The *Josh* Machine (Compared to Accent, Petra). Review on Ford Ikon

If you have read my Petra review/comments you know my discussion about Ikon 1.6 Exi versus Petra 1.6 EL (Petrol). Petra offers excellent value & comfortable & quiet ride with just acceptable level of rear-seat comfort & interior material quality. Ikon on the other hand offers much better rear-seat comfort, a little better interior material quality, much better handling but not as quiet/comfortable ride as the Petra. The power is to weight ratio is also almost the same.

After all said & done I am set to buy a Silverstone Ikon 1.6 Exi. The reason for not to go for Petra are mentioned above plus the difference in attitude of Ford/Fiat dealer, mis-information given by Fiat Dealer. But the biggest reason against Petra was unavailability through canteen & also my wife found Ikon much easier with respect to visibility in the front (hood visible), in Petra/Palio she doesn't get a feel of car's dimensions from inside. I will be getting the delivery in a week or two. (The styling of Petra though very good is too similar to Palio from front).

There is other aspect too, the Ford has reduced prices on Ikon by 60K on 1.6 versions & also worked on the interiors & styling too making it a much better value than before. This is made possible due to the Rocam engines now produced at Hindustan Automobile's plant instead of importing in from UK(?).

WALK AROUND THE CAR

The styling has been worked on. 1.6 now sports revised 'sporty' front bumper with standard fog-lamps. This along with the clear-lense head-lamps spruce up the already good/modern styling. The changes are done keeping in mind the acceptance of the original styling. i.e. they haven't messed around too much. The rear though doesn't sport clear-lense lamp & hence looks inconsistent with the front. The last rear quarter of the car is also elevated compared to front & that hampers the rear visibility a bit. Overall a good-modern styling that has been updated incrementally. Nice Job!

INTERIOR

Here again, the matters have become more interesting. The interiors have been revised & 1.6 sports complete cloth upholstery of good quality. 1.3 versions sport semi-fabric. The new 1.3 Anniversary model adds quite a few goodies for a premium of 30K over Flair (worth it & more). The driver of height more than 6' 1 wouldn't find this car comfortable & would run to Fiat showroom. I 'just' fit in somehow with the smaller/sporty steering wheel of the 1.6 compared to bigger on 1.3. The front seats are ultra-comfortable & also give a lot of support & hug you in the corner, good given the sporty pretensions of the car.

They could've been a little wider though. The rear-seats provide adequate under-thigh support. The trunk release is oddly placed on the middle of the car instead of close driver's door for cost saving in left-hand/right-hand versions I guess. The trunk is huge at 490 liters.

ENGINE/TRANSMISSION/FUEL ECONOMY

Both 1.3 & 1.6 rocam engines provide their torque peak at 2500 RPM which is a blessing in Indian city traffic. The 1.3 provides 70bhp & 10.7Kgm torque, while 1.6 gives 91 bhp & 13.4 Kgm. The throttle response is instant & the car pulls in almost every gear (except 5th) at lower speeds. The engine is a little audible at higher rpms & there is a room for improvement wrt refinement. Ford claims the engine to be (relatively) maintenance-free due to its very architecture. The 1.6 is a GREAT drive & a real JOSH machine. It transforms the car completely & you need to drive it to feel it. I felt 1.6 Petra a little more powerful at higher rpms but Ikon offers better low rpm response.

The 5 speed transmission is swift. The gear-shifts are a little rough (German feel?) but the throw is very short making gear-change a bliss. The clutch travel is also smoother than Petra/Palio & the 'engage' point is very easy to locate. Due to lower rpm power-peaks you don' need to shift as often as compared to say Accent/Petra. The gear shift in Petra is butter-smooth although a little longer throw than Ikon.

Several Auto-magazines & also consumers surveys are consistent on the Ikon's fuel economy. For 1.3 it is 10-12 kmpl in the City & 14-15 on the highway. For 1.6 it is 9-10 in the City & 13-15 on the highway. This is similar to Petra which is a tad heavier than Ikon. (Ikon 1.3: 978; 1.6: 998; Petra: 1140).

RIDE & HANDLING

Ikon does it without anti-roll bars at both the ends, while Petra does employ them. The Ikon is a true driver's car & the 1.6 easily the best driving machine this side of the 10 lac Rs! This is sort a 'poor man's BMW'. Petra on the other hand is hugely overbuilt & reinforced for Indian roads/conditions & pro-Ride. Petra trounces Ikon when it comes to Ride but Ikon recovers with it razor sharp handling & response to driver. Ikon also has more wheelbase than Accent & Petra which does help handling & high-speed stability. Ikon although provides as good as ground clearance as competitors, has Lower center of gravity helping handling further. The brakes on Ikon are comparatively poor than others. Very imp factor specially on 1.6. The brake pedal feel on the other hand is first-rate.

The tires are 13 inch on 1.3 & 14 inch on 1.6 version with 1.6 Zxi getting tubeless tires on 14 inch alloys. The 14 inch fill the wheel-wells better than the 13 inchers.

COLORS/SAFETY

Except for Blue & Red there are variety of colors on Ikon. I am a 'red' guys but the Paprika Red (marronish) disappoints me. The new Vitro is silverish with a mix of Pistachio that looks different in the daylight & nighttime. There are bunch of other colors but the Gold one is also a little dull & not like on Accord/Corolla or the City. Watch out for the dealer installed options & their pricing. Try to get some stuff ''thrown-in'' for free included in the base price, if not haggle on the prices quoted for options. Check aftermarket stores for pricing.

The car is built with European standards & offers excellent safety. The hood has crumple zones for uniform-deformation & also crash-zones area to absorb impact.

MODEL LINEUP

The base model priced around 4.59 doesn't sport many goodies like power steering & is a discontented version. When you move up to 1.3 Flair at 4.69/79 you get power everything but left side mirror, fog lamps, full fabric seats are left out along with some other goodies. Now, they have introduced a 5th Anniversary model priced at 5 lac with Leather seats, Security/Keyless Entry System; Fog Lamps & an MP-3 Player. It provides a great value for a little more money & is worth it. 1.6 Exi is priced at 5.50 & Zxi at 5.99 (All prices exclude RTO, Insurance etc fees of course)

CONCLUSION

Currently Ikon is selling like hot-cakes, the car enjoys a very good image/perception in the market & the sales are increasing after Ford started second shift at their plant & also reduced prices due to localization of the Engines. (Not Diesel). The sales have increased quite dramatically this year & dealer also have been pretty aggressive with the sales. If you prefer Driver's car & are ok with loosing some ride qualities that Accent/Petra offer then this is the car for you. Think of Ikon as a poor man's BMW versus Petra/Accent sort of Mercedes Benz. The cars in this price bracket are quite good & you should do good selecting either one. The new Baleno due to stupendous price-cuts also a good deal.

I also strongly suggest a look at Traveller's review to get an idea how costly it is to maintain & repair this car. Don't get shocked afterwards! :)