New Ford Fiesta 2011 India (New premium Global Fiesta in India)

I was thrilled after receiving an invitation form local ford showroom to visit the new Ford Fiesta, test drive it and let them know my honest opinion about the car, just a day prior to its launch. Ford will be unveiling its premium global Fiesta in India on 14.04.11.

Yes it is official!!! Award winning Ford fiesta will be coming to India tomorrow. This will be second in a series of eight new global products that will be launched in India. (First being Ford Figo, which is a phenomenal hit from Ford Stable). The all-new Fiesta is the first contemporary saloon that Ford will be unveiling tomorrow in India. Company “One Ford” means that Fiesta in India will be similar to that of Fiesta in China or in Thailand or in US. Indian market has already welcomed this policy by accepting Figo with open hands.

Here is test drive review of New Ford Fiesta 2011 launched in India.








The new fiesta is built on B2E platform which is known for its light yet stiff construction. The same theme was reflected in the car exterior as well. Ford newly found Kinetic Design is very well incorporated to New Fiesta. Unlike its other competitors, the new Fiesta doesn’t look bulky at all. Sharp creases, flared wheel archs, swept headlamps, trapezoidal lower grill makes the new Fiesta more energetic as compared to earlier one. The boot is attached seamlessly which merges quite well with rest of the body. Personally I was impressed by the stylish FIESTA logo on the boot. Just by looking at logo, one can say that it is something new in the market.
The front and rear pillars are steeply sloped which gives a hint of sporty car, at the same time it gives a hint of cramped interiors as well.
Overall the car looks light, stylish and sporty and henceforth is definitely contemporary in looks.

Stepping inside, I was greeted by super comfortable seats. The seats lend enough side support to back and shoulders and hence one will not be thrown out of seats while maneuvering curves at high speeds. The generous cushioning makes the seating more comfortable as well. The interior styling is inspired by open wings. AC louvers, Audio buttons, all give a feeling that a bird is flying high.

The feature pack suggests that the new Fiesta is a Premium model. Fiesta will be first Ford in India to sport an Auto AC. The round Auto AC dial in Lower dash looks great. The audio is equipped with USB and Bluetooth and the sound quality is quite good too. The thing that stole my attention was chrome pedals that were perfectly placed and were hinting towards a performance sedan. At some place I could spot that plastics used were of cheap quality but overall the interior was good looking.
The only sad part in the interior was rear leg room. This Fiesta sedan is based on Fiesta Hatch which will be launched in India in 2012. The wheelbase of Sedan and hatch are same, which means that even legroom in both the cars will be similar too. Small windows at rear give claustrophobic feeling too.

New Fiesta offers both Petrol and Diesel Engine. The diesel engine is bigger (1.6L duratorq engine instead of earlier 1.4L duratorq engine). The engine is peppier and responds to even small push on throttle pedal. The petrol powertrain will produce around 120 bhp of power which makes Fiesta most powerful entry sedan (On paper it is more powerful than City and Linea T-jet). But on road city seems to be more agile than Fiesta. But this doesn’t mean that Fiesta is sluggish. Engine is one area where Fiesta customers will be delighted. The gear shifts could have been better though.
Another area where I was impressed was performance of Air-conditioner. One can feel the chill even in Indian summer.

It is needless to write that ride and handling of Fiesta is excellent. Superb ride and handling is encrypted on Ford DNA. New Fiesta chassis is even stiffer, which gives freedom to maneuver the vehicle at high speeds. The body roll is quite under control. Steering is electronically powered and is quick in response. The stiffer chassis will surely be comforting its passengers even on worst Indian roads.

Overall new Fiesta is a good car, but whether it will be able to leave impact on Indian market --- is a tough question. In a short span of time Vento, Diesel SX4, Fiesta, New Hyundai verna will crowd this place. And whether the idea of selling both existing Fiesta and new Fiesta together will work for Ford or not---- We will have to wait and see.

Why Buy: Latest styling, ride and handling, engine performance

Why Deny: Cramped Rear legroom, Brand (Yet to leave bigger impact on Indian Market)

Ford Fiesta Classic

Ford is keeping their promise of "One World: One Ford" by launching their global models in India before they are outdated. And they are reaping benefits of this policy as well. Ford clocked more than one lakh sales in 2010~11 fiscal year, making it fifth largest car manufacturer in India.

As per promise, Ford will be launching new Fiesta on 14th April 2011. But they find it hard to bid farewell to their old Fiesta. So, a week before the launch of premium global Fiesta in India Ford decided to launch their re-invented frugal Fiesta in India. They named it as Fiesta Classic. Fiesta classic is almost Rs 85000 cheaper than earlier Fiesta. Ford was already giving generous cash discounts in order to sell more and more Fiestas in India. But this time they managed to commanize interiors of Figo with Fiesta and hence bring down the cost considerably.




I thought of driving the Fiesta classic again to check whether it will still generate some interest in customers. Here is review of New Ford Fiesta Classic:

Figo and Fiesta Classic are built on same platform; hence it was easy for Ford to commanize the interior parts as well. The exterior of Fiesta classic is identical to earlier Fiesta, and probably it will cater to people who are still in love with its styling. I believe that old fiesta styling is outdated and Ford should bid farewell to its older model.

Interiors of Fiesta classic are totally new. Now fiesta has dash of Figo, door trims of Figo and even seats are of Figo. The seats are bit uncomfortable when compared to other cars of this segment. The seat height adjuster is one way. One will be amazed to note the gap between seat back and seat cushion after seat is adjusted at lowermost point. The door trims looks cheap and so does the front Dash. I feel it will be difficult for Ford to attract new customers for Fiesta Classic.

New Fiesta classic is repositioned Fiesta at lower price tag with few changes in feature list. The top variant doesn’t comes with leather seats now. The audio system is also changed and now it is same as the one used for Figo. The seat fabric is also changed.

The engines are still the same. 1.4 l Duratorq and 1.6 l duratec motors are still the same. Same peppiness was there in the car. I would like to appraise the ride and handling of Fiesta again. It is truly a drivers’ car. The steering is fast and responsive and chassis is built to take all the abuse of Indian roads. The only thing positive about Fiesta classic was its unchanged engine and chassis. Hope it might attract few customers.

The proven 1.6 Duratec and 1.4 Duratorq powertrains in Fiesta Classics will deliver on the optimum mix of gripping performance and frugal fuel consumption.

Why Buy: Engine performance, Ride and handling and Cost

Why Deny: Age old styling, cheap interiors, less comfort