We hope you enjoyed our earlier post in which Ford owner Anish Iyer spoke about his Ford Fiesta. This is the second part of our Ford Car Lovers Speak series.

Meet Manishi Dutt from Mumbai, who fell in love with Ford more than two decades ago, when he rented a Ford Escort in Germany. Back in India, he got rid of his old car for a Ford Ikon, and has bought three Ikons ever since – he upgraded to the next Ikon everytime Ford introduced an upgraded version. Today, Manishi owns a Fiesta.

To begin with, we asked him, “Why Ford?” and Manishi passionately admitted to having become attracted to the unusual styling of the Ikon, a liking that stuck with him through the years.

“Unlike other cars in those days where one always had to struggle with power, I never felt the lack of power in the Ikon,” he continued, “There was enough reserve power to pull up under any circumstances. Besides the power, the driver’s confidence was of paramount importance. What matters is also not just the braking and handling, but the complete package.” Manishi had tremendous confidence in Ikon and continues to feel the same about his Fiesta.

He shared with us an experience he had with his Fiesta. “In the last two years, I have done several trips on the Expressway enroute to Pune from Mumbai, in all sorts of weather. Even in the monsoon, when I touched 160 kmph, the car was rock-stable. The most memorable incident happened during the monsoon once. We got diverted into very steady terrain and then there was no road to speak of. We came onto a particular off-road stretch, where there were boulders, rocks, and mud, and it was raining. At one point the car was tilted at around a 45-degree angle and my wife and daughter were quite scared that the car would topple over. But I had no such fears. I got out of the car to inspect the terrain, and at some point I thought that I would ring up a friend in the navy to please send a rescue team to pull the car out. But with gentle pressure and with very little traction on that surface, we were able to reach home safely.”

Manishi added that his fifth car would be a Ford, despite his wife having the opinion that they should try owning another brand. But, for one who has felt the Ford difference, it is hard to change loyalty. As Manishi explains, “If I have something good, why I should go for something inferior? That doesn’t mean I will not survey the market, but so far, I have not felt the need for that.”

Hear more from Manishi in the video below: