Ford Fiesta (2011) 1.5P Titanium Plus AT - Design Review
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Design Review of Ford Fiesta (2011) 1.5P Titanium Plus AT
Last Updated at 11:31 am, May 20, 2013
Rating :Stylish and striking, you can't fault too much with the Fiesta's design
Photography: Eshan Shetty
The mid-size sedan market currently is one hell of a party. Everyone’s just going for it. But then Ford had been missing quite a bit of this action. Especially because its Fiesta sedan had become a bit too long in the tooth. But seems like the good guys at Ford have had a strategy, a plan. The phase one was the Ford Figo which was hugely successful in the small car segment. And this is the phase two – the new Fiesta sedan. Well, apart from beating its contemporaries it has one more rival to beat – the older Fiesta, which is now sold as the Fiesta Classic and it was the handling benchmark in this segment. Let’s see if it’s got what it takes to be the segment leader. And yes, it’s got a diesel, too.
The Fiesta is an important car for Ford then. The midsize sedan market is burgeoning and Ford needs a stronghold here to get back in to the volumes game. The previous Fiesta sold quite well initially, before succumbing slowly to the fleet market. The new one comes up as a contemporary offering to re-establish Ford in this segment. The new Fiesta is based on a global platform and is currently on sale in Thailand.
Design:
The Fiesta follows Ford’s kinetic design philosophy that has given a striking new identity to Fords the world over. We’ve see it on the Figo here, which turned out to be a bit conservative and the Fiesta seems to be a gradual evolution. Like the Figo, it’s striking too, but looks a bit sportier.
The Fiesta is a very interesting-looking design. Remember how I used to relate all Fords with cats? Well the Fiesta is no different, which is a good thing. It gives it a very stylish face and a very striking personality. It has all the traits of its European counterparts like these cat-eye headlamps and the trapezoidal air-dam on the bumper.
The front is dominated by the pulled back designer headlamps. They form the focal point of the design while the small slit grille with the blue oval logo and a big trapezoidal air dam below are typically Ford. The bonnet has a steep slope and gets two well-defined lines starting from behind the headlamps.
The lines flow gently all the way to the rear. The side profile, especially the sharp, inclined waistline bears a striking resemblance to the Hyundai Verna’s. The Fiesta has a high waist and the trimmed glass area above is shaped like a smooth arch. This gives it a very sporty character. The 15-inch alloys shod with 195-section tyres make the car look a bit under-tyred.
The Fiesta is a proper three-box sedan but it looks like a hatchback with a notch. Yes, the boot area is that short and stubby. The rear end otherwise isn’t any great shakes except for these stylish tail lamps. I think Ford could’ve done a much better job.
The Fiesta’s rear is no great shakes and looks a little drab. The taillamps look a bit small in the scheme of the high boot. The Fiesta is certainly a sporty take on a midsize sedan but has turned out a bit too compact and doesn’t give the impression of a big car, like a lot of its peers.
First Published on 05:01 pm, August 31, 2011
