They’re a good bunch, the Aussies. I spent some time in Australia studying for a Masters degree and found the Australians, almost without exception, to be fun-loving, informal, cheerful and ever-ready for a party. Their sense of enthusiasm was infectious, and I was beginning to get a strong whiff of it at the launch function of the Fiesta variants. Michael Boneham, Ford India’s new managing director and president, was bonhomie personified, circulating amongst us hacks and looking pleased as punch. Similarly, John Lonsdale, veep, product development and Sam (you can’t get any more informal than ‘Sam’, can you?) Barmby, B-Car programme manager for Ford Asia Pacific and Africa, were in a jovial mood, reeling off jokes and contributing to the overall lightness of mood. As a group of auto company executives, they were certainly the most easy-going bunch I’ve come across thus far and their outlook on life appears to have contributed significantly to the car in question here, the Ford Fiesta 1.6S.
‘We’re really, really proud of this car’, exclaimed Boneham as the covers were whipped off the vehicle, and at first glance it was not difficult to see why. The Fiesta 1.6S, in Aquarius blue (a colour unique to this model), looked pretty smashing. The external changes to the Fiesta were most apparent on this car – there’s not much that can beat skirts, nifty 15-inch five-spoke alloys (but with overexposed wheel nuts, and only four nuts, slightly marring the five-spoke design – tut, tut) a spoiler and a chrome-tipped exhaust when it comes to getting someone’s attention. The S looked taut and lithe, and definitely sexier than it’s ever been. The new team was apparently very keen to highlight Ford’s sporting heritage, and the S certainly looked the part. All that was lacking was racing stripes, which would have totally transformed the car. Come on, Ford, you’ve already done it with a special edition Fiesta – the Durasport – so why not this one? Still, I suppose it isn’t too difficult to slap on some stripes yourself. Apart from the obvious body kit, other changes have been incorporated onto the exterior as well, most of which are common to the ‘standard’ Fiesta 1.6 and the 1.4 TDCi, which were also unveiled – and yes, in case you’re wondering, the Fiesta 1.4 petrol has been done away with.
The headlamps have been further swept back, something which is not immediately apparent, and there are slightly changed fog lamps too. The new honeycomb-pattern upper and lower front grilles, with larger openings, aren’t that evident either, and quite frankly the front end looks only marginally different from the older car. This isn’t a bad thing, since the Fiesta was always a handsome machine, but one gets the feeling that Ford has missed an opportunity to comprehensively re-style the car. Move down towards the flanks and it’s still the same Fiesta that we know and admire, albeit with the turn indicators having been shifted onto the ORVMs. Strangely, this has only been done on the non-S versions; the S still has standard indicators. An oversized SXI badge takes the place of the indicators on the standard version, something which could have been a little more discreet. The rear remains much the same, except for clear lens tail-lamps and a nice, red ‘S’ badge on the 1.6S.
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