New Ford Fiesta to upset compact sedan segment?

Ford India introduced the 2014 Fiesta only in the diesel trim; the company took a bold decision as majority of the sales in almost every segment in India is coming from diesel counterparts. Apart from the mid-size sedan segment in which the Fiesta is competing, the sub-4m segment has risen from darkness in recent years and has become one of the top car selling segment. So, lets see if Fiesta, which is the least expensive in its segment (among diesel variants), can rob few sales from India's hottest segment – sub 4m with players like Maruti Suzuki Dzire, Hyundai Xcent and Honda Amaze.

All ends on this - Pricing

Ford only sells diesel Fiesta so we stick to diesel comparisons only. As the new 2014 Fiesta is the least expensive in its segment, its base comes in the vicinity of these sub-4m trio's top variants. The 2014 Fiesta 1.5 TDCi Ambiente starts at INR 7.69 lakh, while Maruti Suzuki Dzire 1.3 DDiS ZDI priced at INR 7.32 lakh, Hyundai Xcent 1.1 U2 CRDi SX (optional) INR 7.41 lakh and Honda Amaze 1.5 i-DTEC VX @ INR 7.49 lakh. The Fiesta's pricing is close to these but for a little extra buck you get a full sized sedan.

Figure speaks – Dimensions

Not to mention, Fiesta is the only car here which is over 4m barrier. Fiesta features a wheelbase of 2489mm while the rest stands at Dzire – 2430mm, Xcent – 2425mm and Amaze – 2405mm. It seem like Fiesta is leading by 59mm in terms of wheelbase than the sub-4m topper Dzire. For that lil' extra buck that you will pay, you will get a larger boot, more leg room and an overall spacious cabin.

Flamboyance matters – Exterior styling

We all know these quirky looking hatch extended sub-4m sedan are not eye pleasing from every angle. But on the brighter side, new Fiesta is a head turner, featuring Ford's Kinetic 2.0 design philosophy. Though the narrow rear profile of outgoing version of Fiesta was not liked by everyone. To overcome this, company tried to widen the rear in the new one to make it more appealing but still it is slightly on the narrower side. Apart from all this, the highlight of all is the stunning front profile, Aston Martin inspired grille takes all the credit! Furthermore, Fiesta rides on 195/60 15-inch radial, while Dzire and Xcent offers 15-inch but Amaze surprisingly comes with only 14-inch wheels.

Diesel heart

The Fiesta's 1.5 lite TDCi turbo inter-cooled motor churns out 90bhp with a peak torque of 204Nm. The car is at par with rest here except Amaze's 1.5 i-DTEC 98bhp, 200Nm motor. The Dzire and Xcent, on the other hand produce lesser output, 74bhp, 190Nm & 71bhp and 180Nm respectively. All the cars here are mated to 5 speed manual no one offers automatic in diesel.

Number Game – Kitana Deti hai! 

The mileage game is won by Amaze here with a certified tag of 25.8km/l. While Fiesta takes the second position with 25.01km/l. The rest two Dzire and Xcent gives 23.4km/l and 24.4km/l receptively.  

In a nutshell, Fiesta base looses on feature list with top-of-the-line variants of the compact sedans. Xcent seems to be a topper here when it comes to features list with features like rear AC vents, auto AC, built-in 1GB audio system, engine start-stop, etc. Though Fiesta's base lack on fancy features but it packs some decent stuff like driver side airbags, ABS plus EBD, height adjustable driver seat, central locking, guide-me-home-headlamps, rear defogger with diffuser, etc. 

Wait, let me clear the skies for you, If you are planning to buy a sub-4m sedan but crave for sheer size and can compromise little on features you can get yourself a red light attention magnet Fiesta 1.5 TDCi Ambiente. In the end it all depends on your personal choices!

Read our comparison on New Ford Fiesta VS Honda City VS Hyundai Verna 

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