Test Drive Review : Ford Fiesta 1.4LX MT, Long Termer Y01M01

The problem with conventional test drive, irrespective of whether is it done by yourself with a showroom test drive unit or by a motor journalist with a press car is that they don’t give you a true picture of what is it like to actually own the car, to do the school run, the Ikea and Tesco run, carving through urban traffic in the day, night, rain or sunshine, and they certainly can’t tell you what is it like to actually maintain one over the next few years. A car may have won numerous accolades from various organizations / car magazines, but that simply means that journalists or judges (not actual owners) like the car very much, and more often than not those are results gathered from a series of fast driving in the sweeping back roads, certainly not the way you are going to use the car most of the time. We are trying to close this gap by tracking the experience of a few owners of different cars, starting this week with a Ford Fiesta 1.4LX. Below is owner FiestaBoy's experience so far.

Make: Ford
Model: Fiesta
Variant / Trim package: 1.4 LX Manual
Purchased price (OTR): RM 69,888
Country of origin: Auto Alliance plant, Eastern Seaboard Industrial Estate, Rayong province, Thailand.
Outlet purchased from: SimeDarby AutoConnexion PJ (03-7718 1200 / 03-7718 1256)
Date of delivery: Dec-2010 (2 months waiting period)
Freebies (at point of purchase): Free tinting, 3-years free maintenance (service interval is 10,000km / 6 months) inclusive parts and labor cost covering spark plugs, shock absorbers, engine belt and hoses, brake pads, wiper blades, engine oil and filter.

Owner’s profile
Age: 27
Gender: Male
Occupation: IT
Previous car: Proton Satria Neo 1.6 Hi-line

Purchase reasons: Low price, decent standard equipment, decent space for a hatchback, Gen-Y looks, ride and handling

Other models considered: Kia Forte, Suzuki Swift, Mazda2, Toyota Vios 1.5J,

Having previously owned a Satria Neo, my expectations in terms of ride and handling is quite high. The Neo maybe far from perfect, but handling is where that tiny Proton shines through brighter than a supernova. That little hatch sure handles and grip like no other on this side of the budget RM100k budget. You would need to spend at least 2.5 to 3 times more on the sticker price to find another car to match the Neo’s handling.

Thus, dropping the Vios was the easiest decision, as the Vios not only looks really odd in my opinion but has the handling composure of a boat.

The Suzuki Swift was little pricey but has the right image. However it was also quickly dropped because the Suzuki sales person was pretty cocky and thought his car was too good for me and wouldn’t even bother to offer me a test drive. Whatever.

The Mazda2, sister car to the Fiesta had an attractive exterior but stepping inside the car was a major letdown. The interior has the plasticky feel of a Mattel toy. Even the instrument clusters look like it’s lifted off some infant toy.

The Kia Forte was the most considered car however the car’s ride and handling was a letdown (compared to my Neo). Those huge 17-inch wheels will surely hurt when it comes to tire replacement time and they don’t do any favor to the Forte’s already unimpressive ride. The car looks tout and handsome but is a little on the large side and has that middle age clout around it. I am not even 30 and would like a younger Gen-Y looking car.


The Fiesta’s right combination of good handling, decent space, a low sticker price but yet still includes a pretty decent kit level, and throw in the bonus of having a manual transmission, it’s almost no-brainer. In fact, when I placed an order for the car, I wasn’t even actively looking to replace my existing ride. But one test drive later and I was sold.

Delivery process:
Aside from some delays, generally the service was very good. Initially the sales advisor informed that the car will arrive in about a month’s time. However this was further delayed by another month. The excuse given was that it takes about 3-weeks for custom officials to clear the vehicle’s importation documents.

The actual vehicle delivery process was very fast. The day before my car was delivered to me, the bank (Public Bank) called me up to sign a couple of documents. Next day, Dec-29, my sales advisor called to inform that my new ride is ready for collection. A few signatures later the car key is now in my hands.

I was told that a 3M window tint will be thrown in for free. However there isn’t any 3M logo there so I am not sure if this is the real deal. After few days then I realize the tinting was not done properly. There was a strand of hair stuck in between the tint and the window. I’m going to go back to the SC to get them to redo it.

The Fiesta comes with a 3-year manufacturer’s warranty. Part of the vehicle delivery documents are the warranty coupons. However these were not ready when I took delivery of my car. SDAC mentioned that I will receive it in about 2-weeks time. It almost 2-weeks now so we will see.

The SA advised that the Fiesta’s auto door lock will come on when the keys are removed from the ignition and driver’s door opened. So be sure to not leave your car keys inside the car.

Fuel economy
The engine has only clocked less than 1,000km to date. So it is still very tight and fuel consumption figures taken at this point are inconclusive. Presently, the Fiesta’s best reading is 11.3km per liter (mixed urban-extra urban) while the worst reading taken was 9.3km per liter (urban, in heavy traffic – start of school week LDP and Kota Damansara traffic), which is not too bad, considering its low mileage. We should see improvements by the 10,000km mark. I shall update more on my ownership experience in the coming weeks. The fuel consumption results were calculated manually as base 1.4LX model misses out on the trip computer available in the higher 1.6 variants.

Accessories
The OE floor mats don’t seem up to task to deal with the dirt and grime from everyday use, so I bought one of those “Maggi Mee” like floor mats from Brother Peter (opposite Papa Rich) at Damansara Uptown for RM280 (for 5-pieces in total).


Next up in the upgrade list will be the wheels. The current steel wheels with wheel caps look pretty pathetic, but as it is only an aesthetic item, I am taking my time to shop around.

Maintenance

According to the owner’s manual, the first service is only at 10,000km. I am bit conservative when it comes to oil change, especially the first scheduled service, and believe that it certainly won’t hurt the car to do an oil change earlier. I am planning to have the oil change at an independent garage, as this unscheduled service won’t be covered under the Ford Extended Service Plan, and thus I will have to pay for this.

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Repairs to date: None
Repair cost to date: None
Maintenance / servicing cost to date : None

For more information on the Fiesta, visit Sime Darby AutoConneXion or the Fiesta in Malaysia Facebook page.