Happy with my decision so far - Fiesta 1.4 TDCi . Review on Ford Fiesta

I own a Maruti ALTO for last three years and as usuall I was thinking for an upgradation as I was bored with 800cc Suzuki Engine. My requirements were simple should be atleast 1200cc hatchback, should be comfortable for 5 people, ABS, should come within 5.5 lac budget, my usage is not much so petrol will be good enough for me andmost importantly should be a Maruti. I was so impressed with Maruti A.S.S and couple of occasions I enjoyed the power of maruti service network once I went for long trips in my ALTO. I had almost convinced with MS Ritz and reached a decision to book the same very soon.You may be thinking then how I end up in Ford Fiesta 1.4 TDCi Diesel. I am coming to that.A sedan especially a ford vehicle never in mydream mainlycos of Sedans are not comes in my budget(I dont want ugly looking TATA sedans which may come in my budget) I heard a lot about Ford Af.S.S and spare part costs.

Bu there is an unexpected twist in the story. One fine day one of my collegue told me he gonna sell his 3 year old Fiesta as he is looking for an upgrade to TATA safari and any of my friends interested let him know. I told him I will ask my friends and let you know. After few days I had told about this to one of my friend asking if any of his friends are interested. This guy is a die hard Ford fan(especially 1.4 TDCi engine) and owns a Ford Fusion+ and he is aware I had finalised on Ritz. Suddenly he asked me why cant you go for second hand fiesta than a brand new Ritz if both comes in same price range. I shared my fears on AfSS and spare part cost of Fiesta. One more important point was as I am upgrading from ALTO I was not sure if I can drive such a big vehicle in city in traffic.Even I never drive any vehicle which is above 5 lac in my life. The way he convinced me was the turning point in the whole story. here is his answers to my questions

AfSS= As Figo is coming to market Ford has to improve on this and they already improved a lot based on his experience with Ford

Spare Part Cost= Not something u gonna change very day even spare parts are cheap now after ford started production in India

Driving a big Car in city= Handling of Ford is the biggest advantage so I can drive just like my ALTO.

Second hand Car= If the first owner is known person and car maintained well nothing wrong going for it, we will see the car and then decide.

I dont want Diesel= May be in future usage will increase and 1.4 TDCi is a proven engine around the world

Availability of spare parts if Ford stop this model= Figo has most of the parts common with this so it wont be a problem till the Figo in the market.

I agreed to him and decided to see the car and took a test drive.The car was in excellent condition, new tyres, battery and very minimum scratches but I was not comfortable in handling this big car as I used to ALTO during my testdrive so I told him I am not going for this one. After reaching home I started reading review on Ford Fiesta in different online forums wht I observed was people who own this car never complain about this car but others complain a lot about AfSS and other stuffs. Almost 80% reviews were positive I started reconsidering this car again and tried a test drive again. This time I was much more comfortable with this car and fida on its looks and performance. As you expected end up in purchasing the 1.4 TDCi after a series of negotiations on price.

Now about the car - My Views

Handling= Excellent I can drive this car just like my ALTO after getting used to it. I never felt as if I am driving a big car. Braking is also pretty good eventhough I dont have ABS I feltcomfortableand confident .

Space Inside= I think rear legroom is bitcongested considering the class of the car even though I never sit in the backside but front side it is very much comfortable. It canaccommodate5 peoplewithout much problems.

Engine and Power= Good enough, as I had upgraded from 800cc ALTO power of the engine was never a concern but I saw many people complained about the lack of power of the engine in different forums. Best thing I found is Engine is so responsive I can press on my accelerator with confidence cos it gonna give you the power you are looking for. I had experienced this with one of my long drives with her.

Mileage= Not measured exactly but in highway it had given me 18-19 range for sure.

Looks= Depends on people to people but I found this as the best looking car in this segment comparing to SX4, Verna and Manza.

AfSS andSpare parts= Yet to experience, after purchasing I did my first service from Carnation, Marathahally. it cost me around 3000 including oil change

Comfort= Good, but I expected littlemore bettercomfort from a car of this class.

Ground clearance= Oneof mymajor concern. Especially if the car has 4 passengers u gonna bang on the above average humps

A/C= Good, best part is it is not effecting the performance.( I hav horrible experience on the engine power with my ALTO while A/C is on)

So far I am happy with my decision to go for Fiesta. I already completed 1000+ KMs on my OM including a long drive. I felt so comfortable and felt so proud to be the owner of a big careven thoughit is a second hand(I think just like any other middle class Indian). But still I have scary dreams of Ford AfSS something yet to face. But day by day I a getting more confident with this car and I hope she will never let me down. I promise I will be updating this review based on my experience with this car

Thanks everyone for reading the review