Overview
I own an Indica DLS V2 (diesel) and I am not happy with the car because of its sluggishness. I am searching for a good car as I wanted to change my existing car.
This is when I came upon Ford Fiesta and rest as you may call it is History.
I test drove the FORD SXI 1.6 Petrol on this Saturday (3rd Feb 2006) from Wasan Ford Chembur. The sales guy over there was very kind enough to give me a long test drive. I took the car from Chembur to Palm Beach road in Navi Mumbai. The test drive was for about 40 Kms total. We were 4 passengers total in the car and AC was on throughout the test drive.
My impression on the vehicle was as follows.
Exteriors
The looks of the car is quite good and should appease the normal car buying janta under this segment. The Build quality is also very good and the car feels Muscular and Strong.
The front is better looking than the rear. Overall it has a shape of a classy mid-sizer , better looking than the rest in the class, but I feel the Aveo will be better in terms of looks.
Exciting colors options are available, though my favorite is Black. When buying a ford always remember Henry ford’s statement – you can buy any color you want as long it is black. The top model looks better with all the chrome it has in its exterior body and the base mode is somehow is not pleasing to the eyes.
Interiors and Comfort
The top end model comes with plush upholstery and give the car a rich look, though nothing comparable to the NHC in the interior front. But still ford has managed to do a better job this time around. The finishing is not of the best quality. The rear arm rest is useful feature. The DTE – is again a useful features which ha been provided. The dashboard looks neat and the instrument cluster also looks good. The AC is very chilling and the cooling time is almost instant. The in dash sound system is very good though lacks mp3 support and is not provided in the base model. The front and rear legroom is pretty decent. An average heighted will be comfortable sitting in the rear. The boot space is quite big.
Performance
Most impressive to me is the pick up of the vehicle and this was evident enough to me when I started the engine and stepped on the gas. The engine is quite responsive and has good acceleration. It is an easy to drive in the city and performs very well in the highway too. I raced the car to almost 140 Km/hr on the Palm Beach stretch felt very confident while driving the car at such High speed. The car was rock sturdy throught.The handling is quite good and no vibrations were observed at high speeds.All the four passengers felt quite comfortable at high speeds. I also drove it in traffic area and the maneuverability; I found was quite good. Because of its high pick up I could easily race ahead of the traffic.
Most impressive are its brake. You get the confidence to drive it at high speed. The steering wheel becomes a little stubborn at high speed and it feels a little stiff.
Summary
People who do not bother too much about FE and need that extra punch in their car, this car is highly recommended.
Any comments welcome.