Way back in the 1970s, Ford was facing some stiff competition from companies like Fiat and Renault in the so called small car section…. Then in 1975, was born the very first Fiesta(apparently the product project “Bobcat” ….. sounds like a 007 story plot)and the Mark One was the first Fiesta(1976) to ever be launche…… Fast forward to 2008 and we have the sixth generation staring at us, the lineage to speak of… and the new baby out of the Ford India stable(Ford India established in 1995)… the Ford Fiesta 1.6S… sportier, better looks and the inclusion of 15” alloys a nice change(but the exposed wheel nuts…..the design takes hits a small glitch for me there..)

There is so much to talk about the Sports variant…. This car marks the end of the 1.4L Fiesta petrol variant (1.4L Duratorq still available)… Now, a 1.6L 101PS Duratec(aka petrol version) engine powering the car(a little step down from the European versions..) The facelift was the first thing I wanted to check out… considering the old plain boring look… the lower grille is trapezoidal in shape with the addition of the twin jewel (dealers words…) effect headlamps with a black surround… Its new styling, evidence of the European or kinetic design being incorporated.. however marginal changes only(kind of sad… more restyling was possible…) The new additions being the spoiler, a chrome tip exhaust… throw in some cool vinyls and your Fiesta can appeal to the common man…..(some racing vinyls to show off maybe..) and the colour during the launch being Aquarius Blue(wow… nice choice Ford India)

The Fiesta 1.6S comes with a sporty body kit and the tail lights remaining unchanged… the upper and lower front grille with a new look honeycomb structure (buzzz…..) All in all a better looking Fiesta with 175/65R 15 tubeless tyres(obviously 4 in number) but that does not speak for the drive the Fiesta series offers… arguably one of the best handling in the market and one which I would drive all day if I had nothing better to do(till I got dragged out… with the wife bellowing at me…. callous towards life I am according to her…) Next time, a look into the engine as well as the suspension of the Fiesta(responsible for me wanting to break out of home and drive the Fiesta all day..) and a further more technical discussion about the new kid on the block… the Fiesta 1.6S

Ciao till then and don’t forget to view this space with that morning/afternoon/evening beverage/soft drink/milk in your hand..

Howdy readers

Though my cold hasn’t gotten any better, it does make me happy to see new cars(from anywhere on the planet as long as it helps SAVE the world) entering the Indian market with CNG options to be provided to them… (Mercedes Benz with the cheapest auto fuel in the world…Woah) and Malaysian carmaker Proton’s move into the Indian markets will ensure there is competition for the Dzire,SX4,Swift or Hyundai’s i10… and lets not forget the Tata Indica and Indigo(Chevrolet Aveo and UV-A other key players)plus with the promise of offering CNG variants…(nice play….)

Now the world’s third largest automaker (sales …) Ford brings out the new Fiesta 1.6S & SXI… the 1.6S has a more sporty look with the 1.6SXI being given the ‘luxury’ tag… Ford India President Michel Bonham pointed out the focus on the European makeover to match the exciting “on-road character” of the Fiesta…The new kid on the block, I hope the Fiesta is a bit more exciting than its predecessor which looked plain and well a bit boring, but a facelift resembling the European models is exactly what the Fiesta needed…. And a hit with the younger generation (those who go for the Fast and the Furious look will surely love having this car to play with…. Drool…rims..neons..spoliers…)

The Caparo T1(at Auto Expo 08) was touted to be the world’s most safest car… even Top Gear’s very own Stigg drove it without much trouble until reports came in that it caught fire in fifth gear…(Chuckle chuckle…) What I would give to be the Stigg…(my left no wait right arm…)Jokes aside, the announcement of the Fiesta 1.6S brings back memories of the ‘Go Fida’ wave which hit India and boy did it makes us take notice…. With the Indigo, Dzire and Logan familiar names in the market, a new change is exactly what I wanted to see and the Fiesta is calling me to gaze at it lovingly almost…(My wives eyebrows are meeting as she peers into my work…not a good sign)

So check this space for the next couple of days as I sneak a view of the newly released Fiesta sports variant and try to extract as much as I can from the dealers at Ford (hope they are nice to a smart-alec like me…)and hope I don’t get shot for suspected espionage… Ciao and don’t catch a cold readers (A son’s pouted face as a sick father can’t play cricket with him… sigh…)

Well as I sat with my wife in the night after a long day at work, the 9pm news wasn’t very cheery as I wanted to be… The news “Fuel prices to be hiked.. blah blah ”(who cares what came after that I thought to myself…..). I could sense the “gulps” everywhere throughout India for the daily commuter… Looks like riding to work is going to get a bit costly and dear on the pocket (plus taking the wife to the Mall on the other side of town…. The traffic… add to that the tension of petrol burning and the noise….. OH BOY……) and let’s not forget the crazed youths of today who love roaming around at night… Well kids, looks like someone has to park themselves at home and settle for some TV or some computer games… if your real studious, read some Jeffrey Archer novel (note…. I said studious)

Well what’s happening out there in the Indian automobile industry?? The fuel hike could not have come at a worse time for the sector already suffering a setback in the last fiscal year ‘07(note this is going to be technical… sorry folks… but as daily commuters… knowledge of the economics as well as the present scene is required…..) Hikes of Rs 5 per litre of petrol and Rs 3 per litre of diesel … imagine the entire of Mumbai taking the local transport to escape the crisis…. Add to that the increase of interest rates due to the RBI’s hike in the repo rate(that’s the rate at which you the RBI lends to commercial banks…) and you have the auto industry running for cover trying to figure out a strategy for this year….not yet a KO folks but nearly so

Well the Prime Minister did try his best to explain the reasons for the recent hike and well I have to agree… it was about to happen any time… Not unexpected by the auto industry who feels that fuel efficient and compact cars will be the way ahead from now… Well the Tata Nano is a fascinating development in the compact segment but critics are hounding all over the car citing it could be an environmental disaster(and ofcourse the chaos it will create on the roads in the future making a stray animal WAIT to cross the road.. but its still a marvel from Tata Motors). The proposed reduction of excise duties according to the budget from 16% to 12% though still won’t affect the Nano but the positives can be seen inspite of the murkiness caused….

Hyundai plans to release its Accent model in a natural gas variant with Maruti Suzuki offering to offer a new dual fuel variant… run it on petrol of LPG(I wonder what I would do….) This shows that the heavyweights realize the effect the prevailing energy crisis is going to have in the future and I read a very interesting claim by Hyundai that running a car on LPG reduces its running cost by nearly 75 percent(whoa….) Add to that Tata Motors recording a domestic sale increase of 15 percent from May 2007 and Hyundai Motor claiming a 51.1 percent growth from May 2007(wow… good going from the second largest car maker in our country)

What really stinks is the extra tax on the larger vehicles… above 2000cc a duty of Rs 20,000 and from 1500cc to 1900c, Rs 15,000… the claim being to stop people buying the guzzlers(makes sense considering the escalating price of oil in the barrel internationally but… SUV’s and MUV’s deserve much better…a wish perhaps) Add to this the heavily subsidized diesel (Rs 28.58 a liter) compared to the petrol (Rs 16.34 per liter) and my neighbourhood sabziwala screaming his head off when I bargain over a kg of carrot (Gajar Ka Halwa really necessary, dear wife?….. 8.75 percent 7 year high inflation and I hope no more… for my ears sake)

Well are thing going to better?? Can we drive in the morning normally.. Well frankly no.. Not with the grim look of the Indian industry as a whole.. I hate leaving the article on a disappointing note… So hope you know that by 2016, projections show that our automobile industry might contribute 10% of the country’s GDP , almost double as compared to 5% at present). Post liberization(1991)… everyone wants to be in India selling cars.. An achievement we should be proud considering that Ferrari are considering a move into India by 2010(oh boy goodie… at least my son can see the gleaming scarlet red Ferrari… (Keep dreaming some would say) and the possibility of Proton coming to the Indian markets in the near future…

So if the above info does give you sleepless nights, hey don’t shoot me or curse me…(please… ) Lets just keep our fingers crossed and well… small cars, fuel efficiency… if I do buy one of these “mini” cars, hope they have enough leg room so that I don’t squash my kid in the backseat while adjusting it… and if I fit a family as well as the in-laws….(silence)

Till next time, put a smile on your face (oh just do it remember it takes more muscles to frown…) and drive through the same traffic but save energy wherever possible…..

Before I make any more statements about the Grande, let me just begin with a salute to Ratan Tata for his latest success with Jaguar and Land Rover. It goes without saying that Mr Tata is a man of taste. I’ve always admired the Jaguar brand and Land Rover is a dream machine to own. I just read the morning’s paper that Jamshedji Tata was the first Indian to own a car and Suzanna Tata was the first Indian woman driver! And now from Corus to Nano to Jaguar and Land Rover, one can only imagine what the Tata’s have got up their sleeves!? Cheers to the Tatas!

The title of this post is symbolic in many ways. It’s a super finale for Tata’s after a season that began at the Expo. One can’t wait for season two! Also, this post carries the last block of my thoughts on the Grande. Not because I’ll have said everything there is to say on the car, but it’s quite enough for now, I think.

Well, to quickly sum up my last two posts. The Grande cannot be called an improvement on the old Sumo Victa because it’s in a class of its own now. It’s been resurrected as a new beast altogether. It’s got a very clean interior that’s perfect for a large family; it’s also got a cool sporty look with a powerful DiCOR engine, which is appealing to any SUV nutter. It’s as fuel efficient as a camel with the tall gearing and tuning, giving it, according to the Grande salesman, ‘14kph on highways and around 11kph in the city.’ ‘But,’ says the salesman, ‘if you live in Andheri, take it at 9kph.’

Moving on…

Ride quality is pretty good thanks to the thicker tyres carried from the Safari. The tyres have also made handling at high speeds much better. There’s definitely less roll as compared to the old Victa. But unfortunately the Grande has borrowed its suspension and chassis from the Victa, which definitely hampers the driving experience. Also, it is interesting to note that Tata hasn’t bothered one bit about car safety. It’s packed with goodies from sprinkles of cubby holes to personal ac vents to an alpine music system, but no ABS or airbags. Why the hell not? That’s something Tata has never bothered with, have they? Granted the braking is quite good, since they’re the same as those used in the Safari, but is braking in time good enough? I suppose they think it is.

Having said all of that, one must be reminded of the price. It’s only 7.8 lakh for heaven’s sake! What do you expect? It cannot be compared to an Innova, or can it? Yes, it’s got good performance, its comfort can be comparable, and it’s practical as well. It definitely looks better, gives a better average…. What else? Safety? Who cares about safety, we’ve all travelled in Mumbai’s cabs, so bring it on, I say!

Yes, the Grande is quite the looker. Due credit goes to the UK based Concept Group who are responsible for the Grande’s modern styling. I think what drew attention to this one is its bold front ‘V’ shaped grille and the large high-mounted headlamps. The rear is also very refreshing with the new tail-light design.

Stepping inside the Grande is a welcoming experience. Though the finish isn’t all that impressive, it’s a definite improvement and with TATA, it’s all about the price after all. So for the kind of price tag, it’s a super offering. The all new beige look is quite appealing with the stylish steering wheel and gear lever. In the Grande, passenger comfort is top priority with the two front seats having adjustable lumbar support. Also,

the driver can adjust both steering and seat height for added comfort. The second row is actually very spacious and comfortable with reclining backrests and ample space to stretch out. The third row is the best in its class with ample room for adults. Both the second and third rows are fitted with roof mounted vents, which helps in fast and direct cooling. The Grande also comes equipped with some interesting touches like the drawer under the passenger seat and plenty of cubbyholes.

The Grande’s performance is quite fantastic with Tata having fitted it with the new 2.2 DiCOR motor giving 118bhp, which has helped achieve greater fuel efficiency as opposed to the Safari DiCOR. Unfortunately, since I was only able to test drive the Grande in the city, I couldn’t push it beyond third gear, but even for short accelerations, the Grande responds quite well with very little turbo lag. Torque is really good in this one, which is ideal for city traffic. Tata’s goal was to offer up an urban consumer SUV with an emphasis on comfort and practicality. I believe Tata has done more than the needful, as it has also created a macho SUV with a penchant for the highway as well!

Hey Vikram you can have a look at some of the reviews,
http://www.carwale.com/research/roadtests/TataSumoGrande/

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/36318-special-invitation-td-sumo-grande-2.html