Figo Diesel TDCi indepth review. Review on Ford Figo

I needed a diesel car, tight on my budget of around 6 lakhs, not a sedan, because the nature of my work, travelling into city smaller roads etc. Few choices some of them even good than what I bought-Figo. Let’s check them out:

1) Maruti Swift and Ritz: Talk about successful diesel and Swift is probably the first name that comes to mind. But 4 months waiting period, new Swift to be launched around August and ofcourse features for the price I was paying were the major deterrents. Ritz-I hated the back, space is what killed the choice for Ritz.

2) Vista Quadrajet and Indigo E-Cs: Yes, almost had zeroed on Vista Quadrajet. But then the boot space and the centre console stopped me. But for all those who don’t mind the centre console, Vista Quadrajet is the car. Awesome road presence and Fiat Engine rocks as always. E-Cs was newly launched fully loaded, but I dint want a sedan.

3) Punto/Fabia/Polo/i20 CRDI: Out of budget. Although I still would have gone for Punto if at all I had 80 grand to spend more.

So there was only one choice: Ford Figo. I had heard rave reviews about the awards that it had won, but was comprehensive about the history of the American car maker in India, was concerned about its re-sale, after Sales Service. Re-sale is to be forgotten, A.S.S. is still okay-have got first service done. So finally bought Ford Figo ZXi on 31st March 2011 by paying 5.85 lakhs on road with all discounts and blah blah.

Exteriors: The car is no eye catcher from outside. It won’t turn heads at signals. From the back it looks like toned down version of the Ford Fusion. From the front we have contemporary styling, trapezoidal headlamps and the turn indicators. Come to the back side you have rear wiper and defogger which are very useful during monsoons.

Interiors: Interiors are black with chrome here and there. Interiors are dull and you don’t feel like you are driving a 6lakh car. Of course I don’t mind since even in the Swift you have the same feeling. But I am a bit harsh on my Figo since I have an i10 so I keep on comparing beige interiors with the Figo. The rear window will open only half due to some design issue. Please note that even top end Figo DOES NOT come with all four power windows. There are only front power windows and Auto driver’s window down function is also NOT present. The lack of power windows in the rear played a decisive factor for my mom in buying this car since she wanted a car with only front power windows. Electrically adjustable ORVMS are there and the adjustment knob is just on the driver side window pane. That is smart placement since you can adjust the OVRMS while driving directly from there instead of searching on the door panels. There is a height adjustable driver’s seat which is a useless feature since it does NOT increase the height of the seat, it merely adjusts the lower portion of the seat hydraulically up and down.

Instrument Cluster: Here is where Figo scores. There are indicators for everything. Door open indicator (5 door), When you put in the key, you get 8 beeps after which you can start the car. There is an indicator for Pre-tensioner on seat belt. Indicator for low fuel plus beeps on 80 km, 60km, 20km for fuel filling, Water in fuel indictor(for diesels),Headlamp on indictor, Door open chime. Plus you have distance to empty calculator (in kms) and tachometer as well as digital odo and tripmeter (ZXi specific). Just few days back my dad told me that the low fuel indictor remains on even if the fuel cap is not shut properly. I need to check that out. Note that the turn indictors are on the left side and wipers are on the right side so it will take sometime to adjust. Intermittent wiping is there and you can adjust delay in the intermittent wiper as well. The boot release is placed on the dash as well so no need to go down the seat and search for the same. There is a lane change indictor, just tap the lane change switch once the indictor will glow 3 times. Also central lock is amazing. The moment you go above 7kmph the doors auto lock. Once you unlock one door and again go above 7 kmph the doors lock again. So you need not check again and again the doors. There is also a theatre dimming effect in the instrument cluster when you switch off and on the cluster. The same is for the interior lamp.

ICE: Ford has done a nice job for In car entertainment. ZXi model comes with MP3, CD player Bluetooth connectivity and 4 speakers. If you want to connect USB you need to buy USB cable only from Ford for about 1100 bucks. The Bluetooth works seamlessly well. Just pair once and you are on. You can re-dial, access phonebook, mute sound. Excellent reception as well. You have built-in clock in the stereo so no need to buy one. There is speed sensing volume which adjusts according to the noise outside so that you hear the music and not the grunt of the diesel engine.

On-Road Performance/Mileage/Boot/AC/Gearbox/Gorund clearance: Ok this by no ways is a performer. The TDCi engine is 1399 cc which churns out 69 bhp. The city driving is amazing and you don’t feel you are driving a diesel at all. I have reached to 150kmph on highways. The AC is amazing chills within no time. The pick-up good as good as my i10 with AC on although you will notice a lag in pick up once the AC in on. The car is heavy and you can feel the heaviness on road since you need to put in some effort with the power steering as well. The gearbox is ok not too harsh not too soft comparable with Punto’s and Vista’s and incomparable with Polo TDI and Skoda TDI. Its just a no nonsense performance on road just what you desire from a diesel. Mileage is what Figo scores on. I am getting an amazing mileage of around 20 kmpl in city with AC on almost 85% of the time. I drive rash, the car still delivers around 18-19 kmpl. Boot space is 284 litres and is huge for the car its size, you can easily fit in 2 big suitcases and still find nitty gritty space here and there for more storage. The rear seat flips entirely down and you have even more space. Space and Mileage are the two main factors which make the car worth buying. Ground clearance is good as well. The car is low but from the ground you will avoid most of the bumps on the road. If you have higher bumps simple thing is to drive slow and go past it.

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