However, the coup de grâce was supposed to
be Microsoft Sync with AppLink, and both were quite disenchanting, especially
considering the mountain of expectation that accompanied them. If you plug in a
pen-drive into the USB port, the system detects it, but doesn’t actually do
anything about it. To play music from the pen-drive, you have to navigate to
‘menu’, choose ‘sync settings’, select the ‘browse USB’ option, and then hit
‘play all’ for it to actually play music. Syncing phones requires you to
transfer all your contacts to the car, or else you can’t use voice commands to make
phone calls to your contacts. Lastly, AppLink. Ford’s website claims that the
ESPN CricInfo is one of three Indian apps that should work with AppLink, but,
sadly, this is not the case, as at the time of writing the car didn’t detect
the app on my phone.
The
seats get the beige treatment but the rear doesn’t have much space for adults
Get behind the wheel, and you’ll find that
the Fiesta gets its grunt from a 1.5-litre Duratorq TDCi turbo diesel mill, and
even though it appears that Ford have attempted to curb the turbo lag, the car
still needs to be revved up to 1,700 RPM before the engine finds its teeth. The
lag is particularly evident from a roll on, but once you get past it, the
engine really kicks on. Engine refinement too has been worked on, with a retune
of the powerplant increasing the output to 91 PS from the 90 PS available in
the car’s previous iteration. This along with the 204 Nm of torque mean the
car’s power output is quite adequate. Even though Ford have tried to make the
Fiesta a power-packed driver’s car, its frugality isn’t compromised because it
gives 14.5 km/l overall, which is quite decent for a C-segment car. The only
caveat here is that those who want a petrol version of the Fiesta will be left
hanging, because the car is available with nothing but the 1.5 diesel across
all three trims.
This
grille here gives the Fiesta the character it needs
Handling-wise, the car stays true to form
as a product of the Ford marque, and allows you to conquer twists and turns
with ease. The use of electric steering assistance means the car is spry at low
speeds, but the steering gets more ponderous the faster you go. Feedback from
the steering feels firm, giving you a good idea of what the tyres are doing.
The suspension is also competent, and ingests rough terrain with confidence.
The five-speed manual gearbox doesn’t quite match up to Ford pedigree, though,
and feels a little sluggish.
Ford have decided to include a driver’s
side airbag and anti-lock braking as standard across variants. Sync also allows
you to enable the emergency assistance feature. This feature, when hooked up to
your phone, will call emergency services in case the car meets with an
accident, which also includes providing information regarding the location of
the car when the accident occurs.
The
diesel engine scores a good balance between performance and drivability
The outlay for the Fiesta starts from
$14,970 for the Ambiente to $16,630 for the Trend and $18,030 for the Titanium
(all OTR, Pune). All things considered, the Fiesta is very, very easy on the
eye, with some wicked tech thrown in for good measure. Most importantly, it’s
bundles of fun when you’re behind the wheel, but the lack of space is one
compromise you will have to make allowance for pretty much across the board, a
compromise not everyone might be willing to make.
