This is me vishnu from chennai. Like any other person, am too an PROUD owner of FORD FIGO.My figo is 1.2L duratec petrol engine, ZXI version , squeeze(green) color and with GOODYEAR tubeless tires.I brought it from MPL FORD, Chennai and got delivered in 14 days as promised by the dealer.I went ahead with figo than any other car in its segment because am 6.1ft tall (so certainly need to be spacious) and I take it out mostly on weekends (within city limit) and also occasional long drives....
My foremost priorities were : comfort, space, ride and build quality. And what not.....my figo very much satisfies me. Here are some of the points which I summed up based on my study and personal experiences and again kindly make a note that am not biased or partial but just expressing my views and experience :
One can go for petrol engine if :
1.Not for daily use or drive less than 1000kms per month.
2.Preferring for much refined engine.
3.For Reduced/minimum noise, vibration and maintenance.
One can go for Diesel engine if :
1.Drive more than 1000kms per month and frequent long drives.
2.Initial acceleration (bcz its turbocharged and thus more torque @ minimum RPM)
3.Fuel efficiency.
Comparison :
FIGO Vs swift/Ritz Vs i10 Vs Beat Vs Micra.
The most important factors to take it into account are :
1.SPACE, 2.COMFORT, 3.RIDE QUALITY, 4.BUILD QUALITY, 5.BRAND VALUE, 6.FEATURES, 7.MILEAGE
8.POWER, 9.AFTER SALES SERVICE.
On summing up the above factors FIGO emerges out as the winner...no doubt.No other car in its segment can satisfy all the above factors.Next to figo, i will rate swift and followed by i10.
Its true that swift is more powerful than figo1.2 but only in terms of power.But what happened to space, comfort, build quality and features??....Only itz a matter of few more Bhps but what about rest of the parameters??So in that aspect SWIFT cant be the most complete car like FIGO.One need to be more practical..."FROM ALTO TO AUDI.....THE MAXIMUM SPEED WITHIN CITY IS VERY LIMITED ONLY ABOUT 40km/h", So, no point if someone says power is important than comfort and ride quality. And again i10 is small car just like santro yet it is peppy and fun to drive.On chevy BEAT, I got disappointed with its interior space and about MICRA , it is too expensive for that kind of car and also NISSAN is yet to establish...therefore micra is not that safe bet.And am fed up with TATA , so am not taking it into consideration.
About FIGO :
First is first.....it is a known fact as well as a true fact, that this year Ford india is having 160% more growth in its car sales till september 2010 on comparing to its last year's sales....topping the table by beating maruti, hyundai and TATA in its sales growth .In chennai both figo and i20 steals the show...only this two cars are having great demands.
I did a long drive from chennai to parthi (andhra pradesh).And clocked up and down with total distance of 765kms.The first thought I felt was...am I driving fiesta or figo???My uncle owns a fiesta duratorq and I have driven around 1000kms in it.So I very well knows the dynamics and driving characteristics of fiesta .
And figo gives me the same feel whenever I step into it.....apart from the 71Ps power, rest of the parameters are very similar to fiesta.....The biggest advantage of figo is .....itz an B -segment hatch back.car ...yet IT FEELS LIKE DRIVING A BIG CAR.Throughout the long drive it was very solid and pleasure to drive...never let me down in comfort and handling in the long 8hrs driving....went to an top speed of 100km/h and currently am getting mileage of 15Kmpl on highways and 13Kmpl in city both with 100% A/C ON and my 1st service is yet to be done....hope will get better mileage after that.This car is best for its mid-range performance..!The top speed I have touched in my figo is 140km/h...and take my worlds it was mind blowing ....the car was very stable !!!
Pros:
1.A/C : Very powerful...145cc compressor, whereas rest of the cars including swift and i10 comes with 98cc compressor.Its not just chill but really cold....within very few moments that too in 2x speed itself.(ofcourse can go upto 4x speed)
2.Music system with bluetooth connectivity is great.All the 4 speakers are as good as Sony or JBL speakers.Sounds really good.
3.Build Quality : plastics and fabrications are pretty good and gives the typical FORD feel.
4.Best in class legroom and boot space.
5.handling and great dynamics like big solid car.
6.Packed with alot of features than any other car in its segment.
7.Power steering is very solid yet peppy and makes driving more comfort in city driving and during difficult parking.It has got HYDRAULIC POWER STEERING which is always ahead of electronic power steering.HPS gives better stability and control over wheels even on high speeds than EPS.Apart from figo(american) only WV polo, fabia(german) and jazz(japanese) are Having HPS...where as (cheap koreans)i10, swift/ritz(indian), chevy beat comes with EPS.
8.Butter smooth gear transmission and good gear shifting ratios for its gear box.
9.Brakes are very reliable and suspension is too good.
10..Above all its FORD.
Cons:
1.Mileage....its bit thirsty engine...for me as for now its only 13Kmpl on city and 15Kmpl on highways.It is because it has got HPS and 145CC compressor : this two factors takes a considerable amount of power from engine.This is one of the reason for low milage.Yet its too early to say as atleast 2 services need to be done to check it out.
2.Lack of power in 2nd and 3rd gear.Rajeev_Vermacially the 2nd gear is very sluggish.But for busy city use its fine.(again dont underestimate it...as its 4th and 5th gear are very good and responsive.)
3.Its ground clearance.Yeah, the basement of the car gets knot at times by irregular speed brakes...this problem is only on villages/interior areas and not within city limit.
4.No rear power windows...yet, am not concern as I drive only with 100% A/C ON.
MY VERDICT :
In a NUTSHELL, OVERALL IT IS THE BEST BUY AND VALUE FOR MONEY, THE MOST COMPLETE CAR IN ITS SEGMENT....FIGO means COOL and yes, this time ford(india) proved it true. I hope my review was useful and kindly do vote my review.Thx in advance.Comments and quires are welcome.Do keep driving....!!!
With Regards,
Vishnu.S
