Ford

This is my Experience with Ford Fiesta in Jaipur as I was looking to buy a car costing less then 8 Lac

                    First Look
          

I
was not at all disappointed when I lay my eyes on the beautiful Fiesta.
I was looking at the top end 1.6 SXI DuraTEC version with optional ABS.
The Ford Fiesta will not exactly make you drool, but is sure to get you
noticed. On the front the Ford Fiesta sports a large bumper and a large
radiator grille and very well proportioned twin headlamps. The bonnet
lines which end at the radiator grill impart a much understated
aggressiveness to the complete look.

From
the side the Ford Fiesta looks very well proportioned and the grip type
door handles look and feel great. The black B pillar adds character to
the look and the raised wheel arches complete the understated
aggression look. The rear will fool some into believing that they are
looking at a Mercedes. The wrap-around tail lamps are a straight lift
from a merc. The chrome strip above the number plate looks good and
adds class. So at first look the Ford Fiesta is a winner. Now let’s
step inside and see what the Fiesta has in store!

                    Interiors
          

As
soon I stepped into the driver’s seat and closed the door, I was
reassured by the solid thud of the door closing and of the excellent
build quality of the car. The interior of the Fiesta has been done in a
beautiful and luxurious black and beige scheme. The quality of the trim
is excellent and has a very rich feel to it. The interior is very
spacious and the driving position is very comfortable with a commanding
view of the road. The instrument panel in front of me was impressive.
The Ford Fiesta’s instrument panel boasts of a tachometer, a digital
trip meter, a fuel gauge, a clock, and an outside temperature display.
The silver garnish on the dashboard, AC vents and the leather wrapped
steering looks good. There is an ICE (In Car Entertainment) system at
your command, which includes a 6 in dash CD player, AM/FM radio and a 6
speaker system. Ford should have included an MP3 player which is the
standard in all cars of this segment. The sound quality is good,
although not at par with some of the high end systems available in the
market. The height adjustable driver’s seat gives the driver a
commanding view of the road. The rear view mirrors and the boot lid are
electrically operated and are very convenient. However, the bonnet
opening latch is very strangely and inconveniently placed on the
passenger’s side! At the rear, there is ample legroom, but three
passengers may feel a bit cramped. There are reading lights and
magazine pockets in the rear for the corporate traveler.

                    Road Performance
          

As
soon I as I turned the key, the 101 bhp beast came to life silently. I
was impressed! The NVH levels in the Ford Fiesta are very low and you
will hardly hear the engine until you rev it hard. I turned on the AC
and put the car into gear. The Ford Fiesta took off confidently and
without any vibration. I could feel the power of the 100 horses under
the hood as I accelerated to 35 kmph and shifted to 2nd gear. The Ford
Fiesta has excellent low-end torque and city riders will be pleased
with the gear ratios. Shifting through the gears was very easy and the
big gear knob has excellent feedback. Very soon I was seeing 90 kmph on
the dial and it felt as if I was doing only 40kmph! The power steering
is very responsive and has a turning radius of 4.9 meters which is very
good for a car this size. The steering remained rock steady in a
straight line the car did not roll too much in high speed cornering.
The Fiesta does feel a little light at high speeds and you feel as if
the tyres may lose their grip, but I guess that is because of the alloy
rims and tubeless tyres. The suspension of the Ford Fiesta is something
to write home about. I took the car on an especially bumpy stretch of
road to put the suspension to test, and the suspension literally soaked
up the pot holes! I could hardly feel the bumps as the car glided over
the trademark bumpy Indian road. Full marks to Ford for an excellent
piece of suspension engineering. This baby is made for the Indian
roads! Braking is good, although at high speeds you wish that they had
put in disc brakes in the rear too. However the optional ABS will make
the braking surer. The Ford Fiesta is a driver’s car and it wants you
to extract every bit of performance out of it.

                    Verdict
          

As
compared to the New Honda City 2008 and other cars in its
category, the Ford Fiesta feels much solidly built and handles much
better on the road. Ford has put together a near complete package in
terms of style, comfort, power and reliability. And at a very
attractive price tag of under 7.5 lakhs for the top end version, I feel
the Ford Fiesta beats the Honda City 2008 and other cars in its class
by miles in terms of performance and value for money. With features
specially developed for the Indian market, like the 0.45 meter deep
water proof capability, typical of Indian monsoons, and the fast cool
AC, the Ford Fiesta has an edge over the competition. If the guys at
Ford finally put their service network act together, they have a sure
winner on their hands. This is by far the best performance car in its
category on Indian roads today and has the potential to be No. 1 in its
class on Indian roads .......