across the
length and
breadth of
india in the
Ford fiesta
32.38kpl for
over 20,000km
‘The Autocar-Ford Fiesta
Cross Country Drive was
the ultimate torture test
for the two Fiestas.’
THE FRUGAL FIESTA
Two cars, nine drivers, three photographers and over 20,000km of heat, dust, cold, wet, rough
roads, smooth highways, mountains, plains, lake beds, good food, bad food and bad stomachs.
the
team
Abhay Verma — Driver
Abhishek Saksena — Driver
Aditya Nadkarni — Driver
Ameya Dandekar — Driver
Christopher Chaves — Driver
Devesh Shobha — Driver
Nikhil Bhatia — Driver
Rahul Kakar — Driver
Santosh Gangadharan — Driver
Sumit Kakkar — Event co-ordinator
Rajeev Gaikwad — Photographer
Somdatta Nhawakar — Photographer
Vishwajeet Chavan — Photographer
Conceived and executed by Autocar India
Special Projects for Ford India Ltd
run in the grind of the real world. So the
team kept an eye not just on the fuel gauge,
but monitored every paisa that went into
running the car, including consumables and
service costs.
In the 20,000km trip, the cars went through
more extreme conditions than most cars do in
a lifetime. From scorching desert heat to the
numbing cold of the Himalayas; from highspeed expressways to bone-rattling cratered
tracks masquerading as roads; from rainy coastal
roads to steep mountain trails, the two cars
braved it all. The trip tested the cars’ quality and
reliability to the limit.
The two cars returned to Chennai after
clocking a torturous 20,788km on the road. How
did the cars fare? What was the best mileage?
And the worst? What was the running cost per
kilometre? Where were the best driving roads?
And the worst? Here’s the full report.
rohan coelho
Words Christopher Chaves, Devesh Shobha,
Nikhil Bhatia, Santosh Gangadharan
Design Ellared D’Souza
Image editing Pralhad Kusuma
Printed & Published by Haymarket SAC
Publishing (India) Pvt Ltd
Printed at Kala Jyothi Process Pvt Ltd, 1-1-60/5,
RTC X Roads, Musheerabad, Hyderabad 500 020
T
wo Ford Fiesta saloons drove out of
the Ford facility gates at Chennai on
March 08, 2011. Car number one had
the 1.4-litre Duratorq diesel engine under the
hood while car number two was powered by the
punchy 1.6-litre Duratec petrol. The AutocarFord Fiesta Cross Country Drive was flagged off
by Michael Boneham, Ford India president, and
Nigel Wark, executive director. The cars would
circumambulate India driving through the length
and breadth of India, covering over 20,000km in
the process.
The long drive had one simple objective.
This was a test. A tough, real world test. A
test to find the true running cost of the cars.
Not just fuel consumption, but consumables
that included engine oil, brake fluid and service
costs. The mission of the Autocar-Ford Fiesta
Cross Country Drive was to find out how
cheap, or expensive, is the Ford Fiesta to
2
3
DRIVER’S diary
‘NH17 was more like a single, gully-wide
carriageway through a bustling market .’
LEG 1: Chennai to Mumbai
Temperature over 40deg C was almost an
everyday find down South; chilled energy
drinks got spirits up and running again; devotees offer puja outside a temple in Kerala.
WITH OUR FONDNESS for long drives and exploring
places we’ve never been to before, we felt truly blessed
when we first heard of the Ford Fiesta Cross Country
Drive. Driving quick is another thing that puts a grin
on our faces, and once we were told that we would be
testing two Fiestas’ fuel economies, we felt downright
cursed. But we can proudly say that we did not give in
to the demons of speed, this time.
On day one, we had to skip our visit to the Ford
dealership in Pondicherry en route to Salem after the
team realised that we were more than 50km off the
day’s course. Travelling at the average speed of 40kph,
this was the only option if we were to get a good night’s
rest. The next day, Pondicherry was back into the
picture again as part of our day’s travel from Salem and
Tiruchirapalli (Trichy). Pandemonium ensued once we
reached Pondicherry city. Puzzling directions from the
locals and an army of two-wheeler traffic on the narrow
Pondi roads didn’t suit our purpose. Another noteable
experience was the time of the first petrol Fiesta top-up.
Many a nerve twitched knowing that this would set the
benchmark for the car throughout the drive. Having
covered 984.4km, we were more than happy to find
that it had returned a healthy 22.65kpl. In Tamil Nadu,
there was little or no bother on the drive beside the
errant Tamil Nadu state bus drivers. They made efficient
night driving really dangerous.
Throughout leg one, as temperatures soared above
40deg C, the drivers found relief in chilled Red Bulls,
CHRISTOPHER CHAVES
courtesy of an icebox we almost lost prior to the
start of the drive. We also indulged in some natural
refreshments like coconut water all along the Southern
leg. After 1533.9km, it was time for the diesel Fiesta’s
first top-up. It returned a superb 32.71kpl!
If there was ever a road that definitely deserves
mention, it has got to be the NH-17 from Kochi to
Thrissur. This unique National Highway was more like
a single, gully-wide carriageway through a bustling
market topped up with a ton of truck traffic. We’ll
never forget the drive past the pristine hill station of
Ootacamund (Ooty) where temperatures dropped,
scenery turned sublime, and we encountered some
fabulous driving roads. The 17deg C temperature we
recorded here was the lowest recorded on the first leg
of the drive. But our luck soon took a turn for the worse.
Due to a traffic jam on NH-47 ghats, a 4km bad stretch
of road towards Ooty, a tightly packed NH-17, and the
40kph we were travelling at, we reached our Mangalore
destination at 6:33am, after 22 hours at the wheel.
It was hot and humid on the drive to Bangalore, but
things heated up a little more that evening when a
truck backed up on to the bonnet of the diesel Fiesta.
Thankfully, there wasn’t any serious damage besides
a noticeable dent on the bonnet. We got a great taste
of the diverse beauty that lies South. Places that we
definitely would have stayed over for more time if
not for the drive’s tight schedule would be Ooty,
Thirthahalli, Hampi and Goa.
Photographer Rajeev went on a clicking frenzy
here, in Hampi, and had to be physically
dragged away from the picturesque locale.
We didn’t plan on any off-road
adventures but some roads like this
made sure we experienced some.
Some villagers can’t wait till the cows come home.
Traffic jams like this one, en route
to Ooty, were good opportunities
for the cars and drivers to cool off.
4
5
DRIVER’S diary
‘In the ghats of Kasara, we got to explore the
Fiestas’ excellent handling.’
LEG 2: Mumbai to Jodhpur
WITH OFFICE ASSIGNMENTS completed before time
and personal commitments put on hold, we packed our
bags and undertook the task of efficiently driving the
two Fiestas from Mumbai to Jodhpur covering close to
9000km in a matter of weeks.
After an intriguing first leg where men and machines
were subjected to extreme temperatures and some
of the worst national highways, the second leg was
perceived to be a less stressful one — route-wise at
least. After a day’s break in Mumbai, a new set of drivers
kickstarted the second leg, covering major cities in
Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Rajasthan.
The leg commenced on an encouraging note as the
convoy managed to get past the Mumbai city limits
with ease. With road conditions pretty good, the Fiestas
happily munched miles on the well-paved highways.
The Fiestas came into their own in the ghats of Kasara
where we got another opportunity to explore their
excellent ride and handling characteristics. There
weren’t many picturesque locations while driving in
Maharashtra, which in turn resulted in fewer stops for
photo-ops and inevitably reaching our destinations
way before time. The roads in this part of the country
were a mixture of smooth tarmac and occasional rough
patches which often helped in breaking the boredom
that would creep in while driving at our designated
pace. Going flat-out on open stretches of highway was
hard to resist, but we all held our nerves and maintained
a constant speed. This meant that we had to carefully
plan our overtaking maneouvres in advance before
actually doing so.
On seeing some well-paved and deserted national
highways, the drivers decided to engage in an action
DEVESH SHOBHA
packed high-speed race (on foot). However, the race
ended on a low note as one of the drivers had an
unavoidable fall, which left his knees, elbows and ego
severely bruised.
For the Fiestas too, it wasn’t a smooth ride all the way
till the finish line. The National Highway that connected
the cities Nagpur- Bhopal (NH12) and Dhule – Vapi
(NH6) were in bad shape. However, the Fiestas didn’t
seem to mind a little bump here and there, and passed
the pseudo off-road test with flying colours.
Our photographer finally emerged from a state of
hibernation once we entered Gujarat and Rajasthan.
These states offered better photo-ops as compared to
Maharashtra and MP, much to our snapper’s delight.
The 2011 Cricket World Cup also played an important
role in charting out our daily plan of action. During the
days when India would take on its rivals in a day and
night game, we would make it a point to start our drive
extra early so that we could reach our destination before
the start of the second innings. How proud we are not to
have missed a single World Cup match featuring India.
Team India’s World Cup win marked the end of the
Cross Country Drive’s second leg at Jodhpur. By this
time the Fiestas had covered more than 9000km and
were still going strong without any major hiccups — only
a puncture on the petrol Fiesta disrupting the otherwise
smooth drive.
The Fords had performed well in extreme hot
conditions and returned overall fuel efficiency figures
of 34kpl for the diesel and 22.5kpl for the petrol. In
cities like Nagpur, Rajkot and Gandhidham, we had to
find our way through peak traffic, which compromised
efficiency numbers.
A word about the fiesta
The Fiestas showed great composure
and instilled much confidence in the
drivers all throughout the driving legs
— when tackling traffic or being subjected
to suspension-battering, non-existent
highways. Even after covering over
20,000km the cars felt as solid as the day
we were flagged out of Chennai. Despite
not going flat-out in the interest of fuel
economy, both the cars delighted us with
their spirited road manners.
The Ahmednagar HQ of this elite force.
One of the hundred check posts we cleared.
We tried to reach our destinations
before sunset, but did not always
manage to despite early starts.
Our photographers documented every step of the day’s travel and refuelling.
6
With little or no restaurants on the highways, dhaba food was the way to go.
7
DRIVER’S diary
‘The route to Kashmir is quite arduous, but
once there you realise the drive is worth it.’
NIKHIL BHATIA
LEG 3: Jodhpur to Bongaigaon
Who can go farther on a full tank?
The camel came a distant second.
The Fiestas underwent
their first service in Delhi.
Chips were the snack
of choice for our drivers.
It’s easy to understand the intense competition at
the Autocar India office to snag a seat on leg three of
the Ford Cross-Country Drive. After all, who wouldn’t
be interested in driving from a parched Rajasthan to a
swanky New Delhi, onwards through the green fields
of Haryana and Punjab to the majestic Himalayas in
Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh? That we
were to drive through Uttar Pradesh and Bihar into
Assam only added to the adventure.
High on adrenalin following India’s Cricket World
Cup triumph, our crew set out from Jodhpur on
Rajasthan’s smooth, empty highways. Peace and
solitude took a backseat as we approached the national
capital, where horn decibels and vehicle size govern
right of way.
The drive into Punjab took us on the superb highway
leading into Chandigarh. The urge to put pedal to the
metal (not advisable on a fuel-sipping drive) almost got
the better of us. Punjab also brought out the foodies
in us. Butter chicken and lassi became our staple diet
for those few days of rampant eating. After all, when in
Punjab, do as the Punjabis do!
But it was not always hunky dory. Things got
challenging on our way up to Srinagar from Jammu.
NH1A’s winding and rutted roads really put man and
machine to the test. We did have our share of laughs
though, thanks to the Border Roads Organisation’s
warning signage on this road. Some of the more
colourful ones read ‘Don’t be silly in the hilly’ and ‘If
married, divorce speed’.
Believe it or not, that’s a
national highway — NH86.
Driving down from a frigid Srinagar (temperature
was the lowest — 10.5deg C) to Jammu in daylight we
really took in the sights Kashmir is so famous for. Snowcapped peaks mere kilometres away, delightfully bright
saffron fields stretching into the horizon, skyscraperhigh poplar trees and of course the 2.4km long Jawahar
tunnel made this the highlight of our drive. Gravity did
its part for fuel economy too.
We were greeted into Uttar Pradesh by pathetic
roads and wild traffic that included everything from
thick-skinned pedestrians and bullock carts to jugaads
and dangerously overloaded trucks. The kebabs in
Lucknow made up for the traffic’s anarchy.
Bad roads came and went, but one that left an
impression on our minds (and spines) was the NH86.
A national highway only in name, the road was more
like the lunar surface, speeds dropping to single digits
at many points. But we were in for some respite as
the fantastic twisty roads just after through the Panna
Tiger sanctuary allowed good use of the Fiesta’s
communicative steering.
We did have our share of bad traffic too. Case in
point, Varanasi. With cars, bikes, cycles and even cows
coming at us from all directions, it was quite a feat
reaching our hotel in the holy city without any nasty
dinks or scratches on the Fiestas. A late evening boat
ride on the Ganges did help soothe our frayed nerves.
If Varanasi’s traffic was bad, Bihar Sharif was worse
still. A wrong turn (we are still arguing about who’s to
blame) had us navigating through narrow roads and
Squeezing through the alleys
of Varanasi was quite a task.
This monastery
in Siliguri was
among the many
architectural
gems we passed.
Dr.Karan Singh’s palace in Jammu is now a museum.
a school of aggressive rickshaw-wallahs — a character
building drive, indeed.
Despite being armed with two GPS navigation kits
and an all-India road map, we did lose our way a few
times. Bystanders proved a big help here. Hearing an
excited trucker shout “Meerut seedha, full power!”
in reply to one such query had us break into a fit of
hysterical laughter.
Our original route included Guwahati and Tinsukia in
Assam, but things didn’t quite go our way. Assam Police
checkposts every couple of kilometres with blatantly
corrupt and unhelpful policemen manning most
of them, we covered a pathetic 70km in four hours.
We were eventually forced to abandon our plans for
Guwahati, prematurely ending leg 3 at Bongaigaon.
The drive was an eye opener. We drove over billiards
table-smooth roads and some that would make for a
fine super special stage in a WRC round. The Fiestas,
however, took the rough and tumble in their stride and
continued to post truly amazing fuel economy figures.
And what’s best was that the cars still felt and drove as if
they were fresh off the assembly line. An amazing trip.
Kashmir’s beauty simply
took our breath away.
Traffic en route came in all
forms, shapes and sizes.
8
9
DRIVER’S diary
Making our way
through the traffic to
reach Rourkela.
We reached Bhagalpur in
time for the corn harvest.
Drivers turn pump attendants
to ensure proper filling.
Having cut short our drive to the East, leg four
commenced from Bongaigaon, a small town around
200km away from Guwahati. The drive on the freshly
laid tarmac from Bongaigaon to Siliguri on NH-31C was
one of the best stretches we had driven on. Now that
the East India fiasco was behind us, our main aim was
to reach our final destination, Chennai, as smoothly as
possible.
The roads were decent till we reached Bhagalpur, but
the conditions worsened from Bhagalpur to Kolkata
on NH80. For around 80km, we had to drive on broken
roads, while dodging craters, cattle, and even kids
playing on the main highway.
The drive to Kolkata was an endurance test that
lasted for more than 20 hours. Here, we got a clear
picture of how the road conditions would be once out
of the Golden Quadrilateral Highways. And tough it
was! We had a stopover scheduled at Dhanbad, but
a city curfew made us turn towards Ranchi, driving
450km on one stretch.
Talking of bad roads, the drive through Jamshedpur
to Rourkela was the icing on the unsavoury cake. NH80
was the worst road we had driven on the drive thus far,
but none of us expected what the NH-215 had in store
for us. For almost 100km, we were forced to drive the
Fiesta on roads of soil and strewn with trucks by the
dozen. Crawling forth at the speed of 30kph, we had
to avoid truckers overtaking us because they’d create
a huge visibility issue with the dust they would kick up.
That afternoon we had covered only 120km in more
than five hours time.
But it was all forgotten when our photographer got
the opportunity to capture the breathtaking beauty of
the second largest lagoon in the world — Chilka lake.
Another twist in the fourth leg tale was when we
encountered a malfunctioning Hindustan Petroleum
petrol pump in the outskirts of Ranchi. Seeing the
‘The effortless manner in which the diesel
Fiesta moves in city traffic is commendable.’
LEG 4: Bongaigaon to Chennai
Santosh Gangadharan
Despite broken roads en route to Sambhalpur, the Fiestas continued to clock miles at a good rate. The only thing that could stop the Fiestas’ charge was a flat tyre.
bogus readings on the old fuel pump machines got us
thinking about how many customers must be swindled
by machines like this one.
The Fiestas on this leg performed extremely well.
Apart from getting stuck in the craters a couple of times
en route to Rourkela and a second puncture on the
petrol Fiesta, it was a non-stop trouble-free run for
the Fords. The effortless manner in which the diesel
Fiesta moves in and around city traffic with minutest
amounts of acceleration is commendable. The petrol
fiesta too wasn’t far behind in terms of driveability either.
Driving for over 50 days in the middle of summer was
always going to be difficult — especially without the
luxury of air-conditioning. The month of May meant
that the temperatures were soaring high with in-car
temperatures rising as high as 56.7 degrees. It got
extremely humid as we headed southbound toward our
final destination in Chennai.
Entering the Ford factory gates in Chennai after nearly
21,000km on the road, we were more than impressed
with the cars’ impecable performance throughout.
Narrow roads forced the Fiestas off-road.
The cars return home after 64 long days on the road.
Seeking blessings for our marathon drive.
On Siliguri roads,
the elephants have
the right of way.
The famous Chikla lake is the
second largest lagoon in the world.
10
11
IN NUMBERS
FORD FIESTA 1.4 DURATORQ DIESEL
32.38kpl
Overall fuel economy
642.03
Rs 1.25
Cost per kilometre – Excluding
service cost
ADDING UP THE NUMBERS
Rs 5,347.00
Total service cost during the
Cross Country Drive
Total litres of diesel consumed
Average distance covered
in a day.
Rs 1.51
646.6km
Cost per kilometre
– Including service cost
Maximum
distance
covered in a day, from
Varanasi to Kolkata
FORD FIESTA 1.6 DURATEC PETROL
Rs 2.91
Cost per kilometre – Excluding
service cost
128.2km
Rs 4,083.00
Total service cost during the Cross
Country Drive
inimum distance
M
covered in a day, from
Siliguri to Gangtok
02
Number of union
territories visited
25
Number of Ford
dealerships visited
02
406.6 hours
Total time behind the
wheel
1,248 hours
Total time of the trip
528
Number of service stops
Number of Red Bull cans
consumed
09 litres
06
111
49
Total engine oil
consumed per car
Number of toll booths
Rs 10,532
Total cost of tolls
Number of Red Bull cans
that exploded
Number of CDs
listened to
6,555
Number of pictures taken
32.7kph
02
Rs 60,779.54
46.0kph
09
Number of drivers
Distance travelled
with armed escort
between Kumarghat
and Agartala
Rs 3.10
18
04
Rs 36.54
Cost of petrol consumed
Cost per kilometre - Including
service cost
Lowest average speed
Highest average speed
Number of state
capitals visited
Number of punctures
Number of drivers who
fell sick
06
Number of World Cup
matches watched while
on the drive
Rs.5,870
Money spent on car wash
982.84
Total litres of petrol consumed
12
43
364.7km
Cost of diesel consumed
Overall fuel economy
Number of days
on road
Number of days lunch
was skipped
Rs 26,027.24
21.27kpl
64
17km
Lowest price of diesel at
Jagadhri, Haryana
Rs. 1,35,450
130-plus
Number of road
accidents spotted
11
Number of times
papers and
documentation
checked
Money spent on food
10.5°C
Lowest outside
temperature:
at Srinagar
44.8°C
Highest outside
temperature: at Gaya
768 litres
Amount of drinking
water consumed
22 hours
Longest time
behind the wheel
at a stretch
59
06 hours
Number of chocolate
bars consumed
Shortest time
behind the wheel
at a stretch
56
05
160-plus
57°C
Number of hotels
stayed at
Number of roadkill
spotted
Number of times
got lost
Highest in-car
temperature
13
DRIVER’S diary
Best and Worst of the autocar-ford Fiesta cross country drive
14
BEST DRIVING ROAD
NH-13, Shimoga to Thirthahalli
WORST DRIVING ROAD
NH-215, Jamshedpur to Rourkela
BEST LANDSCAPE
Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir
WORST LANDSCAPE
Patna, Bihar
BEST ORGANISED TRAFFIC
Maharashtra
WORST ORGANISED TRAFFIC
Uttar Pradesh
BEST FOOD
Hotel Shahi Dawar, Srinagar
WORST FOOD
Hotel Decent, Bilaspur
BEST STATE ROAD
INFRASTRUCTURE Rajasthan
WORST STATE ROAD
INFRASTRUCTURE Uttar Pradesh
BEST MAINTAINED
PRIVATE CARS Punjab
WORST MAINTAINED
PRIVATE CARS Bihar
BEST HOTEL
The Polo Heritage, Jodhpur
WORST HOTEL
Hotel Shiva Inn, Bilaspur
BEST WEATHER
Shimla, Himachal Pradesh
WORST WEATHER
Orissa
BEST CITY FOR
ROAD SIGNS Srinagar
WORST CITY FOR
ROAD SIGNS Guntur
‘Even after
covering
more than
20,000km,
the Fiestas
felt as good
as new.’
15