Ford Fiesta Car Review 2014

Ford Fiesta remains the strongest product in the American auto maker’s arsenal after Figo hatch and the more recent EcoSport in India. This mid-size sedan has everything that one could ask for at its price point, but has been overwhelmed by Honda City and Hyundai Verna in terms of sales and market capitalization. Personally, I feel that had Ford done better marketing and customer engagement like it did with EcoSport, Fiesta could have been a rage of sorts in its segment. This car has everything working for it and it remains a mystery as to just what went wrong with it in the Indian market.I have had the chance to test drive a Fiesta some time back and this Ford left many enticing memories in my heart. For instance, Fiesta’s first impressions hooked me from the onset. The looks, the styling, the attitude, this stylish saloon actually impresses with its road presence itself. I drove a diesel model and I feel Ford engineers couldn’t have done a better job at redeeming themselves after the abysmal Ikon discontinuation, which I believe was a good car of its time.

Ford Fiesta looks and feels modern. The bonnet design and front fascia has a hint of both Hyundai’s fluidic design and Fiat Viaggio’s (yet-to-be launched in India) body language. The big headlamps and curvaceous wheel arches lend this mid-size sedan a modern style, while the slightly low-ish height exemplifies sportiness. The tailgate complements the front-end and does justice to the overall sentiment around this car. This package of good looks and style is what metropolitan drivers look for the most, and sometimes make a valid argument against similar power-mileage equations observed in the segment competition.

My first drive in the diesel Fiesta was somewhat little tricky initially. It had run some 5,000 km, so I guess some initial worn-out had begun. The clutch felt unusually soft and the gear shifts needed some getting used to. This later I understood happens every time when you drive every Ford model for the first time. The 1.5 litre diesel Duratorq engine meant business straight away from the first and second gears. Despite being a diesel sedan, Fiesta felt light on road and picked up speed rather quickly. The engine hummed and buzzed oddly at times while cruising on higher gears, particularly between second and third gear, which is strange and I hadn’t experienced this sort of behaviour in my driving experience. I didn’t had the pleasure of putting this motor to go through some rigorous tests as my ride was limited to city roads that too just for a score of kilometres.

This is one area where Fiesta has its ups and downs. For example, the instrument panel, lighting set-up and central console felt slightly outdated in design. Ford definitely should think about redoing Fiesta’s interior decoration, but this is just my opinion and looks are subjective! On the other hand, Fiesta’s space allotment is just fantastic. The rear section doesn’t feel cramped in anyway, and there is ample legroom, headroom and shoulder room for two passengers. Somehow, this mid-size saloon seems like more suited for a family with small kids who love to indulge in regular weekend getaways. The reverse parking assistance feature is a life saver for the terrible city parking situations, which makes Ford Fiesta all the more compelling as a nice modern day sedan.