to Wayah Road based on our drive from last year and thoroughly enjoyed it with some hair-raising moments on a blinder.

Post break, I was the passenger until lunch stop. Moonshiners 28 had some rave reviews across forums and I was really looking forward as this was our first time covering this section. Even though it rained for a small stretch, we really enjoyed this part of the drive and had an interesting encounter with a biker. We stopped at Fontana Dam for some videos and had a fun drive to the dinner place with the Mustang behind me. Post dinner, we had a sprinted drive to the AirBnB through ToD.

Tail of the Dragon - Killboy Store

Wayah Road

Bridal Veil Falls

Somewhere along US 64

Fontana Dam

Tail of the Dragon

Continue reading vj123's car meet experience for BHPian comments, insights and more information.

We all liked the car but my brother didn't because he wanted to buy a Fiat Punto Abarth.

BHPian Govardhansupra recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Pros

• One car does it all
• Exceptional handling
• Great hydraulic steering
• Relatively good audio system for a car of that segment and time
• Sports kit add character
• Amazing 1.6 Duratec which is easy to drive in the city too
• Good gearshifting quality
• Has safety equipment like ABS and Airbags, compared to the other driver's cars at the time (Baleno, VTEC, Lancer)
• Great throttle response for a Drive-by-wire throttle
• Amazing stock intake growl/snarl
• Relatively low maintenance costs

Cons

• Single digit fuel efficiency in the city and while driving hard
• Brakes have bite, but less feedback
• Stock headlights aren't adequate. Upgrade advised
• Seats are not the most comfortable
• A little stiff ride on rough roads at low speeds
• Missing equipment like Rear seat armrest, etc
• Well-maintained examples are hard to come by nowadays, and good cars command a premium

Apart from these, the car doesn't have many negatives.

Prologue

I’m not a writer, nor a reviewer kinda guy, so I don’t know how to start an ownership review. Anyways, let me start by saying that we were happy owners of a Toyota Corolla Altis GL 2009 Petrol. Now neither the Fiesta nor the Corolla needs any introduction as they are quite popular cars. The Corolla was a no-nonsense reliable car which I loved dearly.

After owning the Corolla Altis for exactly a year more, I was six months short of turning 18 years old, and Dad knew that once I get my driver's license, it will always be me driving. Along with that, the Corolla was beginning to show its age too, and dad wanted a newer car (The irony is that the Corolla was 2009, and the Fiesta is 2008).

The Altis was sold to a guy from TN and here's the final video of the car.

Around this time, I managed to make a few like-minded enthusiasts friends through Instagram and Whatsapp groups. These people had an important role in my life, from giving car advice to life advice to helping in sourcing car parts, helping in maintaining the car and actually bothering to drive all the way to meet a small stupid kid, which is me.

I knew through these friends that Fiesta is a very capable car. Fiesta is kind of a "One car to do it all" vehicle, which is exactly what I wanted. It can do the role of a family car, while also being fun-to-drive. Nowadays, Fords are quite easy and economical to maintain too, even after the brand has packed up and left the country. On the other side, my brother wanted the family to buy a Punto Abarth, which is honestly overkill for the family. It's quite impractical, and being a Fiat product, spares might be an issue. Also, the Fiesta costs less than 2.5L, while an Abarth would cost somewhere near 5L-9L depending on the condition and modifications done. During this phase, it was full of arguments between my brother and me on which car to buy.

My justifications were the Fiesta was easy to maintain, parts are not a big issue, and the initial purchasing cost was quite less. He wanted an Abarth, so he was like Abarth is a much newer car, no re-test coming up any time soon, etc. Fiesta was a much more sensible option.

I wanted a 1.6S after seeing photos of a friend's car, which is easily the most beautiful 1.6S in India. It has a BMC DIA intake, Eiback lowering springs, Michelin PS4 tyres and 17-inch wheels, which look like they were made for the Fiesta, due to the PERFECT fitment.

The owner of this car is an expert with Fiestas and keeps track of the 1.6S' available.

Here is a picture of his car.

He sent me photos of an extremely clean Paprika Red S for sale, which was owned by his friend. The car had an extremely detailed history and was clean with no complaints. Since the car was extremely clean and is owned by a fellow enthusiast, I knew that I had to get it.

Dad liked the car and the colour. Mom liked it too, she was the one who selected Red colour for our now-sold WagonR and Toyota Etios. We wanted to buy it, but my brother disagreed because he wanted an Abarth.

He proposed buying a Stage-2 Abarth, tastefully done with Essesse wheels, bumpers, and aftermarket suspension. I put my foot down saying that it was impractical, given the price quoted, and the future maintenance costs. Also, I believe that you should never buy somebody else's modified car, unless you are the owner's friend, and fully aware of the history.

I tried for a couple of days to convince him to get an S instead of the Abarth, and I was successful in it too. But, the car got sold by then.

The car was sold to a very close friend, and I was terribly disappointed. At this point in time, we were without a car. I came to the conclusion that an S is not destined for me. Some things need luck, I told myself.

A few of my friends asked me to get a normal commuter car, something like an Amaze or a Ciaz or an ANHC (Arrow shot city). I considered that option for a while but decided against it as these cars would cost above 4L, while a normal Fiesta can be had for around 2-2.5L or even cheaper, depending on the condition. Next question was petrol or diesel, and petrol 1.6 was decided since that is the closest thing to an S. Also, my running is extremely short to warrant the need for a diesel.

I started searching OLX and Facebook marketplace for 1.6 SXi for a few days. To my surprise, 1.6 SXi was quite rare, and available examples were either poorly maintained, or were overpriced. I was fed up with searching and finally decided to settle on the ZXi variant (The variant just below SXi). Fiesta Classic Titaniums were also inspected during that time.

I was losing all hope of owning a Fiesta, but one day while searching for Fiesta 1.6 irrespective of the variant (as I had stopped looking specifically for SXi, ZXi etc), I saw an advertisement for a clean Ford Fiesta 1.6S Aquarius Blue in Kochi. I called the owner and asked him a few general things, and hung up. I wasn't too excited or serious, as I had completely left the idea of getting an S. Like I said earlier, I believed that I wasn't destined to own an S. Also earlier, to console myself, I had told myself things like "The suspension of the S is too hard, it has no lane change indicator which the SXi has, it has no rear armrest etc".

Later that evening, my friend with the black Fiesta came to Thrissur and we met up. I was telling him about all this and showed him the advertisement on the above said S. Immediately, he fetched me all the details and history of the car that I had to know. It was a re-registered car, and I got to know the details of all the previous owners. It was an odo-rolled car too. This was found out from the thread of BHPian E=mc^2.

After my friend helped me get the history, he left for his place. This is how he left.

Now I decided that I have to get this S. I also decided that I will save up money and install a BMC DIA filter whenever possible.

I was advised to not buy this car because it was odo-rolled. I called up the owner and gave him all this information. He was unaware of the odo-rolled meter too. Anyways he assured me that the car is in extremely good condition and was only serviced by Ford during his ownership. The service history proved his words true. Both the previous owners had done the maintenance from Ford, and all recalls were duly done, and parts like the Timing Belt and Water Pump were replaced too. This gave me enough courage to proceed with the deal. Armed with the history, I negotiated and got a good deal.

These were the pictures that were posted in the OLX advertisement.

I wired a token to the seller and went to his place with my Dad and brother later that day. Inspected the car, transferred the rest of the money and brought the car home. A very satisfying day it was!

Stopped to have food

About the car

There are multiple posts on the Fiesta 1.6S on Team-BHP, so I won't be going into detail on that. My car came with a brand new 195-55-15 Yokohama S-Drives. The car has good steering feel and feedback. It keeps on chattering and lets you know the road surface. Car has a good grip and is fun through corners.

The interior was designed specifically for the S, and it had a different seat stitching design, a few panels were different in colour, and the lower interior was black-blue, unlike the normal Fiestas with dual tone colour. The instrument cluster is the best part, with a different design. The S variant has cool sporty pedals too. It did not have a rear armrest though.

The car has a body kit (spoiler, side skirts etc) and it looks cool. The 15-inch wheels also came in the S variant only. The Aquarius Blue colour was limited to the S variant. The S variant came in all other colours that the normal Fiesta came in too.

The engine is a good unit, 1596cc 16V DOHC, with ample torque lower down and good power in the mid-range. It isn't a screamer above 5000rpm though. It is easy to drive around the city, and it pulls quite easily from lower speeds in higher gears, even when fully loaded. It is just not a high-revving unit like the OHC VTEC. Gear lever has kind of a short throw, which is smooth and easy to slot. No complaints there, except that the engine should have had a couple more horses, or maybe it should have had a better top end and revved higher.

A few places where the car disappoints are the brakes. It has sufficient bite, but lacks feedback. Seats are not the best seats either, and the same can be said for the headlamps too. Headlight upgrades coming soon! Fortunately, the brakes and seats can be improved later on too, as long as you have the money for it.

That's it. That's my review of the car. I am too lazy to repeat what has already been raved about the 1.6S all these years. It was the best driver's car under 10 lakhs back in the day. It is still fun to drive, now that all new cars are computers on wheels, with no character. The car has 2 airbags, the interior is modern, sharp handling, and can do it all, be it transporting the family, or when you want to have fun by yourself. No touchscreens, no unwanted electronics, just what is needed. I wish the 1.6S had a cable-operated throttle body, instead of a drive-by-wire, even though it's very responsive. Naturally Aspirated, Hydraulic power steering, they just don't make them anymore.

You can just drive all day, and the only thing that will come your way is dismal fuel efficiency. Apart from the single-digit fuel efficiency, this is a great car with a few little compromises here and there. But the best part is everything is forgotten once you're behind the wheel and you're driving through corners and smooth tarmac.

Continue reading Govardhansupra's review for BHPian comments, insights and more information.

In the showroom, we just checked out the Fiesta Classic, the variants, prices and even without a second thought or a test drive, we went ahead and booked the car.

BHPian arun1100 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

2012 Ford Fiesta Classic

The Ford Fiesta was first launched in India in 2005. After a successful run in the Indian market, the new Global Fiesta was launched in 2011. Ford India then launched the previous-gen Fiesta as Fiesta Classic. The Fiesta Classic was marginally successful in the Indian car market. The production of the Fiesta Classic was stopped in September 2015.

Powered by Naturally Aspirated 1600cc 101PS Petrol engine with Hydraulic power steering for the sheer driving pleasure!

This thread is about the long term ownership experience of our Ford Fiesta Classic CLXI.

Ford Fiesta Classic - Buying Experience!

Back in 2012, my dad and me were looking forward to buy a sedan for our family outings. We owned a Maruti Alto and a Maruti 800 at home for our daily use. Being a classic FIAT owner, the FIAT Linea was a top contender for the next car at home. Along with this, the other options considered were the Ford Fiesta Classic and Nissan Sunny. Since we were keen on purchasing a decently powerful petrol car, Linea's 1.4 seemed under powered and T-Jet was out of budget. On test driving the Nissan Sunny, the car drive quality seemed very ordinary. Since dad's official car was a Fiesta Diesel, he was keen on the Fiesta, but the petrol. The new Global Fiesta was launched by then, but again, like the T-Jet, it was out of our budget of 8 lacs. The right Ford sedan that would fit in our budget was the Ford Fiesta Classic CLXI Petrol, which is the mid variant.

My parents, nieces and me went to the dealer - Metro Ford, close to our home in Bangalore. Considering the positive reviews I had read about the Fiesta petrol in BHPian vnabhi's Fiesta ownership thread and also in the steering feel and feedback thread, I was confident that the Fiesta would be the right buy. Also, my dad's official car was the Fiesta diesel, hence we were quite familiar with the Ford Fiesta. In the showroom, we just checked out the Fiesta Classic, the variants, prices and even without a second thought or a test drive, we went ahead and booked the car.

The variant we decided upon was the mid variant CLXI. This variant is without the Airbags and ABS, although I now wish we had bought the top end SXI for safety reasons. The Ford came home a week after the booking and payment was done. Regarding the color, in 2012, there were many Fiesta Cabs on the road in white and silver color and hence we decided to go for a different lighter shade. Since I like sober colors, the shade namely - Chill metallic was finalized which is kind off like light pista green. Freebies we got were fog lamps, small hub caps which used to come on the base variant of Figo and set of mats.

Family members checking out the Classic at the showroom.

The on-road price in Bangalore was 7.71 lakhs as seen in the price list below.

Some brochures we got in the showroom.

Here's a brochure of the Autocar Ford Fiesta Cross Country Drive. For viewing pleasure!

Here are the first set of pics I clicked when we got the car home.

The Fiesta joined our garage which included 1991 Premier Padmini, 1990 Premier Padmini, 2003 Maruti 800 and 2006 Maruti Alto.

Continue reading the ownership experience and arun1100's thoughts on his Fiesta Classic 1.6. Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

According to a report by Detroit Free Press, Ford knew about the problems its dual-clutch transmission had before the cars equipped with it went on sale. The transmission was first used in the 2011 Fiesta followed by the 2012 Focus. The report found at least 4,377 complaints to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for transmissions of the 2011-16 Fiesta and 2012-16 Focus.

The report suggests that many of the cars suddenly lost power on freeways, or sometimes even drove into intersections on their own, resulting in accidents. The cars were repaired multiple times, but the problem still remained. Ford had instructed dealers to tell customers that the cars operated normally. The company also ran out of parts for the fix - it is said that 1.5 million defective cars still remain on the road.

Over the years, Ford tried fixing the problem and spent hundreds of millions of dollars and now faces legal cases that could pose a serious financial risk to the company. The carmaker tried tweaking the transmission, adjusting the calibration, clutch materials and fixing a seal leak. Prior to the transmission being used, engineers reported judders and vibrations. They also said that a driveable calibration could not be achieved and that the clutch torque delivery must be improved. It is also said that quality was compromised to save costs.

In 2008, Ford's lawyers had warned engineers about safety issues after issues cropped up in Volkswagen's dual-clutch transmission. Ford used the transmission in low-priced, high-volume vehicles. It is said that the transmission’s tendency to slip out of gear combined with other conditions would result in a “Severity 10” rating. This is the worst possible rating under global engineering protocols. There was no mechanism to warn the customers before a failure. It is said that during the development of the car, 23 red alerts related to calibration were issued and 115 software changes were needed, but the issues only increased as the launch date neared.

Ford had barely scraped through the recession and sales had also fallen. To make matters worse, fuel prices increased and fuel economy standards were tightened. In a bid to get high volume cars on sale, the Fiesta and Focus were put in the market with the defective transmissions. The dual-clutch transmission also helped Ford claim an efficiency of nearly 40 mpg on the highway.

Customers reported problems within months of the Fiesta going on sale, but it became worse with the Focus as it was heavier and demanded more from the transmission. Design and release engineers, calibration development engineers, manufacturing engineers, customer service engineers and transmission engineers knew that the transmissions were bad, but kept it quiet. The upper management was not informed of the unfolding crisis at the start.

Thanks to Subhashith T K for sending this information in. Heartfelt gratitude for sharing it with other enthusiasts via this Team-BHP page! 

Ford has announced a service campaign to fix a door latch issue on the 2014 Fiesta. 

The carmaker has notified customers about the issue and has requested them to contact the nearest Ford dealer to schedule an appointment. The door latches are being inspected for cracks and are being replaced if necessary.

The total number of cars that are affected by this issue is not known, however this seems to be part of a global recall that was announced back in 2017. Customers can check if their vehicle is among those recalled by entering the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) on this website.

In case of change of ownership, customers can contact the Customer Relationship Centre (CRC) at 1800 419 2500 / 1800 425 2500 or by email - custmail@ford.com

There have been reports of fuel injector failures on Ford's 1.4-litre TDCI engines. The affected cars include the 2010,2011 and 2012 Ford Figo and Fiesta diesel models.

The injectors, which are manufactured by Continental cost around Rs. 16,000 each. According to various members on the forum, the repair costs vary from Rs. 10,000 to 60,000 depending on the serviceability of the injectors. Further, most of these failures have happened after the standard vehicle warranties have expired.

This is not the first time that there have been reports of faulty fuel injectors made by Continental. Owners of the Renault Duster 110 PS variant, which also uses Continental injectors on its engine have been facing similar issues from 2015. Most of them were reportedly replaced under warranty. In 2013, Skoda issued advisories for their 1.6-litre petrol and diesel engines for faulty injectors. The solution included a software update and injector replacement depending on the severity of the fault.

It has also been reported that Ford switched to a different injector brand for the Figo facelift, which does not have this problem. 

Ford has unveiled the 2018 Fiesta, which is expected to go on sale in Europe later next year. As of now, the automaker has revealed four variants of the car: Titanium, Vignale, ST-Line and Active.

Ford has called the Titanium trim as Fiesta's 'core model'. This five-door version is expected to be the most popular variant in terms of sales. The Vignale trim is the 'upscale' variant that gets all bells and whistles. The ST-Line is inspired by the Fiesta ST hot hatch, though it only gets cosmetic additions and no performance updates. Lastly, the Active variant gets a crossover-like treatment with black body cladding, which is a first for the Fiesta. It also gets faux skid plates on the front and rear bumpers, along with higher roof rails.

On the inside, the 2018 Fiesta gets a revised cabin layout that features an 8-inch floating touchscreen infotainment system with Ford's SYNC3 connectivity and a panoramic sunroof. The car also gets various driver assistance technologies like forward collision warning, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keeping assist, cross-traffic warning when reversing, active parking with perpendicular capability and adaptive cruise control.

Ford has confirmed that the new Fiesta will get the 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder, EcoBoost petrol engine, which now comes with cylinder deactivation. This turbocharged petrol will be mated to either a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic gearbox. The car will also be equipped with a 1.5-litre diesel engine that will be offered in two states of tune. The entry-level powerplant will be a 1.1-litre, 3-cylinder unit, which will be mated to a 5-speed manual. A rear disc brake has also been added to the 2018 Fiesta's feature list.

Source: Top Gear

Ford's Chennai plant has produced its one millionth vehicle and engine. Vehicle number 1 million to be rolled of the assembly line is a Ford EcoSport.

The US$ 1 billion manufacturing facility at Chennai started commercial production in 1999. It is spread over an area of 350 acres and houses an engine assembly plant that started commercial operations in 2008. The facility has an installed capacity to assemble up to 2,00,000 vehicles and 3,40,000 engines a year.

The engine plant features Ford's single-flexible production line, configured to build both petrol and diesel engines simultaneously. Models built here include the EcoSport, Fiesta and Endeavour.

Apart from catering to the domestic market, cars manufactured at the Chennai facility are exported to more than 40 markets around the world, including some ASEAN countries, Europe, Middle-East and Africa.

Ford claims that it has implemented environment-friendly practices at the Chennai plant and it is one of Ford’s five zero-landfill facilities in the Asia Pacific region. The entire hazardous waste generated at the plant is either recycled or co-processed into allied cement industries.

Additionally, the company claims to have reduced its energy consumption at Chennai by 16% while water consumption by 30% in producing each car since 2009 through various process improvements. The plant also treats and reuses 100% of its water within the facility, making this a zero liquid discharge factory.