Ford Fiesta Classic [2011-2012] User Reviews

I had written my comments when I was just 3 weeks into the purchase of my Ford Fiesta. Its 4 months now and I feel I could say a few things about it. Im getting an exceptional mileage of 20Km/Ltr !! That includes 65% highway and 35% city traffic (Bangalore traffic!!!!) Im very very impressed with the mileage. The engine is still very peppy and crisp. A few words of caution though.... Service is expensive, Though the service people are friendly, it pinches when u see the bill. Also, when I buy a car for 8 and half lakhs, I would expect that the company provide some basic Acessories like a full fledged secutity system (Autocop), Car cover, the chrome covers for fog lights and Alloy wheels. But sadly everything is an extra. Pretty disappointed in that aspect. For someone who would do a lot of long drives, its a great fuel saver !! It gives me optimum mileage at 70-80Km/Hr , it goes comfortably to 140-150 but then u can feel the engine grunting.At 80Km/Hr u sail like a bird. Very smooth on highways. After 4 months of buying the car, I can very happily say that I have no regrets buying this car. Excellent value for money. I do a lot of long distance travel , and this car is really working well for me. And im enjoying it.Amazing fuel Economy!!!limited accessories for the cost.

I bought my Fiesta diesel SXi last year & have dirven it close to 18K kms till now. The car is fabulous to drive & very responsive for a diesel car... tested this well on the highways where the handling at high speeds ( 130+ ) is superb... the ABS are a peace of mind & highly reliable... the car has been giving me 20+ on highways & abt 18+ in my city driving. Its plush beige leather interiors with syylish wooden finish dashboard always get appreciative looks from all who have been in it.. the indicators on ORVMs are a good style addon (found in high end cars till now ). It just needs a center arm rest console for the driver, hope Ford adds it in future models... Had done extensive research before buying & found this to be a better deal than Verna & City... the SXi is the costliest but worth the money...Great Fuel Economy, Stylish : Indicators on ORVMs & Plush Beige leather interior , Fun to drive..Badly needs a centre arm rest ( near gear console )for driver...a must for long drives...

Car is goodFord as a company is not customer centric. Pathetic after sale services

Exterior

Space age looks which have now been copied by the new verna are the best in the class. the car is not too high like the sx4 and not too low like the civic, so easy for young as well as elderly people to get in and out of the car. the sports model with company fitted 5 arm alloy wheels, side skirts, rear under diffuser and trunk wing give it a completely different look compared to the other cars.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort)

Music system was claimed to be from kenwood manufactured for ford, but i wonder if thats true? the music quality is exceptional with 4 speakers and 2 tweeters. dashboard has a nice feel, with instrument panel nicely arranged. distance to empty meter is a fresh welcome. abs with ebd make the car stop like dead weight, but there have been instances where i have felt otherwise. 195/55/r 15 tubeless tyres further add to the sports look. (michelin's website recommends 205/50/r 15 for the same car but that query is still unanswered by michelin). inadequte thigh support for the rear passengers is a drawback for long rides. driver and front passenger seats are average, though height adjustment is present only for the driver seat. boot release button is like no other and too good. integrated key with boot release is unique. ac is chillingly cold even on the most hot summer mumbai days and cools instantly. centre console feels made from cheap plastic. doors have single rubber beading making them noisy on closing compared to the city with double beading. 

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox

Engine is out of this world with a pickup that no words can describe. sx4,city,verna,linea are only at the start line when this car is finishing the race. though the specs of 1596 cc with only 101 bhp makes one wonder if much is left to be desired, i must say the feeling is quickly evaporated once behind the wheel. the ecu mapping of the engine for better acceleration is definitely worth going in for this model compared to the other models of fiesta.

Slight disappointment on the fuel economy side as the worst mileage i got is 8 in stand still trafffic with ac on always to 14 on mumbai pune expressway at 140kmph speed with ac on always. though to my surprise if the car is driven at 60-70 on highway i have even got upto 18 kmpl with ac on.

Gearbox beats the crap out of any other other cars, its refined, and one can change gears without any problem.

Ride Quality & Handling

With sports tuned suspension and only 195 mm clearance one has to be careful with indian roads. though the suspension is smooth and eats up small potholes for breakfast the larger ones do make one sitting inside their presence felt. hydraulic power steering compared to electronic power steering of the honda feels heavy to maneuver but has its own advantages. handling at high speeds 190+ makes one lose confidence. the car handles well till 140, rattles at 145-160 and settles again at 160+. at my top speed of 195 kmph with full load( 5 hefty men and no luggage) the car doesnt swerve, but the steering feels very light giving a sense that one is losing control but somehow it folllows all the commands even at that speed and moves around easily.

Final Words

A few well thought of questions should answered before one gets the fiesta, though it is cheaper to other cars of the same segment it has terrible resale value, limited dealership locations with even further limited service centres, cost of spares have been reduced drastically but still are slightly expensive compared to the rest. This car is a wonderful delight if the above mentioned questions are not important. then this is the car one should buy with closed eyes. unfortunately that type of situation exists only with a few people like myself and hence that is the reason this car is not doing so well. before buying the car one can expect a lot of freebies while honda offers nothing.

 

Areas of improvement  

after sales service

brand image

rear disc braking system

bonnet  opening and closing is a pain

availability and cost of spare parts

kindly excuse all typos.

hope this review is useful. may you land with your dream car

smooth engine, gearbox, pickup, handling, alloy wheels, music system, integrated key, boot buttonindicator and bonnet opening button on left hand side

Exterior Decent.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) Decent but could be better since competition offers more features and quality plastics.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox Superb.

Ride Quality & Handling Superb.

Final Words Other than the Brakes issue which is not getting its due attention even from the president's desk, all else is fine. The flutter while the car is not in motion and in motion is annoying but most people are oblivious to this serious design defect.

Areas of improvement Brakes judder and interior plastics need improvement. Suspension noise and door rattling has started within 2800Kms!!. The only saving face is the ride quality and handling. Noise deadening is much wanting. They have saved sufficient costs here. Dynamat aplication will help a lot to make it feel like a premium car.

7/10 is my rating over all. It falls under the VFM category and probably the reason for all the quality issues!!.

Power , handling driving comfortquality control and brake flutter on most cars

I purchased my Fiesta 1 year back and I wanted to throughly test it before writing a review. So far I have driven more than 5000 KMs in all kind of roads. First the things I like the best about this car...I feel that this car has a great pick up as compared to other cars in the same category..a great asset for city driving. I like the car interior and the overall design of the body. Also I feel it has got a good turning radious which gives you more control.

About things that I dislike - The steering wheel is very hard..sometimes I wonder whether it is really a power steering or not. Same is the gear shift. You have to literally drag the gear...unlike Verna, where you can change gear by  a gentle touch. Next is the ground clearance. I don't even remember how many times I have been hit while going over some muddy road or some high speed breakers...And mind you, I am a very safe driver and I really care for my car.. Another problem that I have faced is with respect to the visiblity while turning right. I find my views partially blocked by the car body. Not sure whether its the same with other cars !!

With respect to service, I have done all the 3 free services. During the first service I went for the color protection coating and the rust protection coating. The service center charged me 8000/- for getting it done. But later on I realized that they took the money but didn't do the color protection coating. (being a new car owner, I couldn't make out at the time of receiving the car). Next time when I took it for servicing, I asked the person who was checking the car before receiving it from me, whether the protection coating has been done or not and he told me that its NOT done...When I complained about it the service center manager gave me the ultimate solution as if he is doing me a favor by offering to do it free of cost !! How generous...

So far I haven't faced any maintainance related problems (touch wood)...hence can't comment much....

Good Style, Good Comfort, Good pick upHard Steering and Gear, Less ground clearance

Hi,

Bought a new Ford Fiesta 1.6 S model last week from TSG Cars, Motinagar, Delhi. Have done 350 kms so far. Great handling car, smooth engine, good pickup from low down, slightly noisy beyond 4000 rpm, poor pick up in higher power band.  Overall the car feels solid, sturdy and utterly composed over poor roads. It has nice touches such as a beeper if you leave the parking lights on and switch off the engine and an integrated music system that sounds better than many expensive car stereos.

Decided to buy Fiesta 1.6S as my four and half years experience with Ikon 1.3 Rocam was satisfactory, though towards the end it set me back by a failed ECU and ignition coil.  Also, the competition- Honda City (HC) (new) did not appeal to me after a test ride.  Its ride and handling is way below that of the Fiesta 1.6S,  the test drive car felt rattley over potholes and the bodywork felt light.  The interiors look cheap. All in all, it does not feel like a nearly Rs. 9 lakh car.  The Fiesta 1.6s scores better both in interior quality and exterior looks. The alloys in particular look oh-so-sexy!

For sheer resale value, and a couple of kms in mileage, I would have done for the Honda, but a quick math revealed that if I were to take Rs 1.75 extra loan  (the cost difference between the Fiesta 1.6S and the HC), then the EMI over 3 years would be around Rs 5500. My fuel expenses are around Rs.5000 a month. So I get the Fiesta plus petrol for the price of the HC.   Regarding resale value, I expect the HC's resale after five years to be around Rs. 4.5 lakh - Rs. 5 lakh, that of Fiesta 1.6 S to be Rs. 3 lakh- 3.5 lakh.  The initial cost difference between the two is Rs. 1.75 lakh.  SO in the end, it evens out in a way as you also paying interest on Rs. 1.75 lakh.

 

Smashing looks, smooth engine, good mid-range power, great handling, safety features, fuel economypoor leg space for rear pasengers, door map pockets too big intruding into usable space

Having owned a Ford Flair for 4 years, I'd had a first hand experience of the fabulous driving machines that only Ford can make. When I decided to go for a new car, I'd only decided the fuel - Diesel, and was looking at all options upto 12.5 lacs. There was the Fiesta Diesel SXi TDCi (ABS) at 9.5 lacs, the Optra Magnum 2.0 Diesel LS at 10.5 lacs and the Octavia Ambiente at 12.5 lacs. Having driven all the three, to the Optra's credit, it had a lot of equipment, the Detroit Diesel is supposed to be good, and there was a 3-year free maintenance thrown in, yet, its still a Korean product, that too a Daewoo, rebadged as a Chevy. The Octavia was a tad over-priced, and has a reputation of being a car with expensive spares and servicing. And considering the civic sense of our fellow Mumbaikars, I could really do with a car that wasn't expensive to repaint and maintain.

The Ford Fiesta Diesel SXi TDCi, came with all that my heart desired, including an engine that's creamy smooth and delivers great fuel efficiency, the safety of ABS and Airbags, the familiar blue oval, and a savings of over a lac over the Optra and 3 lacs over the Octavia...enough money to take care of the fuel bill month on month.

Any regrets?? None whatsoever

Recommended?? HIGHLY!!!

Wish-List: Wish Ford re-introduced the Mondeo!!

Solid Build Quality, Legendary Ford Dynamics, Reliability, High Quality Integrated Audio, StorageCramped Interiors

This is my 6th new car purchase during past 20 yrs. While all the previous cars were hatchback, I decided to settle for a sedan at sub 10 L category & this time decided to try diesel option as the daily run of the car will be around 60Km on weekdays and nearly 80 - 100 Km on weekends.

We took test drive for Ford Fiesta (Petrol & Diesel), Honda City, Verna (Petrol & Diesel) and then  went for a repeat test drive for both version of Fiesta (for alomsot 60 km in two instances). The "Driver in me for 25 yrs" claerly made the decision, based on performance, handling & for the pleasure of driving Fiesta. While it is unfair to compare a diesel Fiesta with that of a petrol car, the diesel version will make one forget that he/she is driving a diesel car due to smooth pick-up in stop & go city condition.

In this category, Fiesta TDCi SXI offers best features with pleasing interiors, good music system, alloy wheels, adequate legroom & a power packed a/c which is sure to satisfy anyone with an excellent driver's feel & control on the vechile on city & highway driving, which possibly has influenced our decision to own a Fiesta. As with the completion of first 10,000 Km on Kolkata roads, I stand to confirm the same. Fuel economy is also fairly good 13 Km / L in city condition with a/c on always and over 18 Km on highways at speed exceeding 120 Km.

We were aware of the downsides - Ford service, a little dated model in the market & low resale value. Spare prices have come down but in certain cases you need to buy the full assembly (I am not too sure abount this in case of Honda city or Verna).

I recomend that one can surely buy a Fiesta TDCi to enjoy comforts and pleasures of driving in city or on highways!!

Performance, Drive quality, Features & StylingFord Service - Not upto Industry benchmark!!