 Designer
suits may be the rage, but there’s nothing like bespoke tailoring
for that perfect fit. That’s just what Ford has done once again
with the new built-for-India Fiesta. ‘The
Fiesta has been designed and deve-loped from scratch primarily for
india’
Cloudy
October afternoon, Chengalpattu, near Chennai: A convoy of Ikons
try and keep pace with two Fiestas, past one-horse towns with temples
with lofty towers, lonely back roads and across fields stirring
with new life. As right foot meets pedal and the Fiestas glide over
gentle sweepers and potholed roads, we know this is one car we will
have lots to write about.
Late evening, conference room, Ford India plant, Maraimalainagar:
Australian Murray Dietsch, B-Car chief nameplate engineer, and Rob
Connor, chassis and powertrain engineer, watch 13 of their Indian
colleagues of similar yet unsung job profiles swell with pride as
they talk about the Fiesta. Their faces exhibit an excitement that
can only come with a deep sense of involvement. Of a strong link
to a product they have helped shape.
 That
kind of association happens only at Ford India, the only multinational
to have launched an all-new global model in India. Six years ago
they did it with the Ikon and now it is the Fiesta’s turn.
Like with the Ikon, we were the first outsiders in the world to
drive the Fiesta.
Known earlier by its codename B376, the Fiesta uses Ford’s
‘shared technology approach’, which is a more sophisticated
way of saying platform sharing. The B376 shares common bits and
pieces with the European Fiesta (B256) on which it is based, but
this model is unique for India and doesn’t exist anywhere
else in the world yet.
Ford could have plucked the three-box or saloon version of the Fiesta
from Latin America, adapted it to Indian conditions and put it on
sale. But that would have been a half-measure. “Our package
targets in terms of passenger and boot space were pivotal to the
design, and adapting the Fiesta from the South American region would
have compromised this,” said Dietsch.
The South American Fiesta saloon was derived from the hatchback
and hence, there has been a trade-off in packaging. Besides, the
cost of engineering the South American Fiesta to suit Indian tastes
would have been close to that of a new model. So when the programme
began in February 2002, it was for an all-new, India-spec model.
 The
extra effort has paid off and going by what we experienced during
our two-hour drive, all the right boxes appear to have been ticked
for the Fiesta. If there’s one thing that isn’t India-inspired,
it’s the name. The Fiesta is a 30-year-old name and Ford’s
most popular nameplate, but we wish a unique car such as this was
called something unique as well. Just like the Ikon was. But let
the marketing men have their little victories. Because, make no
mistake, Ford’s new sedan is as British as a sari and the
Kohinoor on the queen’s crown.
Lessons Learnt
After fumbling with CBUs (Mondeo) and models like the Fusion we
are not yet ready for, Ford is going back to what’s worked
best for them: another made-for-India model, derived yet again from
the European Fiesta. But the Indian engineering input this time
far exceeds that of the Ikon. Right from the 13 engineers, who helped
design and develop it at the Ford Research Centre in Melbourne,
to the building of the first ‘Confirmation Prototype’
in Chennai in mid-2004, the Fiesta was built keeping mostly one
country in mind.
There was also another thing that influenced the way the Fiesta
was built — lessons learnt from the Ikon. In fact, Ford’s
Indian engineers took along an entire 40-sheet Excel file named,
simply, ‘The Lessons Learnt’ database.
If you’ve driven the Ikon, you’ll appreciate, to quote
a few improvements, the front headroom that’s been upped by
31mm, the seating position that’s been yanked 40mm higher
and the increased space from steering wheel to the driver’s
seat cushion. The slanting rear parcel shelf, an Autocar India pet
peeve, has also been rectified.
The Fiesta also erases memories of the frugality that characterised
the Ikon. When launched, the latter had cheap plastics, even cheaper
door trim, no internal boot release, no anti-roll bar (it still
doesn’t have one) and just one reversing light. No such mistakes
with the Fiesta, which has all the basics in place. In fact, the
top-end version feels as rich as some pricier, bigger cars.
The Fiesta also conforms to ‘enhanced’ requirements,
like an ability to wade through water better (remember Mumbai 26/7?)
and, as Dietsch, who’s very liable to incur PETA’s wrath,
puts it, a “dog bar” behind the bumper designed to limit
the damage caused by small animals on our country’s unpredictable
highways.
Work on the Fiesta started in October 2002 and it took 24 months
from design freeze to prototype. Ford will look at exporting the
new Fiesta to other markets like China and South Africa, but Arvind
Mathew, managing director and president, Ford India, says he’s
not even thinking of exports for the next one year. He’s more
worried about meeting the domestic demand.
 STRONG
AND SILENT TYPE
The Fiesta is unmistakeably a Ford and in fact, looks like a toned-down
Focus. It could even pass off as a mini-Mondeo. The sharp, ‘new
edge’ design that characterised Fords has been watered down
and the Fiesta looks more Asian than European. No doubt, it’s
a handsome, well-proportioned saloon but you also get the feeling
that some designer sitting in Seoul had something to do with the
way the car looks.
The large sweeping headlamps gleam with attitude and give the Fiesta
a certain presence. The big grille with Ford’s typical diamond
mesh design and the strong chin with a wide air intake and circular
fogs, again typically Ford, are the only aggressive bits of styling
in an otherwise tame shape. Viewed side-on, the Fiesta’s balanced
front and rear overhangs afford it a well-proportioned, traditional
saloon silhouette. The roof line swoops neatly into the C-pillar,
which in turn merges seamlessly into the boot. Clearly, this Fiesta
was born to be a three-boxer.
The rear is dominated by large, very Mercedes tail-lamps (think
C-class and E-class). The conventional-looking boot lid cuts into
the bumper for better access to the trunk. Ford’s designers
took care to avoid the high boot design of the Ikon, which seriously
hampered rear visibility. Fit and finish levels on the Fiesta are
also several notches above the more thriftily produced Ikon. Shut
lines are tight and the paint job looks great.
The car’s unique body, which is now stiffer and more rigid
than even the European Fiesta, is underpinned by common mechanicals.
 The
front MacPherson strut suspension is the same as the European Fiesta,
but has been re-tuned for the Indian market and is fortified with
higher ground clearance and better rough road capabilities. The
front struts have low friction twin tubes that have been upgraded
for better durability. A useful feature is a hydro-mechanical rebound
stop, which prevents the wheels from hitting full extension over
a speedbreaker. The rear twist beam suspension comes with angled
bushings that enhance vehicle stability by moving the twist beam
in the direction of the body during cornering. Unlike in a conventional
design where the suspension steers with the driver’s input,
the elastic centre in the Fiesta is behind the rear wheels and this
makes the suspension steer against the driver’s input. This
element of ‘passive steer’ makes the Fiesta much nicer
to drive and imparts a sense of stability. The top-end version of
the Fiesta will come equipped with a four-channel ABS system as
well as EBD.
 Other
components have also been designed specifically for India. The air-con
system is all-new and Ford is using a powerful 160cc scroll-type
compressor, which is smoother than the conventional piston-type
that tends to cycle in and out during idle. The steering has been
refined, and special attention has been paid to reducing steering
effort at low speeds.
If there is one thing we’d really want to set right, it is
the wheels and tyres. Fifteen-inchers, instead of the 175/65 R14
MRF radials, would have been ideal. In fact, given the large proportions
of the Fiesta, using such small footwear (similar to the Ikon) makes
it look puny. The upshot of narrower tyres is better fuel economy
and in this case, Ford has traded aesthetics for practicality.
All roads lead to Chrome STEP INSIDE AND EVERY CHROME ACCENT, EVERY
CUBBY HOLE AND THE LEATHER ON THE SEATS (AVAILABLE ONLY ON THE TOP-END
FIESTA) SEEM TO SHOUT JUST ONE THING: “OK, WE WERE A LITTLE
TIGHT-FISTED WITH THE IKON, BUT HEY, WE’RE MAKING AMENDS.”
BUT THE PLASTIC QUALITY OF THE INTERIORS, WHILE BEING LIGHT YEARS
AHEAD OF THE IKON’S, IS STILL JUST A NOTCH BELOW THE HONDA
CITY’S.
 There’s
liberal use of chrome, which works well and gives the cabin a certain
sparkle. The air vents with chrome surrounds stand out from the
two-tone dashboard, the steering wheel borrowed from the Focus is
spiked with chrome and the short-throw gear lever (shared with the
Fusion) gets the shiny treatment as well. Total and trip distance
odometers are bunged in at the centre of the instrument cluster
as a tamper-resistant LCD panel, which also displays a Distance
to Empty readout.
Ford’s designers have also taken every available bit of space
and turned them into niches, cubby holes and trays. Even the parcel
shelf at the rear is now huge, reason enough for Ikon owners who
swore every time their tissue box fell off to upgrade. The console
between the front seats runs the full length of the passenger compartment
and reveals smartly-positioned cupholders, trinket trays, ashtray
and pen stowage locations. Other stowage areas include a central
and passenger side stowage shelf, side door stowage and cup holders
in the rear centre armrest. The door pockets too are huge and large
enough for a big bottle. The Fiesta comes with two levels of audio
systems—a single CD player and an in-dash six CD-changer.
The carmaker has developed the front and rear seat legroom package
keeping “Indian customer usage profile and Indian stature
in mind” and for once, it’s not just marketing boffin
speak. The front seats have an increased forward travel of 15mm
for two reasons. One, it will suit short drivers, who don’t
need to stretch to reach the pedals. The other benefit is that by
pulling an empty front passenger seat all the way forward, you liberate
a huge amount of legroom.
Similarly, enhanced rearward travel has also been dialled in to
accommodate large, tall occupants in front. The rear seat cushion
has been widened by 30mm over the Ikon for the Indian market, and
both shoulder and headroom are among the best in its segment. At
1686mm, the Fiesta’s overall width is 52mm more than the Ikon’s.
There is no doubt that the Fiesta is one of the comfiest cars in
its class with generous seating space, both at the front and rear.
The high seat position, decent legroom and underthigh support at
the rear makes the car ideal for long drives behind the chauffeur.
But for sheer rear seat comfort, the Honda City, with its low floor,
is still the king, and its advantage erodes only when the Fiesta’s
superior ride comes into play.
Spot On
 A
very common expletive escaped our lips the moment we fired the 68bhp
1.4 DuraTorq TDCi (Turbo Direct Common rail Injection) motor. We
knew this engine, developed jointly by Ford and PSA (Peugeot-Citroen),
was refined, but this small diesel motor has set new standards of
refinement and makes the Accent’s 1.5 CRDi motor look and
feel like a pneumatic hammer. The Fiesta’s all-aluminium diesel
is the lightest and smallest diesel offered by Ford. It’s
pretty state-of-the-art too and is equipped with the latest tech
you can get. It uses a two-stage fuel injection system, a pilot
and a main injection to inject fuel in smaller bursts. As a result,
combustion is more progressive and smooth and this leads to less
noise and better efficiency. This engine also incorporates an Accelerometer
Pilot Control (APC), a clever system that keeps tabs on combustion
noise levels and adjusts the pilot and main injectors every 0.3
milliseconds to keep the engine as silent as possible. We learnt
all this from the detailed press kit Ford gave us and it’s
not just a random marketing spin. All this does really work.
At idle the DuraTorq engine is incredibly refined when warmed up
(we never had a chance to drive it from cold), with vibrations and
noise levels lower than any other diesel this side of Rs 20 lakh.
The gruff nature that betrays its identity is revealed only when
you poke the throttle hard and rev the motor.
Snick the delightfully smooth and short-throw gear lever into first
and there are more surprises. The Fiesta springs forwards with admirable
alacrity, with the turbo kicking in from as early at 1200rpm. Max
torque is developed as low as 2000rpm, which makes the car incredibly
tractable for such a small motor. The strong mid-range rush of torque
and the turbo’s initial responsiveness and push make the Fiesta
a fantastic urban diesel. It can potter around at low revs and springs
into action with just a flex of the right foot, making it great
for ‘point-and-squirt’ driving. The Fiesta crawled happily
in third gear through congested little towns located on our route,
the merest dab on the throttle translating into an immediate step-up
in speed. The India-spec gearing, which has been specially lowered,
no doubt aiding driveability.
Where the Fiesta diesel loses out is on top-end whack. It’s
a great cruiser and can canter along at high speeds. We hoisted the
needle past 150kph on several occasions, but when it comes to the
cut and thrust of hard overtaking on single-lane roads, it does run
out of puff. There’s not much juice left in the power band beyond
3500rpm and you have to work the gearbox to use all those 68 horses.
In such situations, more power would have been ideal, but Ford will
save that for the 1.6 diesel version which, we hear, could be out
in the next couple of years.
But if power is what you’re after, there’s lots of it,
however, in the 1.6-litre 100bhp Duratec 16-valver petrol, which is
the same engine that powers the Fusion but has a remapped ECU. Ford
has lowered the compression ratio and this engine is designed to run
optimally on 91 octane petrol – the standard octane rating for
the Euro III emission era. However, expect a drop in performance with
use of 87 octane (still widely available). 
While not blessed with the Ikon’s 1.6 ROCAM’s razor-sharp
response that often produced inadvertent wheelspins and brought out
the hooligan in us, the all-aluminium, high-tech Sigma unit is a more
mature motor, which delivers a uniform spread of power across the
rev range. It’s fairly refined and quiet at low revs but the
motor does get quite buzzy and audible when you start nearing the
6700rpm redline. Performance, similar to the Fusion’s, is more
than adequate. The dash to 100kph should be under 12 seconds, which
will make it among the fastest cars in its class.
The Fiesta also achieves an optimum compromise between ride and handling.
While it lacks the edgy, pointy handling of the Ikon, the steering
still feels well-weighted and inputs are seldom lost in translation.
Body control is exceptional, especially over undulating sufaces, and
the super-stiff chassis has a taut feel. The handling inspires confidence
and low-speed ride trumps the City many times over. The same applies
to the brakes, which backed by ABS, provide progressive retardation,
unlike the Ikon’s hasty braking antics.
The Fiesta’s poise and composure truly stand out. It remains
unruffled on most surfaces and the grip offered by the skinny tyres
is adequate for normal driving. However, given the speeds the Fiesta
is capable of, we would have preferred a wider footprint.
After you’ve parked the Fiestas at the plant and boarded the
flight back home, the one thing that stays with you is the brilliance
of the car as a package. And the effort and thought that’s gone
into the making of the car deserves as big an applause as for the
car itself.
Ford plans to launch the Fiesta later this month at which point the
price will be announced. Until then, Mathew tells us that “you
won’t be disappointed.” The buzz is that the petrol will
be available for Rs 6 lakh, the diesel for a lakh more. At that price,
Ford is sure to have a winner on its hands. Because unlike the current
class leader, the Honda City, which is a mainly a city commuter, the
Fiesta with its strong petrol and diesel engine options has greater
all-round capabilities that will be difficult to beat. |
November 2005
FIRST VERDICT