AbgTutor dot Com: 2013 Ford Fiesta 1.5 Sport hatch and Titanium sedan officially launched in Malaysia

Saturday 28 September 2013

2013 Ford Fiesta 1.5 Sport hatch and Titanium sedan officially launched in Malaysia – RM86,988 OTR

Well, it turns out there’s an official launch for the 2013 Ford Fiesta facelift after all – both 1.5 Sport hatchback and Titanium sedan variants were formally introduced in Malaysia a while back at Taylor University’s Lakeside Campus, in conjunction with the Hitz.fm Birthday Invasion party.

Since we’ve literally covered every change and revisions to the mid-cycle B299 in our preview drive report from earlier in the week, there’s little point repeating everything again in detail – here’s a recap of the main points.

The sixth-generation facelift – which broke cover at a Go Further event in Amsterdam in September last year – made its ASEAN debut at the Bangkok Motor Show back in March this year; the car made a teaser appearance on press day, which was also when the 1.0 EcoBoost mill was announced as destined for the region.

Both Fiesta bodystyles – which arrived in showrooms last weekend – are equipped with a 1.5 litre Duratec Ti-VCT four-cylinder engine, which has 112 PS at 6,300 rpm and 140 Nm at 4,400 rpm for output numbers (the outgoing 1.6 Ti-VCT unit offers 120 PS at 6,000 rpm and 152 Nm at 4,050 rpm, an eight PS and 12 Nm difference in output).

The Sigma-family lump is paired with the familiar Getrag 6DCT250 dry dual-clutch six-speed PowerShift transmission, now with a gearshift-mounted SelectShift manual override. The ratios and final drive remain unchanged from previously.

The facelift arrives with minor exterior revisions, the most noticeable change being with the front – fresh to the car is a large trapezoidal front grille, and the design of both bonnet and halogen CSR headlamps has also been revised, as has that of the rear lamps. The sedan, meanwhile, features a new bumper fascia and heavier use of chrome accents.

Inside, the Sport hatch gets new fabric/leather combination seats, while the Titanium has a primary light grey two-tone cabin with full leather seats. As previously reported, new kit includes Ford SYNC, the brand’s in-car connectivity system that connects mobile devices to the car via Bluetooth or USB,

There’s also full keyless entry and push-button start, automatic headlamps and rain-sensing/auto wipers as well as a single-zone Electronic Automatic Temperature Control (EATC) climate control system. Also on, an EcoMode software application that measures your driving patterns and awards you kudos in the form of leaf-icons displayed on screen.

Both Fiesta bodystyles wear identical 16-inch wheels, in this case a 15-spoke design that is similar in styling to the 15-inch unit seen on the pre-facelift sedan, and the alloys are wrapped with 195/50 series Continental ContiPremiumContact 2s, the same choice of rubber as that seen on the outgoing hatch.

Safety kit continues as before, with Electronic Stability Programme (ESP), traction control, ABS with EBD, emergency brake assist, rear Isofix mounts and hill launch assist (which Ford says has been refined) on the list. Both Fiesta versions are equipped with two airbags.

Five exterior colours are available for the Sport hatch – Chilli Orange, Metropolitan Gray, True Red, Arctic White (which replaces Cool White) and the new signature colour, Celestial Blue, which replaces Aurora Blue in the lineup. The Titanium sedan has four shade options, these being Metropolitan Grey, Highlight Silver, Arctic White and True Red.

The Fiesta 1.5 Sport and Titanium both make their market debut at an introductory price of RM86,988, on-the-road with insurance, and come with a five-year/200,000 km bumper-to-bumper warranty as well as a three-year/60,000 km Ford Extended Service Plan (ESP) maintenance programme, which covers parts and labour free of charge.

Read our comprehensive preview drive report on the facelifted B299 Ford Fiesta here.