Team-BHP - 2014 Ford Fiesta Facelift : A Close Look

Got a chance to test drive the Fiesta today at Lathangi Ford. The display and the test drive car were Titanium variants. Here are my thoughts -

-The car looks absolutely gorgeous inside out. The Aston Martin-esq grill is the USP of the car. Alloys look good in person. The rear, though light years better than the old Fiesta, is still plain when compared to the front.

-Build quality is top notch. Dad and me test drove the Duster just before testing the Fiesta. The doors felt flimsy on the Duster and the dash was rattling. But when we sat inside the Fiesta, everything was leagues ahead. The 'thud' was prominent enough to get a smile on my face.

-Driveability is good. Noticeable turbo-lag below 2000 rpm though. There was a moment when on an incline i had to down-shift to 3rd from 4th and had to wait for quite some time for the power to come in. However, once in turbo zone, its a hoot to drive! The steering was super light within the city. Have to test whether it'll add some weight while on the highway.

-The ride was firm but not uncomfortable. Couldn't test the firmness since the drive was on a 2km stretch with no potholes whatsoever.

-Interiors are nice and feature rich. The steering wheel is nice to hold. Loved the positioning of the A-B-C pedals and the dead pedal too. Not a great fan of the interior design though. Too many buttons (Nokia 6600 esq). Prefer the Polo/Vento interiors any day. The fuel gauge was hidden from my direct view and the power window buttons are too far behind. Ergonomically, not very good.

-I am 6'0 and the seat adjusted to my driving position, i could sit behind comfortably without my knees touching the front seat. The rear scooped out area on the front seat definitely gives that bit more space. My dad, who's a bit shorter than me was comfortable. However, space is for sure at a premium when compared to the likes of the City/Scala/Sunny and honestly, doesn't feel that bigger than our Getz. Also, the 5th passenger will definitely be uncomfortable over long distances.

-The boot is pretty big and enough for our needs.

-Only two colors on offer as of now - Grey and white. :Frustrati The dealer said the other colors will be available after October. We want the paprika red if and when we'll book it.

All in all, dad and me liked the car and suited our needs very well. My dad is slightly inclined towards the Ecosport though. lol: We still have to test drive other cars on offer, but my hearts' already sold to the Fiesta. Hoping to book one soon!

Anyone can confirm if the trend HU has Bluetooth connectivity? Even the SA was not sure on this and there was no trend variant at the see dealership at that time. They did not have a TD vehicle at that time and wanted me to book the car and take delivery in 2 months without driving the car (aren't expecting a TD car). Dealership is harpreet ford, Dilshad garden. Wanted me to take TD of ecosport and book the car. If trend does not have Bluetooth it makes it a desk breaker for me because I will have to stretch for the titanium or find an HU for its asymmetrical dash for titanium.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ToyotaFan (Post 3479671)

It doesn't have BT but has Aux (I am saying this based on the knowledge of my old Fiesta). However nothing that can be fixed in Rs.2400.

http://www.amazon.in/Kinivo-BTC450-B...eywords=kinivo

This bluetooth dongle gives you calling & music. It uses auxiliary as opposed to FM therefore little to no signal lost. It was an amazing device. Sold it along with the car as a free gift :D

So no worries on this front at all!

Quote:

Originally Posted by aseem (Post 3479723)

Nice! Thanks for sharing. Have you used this device? I am planning to order it

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sahil (Post 3479840)

Nice! Thanks for sharing. Have you used this device? I am planning to order it

I used it for 2 years without an issue with Fiesta.

My friend bought it for his Comfortline Jetta but in that he had static noise issues hissing noise when nothing was playing. He ordered a ground loop isolator to fix the problem.

He is also using the same now in Brio without any issues.

But in Fiesta it works without issues I can vouch for it. Its a godsend when it comes to enabling bluetooth in a non-bluetooth car that comes with Aux.

Quote:

Originally Posted by aseem (Post 3479849)

I have two doubts about it. Where will the microphone be placed in the car and is it able to receive voice clearly.

Secondly I think we would have to fiddle with the phone to pick up a call. Can't do that via the HU. Apart from this it looks like a good buy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ToyotaFan (Post 3479859)

I personally feel all the Bluetooth devices are not good when calling and only useful for audio streaming of songs. None of the BT devices including double din HU's from Pioneer or Clarion offer clear voice to the listeners at the other end.

This device is no different. It scores very high on audio streaming and a mediocre when taking phone calls. Since Fiesta's dash is not straight therefore I had placed this behind my steering column. It was a little pain to reach it but nothing too difficult. Streaming music was done like a charm.

This will give you a better understanding of how it works, via using intelligent cable management you can hide almost all wires:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exYq2XYzhMs

Quote:

Originally Posted by aseem (Post 3479868)

I think all aftermarket Bluetooth devices have this problem but the integrated OEM HU of my Toyota fortuner provides great call quality and I love using it for the purpose. It even reads messages out loud and music streaming is also good. Its so addicting that's it has become an important requirement for the car am buying for my son (fiesta/ecosport)

Thanks for this but for streaming it does not offer a very big advantage compared to connecting a phone directly via aux as songs will have to be controlled via the phone unlike directly from HU as I do in the OEM HU.