Ford Fiesta Long Term

Car Tested – Ford Fiesta TDCi Titanium
Kms Done: 2904 kms
Test Started at – 7033 kms
Test Concluded at – 9937 kms
Mileage – 15.68 km/l (mostly city running)
19.33 km/l (best)
13.86 km/l (worst)
Major Repair – None
Service Cost – None during the test

The Fiesta ticks the perfect balance between performance and fuel efficiency with razor sharp dynamics. It’s so good, it makes the rest feel inferior.

The Fiesta has been one of the top selling models by Ford in India. Even though fourth generation Fiesta was sold as the Ford Ikon, it was with the fifth generation model, when the ‘Fiesta’ brand was established. Ford’s core philosophy is to make driver centric cars and the Fiesta is well known for its brilliant dynamics and involving drive. The sixth generation Ford Fiesta follows the same principles and impressed us a couple of years ago in Bangalore. We put it through a grueling test over a couple thousand kilometers and find out why its such an impressive machine.

Evolution has made way for a new kinetic design which has evolved into looking more young and sporty. The front and side profile of the Ford Fiesta look attractive, however, the rear is a little bland. The exterior fit and finish is spot on with no uneven panel gaps. The doors are heavy and shut with a reassuring thud. Female passenger did find it a bit too heavy at times but we appreciate the heavy built quality.

Get inside and the front seats are comfortable and offer good back and under thigh support. The seat has small wings which really envelope you nicely. Even after long drives, your back wouldn’t complain.

The rear bench is not the most spacious in the segment but there is sufficient room behind to make yourself comfortable. Under thigh support may not be upto standard for tall people and legroom is just adequate for rear occupants. The central armrest has hinges exposed which looks a bit ragged. Boot space is reasonable for car of this size and segment.

Ford has loaded the Fiesta with numerous features. At first you may feel how many of them are really going to be useful? Drive it for a few days and you are bound to get addicted. The Ford Fiesta is the only car in the segment to offer the Voice Control feature. Though many did not find it really useful at our drive a couple of years ago, it just needs some amount of patience and practice to get this working. In a country like India, we have so many different languages and accents, so honestly you don’t expect a computer to recognize all of it. Use it over a period of time and you will slowly get used to it and with some practice you can defiantly make it work eight out of ten times. This feature uses a list of pre fed commands, like climate, fan speed, temperature, etc. You can also control the volume of the audio system and make calls.

The are endless number of buttons on the center console but they all come in handy. Dialing a number is just like using the actual telephone, extremely easy to do and understand. The red backlit display is a welcome break from the routine ones. Rear view is compromised due to the sloping parcel tray while reversing but the parking sensors are there for just that. Besides making revering easy, they also accurately measure the distance between the car and object. Built quality is pretty good and inspite of doing thousands of kilometers what we officially call road, the Fiesta was completely vibration and rattle free even after ten thousand kms on the odometer.

The external mirrors have both convex and concave areas to minimize the blind spot, a very thoughtful touch by Ford.

Interior plastic quality could have been a tad better but besides that, you won’t find any fault with the Fiesta. NVH levels are one of the best in the segment with hardly any engine or road noise making it to the cabin. The air-conditioner is a chiller and cools the cabin quickly. However, if you frequently occupy the rear bench, you might miss the rear AC vent. The audio system gives out good sound quality and there are loads of options such as USB/AUX/CD. You can also stream your music directly through Bluetooth. Pairing up a Bluetooth device is very easy and the audio controls on steering wheel make life simple. Even while streaming, the track can be changed by using the steering mounted buttons. Cruise control buttons are also housed on the steering wheel, which makes it a breeze on the highways.

The 1.5-litre diesel engine produces good amount of power for city driving but we would have loved more power out on the highways. Ford has found the sweet spot between outright power and fuel efficiency. The 90 horses may not sound much on paper but even on the highways you don’t feel the dearth of power. 204 NM of available torque is enough for the job. Mind you, the older generation Fiesta produced only 68 BHP of power, this is a full 23 BHP more but the increased weight means you won’t see an apparent difference if you compare the two. The gearbox offers smooth shifts and the clutch is well weighed too. The foot well is illuminated in the dark and offers a dead pedal which is a ‘must have’ these days.

Our constant pedal to the metal driving has seen the Fiesta return a mileage of 15.6 km/l, which is very good indeed considering we were commuting through the most congested part of the city. On a highway run, the Fiesta delivered a best mileage of 19.33 km/l while the lowest we got was 13.68 km/l, the latter being due to participation in the worst traffic jams. The MID gives decently accurate figures like fuel efficiency and distance to empty. Even after the low fuel warning comes on, there is still about 5 liters of fuel in the tank ensuring you don’t run the risk of running out of fuel. There is just one trip meter, which is quite surprising considering smaller and cheaper cars offer dual trip meters.

One of the most beautiful things about the Ford Fiesta is its steering response. It is extremely light at low speeds and weighs up well as you speed up. The feel is best described as awesome, whatever the speed may be, the steering feels superbly connected at all time. Corners are the Fiesta’s turf, and it loves winding roads. The well balanced chassis makes high speed cornering a piece of cake, the dynamics are so good, you might actually take credit for being a good driver. On the limit you might experience some understeer and the tyres are to blame to a certain extent. Even on the highways, the Ford Fiesta feels extremely comfortable at high speeds. The well weighed chassis and the precise steering makes it an enthusiast’s delight.

The tyres offer a good amount of grip. Our test car was shod with 195/60/15 Goodyear, made in Germany tyres which have good amount of grip on hand. Even on hard braking, ABS with EBD work behind the scenes to ensure there are no dramas.

Contrary to what most feel, it’s not expensive to service the Fiesta. We have some figures to show the same. The rear tail lamp is a little expensive as it includes both the inner and outer lamp. The outer lamp itself costs only Rs 1668 (Delhi MRP).

The Ford Fiesta impresses as a complete package. The styling might not be to everyone’s taste but the kinetic design does look pleasing but it’s the no nonsense driving dynamics which make it an absolute pleasure to drive. It’s no surprise, the best place in this car is behind the wheel.