[amansanc]

When i first saw the car in this particular colour, i came back home and told my dad to just sell the i10, buy this and drive it till i become 18 years and then gift it to me
He even test drove it(just to keep me happy) but rejected it saying the suspension is way too stiff for everyday city ride. So my dream remained a dream

[anekho]

Congratulations Aravind - really nice write up and pictures! The 1.6S is still a looker and I think I almost like it's design more than the new next generation Fiesta.

Got to say it felt good reading about a purchase made straight from the heart - here's to more experiences, updates and photos on this thread!

[RGK]

Wonderful Aravind.. 1.6S was one of the best cars in the Ford Stable, unfortunately due to the high price difference between petrol & diesel at that time it could not do well.

I bet 1.6S will be a definite hit if Ford relaunches now with slight modifications..

Happy and Safe Motoring..

[evilmessiah]

Hey aravind.anand! It's coincidental that my Dad also had an almost same car line up as yours. 1st car- Ambassador, 2nd- M900, 3rd- Esteem, 4rth- Accent, 5-M800 again, 6&7- Santro & Honda City iVtec. I share your love for cars but wasn't able to go into the auto field.

I haven't bought a car yet- still very much in love with my CBR. If I had been in the market for a cage a couple of years back, I would have certainly bought the Fiesta 1.6S. Beaut of a car, spunky engine and great handling. Hmm..maybe I'll buy a new car if I move on to a better job- a Polo GT TSI or a Punto Abarth looks good.

Congrats on the ride! She's a peach- take good care of her and I'm sure she'll reward you well everytime you take her out for a spin!

[Harshal.Bhosale]

Originally Posted by aravind.anand

>Ford Fiesta Classic – This car seemed to fit my bill perfectly. I liked the proportionate looks, the diesel mill was decent (strictly decent, even with generous proportions of diplomacy), handling and ride quality were awesome and I loved the way the steering felt, meaty on the hand, with brilliant feedback.

...

for a car that had just 68 horses

...

Note: Ford hadn't launched the Titanium version back then, else would've considered it very seriously.

First of all, a big, hearty congratulations on your first purchase, I'm sure you're going to enjoy many more years with your aptly named BlueBolt! Secondly, I wish there was a 'green-with-envy' smiley on t-bhp!

As it happens, we have a recently purchased Fiesta Classic Titanium Duratorq in our family's garage. And although its strictly my father's car, I can't even begin to express the pride and satisfaction I feel at owning it (it was with great effort that I managed to convince my dad to buy this gem over the other options). And this car allows me the same thrills as the 1.6S, albeit with a much slower power-train. I've come to regard this as a good thing, though; as you narrated, taking a car to its limits is dangerous - so the lower power output of the diesel mill ensures that this brilliant chassis is never tested to the extremes of its limits (although given enough hooliganism it is still possible!), paving way for a safe yet emotional, joy-filled driving experience!

I imagine that you could have gone for the Titanium Duratorq too, had it been available then, but voila, you hit the jackpot and got something way better!

Looking forward to a great ownership thread with more of those lovely pictures!

[premjit]

Aravind. Just logged in after almost 2 weeks on my travels and what a surprise to see the 1.6S back in the news. I'd bought the same variant, same color when it was just about being taken off the shelves in 2009 and haven't regretted it even one single day. I still remember the time I had to haggle and fight with Ford to deliver this variant while they were hell bent on selling me the Sxi.

"Blue Streak" as I call her has been a dear friend, entertainer and I daresay love !! I remember an Overdrive article (Jan 2012) which compared the old and the new Fiesta and said something on these lines, "Just matching the Old cars brilliance would be difficult, surpassing her benchmark a massive task. A task the new Fiesta doesn't quite manage".

The free revving engine, the lovely growl, the sharp steering and the planted suspension will keep putting smiles on your face years after you've bought her. I've often downshifted just to hear that lovely sound. Servicing is also a breeze with hardly any costs incurred over almost 3.5 years. I haven't read through all the posts but I chose to upgrade the NCT 5's to the Yoko S Drives 1 year down the line and also installed a Cosworth Stock Replacement Filter. The Yokos have added more teeth to this already competent machine.

Cheers and best wishes for many miles.

[indizen]

Aravind
I share your exhilaration of driving the FF 1.6S Petrol for the last 3years!
I have the black diamond

She has been an absolute pleasure and whatever other car I drive (I have driven friend's cars, test drives and all!) I come back to the seat of the 1.6S and it feels so much home. It is not any other attachment, the sheer acceleration, comfort of the wheel and I can go on.

The car still feels fresh, I have not driven a lot just crossed 40K kms, changed tyres quite a bit (the original tyres gave way when bumped on some stones) , had some bruises on the paint due to some idiots on the road, spent quite a bit of money on all that, no complaints when I look back.

This car is an absolute driver pleasure. I am sure you will go a long way with yours and here is to conquering lot more miles. Drive safe and have fun!!!

Mod Note : Post Edited. Smiley usage is restricted to two per post on Team-BHP. Please do NOT use more than 2 smileys in a post.

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[niranjanrvce]

Originally Posted by aravind.anand

Yes, FFE has been in my mind for quite sometime now. I shall meet you and test drive your Fiesta ( if you permit, of course ) and shall decide it. Right now I have apprehensions about the car being very loud at high revs, waking people during early morning starts or late night drives. So need to experience it once before I can take a call. And CAI and remap I still havent convinced myself, maybe you and your car can do the trick, but ultimately, everything depends on the cash I manage to save up though.

Welcome to drive mine anytime mate. The FFE on mine is not loud at all, at least not until 4k rpm. So late night/early morning drive offs is not an issue. Ofcourse it won't be like a stock exhaust but still not overly loud. Drive it and see

[Avinash_R]

Congrats Aravind. I got a 2nd hand one in Sep last year.

I was so desperate to buy a Aquarius S that I bought one from another state without taking a test drive. Depended on a mutual friend's recommendation and went ahead with the purchase blindly. I guess this is what's called "taking a decision based on what your heart says".

Niranjan - can we plan a "S" meet? Dont want to go OT here but surely we can discuss this outside this thread.

[aravind.anand]

Originally Posted by amansanc

... but rejected it saying the suspension is way too stiff for everyday city ride. So my dream remained a dream

Hey Amansanc, in fact, though the suspension on this car is on the stiffer side of the spectrum, it is no where near harsh! In fact, my family prefers the Fiesta 1.6 S over the City i-Vtec over bad roads ! Maybe your dad just wanted to convince you

Originally Posted by anekho

Congratulations Aravind - really nice write up and pictures! The 1.6S is still a looker and I think I almost like it's design more than the new next generation Fiesta.

Got to say it felt good reading about a purchase made straight from the heart - here's to more experiences, updates and photos on this thread!

Thanks a lot Anekho, I shall keep this thread alive and Hot!

Originally Posted by RGK

Wonderful Aravind.. 1.6S was one of the best cars in the Ford Stable, unfortunately due to the high price difference between petrol & diesel at that time it could not do well.

Happy and Safe Motoring..

One thing is the diesel Fiesta and other competition, other thing was the very closely priced SXi with better goodies for the family, not just for the driver, which made the 1.6 S the exclusive car that it has become.

Originally Posted by evilmessiah

Hey aravind.anand! It's coincidental that my Dad also had an almost same car line up as yours. 1st car- Ambassador, 2nd- M900, 3rd- Esteem, 4rth- Accent, 5-M800 again, 6&7- Santro & Honda City iVtec. I share your love for cars but wasn't able to go into the auto field.

Congrats on the ride! She's a peach- take good care of her and I'm sure she'll reward you well everytime you take her out for a spin!

Thanks a lot Evilmessiah. It is much more than just co-incidence that they have come through the same journey, except for the Santro! My dad's garage goes like this -> Ambassodor > Base blue M800 > Neptune Blue M800 > White M800 > Esteem > Esteem + a different Neptune blue M800 > Accent + Siver M800 > Honda City i-Vtec + Silver M800!

Boy! does he ever get bored of this M800?

Originally Posted by Harshal.Bhosale

First of all, a big, hearty congratulations on your first purchase, I'm sure you're going to enjoy many more years with your aptly named BlueBolt! Secondly, I wish there was a 'green-with-envy' smiley on t-bhp!

Looking forward to a great ownership thread with more of those lovely pictures!

Hi Harshal, I think your smiley is green enough now! Thank you for your wishes and I shall keep updating this thread, worry not.

Originally Posted by premjit

Aravind. Just logged in after almost 2 weeks on my travels and what a surprise to see the 1.6S back in the news. I'd bought the same variant, same color when it was just about being taken off the shelves in 2009 and haven't regretted it even one single day. I still remember the time I had to haggle and fight with Ford to deliver this variant while they were hell bent on selling me the Sxi.

"Blue Streak" as I call her has been a dear friend, entertainer and I daresay love !! I remember an Overdrive article (Jan 2012) which compared the old and the new Fiesta and said something on these lines, "Just matching the Old cars brilliance would be difficult, surpassing her benchmark a massive task. A task the new Fiesta doesn't quite manage".

The free revving engine, the lovely growl, the sharp steering and the planted suspension will keep putting smiles on your face years after you've bought her. I've often downshifted just to hear that lovely sound. Servicing is also a breeze with hardly any costs incurred over almost 3.5 years. I haven't read through all the posts but I chose to upgrade the NCT 5's to the Yoko S Drives 1 year down the line and also installed a Cosworth Stock Replacement Filter. The Yokos have added more teeth to this already competent machine.

Cheers and best wishes for many miles.

Thanks Premjit, have read many posts of yours, before I decided on my car. I too have changed the stock GoodYear NCT5 to Yoko S drives and am enjoying them. Does Cosworth filter make a significant difference in terms of the drivability?

Originally Posted by indizen

Aravind
I share your exhilaration of driving the FF 1.6S Petrol for the last 3years!
I have the black diamond

She has been an absolute pleasure and whatever other car I drive (I have driven friend's cars, test drives and all!) I come back to the seat of the 1.6S and it feels so much home. It is not any other attachment, the sheer acceleration, comfort of the wheel and I can go on.
.
.
.
This car is an absolute driver pleasure. I am sure you will go a long way with yours and here is to conquering lot more miles. Drive safe and have fun!!!

Hi Indizen, thanks a lot. Yes, the 'S' truly makes the driver feel special and bonds so well, something I realized only after driving it for many miles together.

Originally Posted by niranjanrvce

Welcome to drive mine anytime mate. The FFE on mine is not loud at all, at least not until 4k rpm. So late night/early morning drive offs is not an issue. Ofcourse it won't be like a stock exhaust but still not overly loud. Drive it and see

Shall book an appointment with you pretty soon now, need to compare my car with the benchmark for sure.

Originally Posted by Avinash_R

Congrats Aravind. I got a 2nd hand one in Sep last year.
.
.
Niranjan - can we plan a "S" meet? Dont want to go OT here but surely we can discuss this outside this thread.

Thanks a lot Avinash and belated Congratulations to you too. And we can't plan a "S" meet with Niranjan, we can only plan a "S(Xi)" meet!

[amansanc]

[quote=aravind.anand;3120964]Hey Amansanc, in fact, though the suspension on this car is on the stiffer side of the spectrum, it is no where near harsh! In fact, my family prefers the Fiesta 1.6 S over the City i-Vtec over bad roads ! Maybe your dad just wanted to convince you

Yeah that maybe the case. But that time i was too young to put up questions in front of my dad and didn't even have the current level of knowledge about cars. Moreover team-bhp wasn't there to help me that time(i didn't know about it)

[fiestarry]

Originally Posted by shivasuma

Congratulations on the 1.6S. This is the best drivers car .... If it were in the market today, I probably would buy it.

There is a wonderful "pre worshipped" S available for around 4.4 lks on the classifieds. U could take a look.
The owner seems to be from Chennai but it is a KA 01 car in pristine condition.

[tharian]

^^^^

Are you sure it is a S?
S is quite rare to come by on classifieds since most of the owners do not want to sell them.
There is 1.6 Sxi on sale for the same price though.

[aravind.anand]

The 'S' has always been a brilliant driver's car with amazingly competitive dynamics that has managed to surprise everyone. But the engine though torquey, is not a patch on the blistering 1.5 i-Vtec on the Honda City!

Though both these are (were) in a very similar market space, they carved a very different niche's for each other. Its no secret that my heart is completely with the 'S' by now, but how close is the match between these two giants? Does the City have lot more to it, than a powerful 118 horses spewing engine and a solid brand backing it?

Stay focussed, and watch this space to find out more...



PS: haven't fully written the screen-play of this battle, will post the story by tomorrow for sure

[shivasuma]

Originally Posted by fiestarry

There is a wonderful "pre worshipped" S available for around 4.4 lks on the classifieds. U could take a look.
The owner seems to be from Chennai but it is a KA 01 car in pristine condition.

How I wish I could buy it, but wifey for some reason is really against pre-owned cars. I have told her how much value they are, but she seems opposed to the idea of owning one.