Ford India have finally debuted the Fiesta facelift at the ongoing 2014 Auto Expo in Delhi NCR. The C-segment sedan has received cosmetic upgrades to take on the all new Honda City, the refreshed Hyundai Verna and the well built VW Vento and Skoda Rapid in its segment. Sharing space with the Fiesta facelift is also the new Ford Figo Concept sedan. The Fiesta facelift will be launched in the next few months.
The current generation Fiesta sedan was launched in 2011 but could not live up to what Ford had anticipated. With almost two years of sluggish sales, the facelift comes in at the right time for the sporty sedan. The Fiesta facelift was first showcased at the Sao Paulo Motor Show before being launched in the European market in 2012.
The major change comes on the front facia and continues up till the A pillar. Ford has upgraded the sedan to the Aston Martin-like grille with chrome slats. The headlight design and the bonnet have also been reworked upon. The bumper gets a new design with revamped fog lamps giving a rather sporty appeal to the car. Moving on to the sides, the side profile remains largely the same and has been given minor tweaks to give it a fresh look. What does come up as most noticeable is the less curvy rear, which looked very stout for a car with sporty credentials. Ford has managed to provide redesigned tail lamps with more cuts and creases around the rear bumper and boot lid for a cleaner look.
Ford has plonked the award winning 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine under the bonnet of the new Fiesta that is also seen on the EcoSport. The engine is capable of churning out 123 BHP of power and 170 Nm of torque and will surely be pleasing to the enthusiast in you. The 1.5-litre TDCi engine continues to do the diesel duties and is capable of churning 89 BHP of power and 204 Nm of torque. The 1.5-litre petrol motor producing 108 BHP is still offered on the base variant.
The interiors also get minor updates, but Ford has largely tried to remove any problems that were there on the earlier model. The interior quality is fairly satisfactory and can still do better. Ford has also tweaked the pricing on the new Fiesta, which was the main reason why the capable sedan under performed in the segment. Prices for the Fiesta facelift start at Rs. 7.5 lakhs for the base petrol version and go up to Rs. 11 lakhs for the top of the line diesel model.
