Jun 11, 2012 02:05 PM
14411 Views
(Updated Jun 11, 2012 02:09 PM)
I have been test driving petrol cars with about 6 lakh or less budget in mind, with safety being top priority, followed by space, practicality and finally mileage in that order. Figo titanium I would rate as one of my top two choices in that respect. I don't have ownership experience, which I have heard is opposite of driving experience for ford cars. I hope things change, because this car is perfect for indian consumers.
I drive a fabia diesel. I test drove this car as a second car for my wife, and occasionally for me as well. The dealers were prompt and courteous in providing the test drive(they always are, the story becomes different after the car is sold!!!). Anyway, these are my impressions.
Looks: I fing the car elegant to look at. It looks simple, understated even. Fabia has a fabulous bonnet and front grill, looks class, but this car is more understated elegance. I like straight lines compared to too many curves, so am a bit put off by Hyundai's current fluidic design philosophy. I especially like the back of figo, its no nonsense look and clean lines. The car looks smaller than it actually is.
Inside, its surprisingly spacious. I didn't get mehendi colour interior dash board colour, but all black, which again looked classy. The seats are nice, contoured and supportive (compared to etios for example, and quite like the fabia). The feel is good. Steering has always been nice in ford cars, figo is no exception. The titanium version has all the safety elements, ABS, EBD, air bags, and is built very well too. Its quite heavy, at 1090 kg kerb weight, its way heavier than other cars in this segment. That means good metal all around. Some plastic bits looks cheap. I didnt like the rear windows too.
Even top end doesnt have rear power windows. It looks foolish for most people, but I like it that way. Sometimes when in emergency the windows need to roll down and battery becomes dead(in accident or flood for example), manual windows at least in rear seat are useful. But the windows dont roll down the whole way down, in fact they roll down to just below half of window area, that's disappointing and beats the prupose.
I have heard that the windows slide down after long drives, needing to be pulled up periodically. I didn't see anything of the sort in my drive, but I haven't driven for anything more than 20km, so cant say. I didnt like absence of rear seat head rest, its something that should have ben offered. I didnt find it comfortable to rest my head, especially considering long drives and neck fatigue thereof. For a car with so many features, this I think was essential feature.
Driving: The engine is super silent and smooth. It needs to rev beyond 2000 rpm for it to pull well. Otherwise acceleration from 2nd gear is so so. 3rd gear to 5th gear are well spaced, and good to drive. Just keep the rev above 2000 rpm. Its reasonably fast, and most importantly, its stable at high speeds. The suspension is mixed, not too stiff, not too soft. Good for drivers, not bad for passengers. Due to the lower height of seats, the body roll was much less than many cars in the segment. Back seat was well contoured, and surprisingly spacious for 2 adults and a child. I believe its meant to be that way, not 3 adults. As I mentioned, rear headrests were missed badly.
Straight line braking and stability were excellent. No fuss in braking, no wobble whatsoever. Ergonomics were great as well. The spacious and well shaped boot has 280 litres capacity. It is well shaped to carry your regular luggage for 4 adults and child. At 570000, on road in calicut for topend version with airbags and abs/ebd, I think the car is fantastic value, considering the superb build quality and driving dynamics. For a second car, I think it will be top of my list. Ford owners can probably correct me, especialy if they think their ownership experience is different.
Overall, a very practical buy.
Dr Durga Prasan
