Test Drive – Ford Fiesta

[Test Drive]

During my time with TOPGEAR, FHM and Malaysian EVO I certainly learnt a fair bit about cars so much to my delight I managed to get my paws on the 1.6l Sport Ti-VCT Ford Fiesta for a weekend’s test drive. Now I’ve been eye-ing this car for some time now since the launch at Opera on 10 October 2010.

205454_209947055701318_118721654823859_750802_7096546_n — Ford is back with a hip new model to capture the younger market!

206574_209946999034657_118721654823859_750801_1990914_n — The nice folks at Sime Darby Auto Connexion lent me the top of the range Fiesta the 1.6l Sport Ti-VCT for a weekend!

309674_293684857327537_118721654823859_1092079_884230225_n — The Fiesta has a youthful, bold and sporty design which they call “energy in motion”

316441_293684830660873_118721654823859_1092078_1989609961_n — Check out the chrome air intakes, swept back headlights and spotlights in the front!

208158_209947609034596_118721654823859_750813_5924806_n — The Fiesta has an angled shoulder line which makes it look aggressive from any angle

315663_293684897327533_118721654823859_1092081_59797440_n — The rear spoiler gives us a sporty look while shading the rear passengers from the sun. Practical and esthetically pleasing!

317531_293684820660874_118721654823859_1092077_31545637_n — The Fiesta's rear end doesn't end up pointing to high skywards but amazingly gives it a low and wide look. This is one pretty cool hot hatch!

207210_209946915701332_118721654823859_750800_741808_n — This Fiesta model even comes with signal lamps on the wing mirrors

Powerplant & Transmission

This Fiesta is powered by a 1.6l Duratec Ti-VCT which has a four (4) cylinder DOHC 16V engine which pumps out 122 (90 KW) ps at 6300 rpm while max torque is 148nm at 4300 rpm. Mate this to the 6-Speed Powershift® Automatic Transmission with dual-clutch technology and you get fuel efficiency and loads of torque when you want a more spirited drive! Who says you can’t have your cake and eat it?

The sealed transmission requires no maintenance according to Ford so you don’t need to go change your gear oil every 20,000km or face the consequences if you forget.

For you women drivers, there’s even the HLA or Hill Launch Assist system which holds the car steady in D for a couple of seconds when you’re on a slope. No more panicking when having to stop on Jalan Maarof during a traffic jam.

Ti-VCT (Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing), gives up to 4.5% fuel efficiency, 7% peak power and 5% low speed torque. Working like a ratchet, the one-way valves allow precise timing of camshaft events, continually optimizing timing to provide maximum output or fuel economy, based on driver input.

How does the above benefit the average consumer?

With fuel prices increasing every year fuel efficiency plays an important role when choosing a car to buy.

With the Fiesta’s combination of the 6-speed dual clutch transmission (PowerShift®), twin independent variable camshaft timing (Ti-VCT), the estimated fuel consumption is 5.9L to a 100 kilometers. So drive conservatively and the 42 liter fuel tank should enable a travel distance of 700 km!

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Suspension & Handling

The Fiesta is equipped with a Macpherson strut with anti-roll bar in the front and twist beam in the rear. This model is also equipped with an Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) with Traction Control System (TCS) and I must say that this provided a lot of grip especially in tight turns (those of you who know where I stay should know what I mean by tight turns!).

The suspension is relatively stiff which provides a great ride but not at a total expense of comfort. Body roll is barely noticeable and I suspect that is the result of a well tuned suspension.

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Safety

The brakes are equipped with ABS, EBD and EBA (Emergency Brake Assist), driver and front passenger airbags and side door impact beams to protect the passengers.

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Now to the interior.

207098_209947525701271_118721654823859_750811_6832530_n — The front row is pretty spacious and although there is no telescopic steering I managed to find a comfortable position

216829_209946772368013_118721654823859_750796_1056088_n — The rear is adequate although it won't be too comfortable for anyone sitting directly behind me as I usually put my seat pretty far back

207510_209946839034673_118721654823859_750797_5456946_n — A modern and stylish dashboard and centre console. You can see that lots of thought was given to the Fiesta's styling.

207422_209947439034613_118721654823859_750809_7710973_n — The tweeter (not twitter ya!) is embedded in the front door!

217381_209947122367978_118721654823859_750803_1493925_n — With the audio controls embedded into the steering wheel, your hands don't need to leave it to adjust the music. An important feature especially when you're playing mp3s as the volume levels change from track to track!

206838_209947182367972_118721654823859_750804_1496676_n — The dashboard has a multi-function display and a gear position display

207526_209947299034627_118721654823859_750806_355657_n — This model comes with the voice control with a female voice giving you the options. Used properly it can control your radio and phone with just a tap of the button on the left stalk. While the voice control feature will impress your passengers, just remember to speak very clearly or you might not get the desired result.

Now the Fiesta’s sound system comes with USB, iPod and Bluetooth connectivity so you can pair your Bluetooth enabled phones with it and make a call using the keypad on the centre console. When the call is connected the mic will pick up what you’re saying while you can hear the other person on the car’s speaker system. Definitely a nifty tool if you’re the type who likes to chat on the phone when driving (I don’t recommend it as it takes away a certain portion of your attention from the road but some calls can’t be avoided – bosses, girlfriend, wife, etc. etc.).

The trunk capacity is 281 litres but that can be increased by folding down the 60/40 rear seats if you have large items to carry. Noise, harshness and vibration (NHV) is minimal at speeds below 130km/h (you shouldn’t be driving over 110km/h anyway).

This car is certainly a hot hatch and comes loaded with a whole bunch of cool and practical features. It can be yours with insurance for RM82,888.00 (OTR)! Certainly not a bad deal.

More info on Ford at http://www.ford.net.my