Ford Fiesta vs. Hyundai Fluidic Verna!

Ford India has revised the pricing of the Fiesta which now starts at Rs. 7.23 lakh for the base petrol ‘Ambiente’ variant. The base variant of the Verna powered by the 1.4-litre petrol motor starts at Rs. 6.99 lakh. So is the Fiesta worth the Rs.24,000 price difference? We find out.

Driving and handling

The Verna 1.4 VTVT is powered by a 1.4-litre VTVT petrol engine that puts out 105.5 bhp of power and 137.37 Nm of torque. On the other hand, the Fiesta Ambiente is powered by a 1.5-litre TiVCT petrol motor that puts out 108 bhp of power and 140 Nm of torque. Though the power and torque specifications are close to each other, the Fiesta petrol feels a bit more refined and offers better drivability than the Verna. See our Fiesta video review here.

Handling wise, the Fiesta has an edge over the Verna. The soft suspension setup in the Verna makes the ride unsettled especially at high speeds. The Fiesta has near perfect suspension that not only offers good ride quality but also aids in handling. The steering feedback in the Fiesta is great and confidence-inspiring even at high speeds while the Verna’s steering feels vague and best suited for city driving. Summing up, the Fiesta is better than the Verna in terms of drivability and handling.

Space and comfort

Both the Verna and the Fiesta offer all round comfort for the front passengers. However, things change dramatically at the rear. The rear seats in the Fiesta are comfortable, though leg room seems slightly lesser and there’s a pronounced transmission tunnel limiting the legroom. Hence, in the Fiesta, the driver’s seat is the ideal place to be and at the rear, it is best suited for two passengers.

The rear seats in the Verna are low-set and miss out on under-thigh support, but have good legroom with the use of an almost flat floor. Overall, the Verna offers more space while the Fiesta feels bit more comfortable than the Verna.

Looks

The Fiesta has athletic road stance with its foxy-eye like dual-beam headlamps and a trapezoidal grille.  The Fiesta has an aerodynamic, forward-leaning stance that ends in a notchback-like tall boot. The new Fluidic Hyundai Verna has large eagle-eyed headlamps, hexagonal grille and flowing fluidic form ending in a neatly integrated boot with side swept tail-lamps. See our Hyundai Verna video review here.

Though the Fiesta looks futuristic at the front, it doesn’t have a proportionate boot section. The Verna with its fluidic design is far more proportionate and better integrated than the Fiesta.

Features

The Fiesta Ambiente variant comes with EPAS with Pull Drift Compensation Technology Steering, driver airbag and ABS which are not offered in the Verna 1.4 VTVT. The Verna 1.4 VTVT comes with music system with speakers, fog lamps and LED turn indicators on ORVMs. These features are not offered in the Fiesta Ambiente. Both the cars get power steering, rear centre armrest and manual AC.

The Fiesta Ambiente with safety features such as driver airbag and ABS has an edge over the Verna 1.4 VTVT.

Price, mileage and value for money

The Verna 1.4 VTVT is priced at Rs. 6.99 lakh which is Rs. 24,000 cheaper than the Fiesta Ambiente priced at Rs. 7.23 lakh. Though the Fiesta Ambiente costs a bit more, it has driver airbag and ABS justifying its price. Mileage wise, the Verna and Fiesta will return about 12 – 15 kmpl, so there is no clear winner here.

The Fiesta Ambiente is a better value for money proposition because it comes with safety features which the Verna 1.4 VTVT lacks.

Pros and Cons

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Verdict

The Fiesta Ambiente has an edge over the Verna in terms of performance, ride quality, handling and safety features. Though the Fiesta Ambiente is Rs. 24,000 more than the Verna 1.4 VTVT, its safety features justify the price and hence, is the winner in this comparison.