FORD FIESTA
The timing for the launch of the all-new Fiesta is pretty crucial. Ford’s latest saloon comes close on the heels of the newly launched Verna, just ahead of the upcoming Skoda Rapid and at a time when competition in the upper midsize segment is hotter than ever before. In fact, 2011 has seen a change of order in the sales charts with the VW Vento and Maruti SX4 diesel toppling midsize king, the Honda City. But more important, the new Fiesta comes at a time when the Ford brand, riding high on the success of the Figo, has won newfound respectability and that’s exactly what the company wants to cash in on.
We drove the new Fiesta saloon in Thailand a couple of months ago and came back pretty impressed but how good is this car on Indian roads? Can it spoil the party and stake claim to the midsize crown? A drive from Bangalore to Mysore provided some answers.
DESIGN IN MOTION
We’ve only seen hints of Ford’s ‘Kinetic Design’ on the Figo but the Fiesta comes completely with the company’s new design language. The combination of soft lines, rounded corners and bold creases add up to a dramatic shape and the Fiesta looks especially striking from the front. Contributing to the visual drama here is an imposing trapezoidal grille on the lower portion of the front bumper. Ford’s Blue Oval badge takes pride of place on a slat-like intake while the pair of large dagger-style headlamps that spread right up to the pronounced front wheel arches look fantastic. Another attention-(and light) catching detail is the beltline that gently fades as it rises towards the boot.
Like its predecessor, the new Fiesta has its roots in a hatchback (see box). However, Ford’s designers should be commended for the way they have managed to get the Fiesta’s perfectly arched roof to flow seamlessly into the boot. However, the tail section does look a tad high in profile, which makes the rear wheels look smaller than they actually are. Rear end styling is similar to the larger Ford Mondeo’s, which is no bad thing. To nitpick, the Fiesta’s single-piece rear bumper is a touch too large and this makes the tail appear bulky.
Build quality is solid and the way the doors thunk shut make even cars like the Vento feel a touch flimsy in comparison. You can sense that this car has been made to one global standard and there has been no stinting on its construction.
The Fiesta retains conventional MacPherson struts in the front and a torsion bar suspension arrangement in the rear but the big change is the switch from hydraulic to electric power steering (EPS). This new steering system has a quick ratio of 15:1 for a more responsive feel and comes with ‘pull-drift compensation.’ This feature, according to Ford, monitors the position of the front wheels and makes continuous, imperceptible corrections to the steering wheel to counter steering pull-drift compensation.’ This feature, according to Ford, monitors the position of the front wheels and makes continuous, imperceptible corrections to the steering wheel to counter steering pull often caused by changes in road camber. But more on that later.
THE IN THING
While the Older Fiesta’s interior design can be described as functional, the new car’s insides are a lot more stylish and modern. The funky wing-like fascia holds controls for the music system on one side and a keypad for phone connectivity on the other. The mass of buttons look cluttered and are a bit confusing but what’s nice and clear is the legible screen on the top of the dash, which displays the menu to access the various systems and functions. The orange back light, however, looks out of date and the voice-activated command system – a talking point (pun intended) for Ford in the new Fiesta – is a bit too gimmicky. You can conrol the phone functions by just speaking to the system but since it cannot follow all accents, you have to talk clearly and slowly. To be honest, it’s far easier (and less distracting) to use your hands.
The dials for the climate control system are neatly placed lower down on the dash and the overall feel of the switchgear is nice and solid. The hooded instruments with their winged binnacles look space-age and the thick-rimmed steering with controls for the music system is great to hold.
Interior plastics though are disappointing. Except for the texture on the top of the dash, which feels great, the lower portion of the cabin is made from bluish-green plastics which look quite tacky. The silver finish of the glossy centre console is quite sloppy too. Probe further and you will find that fit and finish is not consistent throughout the cabin and shut lines or panel gaps are gaping in places.
Jump into the driver’s seat and you immediately feel you are in control. The heavy seat bolstering belongs more in a sports car than a midsize saloon and as a result you can’t really slide into position; instead you have to heave yourself in. The seats hold you snugly and the back and side support on offer is unmatched in this class of car. The cushioning is on the firmer side but in no way uncomfortable. Ford has provided the Fiesta with a rotary seat back adjuster; while this may not find favour with Indian buyers who are more used to the lever-type arrangement, it does allow perfect adjustment of the seatback angle. The driving position itself is superb and gives you a great view of the road ahead. The A-pillars do not obstruct visibility and the large windscreen lets ample light in as well.
Move over to the rear and it’s a different story. You have to duck a bit to get inside and when you settle down, you can immediately tell that the back of the cabin isn’t as airy as the front. The rising window line and dark fabrics are to blame for this as well as the rear seat which is placed a bit low. This also impacts under-thigh support, which is just about adequate. The seat itself is quite comfortable with generous cushioning and good back support but compared to its rivals it is short on space. Legroom and headroom are nowhere near as generous as in the Vento or City. Also, the high placement of the central rear armrest is more intrusive than comfortable and another peculiar detail is the absence of locks on the doors, the locking function being controlled by a single button up front, just as in the Vento.
There is fair storage space inside with three cupholders behind the gear lever and another two in the rear armrest. There are no door pockets in the back and the ones in front are quite shallow too. A small net on the roof doubles up as a sunglass or toll receipt holder. At 430 litres, boot space isn’t class –leading but there is ample space for the occasional road trip. The back seat can be flipped forward to free up more space if the need arises.
MADE FOR INDIA
Ford has pulled a rabbit (or rather two) out of the hat by launching a pair of engines that make their world debut in India. While we were expecting the same pair of 1.6-litre engines (a petrol and diesel each) that power the Fiesta in international markets, Ford has developed a pair of 1.5-litre motors that are unique for India. There are many reasons for this. Ford feels that a 1.5 engine offers a better balanced between performance and efficiency than a larger 1.6 However, a more crucial reason for downsizing the diesel is to duck under the 1.5-litre limit which in a sub-four-metre-long car, translates to huge excise duty savings. So it’s quite clear that this new engine (known internally as the DV5) will power future Ford products that are less than four metres long.
The DV5 belongs to the same family as the DV4 or the 1.4 Duratorq engine that powers the older Fiesta Classic. Hence, they share common architecture like the relatively simple single-cam, two-valve cylinder head. However, the 1.5 diesel develops 88.7bhp, significantly more than the Duratorq 1.4 (68bhp), which is due to the addition of an intercooler. But it’s still nowhere near as powerful as the 1.6 diesels in the Vento and Verna.
The 1.4 Duratorq in both the Fiesta Classic and the Figo has always impressed us with its amazing response and low-speed driveability, so we were a touch disappointed not to experience the same immediate tug in the new Fiesta diesel. The 1.5 diesel motor, which uses a much bigger turbo with a fixed geometry, takes a while to start spinning and hence there’s a fair bit of turbo-lag below 1800rpm. Thereafter, there’s no sudden spike of power like in the Vento diesel; instead, power builds up in a nice, linear manner which makes the Fiesta easy to drive. Acceleration is pretty strong, overtaking on the highway was quite effortless, and you get the impression that there are more than 88 horses under the hood. On long-distance drives, the Fiesta cruises superbly and you really don’t feel the need for more power, except if you really want to go flat out. In the city you need to downshift a bit more than you would like but once you get past the initial lag, the strong mid-range makes light work of urban traffic.
Complementing the Fiesta’s performance is the longstanding and very familiar IB5 gearbox. The shift is slick and sporty, the gear lever falls easily to hand and the ratios are well matched to the car’s torque characteristic. If there is a flaw, it’s the clutch which is a touch too heavy and has a jerky engagement.
The twin-cam, 16-valve 1499cc petrol motor is again an iteration of 1.6 Sigma unit but in this latest avatar has reduced capacity and more sophisticated hardware like Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing (Ti-VCT) for better control of valve overlap. This new motor’s Electronic Control Unit (ECU) comes with a 32-bit processor to optimise engine performance and efficiency. Again, the 107/bhp 1.5 petrol doesn’t have the get-up-and-go response of the 1.6 Sigma and when you floor it, the engine feels a bit flat, responding in a smooth and linear but relaxed manner. The Fiesta petrol doesn’t feel particularly punchy in any region of the rev band and the Honda City feels far more eager and much quicker in comparison. However, if you’re not in a hurry, the Fiesta petrol is an easy drive.
Driveability is superb and on part-throttle it has a gentle surge that allows you to happily keep up with city traffic without any fuss or effort. The gearing again, which is on the shorter side, has been optimised to make the Fiesta more user-friendly than an outright racer. After a long day’s drive, we grew to like the easy driving characteristics of both these engines but clearly the pep of the older Fiesta is missing.
If you look at the official fuel consumption figures, you can probably understand why. On the Indian Driving Cycle (IDC) both Fiestas – diesel and petrol – came away with best-in-class fuel efficiency figures of 23.5kpl and 17kpl respectively, a clear indication that performance has been sacrificed at the altar of fuel efficiency.
A DYNAMIC DRIVE
The Fiesta classic has long been the handling benchmark for midsize saloons in India and in this key area, the new Fiesta takes the standard even higher. Key to its terrific dynamics is Ford’s highly acclaimed B2E platform which is shared with Mazda. Construction is a combination of high tensile steel and Boron, which keeps weight down and increases rigidity. The stiff body has also reaped huge rewards in terms of noise insulations and the Fiesta really breaks new ground here. It’s safe to say that the Fiesta is the most refined car in its class. Engine and road noise, are amazingly low and as a result wind noise, especially at higher speeds, is far more prominent.
You know this car is something special the moment you take a corner. The Steering is quick, communicative, with very little slack and just doesn’t feel like an EPS. Light at low speeds, it weights up just s you’d expect when the going gets faster. You always know what the front wheels are up to and it’s so easy to place the car wherever you want.
The grip from those large 195/60-R15 tyres and the incredible body control give the Fiesta deep reserves you rarely dip into. It was quite obvious through the few quick corners on our drive from Bangalore to Mysore that the engines ran out of steam before the chassis gave up. That’s a hint for Ford to quickly introduce a more powerful and sportier S version.
Another area where the Fiesta outshines the competition is in ride quality. It simply glides over potholes and there is minimal suspension noise even on the worst of bumps. But the brilliance of the Fiesta is that it feels supple enough, especially at low speeds, and yet maintains a flat and unruffled poise when speeds build up. The brakes are also superb with the right amount of servo assistance and pedal feel.
FIESTA TIME?
If you really enjoy driving the Fiesta is unquestionably the car for you. It is incredibly refined with driving dynamics that are second to none and each outing will have you grinning from ear to ear. However, this brings us to the choice of engines which we feel don’t do enough justice to the Fiesta’s brilliant chassis and could have been stronger.
We feel Ford could have gone the whole hog and given the Fiesta the Zestier 1.6-litre, 120bhp petrol motor sold in Thailand. With more power, the Fiesta would have been an absolute cracker of a car. Ford has missed an opportunity here.
On the other hand, it’s the diesel that most buyers will go for and the 1.5 diesel motor does the job quite well. It may not have best-in-class performance but in the real world it is punchy enough and if the efficiency claims are to be believed, it won’t cause many owners to complain. In recent times, Ford has also lowered cost of ownership which should further strengthen the Fiesta’s case.
The interior plastics are a bit of a letdown and the Fiesta doesn’t feel as spacious as the competition. However, the experience from the driver’s seat tends to override such shortcomings. Pricing will be key and if Ford manages to price the Fiesta a bit more aggressively than the competition, It has the potential to alter the Indian midsize pecking order.