Figo is here: Watch out maruti and hyundai!!!. Review on Ford Figo

Well I was looking to buy a car last December and had nearly short listed Maruti Ritz Petrol but due to some constraints could not during that time.Now when it had to be postponed I thought why not check out the new hatchbacks in the 1.2 ltr category(beat, polo and figo).

I went to a ford showroom in Delhi(that's one bad thing about ford...just 2-3 dealers in Delhi) and I wasn't surprised to see number of people flocking the showroom to have a look at the figo.As I saw the figo, i thought its quite a long long car in this segment.The bonnet length is perhaps the longest in this segment(actually while driving you can see the bonnet which is not the case with its competitors in the same category).From the back it certainly looks like a fusion and overall it is decent to look at.Not certainly classy like an i20 but it still would not disappoint you.But where figo has the upper hand over others is its build quality which is top notch.So I went for the TD after waiting for about half an hour , as there was quite a rush in the showroom.

To start with, the interiors of the cars can be described as simple yet solid.Coral red may not please all but black is an option to save the day for ford.The cabin is quite spacious and rear leg room is quite decent.Overall it gives a big car feel which is a pleasant feeling.The seating position is excellent and as I said earlier you can actually see the bonnet of the car.Frankly I found the car a bit too long(maybe I am used to driving hatchbacks till now).There is a button on the right  hand side of the steering to open the boot which is quite innovative I would say.The bad was the placement of the bonnet opener button which was placed on the front passenger side.What was ford thinking??

I drove both the diesel and petrol version and in both I found the gear shifting to be a bit on the harder side.Frankly speaking I wasnt overtly impressed with the petrol one.The engine seemed to be making bit of a noise(maybe the TD car was faulty) and seemed a little low on performance compared with i10 or ritz.But it certainly has a decent driving dynamics.The car moves quite smoothly and you do not feel like driving an underpowered machine like chevvy uva or even hyundai i20 for that matter.Overall the suspension felt brilliant and was satisfying to drive.

After driving the petrol one I switched to the diesel one and as soon as I pressed the pedal, boy..it immediately took of!I have driven swift/ritz diesel before but I certainly found figo's tdci 1.4 engine much more fun to drive.The cabin seems to be well insulated and sitting inside you will not feel if you are driving a diesel machine.The engine is rev happy and I would say diesel version would certainly outclass figo petrol  as many others present in the showroom echoed similar view!

Now the real ace lies with feature set figo provides.In this price range ford has delievered a cocker of an air conditioner!!!That day it was close to 38 degrees and it cooled the cabin in a matter of few seconds.If I compare it with other cars' ac in this segment..they are not even worth talking about!In Delhi summers this is an absolute rejoice and comforting aspect.

Next comes the bluetooth enabled audio system and I am sure it would be of great help as well.Other niceties include huge boot space, keyless entry etc. If you are looking at the petrol option, than it may not be in the league of maruti's k series cars or hyundais i10/i20 but you can definetely settle for it because of the feature set and the price.The other area where petrol loses out to its competitors is the fuel economy which should be much better in i10/ritz/beat.

But if you are looking for  a diesel hatch-back than figo in my book is certainly better than ritz/swift/vista diesel.

And I did a check on the pricing of the figos headlights(back and front) and compared with i10/i20 and swift and here is what I came to know off

Figo-Front/Rear(Rs 2200/1500)

i10- (3500/1200)

i20-(3000/1500)

Swift-(3000 I guess for the front..it is certainly costlier than figo)

Disclaimer:This pricing data may not be accurate so please verify them at your end.

Well I know that when it comes to cost of spares than there are lots of other spares which counts while maintenance but I certainly feel figo would not be expensive to maintain at all given the service intervals which ford is claiming and in house production plant in Chennai. It may even turn out to be cheaper.

What remains to be seen is the kind of A.S.S which ford provides.If that is sorted out I am sure it is worth buying and the best vfm car in its category.

And I would say this again..if you are staying in northern india and want to beat the summers, figo fits the bill perfectly!!