Sad ownership experience within 6000kms - Figo. Review on Ford Figo

Wanted a compact hatchback and decided unfortunately to settlle for a Ford Figo. I don't want to come across as a bitter vindictive Figo owner and hence would like to share my, 6000kms odd ownership feedback in as much a fair, unbiased and Objective manner as possible.

I actually purchased my Diesel Figo extensively based on the reports on the Internet, Mouthshut being one of the sites, and hence would like people to be cautious before purchasing it. Actually every single person I knew shared cases of frustrated and angered Ford car owners and motivated me to buy the SAFE option, a Maruti car. Today I am at a stage where neither can I share my frustrations, owning up my mistake with my friends and family members, nor can I endure it in silence.

PROS;

1. Handling - I have never driven a better handling car than the Figo till date. I have driven at good speeds on the twisties of NH-17 without nary a doubt or care and loved the way it can be controlled

   
   




2. Space - There is fair amount of space in the car for 4 adults and a child and a couple of suitcases for a weekend dash off to outstation locations and it scored well over the Swift here

   
   




3. Driving Experience - I have driven flat out for 20 hours at a stretch once and the Figo having all the ingredients in just the right amount feels refreshing. The car responds and handles really well

   
   

CONS;

1. Ground Clearance - Guys the underbelly of the Figo scrapes against tall, wide speed breakers or deep potholes. PERIOD! I have already scraped my car no less than 5 times on National Highways, 3 times on arterial roads and countless small brushes within cities. Only a person who cares for his car will realize the frustration when the underbelly scrapes these many times. It feels silly to try and sail each and every "doubtful" speed breaker at a diagonal angle. Forget driving flat out or driving at Night. All the fun and joy is killed within a second of the thud or the scraping sound. Notably so when everyone in the car gets to hear the scraping. So if you are in the habit of driving to your native places or rural settings be prepared for a horrendous time. Being Indians you can count on fingertips the kind of roads this car is built for. It is well suited only for the roads of Americas and Europe. Even my family has equivocally declared that they will not go long distances in this car

   
   




2. Due to this repeated and regular scraping parts are bound to fall off. I have already lost within the first 5000kms the mud flap on my rear tyre and have damaged another vital component which broke off during our last journey. Weirdly enough this part was made of cast iron(the type you can break if you jump hard on it). Shouldn't this qualify as a faulty design? If the underbelly is bound to scrape then Ford should have atleast ensured that the vital parts of the car are not exposed or don't get damaged so easily

   
   




3. Dealership - I have never felt a sense of assurance at the Ford dealerships and service centers. I have already shelled out close to 7000(the total cost is more than 14K, but recovered some money on account of Insurance) within the first 6, 000kms of ownership. Moreover the customer care and 24X7 Roadside Assistance does not work as it is all left to the Dealers mercy.

   
   




4. Parts - I doubt if the parts are the best quality. In addition to the parts falling off due to scraping had another bad experince. My car was towed within its first 1000kms and I was told that the Radiator Support was bent and the bonnet and front bumpers were damaged. Hence tomorrow if my car breaks down and needs to be towed I should be prepared for replacing another bent radiator, bonnet and bumper yet again and buying a new one

   
   

I had a horrendous experince already with the 24x7 Roadside Assistance and Customer Care. This against some of the experiences shared by my friends owning Maruti cars, proves to be an outstandingly compelling reason to re-evaluate going for the Figo.

Last but not the least the driver in me is satiated every time I drive this car but right from my wife to my parents each and every one has declared quite to my chagrin that Figo was not a good choice. You see they had experienced the solidity and reliabilty of my old Maruti Esteem which I plied through the same roads completely packed and there was never a single incidence EVER. On these same roads the Figo broke down at the first instance.

Conclusion;

Maruti does not offfer you a car which is high on asthetics or cosmetics but the mechanicals of the car, as flimsy as they may seem, are ROCK SOLID and built to last. You will never come across a stranded Maruti on the road. On the bad stretch of road where my Figo broke down the 800's, Wagon R's, Swift's and even the Omni's went flat out without stopping. If you wish to have a great driving experience go for the Ford but rethink if that alone will be sufficient as I have concluded within the first 3 months of my ownership experience that it is NOT WORTH IT. I had infinitely more peace of mind driving flat out my older Esteem. I am feeling so helpless that I am seriously evaluating dumping my car and going for either the Ertiga or the new Dzire. Guys stick to Marutis, if you want a good and reliable long term companion. My Esteem was a Year 2000 model and was infinitely more reliable and with lower TCO than the Figo can ever dream of.