Ikon - In a league of its own!. Review on Ford Ikon 1.6 ZXi

I have been driving my Ford Ikon 1.6ZXI since March 2005. I was pretty fortunate to get a new one that year because couple of months down the line Ford India discontinued selling this model. Ikon fans had heartbreak then - the same feeling Yamaha RX100 fans went through when that model was discontinued a dozen years back.

Why did I choose an Ikon while it was already having dated looks back in 2005? The reason is simple. As many call it – Ikon is a driver's car. All my driving years I owned cars with great drivability - I drove Maruti Zen(old model) in India and a Honda Accord abroad before choosing an Ikon back again in India. As I was not bothered about the mileage and resale value, I settled for this machine following my heart and passion than future monetary impact.

*A driver’s car and why?

*If you take a look from outside an Ikon looks pretty ordinary – probably only slightly better and bigger than a Maruti Esteem. But what you will immediately recognize is the ground clearance which is the highest in its class. The undertone therein is ‘I am ready for the dirt game’. Once you get in to the driver’s seat, you are suddenly in a world of your own; the reason being the so driver-oriented console which contours around the steering wheel and ending before your front passenger area making him more a spectator. The instrument panel is decently equipped and controls are easily accessible(except for the power window switches, to operate which, you need to move forward a little. Also, the wiper wash & turn indicator levers are oriented differently as it is borrowed directly from its left-hand-driven counterparts abroad).

Once you start the engine you will hear that sweet nice roar – The brake and accelerator pedals are small and sporty. So is the small steering wheel that gives nice grip – compare it with that of Hyundai Accent or Mitsubishi Lancer and you will realize what I am talking about. Shift the gear, give more gas to it and you will suddenly feel that power – not just in the first or second gear but in all gears. Even the 5th gear is well powered to help you overtake other beasts on the road. The stick shift is not exactly slick but still sporty and you can hear the click. The gear lever is a bit longer and that is probably the only aesthetic issue near the driver’s area.

Ford Ikon has tremendous acceleration and torque in any gear. Even with the AC on it’s a beast ready to beat anything. The 92BHP engine make you feel like a 100+ one due to carefully done gear ratios and being the lightest(972Kgs) in its class. However, in a 0 to 100 shoot out Ikon may loose slightly to Maruti Baleno as the latter can cross 100 in the third gear itself where as Ikon needs a shift just before it hits 100K mark.

The steering is excellent – it keeps giving you the feedback the right way. Unlike the Marutis the steering does not get softer at higher speeds. The lowest in the class turning radius(4.8 metres) allows you to drive it like a Maruti Zen in the city limits and crowded roads. You never need to go reverse to take a U-turn even in narrow roads! However, there's no tilt steering in Ikon though the driver seat height can be adjusted to cover up that shortcoming a bit.

The brakes are reasonably good – I would not say they are the best around but good enough for the thrill with safety. Suspension is again sporty and little hard – it doesn’t bother about those who sit behind:-)

*Maintenance, mileage and service quality

*In Bangalore where I mostly service my car, both Metro Ford and Kavery Ford dealers have excellent mechanics who are passionate about the Ikon. Every single time I gave this baby for service, I was not disappointed. The parts are slightly more expensive than Marutis but comparable to Hyundais and definitely far cheaper than Opels. I never had any major issue with the car now that it has run 30K kms.

I get a mileage of 10.5 Kmpl in Bangalore’s horrible driving conditions. In the highway where usually the speed is above 100, I get 13.5Kmpl. However there are a couple of friends of mine who get less than 10Kmpl in city conditions. By the way, you don’t need to go for costly high octane fuel for Ikon that is not going to add much value.

*The interiors

*This is where the Ikon is lagging a bit. The plastics are not the best you can get for the price and there should have been provisions for a decent can holder, bottle holder etc. However, the seats are excellent – they are not those cheap soft cushion stuff but decently hard ones(again drivers car – backseat is a little hard as well). The leg space behind is good enough – probably even better than an Octavia’s. The dual-tone - mixed with leather - seats look and feel good.

The A/C is not as good as that of Baleno or Accent – it takes 4-5 minutes before the interior is cooled sufficiently.

The boot is another major good factor about Ikon – it’s really huge and can accommodate quite some stuff.

*What I liked and what I quite did not

*The power, punch and attitude is excellent. The gear ratios and sporty steering wheel is amazing and drivability is unbeatable. Brake and gas pedals are of the right size to complement the steering and gear ratios. Lowest(4.8 meters) turning radius and highest ground clearance complete the drivers' requirements!

The power window switches, long gear lever and not having tilt steering are disappointments. The control levers around the steering are differently oriented but you will get used to it. Another thing I badly wanted was a headlamp leveling option and rear seat head restraints(when traveling with family). Also the headlamps are not good enough, you might want to align them once and even change to high wattage bulbs.

*Performance Tips

*. Adding a rear spoiler does not add much value to an Ikon due to its boot shape

. Get alloys if you bought one without alloy wheels – it looks good and feels good(reduce the weight further)

. K&N filters fitted on Ikon can get you close to 100BHP according to some of my forum friends - I have never tried it – it also adds some roar above 2000RPM

Overall I am extremely happy about my decision:-) Though I did not care about mileage and resale value initially, very recently I got a good resale quote(3.25Lakhs) for my 3 year old car for which I had paid an Ex-showroom value of 5.75L three years back. So it is not that bad an option in the long run.