Honda City 1.5 vTec vs Ford Fiesta 1.6 Duratec


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Here are the detailed ownership review of Honda City vtec and Ford Fiesta 1.6

http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...eloved-2007-city-zx-v-tec-50k-kms-update.html

http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...ding-pre-loved-100-horses-fiesta-1-6-sxi.html

After driving Fiesta 1.6 for few hundred miles, couldn't resist myself from starting this thread. 100 horses under the hood is a boon for enthusiasts (sometimes it is not pocket friendly)

Batch H.jpg

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1) Exterior Looks:
Looks are always subjective. IMO Fiesta looks more Masculine compared to the Cute and Charm NHC. But I am a die hard fan of NHC front facia. Especially the aerodynamics, papers and leaves falling from trees fly over the bonnet and windshield (without even touching them) just at 60kmph speeds.

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Radiator grill in Feista looks wide open and a bit outdated. Center chrome strip and 'H' logo in City gives a trendy look.

Grill H.jpg

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2) Interiors:
Don't know why, but fell in love with NHC interiors. I feel more roomy than Fiesta. Dashboard plastic in Fiesta is bit harder than City. Leather seats and door pad inserts are added advantages in Fiesta. Though my NHC has got art leather seat covers, door pad insert is still fabric.

FR Seat H.jpg

FR Seat F.jpg

Dash H.jpg

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AC vents in Fiesta is more practical than City. But the blower noise is quite irritating. I couldn't find any difference in cooling performance.

Fiesta has got illuminated and large glove box, whereas city doesn't. But it has additional storage compartment on the top too.

Stock HU in Fiesta comes with 6 CD changer. City has got a double din alpine HU with CD/Cassette/FM/AM + remote. Sound quality is decent in both the cases. City comes with 2+2 speakers, Fiesta got 2 tweeters in additions to 4 speakers. FM/AM sensitivity is good in Fiesta. I could

HU H.jpg

HU F.jpg

Instrument cluster in Fiesta looks bright and easy to read, but I love the dark tints in City. No temperature gauge in City, it comes with only tell-tale lights for Low and high temperature. City has got 2 trip meters, Fiesta comes with only one trip meter but shows Distance to empty.

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Gear shift lever is well placed in City (my opinion) Even it is short throw compared to the Tall one in Fiesta. Also gear shift is butter smooth in City.

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Steering will not be apple-to-apple comparision. EPS in NHC is really a boon for city traffic. But no confidence for 120kmph+ highway speeds. Fiesta HPS is bit heavy for city driving, but gives 100% confidence for high speed drives (especially during cornering)

City comes with all 4 disc brakes but unfortunately no ABS [frustration] keeps it a step lower than Fiesta with Front discs and rear drum + ABS. Our Fiesta has got almost bald tyres, but braking is quite effective with ABS.

Boot Space is laaarge in City (but in mycase it is occupied by LPG tank)

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Boot F.jpg

3) Comfort

Tough competition here. I never sat on any seats other than driver seat, no much comments here. City with its soft suspension is quite comfortable for driver (but scraps almost all humps) IMO Fiesta's rear bench is more comfortable.

Small yet significant things:

I love Fiesta key with integrated remote. But in both cases, the duplicate key never got a remote (cost cutting) To compensate this, got Flip Keys for my Honda.

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Key F.jpg

To be continued...
 
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Thread Starter #2
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Ford Fiesta:

Likes:
- Chunky Steering wheel
- Heavy steering at high speeds
- Superb low end torque
- Electric & Remote boot release
- ABS
- Chrome lips aound Fog Lamps
- Easy to read instrument cluster
- Head lamp (serves the purpose without bulb upgrade)
- Head lamp switch (the rotary one)
- Front door inner grab handles (practically placed than city)
- Cabin reading lamps (1+2+2)
- EORVM adjusting knob placement
- Illuminated glove box

Dislikes:
- FE (yet to check, but figures from 'Distance to Empty' is not pocket friendly compared with city)
- Combination switch
- Tall gear shift lever
- Rattle noise
- No 'Thud' while closing the doors / boot
-

Honda City

Likes:
- vTec engine
- FE [evil]
- EPS for city driving
- 5 spoke alloy wheels
- 'Thud' sound while closing the doors
- Short throw gear shift
- Chilling AC
- Good plastic quality
- Space below rear bench

Dislikes:
- No ABS
- Poor low end torque
- Soft suspension, belly scraping
- Only one lamp inside cabin
- No illuminated glove box
 

350Z

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Fantastic comparison with well-organized pictures. I was waiting for a similar thread from a while now. You have precisely covered the important aspects, so there isn’t much left to comment. Honda City is a fine blend of comfort and performance while I find Fiesta more driver focused.

Dashboard plastic in Fiesta is bit harder than City.
Not so in case of Classic (SXi to be precise). Ford has also mentioned about it on their website as “Soft feel IP Topper”.

AC vents in Fiesta is more practical than City. But the blower noise is quite irritating. I couldn't find any difference in cooling performance.
Fan Speed at II level works fine for me in summers. Yes, it becomes noisy any more than this.

But it has additional storage compartment on the top too.
That’s because it doesn’t have airbags.

Stock HU in Fiesta comes with 6 CD changer. City has got a double din alpine HU with CD/Cassette/FM/AM + remote. Sound quality is decent in both the cases. City comes with 2+2 speakers, Fiesta got 2 tweeters in additions to 4 speakers. FM/AM sensitivity is good in Fiesta. I could
For a non-audio freak, stock music system is more than sufficient in Fiesta. Sadly though 6 CD Changers are not available anymore. No USB Port either.

Drive Safe,
350Z
 
Thread Starter #5
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^^^
Thanks dude. I was waiting for any of my friends to get a Fiesta 1.6, so that I can compare it with my vtec.

How about the NVH? I couldn't make out clearly as both of these cars are used ones.

Engine noise is clearly audible in Fiesta, am I right here?
 

350Z

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How about the NVH? I couldn't make out clearly as both of these cars are used ones. Engine noise is clearly audible in Fiesta, am I right here?
The engine noise is not audible in my car as sometimes I have to figure out whether the car is switched on or not. However, it was rather clear in DuraTorq (TD Car).

Excellent comparo review buddy. I am waiting for the next part.
Such a wonderful comparo kept me awaiting for the next part too but I don’t think there’s one. :biggrin:

Drive Safe,
350Z
 
Thread Starter #8
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Excellent comparo review buddy. I am waiting for the next part.
Such a wonderful comparo kept me awaiting for the next part too but I don’t think there’s one. :biggrin:
Thanks Akash.

A lot more to come, even technical comparision. Unfortunately I don't have time. I may be flying to Thailand and Indonesia either tomorrow or the day after.
 

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