Hi all,
I've been seeing a lot of people voicing concerns and questions about this car in forums and blogs. So, I was thinking of giving a review from owner's perspective and I'll try to be as concise and unbiased as possible. Hopefully, this may clear some doubts for both prospect and current owners.
About the car
Price OTR with insurance: RM84888, built on March 2012 at Rayong, Thailand, according to the Ford's website.
Roadtax: RM90 per annum
Dealer: Persada Auto Sdn Bhd. The car is from the yard at Old Klang Road, opposite of Volkswagen SC. The agent is introduced by my gf's uncle, quite fast and honest.
Date of registration: 13-July-2012.
Current Mileage: about 8000KM on 27-Nov-2012
First day picking it up!
- What i don't like is compared to Toyota, Honda, Proton and Perodua... lack of safety kits, my car only have a jack, tow anchor and a pair of tools to change wheels. SDAC is kinda cheapskate...
-[UPDATE] Some of you might notice the Elken sticker on the windscreen. Just to be clear that I'm just a internal staff, not Elken member. So i'm not doing MLM or advertising and it's a staff parking sticker ya.
Exterior
- Nice Solid body feel, by 4th month, fittings are still good.
- Rear tow cover is lousy (suspect during 3rd month), mine dropped off and it'll cost RM80 (if not mistaken) to replace. The tow cover is not secured with screw or something. :hmpf:
- Somehow the paint job is not that durable, front bumper and hood had some minor paint chipped off due to debris on the road, it is advisable to keep some distance from the trucks. :motz:
- Stock rim is 195/50/r16 which is odd, you won't have many choices of tire unless change to other common sizes such as 205/50/r16. But you replace your stock rims, especially 17" onwards, chances are your warranty on springs, shock absorbers, bushing, well basically suspension components will be void.
- Spare wheel is steel 185/60?/r14.
- [UPDATE]: Stock tire is Continental Premium Contact 2, IMO, nice dry/wet traction, decent cornering control, i love the wet braking capability but might be noisy on certain road surfaces like cement. Read few forums like tyrereview.co.uk said low tread lifespan so i'll see how it goes.
Interior
- Hard plastics dominated the interior, at least they don't looked cheap IMO, well relatively speaking.
- Overall sound insulation in the cabin is very nice if compared to B-segment cars! :proud: And the front seats are nice, like bucket seat, it holds you nicely, even my gf sleep soundly in the front passenger seat while I blasting thru winding B-roads.
- Reat seats OK but abit hard to fit 3 full size male adults...
- Cargo space is somewhat smaller than a Myvi!:hmmmm2:
- Fittings are good, but mine had some minor squeak sound around the door panels during cooler temp such as night time, suspect caused after window tinting installation as the tint shop ppl had a slight hard time trying to open the panel. Still solid when knock here and there.
- Steering wheel is nice to grip, at least to me. Some of my friends don't like it since it's not completely round.
- My power window master lock switch doesn't seem to work, will take it to SC to check during first service. :hmpf:
- The Bluetooth system is not Microsoft Sync but it's in-house system by Ford. Works well with Nokia and iPhone, able to dial number using voice command with ease.
- The rear platform above cargo area is just a board with two strings hanging, so it's make some noise when going over uneven roads. :frown:
- Dashboard audio controls OK but abit hard to choose songs during driving, especially from USB devices. Voice commands can't choose songs :frown:
- My fan blower speed knob is abit flimsy...:frown: Aircond not as cool as Proton cars.
Performance, Ride and FC
- It's 1.6l engine (120PS@6000rpm, 152Nm@4050rpm) with Powershift dual-clutch transmission (DCT). Too bad there's no manual override mode.:frown:
- The engine's torque is OK across the rev range (2000rpm onwards), slight 'kick' feel around 5000 to 6300 rpm.
- 0 to 100KM/h is fun around 9-10 secs, easy to climb to 160Km/h, slower climb to 190KM/h. IMO, as long as you don't exceed 180KM/h, the car is steady as hell. The EPAS in Sport trim is heavy most of the time compared to Sedan trim which is too light for me on slow speed...
- DCT is dry-clutch based, will jerk if pedal and release too fast in short time. Downshift can be indecisive, sometimes I need to activate 'Grade Assist Mode' and stay in 3000 to 5000rpm longer. To pass another vehicle I need to rev to 3500rpm to 4000rpm to force the car downshift under normal 'D'. 'L' gear will pull the rpm until redline, so best to use Grade Assist Mode (or you can say it's turning OD off).
- Need to break in the engine and gearbox for first 1600KM, nightmare period in traffic jams and parking lot since the car might lunge forward abit if press too hard on gas pedal. :frown: Took me few weeks to get used to it.
- NOTE: Fiesta is infamous for clutch oil leak due to the sealant quality. Heard 2011 batch more prone to it. But still need to watch out. Notice the red circles
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
- Body roll is minimum, the car corners hard but nice (wheelbase 2489mm), not too bumpy, body lean is acceptable. Since the front wheel track (1478mm) is slight wider than rear wheel track (1465mm), the car don't really under-steer under stress. Added Ultra Racing 2-point front strut bar to further enhance front end stiffness to my liking.
- Current FC is 8l/100KM, lowest is 7.2l/100KM. 70% city drive, occasional WOT, note: The car has yet to undergo its first service.
Maintenance, Workshop and Warranty
- The car is come with 3-year/60000KM free service (labor, parts -engine oil, oil filter, air filter, spark plug).
Spare part list can be found at Ford Fiesta Spare Parts Price List
- Lack of SCs and their quality control is one of the drawbacks. I heard Puchong SC (Persada Auto) and Jalan Damansara (Capital Intertrade) are the more reputable at Klang Valley.
- Engine oil is and should insist on Castrol Magnatec Professional A5 5W-30 (Full Syn)
- First Service and inspection is at 10000KM, interval is 10000KM.
- I went to Persada SC at Puchong there once for inspecting my suspension components after went thru a deep pothole. They're OK, very little people and clean surrounding, should check it out.
- I used Permanon kits to wash and maintain the exterior, nice and hassle free, water droplets with not stay on exterior for long, and help paint resist UV.
Here's first time application,
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
Verdict
- If you like driving dynamics and like DCT, this is the car to get. To me it's bang for buck, plus the car is quieter than Toyota Vios and Honda City. Nissan Almera also have a quiet and comfortable cabin.
- Don't expect passengers to get excited with you in traffic jams and parking lots all the time. The occasional jerking can make them feel uncomfortable. Luckily mine doesn't jerk anymore.
- If you care about resale value, cargo space, cabin space... this is not your car unless you go for the sedan version.
- Mazda 2 hatchback also quite fun to drive if you find Fiesta's price is too high.
Hope this review is not too long.
If there's any misinformation, please let me know.
cheers and happy motoring!
I've been seeing a lot of people voicing concerns and questions about this car in forums and blogs. So, I was thinking of giving a review from owner's perspective and I'll try to be as concise and unbiased as possible. Hopefully, this may clear some doubts for both prospect and current owners.
About the car
Price OTR with insurance: RM84888, built on March 2012 at Rayong, Thailand, according to the Ford's website.
Roadtax: RM90 per annum
Dealer: Persada Auto Sdn Bhd. The car is from the yard at Old Klang Road, opposite of Volkswagen SC. The agent is introduced by my gf's uncle, quite fast and honest.
Date of registration: 13-July-2012.
Current Mileage: about 8000KM on 27-Nov-2012
First day picking it up!
- What i don't like is compared to Toyota, Honda, Proton and Perodua... lack of safety kits, my car only have a jack, tow anchor and a pair of tools to change wheels. SDAC is kinda cheapskate...
-[UPDATE] Some of you might notice the Elken sticker on the windscreen. Just to be clear that I'm just a internal staff, not Elken member. So i'm not doing MLM or advertising and it's a staff parking sticker ya.
Exterior
- Nice Solid body feel, by 4th month, fittings are still good.
- Rear tow cover is lousy (suspect during 3rd month), mine dropped off and it'll cost RM80 (if not mistaken) to replace. The tow cover is not secured with screw or something. :hmpf:
- Somehow the paint job is not that durable, front bumper and hood had some minor paint chipped off due to debris on the road, it is advisable to keep some distance from the trucks. :motz:
- Stock rim is 195/50/r16 which is odd, you won't have many choices of tire unless change to other common sizes such as 205/50/r16. But you replace your stock rims, especially 17" onwards, chances are your warranty on springs, shock absorbers, bushing, well basically suspension components will be void.
- Spare wheel is steel 185/60?/r14.
- [UPDATE]: Stock tire is Continental Premium Contact 2, IMO, nice dry/wet traction, decent cornering control, i love the wet braking capability but might be noisy on certain road surfaces like cement. Read few forums like tyrereview.co.uk said low tread lifespan so i'll see how it goes.
Interior
- Hard plastics dominated the interior, at least they don't looked cheap IMO, well relatively speaking.
- Overall sound insulation in the cabin is very nice if compared to B-segment cars! :proud: And the front seats are nice, like bucket seat, it holds you nicely, even my gf sleep soundly in the front passenger seat while I blasting thru winding B-roads.
- Reat seats OK but abit hard to fit 3 full size male adults...
- Cargo space is somewhat smaller than a Myvi!:hmmmm2:
- Fittings are good, but mine had some minor squeak sound around the door panels during cooler temp such as night time, suspect caused after window tinting installation as the tint shop ppl had a slight hard time trying to open the panel. Still solid when knock here and there.
- Steering wheel is nice to grip, at least to me. Some of my friends don't like it since it's not completely round.
- My power window master lock switch doesn't seem to work, will take it to SC to check during first service. :hmpf:
- The Bluetooth system is not Microsoft Sync but it's in-house system by Ford. Works well with Nokia and iPhone, able to dial number using voice command with ease.
- The rear platform above cargo area is just a board with two strings hanging, so it's make some noise when going over uneven roads. :frown:
- Dashboard audio controls OK but abit hard to choose songs during driving, especially from USB devices. Voice commands can't choose songs :frown:
- My fan blower speed knob is abit flimsy...:frown: Aircond not as cool as Proton cars.
Performance, Ride and FC
- It's 1.6l engine (120PS@6000rpm, 152Nm@4050rpm) with Powershift dual-clutch transmission (DCT). Too bad there's no manual override mode.:frown:
- The engine's torque is OK across the rev range (2000rpm onwards), slight 'kick' feel around 5000 to 6300 rpm.
- 0 to 100KM/h is fun around 9-10 secs, easy to climb to 160Km/h, slower climb to 190KM/h. IMO, as long as you don't exceed 180KM/h, the car is steady as hell. The EPAS in Sport trim is heavy most of the time compared to Sedan trim which is too light for me on slow speed...
- DCT is dry-clutch based, will jerk if pedal and release too fast in short time. Downshift can be indecisive, sometimes I need to activate 'Grade Assist Mode' and stay in 3000 to 5000rpm longer. To pass another vehicle I need to rev to 3500rpm to 4000rpm to force the car downshift under normal 'D'. 'L' gear will pull the rpm until redline, so best to use Grade Assist Mode (or you can say it's turning OD off).
- Need to break in the engine and gearbox for first 1600KM, nightmare period in traffic jams and parking lot since the car might lunge forward abit if press too hard on gas pedal. :frown: Took me few weeks to get used to it.
- NOTE: Fiesta is infamous for clutch oil leak due to the sealant quality. Heard 2011 batch more prone to it. But still need to watch out. Notice the red circles
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
- Body roll is minimum, the car corners hard but nice (wheelbase 2489mm), not too bumpy, body lean is acceptable. Since the front wheel track (1478mm) is slight wider than rear wheel track (1465mm), the car don't really under-steer under stress. Added Ultra Racing 2-point front strut bar to further enhance front end stiffness to my liking.
- Current FC is 8l/100KM, lowest is 7.2l/100KM. 70% city drive, occasional WOT, note: The car has yet to undergo its first service.
Maintenance, Workshop and Warranty
- The car is come with 3-year/60000KM free service (labor, parts -engine oil, oil filter, air filter, spark plug).
Spare part list can be found at Ford Fiesta Spare Parts Price List- Lack of SCs and their quality control is one of the drawbacks. I heard Puchong SC (Persada Auto) and Jalan Damansara (Capital Intertrade) are the more reputable at Klang Valley.
- Engine oil is and should insist on Castrol Magnatec Professional A5 5W-30 (Full Syn)
- First Service and inspection is at 10000KM, interval is 10000KM.
- I went to Persada SC at Puchong there once for inspecting my suspension components after went thru a deep pothole. They're OK, very little people and clean surrounding, should check it out.
- I used Permanon kits to wash and maintain the exterior, nice and hassle free, water droplets with not stay on exterior for long, and help paint resist UV.
Here's first time application,
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
Verdict
- If you like driving dynamics and like DCT, this is the car to get. To me it's bang for buck, plus the car is quieter than Toyota Vios and Honda City. Nissan Almera also have a quiet and comfortable cabin.
- Don't expect passengers to get excited with you in traffic jams and parking lots all the time. The occasional jerking can make them feel uncomfortable. Luckily mine doesn't jerk anymore.
- If you care about resale value, cargo space, cabin space... this is not your car unless you go for the sedan version.
- Mazda 2 hatchback also quite fun to drive if you find Fiesta's price is too high.
Hope this review is not too long.
If there's any misinformation, please let me know.
cheers and happy motoring!
Last edited:
plan to drop a turbo kit? There are quite a number of custom turbo and supercharger kits at UK. Damn! 
. Even Valentino Rossi won Monza Rally 3 times with Fiesta RS 
