Thanks to all those readers (24,708 of you exactly!) for reading my reviews on Cars/Cell Operators and Mobile Phones! I have taken your criticisms and honed myself,to be better everytime. Thanks to all those for your positive comments I have kept the best and hopefully got rid of the rest...is upto my creativity and my mood! ENJOY!
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Yes all those ''GO FIDA'' ads did manage to make their impact on me.So off I trotted along to the Ford Showroom,to take a test drive.
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All those ads can't do justice to the beauty of the car in Real! At first glance it looked not too different from the Ikon,just a bigger version.
<p><p>I gently let my self into the cabin and that when my breath left me.Absolutely stunning!Sitting inside the Ford Fiesta 1.4 Exi(petrol)-the entry level model at roughly Rs 5,06,000(exclusive of VAT/insurance/) showroom.
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At first, the way the seat wraps around me for that perfect fit,was unbelievable! The clear view of the instrument cluster,through the 3-spoke Black Steering wheel was amazingly spot on!There were large dials with white marking surround and white etchings.To the right was Speedometer,to the left we had a Tachometer. Inbetween them on the top-center were the two dials for Fuel and Temperature respectively.
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The Centre Console was stylish with complete with a controls for the a/c and charging point for your laptop/cell.All very well laid out and pleasing to look at....i was meting and going Fida Already!
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The black console cluster with aluminium rings does an excellent job!You have a DTE reader(distance to empty--no more worrying about how many kilometers to go before your car needs a refill of petrol!).It was beautifully perfect! I liked the way I sat, the fell of the seats,the controls and that feeling of being in a car,which I finally dare say..will set the market on fire!
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The controls for the power-windows were comfortably out of the way of my knees and easy to reach and operate.
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Thephysical dimensions are as follows,Length of the car is 4282 mm, Width is 1686 mm, Height is 1468 mm, Ground Clearence is 168 mm. Kerb weight ia 1110 Kgs and a small turning radius of 4.09 metres. Fuel tank capacity is 45 litres and boot space is ok at 430 litres.
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I had to push the seat a bit back,not all the way though,to get the most comfortable position to drive.That unfortunately created a new problem. The Gear,ended up coming in front of knee-cap,meaning traditionally the best position to have the gear is about 3-5 inches from the start of your knee-cap upwards towards your thigh, this ensures that your hand can easily shift the gear without having to look for it. However in the Fiesta 1.4 Exi(petrol),my eyes kept looking down to locate the damn Gear,not a good idea when driving in the highway and trying to change gears to overtake that pesky truck! I think you have got my point!
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I didn't test the a/c as by now I think any manufacturer worth his salt, wouldn't fool around with this essential item,especially in our Indian Summers, which incidentally have started! The a/c louevres were round in shape.Yes it had cabin-recirculation facility!
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The Cabin in itself was just about spacious,i couldn't say generously spacious.The Legroom upfront was good,however in the back,after I had adjusted to suit my comfortable driving position,a few inches short of the maximum space available, meant the the rear passengers leg touched the fabric of the front seat.So not all that coasy it the back, unless you are driven around by a chaffeur who is 4 feet tall! The elbow room was great,the seating position was spot on and a clear view of your surroundings was available from the car.Full marks to Ford on the Best In-Class Cabin for a D-Segment Car!
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The Gear shift was a tad bit Europeanly clunky for me.We are used to Japanese Synchromesh gears,so theEuropean variety takes time to get used too.However the Gear throw was short and swiftfell right into place all the time,and was confidence inspiring inspite of the fact that I felt it was a way bit too forward for my taste!
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The Engine which is a Aluminium 4 Cylinder in-line 16 valve DOHC,supposedly Duratec and what not,is carried over from your Ikon,albeit with adjustments to the onboard computer.It gives a Displacement of 1388 cc,making it come in the 1400cc category. It has a Max Ps of 82 at 6000 rpm and a Max Torque of 127 Nm at 4000 rpm. Does all this sound like Greek to you???? No problem....let me ''simplfy'' (no relation to Air-Deccan!), it translates into good grunt at lower end for city driving in low gears and good to the highs!Incidentally since I had the a/c off, I coudn't believe that i couldn't hear a peep out of the engine! I couldn't really figure out if it was switched on,till I looked at the controls and when I pushed the pedal flat.The car took off with ease and amazingly the 1.4 litre engine,didn't seem the least bit underpowered, as generally is the case in other cars! I still couldn't hear the engine running.Due to the small turning radius I was taking u-turns as if I was drving a small car! Oh yes,the fact that it has a Power Steering, which can be tilted to your comfort, as standard, might have helped!
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You also have front and rear power windows,which worked flawlessly without any irritating noises or speed problems.
<p><p>There is also an electric boot release when you don't really want to get out of the car in the pouring rain to open the rear! Central locking is standard,as is the day-night mirror! A fuel filler lock is also fitted!
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The Suspension at the Front were McPherson and at the Rear were the ikon-borrowed semi-independent heavy duty twist beams.All shock absorbers are Gas filled for an absolutely pleasant ride.
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You also have neat <Storage space> in the rear side of the door trims, for magazines.Rear cup holders in the console.Front door has bottle storage space, very thoughtful!
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I have no idea how much mileage you could get, but a good estimate with the a/c on would be in the range of 11.3 - 13.2 Km/ltr. Highway driving would see improved figures of 13.4-14.8 km/ltr at least
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In short the car is absolutely fantastic over the Chevy Aveo(i shall write my test on that next week probably), and if I had to choose between the Chevy and the Fiesta, I would sum it up in two words.....''GO FIESTA!''
