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Originally Posted by Gilead The Fiesta may have only about 100 BHP only but it packs a great deal of punch. It was the fastest around the track on ACI tests beating out much more powerful cars including Hondas. It's not even worth comparing to the Verna petrol which also has a similar power output on paper. As far as reliability is concerned, OHC would definitely have the edge but the Fiesta isn't too bad either. The Fiesta feels heavy because it's a far more safer car than the OHC. No debate on the re-sale aspect. |
Spot on! The Fiesta 1.6S is currently the best driver's car one can buy under 10 lakh rupees. However, it still isn't what the OHC was at the time. If Ford has (sensibly) bumped up the power of the 1.6S variant to say, 120 BHP, I'd retract my statement. Quote:
It's sad that this decade has seen very few cars for the enthusiasts.
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I have just the thread for you to pay a visit to : Where are the driver oriented cars? Quote:
Originally Posted by ACM Like GTO mentioned (an angle that I had not thoughts about) it feels exactly like the Lancer did. Have driven both and the observation is bang on though I did not realize this upfront. |
Thanks. I owned a Lancer for 1.0 lakh kms and thus, was able to easily draw a parallel between the two. The Lancer was at the top of the ride & handling chart for its time. It's overall driving experience was much superior to the OHC. Quote:
Originally Posted by WindRide A complete outsider question - If Fiesta is such a great car, why doesn't it sell in great numbers? It seems to be a bottom-dwelling fish in the tank.
Is it because the maintenance is perceived to be high? How true is this opinion? |
The Fiesta is not a sales leader because:
- The mass market doesn't really care about driver-oriented cars
- It had small interiors at the time of its launch, and now they feel all the more compact with the advent of larger competition
- Old design. The Fiesta is now the oldest within the 7 - 8 lakh rupee segment. The "conservative" styling brings a multiplier effect. Compare that to the Swift. It still doesn't look old, even though the hatch has been around for 6 years (and is everywhere. Literally!!).
- Ford's reputation is definitely a putoff to customers. And as someone else posted, not without reason. The earlier Ikons (and Mondeos) had some pretty outrageously priced parts. And the Indian market has an elephant's memory.
The new Fiesta sedan is just around the corner and, to be honest, it's long overdue.
Last edited by GTO : 23rd February 2010 at 21:07.
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