[Mella]

Should comparison be done for new petrol sedans (New Fiesta, Verna Fluidic) with not just NA Linea but T-Jet Linea too. Nevertheless, absolutely fansatic review. 7 star. Between you and GTO, you have formed a super team for quality reviews

Originally Posted by Rehaan

Chief Competitors of the Ford Fiesta

[Delta Wing]

@Rehaan: Great review. Expected much more writing on the actual driving experience, maybe soon, may we hope? The peppy (?) petrol was praised in all European reviews, sad to see it getting lesser ratings here. Ford was not out to please the enthusiast with the Figo but it rolled on the charts big time. They're trying the same with the new Fiesta, methinks. All gizmos at the cost of basic substance that makes a great car. The rear cabin trim (rear armrest hinges and drab doors, no lights, are there door pockets at the rear?) was a shock, the Fiesta classic looks way better both inside out. Pricing is the key (as if it ever wasn't in this segment, har). With no leather option and the given engines, the new Fiesta better be priced wayyy lower than the Verna SX variant and the Vento to chip away at the sales wall like Figo. Ford cannot af-ford (! )to repeat its pricing games like they did with the earlier Fiesta. The diesel looks like ok but will it be a match to the torque barons (a la Verna, Vento and Magnum)? Not really. I was kinda sad after reading this review, reminded of the elation after the Linea T-Jet review. But then, the old Fiesta didn't get too great a review on launch either, it hard-worked its performance to endear itself to the driver over the years. Hope same happens with this one.

[vishnurp99]

Very good review and as detailed as it can possibly get. i can't understand how those automagazines sell when we have team-bhp and the comments of the members just add more insight into the product.

About this Fiesta i think Ford has dealt a master hand. Think about it.
This car has ARAI mileage of 23.5 and knowing the previous fiestaD (I own one) you will get this easily. The Vento gets 20.5 ARAI. 3 kmpl is huge difference especially if that 3 translates in the City FE also.

It looks funkier than any other car and especially when you compare to the old fashioned interiors of a vento this looks like a real 21st century car.

Good enough refined diesel which delivers very good mileage

Rear interior don't have chrome but i don't think too many people would care.

Excellent high speed behaviour and handling/ride combo differentiates it from Verna and finally

The FORD *** is now only second to Maruti and Hyundai.

My prediction for petrol base is 6.8 lakh base(1.3 lakhs more than the Classic petrol base). and diesel would be around 7.6 base i guess.

At this price this car will make awesome sense to 90% of the population. if you have lots of money to burn and you are passionate about driving you get the fiat linea turbojet.

You want a torque monster which looks similar to a hatchback and which has a dead steering and costly *** you get the Vento.

if you really want the most spacious/refined/rounded car in the C-segment which runs on costly fuel you get the City.

If you want a compromise car then you go for the Verna or the Fiesta and i have a feeling that Fiesta has more usable features and novelty than the current verna.

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by suman

Excellent review & rated a well-deserved 5 stars. Must say that I'm disappointed that Ford has made a compromise on the "pep" in order to boost the FE but I guess that's what the market wants.

It sounds like the Diesel is not in the Vento's league either so I guess (regretfully) the NFS is off my list at the moment, even though the equipment list is impressive enough.

Quick question Rehaan - would you remotely contemplate buying the Diesel in place of your existing 1.6 if/when the time came for you to replace it?

I empathise with you and share your frustration. But there is no harm in going for a TD.

If you're looking for a scorcher (like your present 1.6), then you should start looking at Vento or Cruze, or perhaps the new Octavia as and when it is released.

[sriramv.iyer]

Originally Posted by Delta Wing

@Rehaan: Great review. Expected much more writing on the actual driving experience, maybe soon, may we hope? The peppy (?) petrol was praised in all European reviews, sad to see it getting lesser ratings here.

All thanks to the new 1.5L block - The 1.6L Fiesta in Europe / US generates 127 BHP, and is supposedly and AWESOME engine. (Clarkson gave it 5/5) We got the detuned 1.5L block to please the masses (enthusiasts are rarer species, and with current petrol prices, they'd be probably ready to take compromises)

With Honda slashing prices, for petrol sedans, ANHC is still the king. For diesels, I think Vento, Verna and Fiesta will clash for the top. (Seeing the sales numbers for i20, I think it is Verna that will emerge at the top unless VW does something to make deliveries quicker and add gizmos to their Vento. They raised the prices of the diesel version by 25K

[aravind.anand]

Originally Posted by sajo

Asked the same question yesterday to Rehaan , and here was his reply :



I am very interested in the base variant of the diesel , especially since ABS+airbags are standard. I am guessing it will leave out the BT stereo , leaving the dash looking very weird , the chrome bits and some other features that I wont miss. Would be good to see if this can replace my ageing 7 year old Tata Indigo.

The Fiesta thread had speculation that Ford would bring in only 2 variants though :( Personally, I would love to see manufacturers come out with stripped out variants with only ABS and airbags for those on a tight budget.

Originally Posted by Jammy28

Rehann, two more questions for you.

1. How good is the driver seat height adjust? Is there a significant elevation in the road view angle?
2. Were you able to see the bonnet from the driver's seat? Do short driver's need to lean forward to see the bonnet?

The review has it that the seat raises by about 5 inches, and I personally feel the era of seeing the bonnet on a sedan is gone! As almost all modern sedans come with cab-forward stance and swooping bonnets, we can probably see the roads but not the bonnet

[adimicra]

Fantastic review! Kudos to you Rehaan.

NFS is a good product but it does not have a big USP...if it has to set the sales chart on fire, it needs to do a killer pricing - that is undercut the Vento, Verna and City.


From your review, this is the relative comparison with other cars in the segment IMO -

• Petrol engine - > ANHC=LIne Tjet> Verna>Vento=Fiesta>SX4> Linea 1.4 NA
  
• Diesel engine -> Vento> Verna> NFS=SX4=Linea
  
• Space -> ANHC>SX4=Vento=Verna=Fiesta>Linea
  
• Interior quality -> Vento >Verna >ANHC>Fiesta>SX4=Linea
  
• Features -> Verna>Fiesta>Linea>Vento>SX4=ANHC
  
• Ride -> Linea >Vento>Fiesta>ANHC>Verna>SX4
  
• Handling -> Linea=Fiesta> Vento>ANHC>Verna=SX4
  

Is that a correct assessment? Please correct me if I am wrong.
For Petrol, ANHC is the best choice IMO and for the diesel, it is the Vento or the Verna (if one is keen on features ) followed by Fiesta.

[rajivn]

Great Review - Rehaan !

Coming to the car - many have pitched in with their views. I feel its a great all round car that should please most of the C-segment car buying crowd. While there is no real big USP, there is no real deal breaker as well for someone looking at a good car.

Interiors - In my opinion its the best of the C-segment cars. I am not a big fan of beige interiors. The black futuristic design totally appeals to me. Honda City has very average interiors. Vento has a very straightforward boring interior. Verna has good interiors that should appeal to most people but its not unique like what new Fiesta has. The dash and Front seats are the best in C-segment.

Exteriors - It looks as big as other C-segment cars and looks good too, especially the front.

Features - Its absolutely loaded. Much more than what City and Vento offer and as much as Verna offers if not more. Should probably have the best AC going by Fiesta Classic's and Figo's powerful AC. The music system is already highly regarded, I assume it should be the best in this segment. Cruise Control though it may not be used daily, is still a very differentiating feature.

Engine options - Petrol is probably as good as Vento's and Verna's but falls short of Honda City's. Diesel offers good performance that would be adequate to most people.

FE - Petrol - 17kmpl and Diesel - 23.5 kmpl. Thats super impressive. Even the much expected supposedly super fuel efficient Beat Diesel offers only 24 kmpl.

While I have listed the aspects a typical car buyer would look into, I have not even mentioned about its wonderful steering, high speed ride, stability and handling of Fiesta. If I was in the market for a C-segment diesel car, I would pick Fiesta Diesel. Its very balanced in my opinion. Reasonably good performance with high FE and top safety features will seal the deal for me.

Talking about price, as the car is as good as some of the other C-segment cars I guess it will be more or less in line with them. With even the base variant loaded with ABS and Airbags and top end offering top of the line features, I dont see Fiesta's price undercutting Verna's or Vento's.

[adimicra]

Originally Posted by rajivn

Features - Its absolutely loaded. Much more than what City and Vento offer and as much as Verna offers if not more. Should probably have the best AC going by Fiesta Classic's and Figo's powerful AC. T

This is not true. Verna is the most loaded C segment car without any doubts.
6 airbags
start/stop button
integrated camera in the IRVM
all disc brakes
16" tires
and many more.....(forgot

Fiesta is well loaded but next to the Verna (voice activated controls, cruise control etc)

[iFuel]

Now this is the review everyone had been waiting for and I had spent many a sleepless nights wondering why are we the last ones no yet with a review. Well Rehan has done a stupendous job with reviewing pretty much everything we wanted to see and know about.

Now about the car, well frankly after having read through the 100+ pages of the Ford anticipation thread in the Indian Car Scene section, this turned out to be a dud to me. It was an eye opener to first see so many Ford enthusiasts on this forum and then to top it all the discussions went beyond thousands of words spanning 100+ pages and when I go through this review I am wondering what was the whole 'shor' all about.

Nothing about this car is what I was hoping it would be, 1.5L engine instead of a 1.6l, turbo lag, one of the most horrible looking rear ends of a modern sedan, it actually beats the front end of 'Frankensteined' Verna (De)transform in being ugly.

What I like:
- Good FE
- Decent looking Front end and the trapezoid grill design
- 9/10 for the ICE that you gave it
- Lots of cubby holes (and there is another story to it..)
- ABS and Dual Airbags across all variants
- The blue color on the car
- Decent handling, however no drive test on the twisties, but I am thinking it will do decently there.

What I didn't like:
- 1.5L engine instead of a 1.6L (ANHV beats this by a far margin, my opinion)
- Drum brakes for the rear tyres.
- Horrible looking rear end, actually as a whole the car is hideously designed, what good is a decent looking front when it doesn't match to the whole design.
- Seat fabric even on top end version, what excuse did Ford have this time for Indian customers
- The center console as opposed to what most think, to me looks weird and oddly designed. Vento's classic look and feel is the best IMO.
- 14" steel rim for spare, so if I have a flat, I am virtually killing the car if I have to drive for a distance before I can get the flat fixed.
- No cabin lights for the rear (unlike someone mentioned, I have used them in my cars at least twice a month on a regular basis and they do come in handy)
- Single rear fog lamp?
- Left hand oriented light and indicator stocks, someone tell Ford they are in India, or are they too snobbish and trying to tell us we are not in America.
- Turbo lag and no 'hit the back of the seat' rush feel/thrill to the car that was supposed to be driver oriented
- Poor petrol performance as said in the review, but then again with petrol prices going through the roof this might not be a concern for most, but it is there and can't be ignored
- Lot of gear changing required in city driving due to turbo lag and add to it the hard clutch according to the review (gotta keep a bucket of warm water and salt in the boot to dip my leg into after my commute to work and back home)
- Lots of cubby holes without covers - along with belongings I am going to store loads of dust everyday and spend another day trying to get rid of it (this was the other side mentioned above)


One point that is not clear:- Can the rear passangers open the door with the door latch/handle without having to engage any lock/unlock switch(remember that was not provided), then this must be a joke. What good is it locking the door in the first place then(safety and security just went out of the doors along with the passangers, if they happen to be kids or even elderly, or for that matter even someone who just didn't realize). Or did I read something wrong ( please correct me if I am wrong).

Disclaimer: The above mentioned points are my personal thoughts and no harm, intentional or un-intentional is meant to anyone, especially Ford fans.

[gautamkhadse]

Awesome review Rehaan ! As GTO roghtly pointed out in the first post . Ford seems to be getting most of the the things right with their newer range and very few things wrong .

I noticed the wheel arches . The front is chiseled and sharp edged and the rear is curvy makes it look a little weird .

[mdsaab]

Thank You Rehaan for this much anticipated review.
It was a joy reading through and very informative indeed.
Backed up with HQ pics which covered everything not leaving any questions to be asked.
I liked the detailed review of the voice controls too, even explaining which features Ford has worked on to include in the voice recognition system.
Also a very important pic which you included in your review is of the New Fiesta and the Fiesta Classic. This really helped in understanding the size and stance difference between the too.

~What i think of the New Fiesta~
It really is a great effort from Ford.
and after the Figo, Ford does seem to be getting it right. Finally! and HOW!
I loved the modern lines of the New Fiesta, and especially loves it in Blue.
The Futuristic dash, really looks the part and am sure will keep the owners engaged. (while stationary ofcourse) Also giving them a sense of occasion every time they step in to cabin.
One minor irritant though, is the indicator and wiper stalks. Which are still laid out for a left hand drive vehicle. Would have been nice if Ford corrected the same.
What about the bonnet release? which side is it positioned on?
The fact that it can charge your phone too while playback is an added benefit, as you don't have to worry about draining your battery just to listen to your favorite tracks on your phone.
The chicane door pockets as well as the separate buttons for the rear and front fog lamps are really designed well, and speak volumes of the efforts put in by the engineers at Ford to incorporate a package well suited to Indian needs and tastes.

Thanks once again for this brilliant review.
Drive Safe!

[nkrishnap]

Originally Posted by adimicra

Space -> ANHC>SX4=Vento=Verna=Fiesta>Linea

As per my assessment, the space in Linea is made and blown out of proportion. Accepted that its not as good as ANHC, however its on par with the others in the segment.

AHNC > Linea = Verna = Vento = Fiesta > SX4

Disclaimer - Other's opinions can always vary.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by adimicra

From your review, this is the relative comparison with other cars in the segment IMO -

• Petrol engine - > ANHC=LIne Tjet> Verna>Vento=Fiesta>SX4> Linea 1.4 NA
• Space -> ANHC>SX4=Vento=Verna=Fiesta>Linea
• Interior quality -> Vento >Verna >ANHC>Fiesta>SX4=Linea
• Features -> Verna>Fiesta>Linea>Vento>SX4=ANHC
• Ride -> Linea >Vento>Fiesta>ANHC>Verna>SX4
• Handling -> Linea=Fiesta> Vento>ANHC>Verna=SX4

Is that a correct assessment? Please correct me if I am wrong.
For Petrol, ANHC is the best choice IMO and for the diesel, it is the Vento or the Verna (if one is keen on features ) followed by Fiesta.

Adi, not really correcting you, but this is what Rehaan mentioned when I posted a question on the most FTD (Fun-to-Drive) petrol amongst the new Fiesta, City, Vento and Linea (I forgot to include Verna in my query).

Let me say i've not driven the new Verna, only sat in it at a standstill, so i'll exclude it from this comparo.

Ride quality (for a passenger) : The Vento and Linea are similar, and the Fiesta is a bit firmer

Handling : This is a hard one. All 3 cars are good handlers, however, its the fun-to-drive aspect that is noticeably different between them. See below...

From a petrol-head's point of view, my rating of fun-to-drive would be :
1) Linea T-Jet : Very communicative steering, good dynamics and fun turbocharged engine!
2) Fiesta Petrol : Involving steering (though not as much feedback as the Linea), good dynamics, uninspiring engine
3) City : Sharp steering, average dynamics, nice engine - though surprisingly, doesn't love to rev.
4) Vento Petrol : EPS is too light and disconnected, good dynamics, uninspiring engine.

The above response was pretty aligned to what I thought as well. This covers the engine, ride and handling departments.

On space and features, I am in agreement with you (based on the various reviews). Especially the top end Verna is much more loaded than some of the competition in a segment above.

On interior quality, I am not sure of the rating. For me interior quality cannot be judged from showroom fresh cars, but on how they will hold up after 1-2 years usage. I guess you are spot on with the top rated and bottom rated names there, but between City, Verna and Fiesta, it is debatable. I have not seen the new Verna or the Fiesta, but from a manufacturer comparison, I feel Honda is better than a Hyundai in this aspect. And as far as Ford is concerned, the interiors or plastics may not be very exciting, but traditionally, they hold up very well – maybe because of its perceived blue-collar image worldwide.

[raghu]

As a prospective Diesel car buyer, Ford Fiesta is one of the cars I was waiting for before taking a decision. Excellent review. Thanks a lot for the same. When I looked at the new Verna, I liked what I saw in the front but the rest of folks at home rejected it because of the rear seat issue. Everyone liked the Vento but the waiting period put me off (8 months!!!). Probably, Fiesta is the one which all of us will agree on.

BTW, on CNN-IBN car show, the FE was mentioned as 23kmpl for Diesel version. This is good too. The deal breaker for me will be the price. Anything in the range of Verna or Vento is OK.