A DATE IN THE EVENING...
It was a pleasant August evening and me and my gang were playing trump-cards sitting on the lawn. The mood was upbeat as 6 families had packed their bags for a 5-day blast at Nainital. After a few boring plays, my eyes wandered towards our driveway—one family was still to arrive. I stood up and went to stare out of the gate. Something struck my eye...A small maroon dot maybe...I adjusted my spectacles and strained myself to have a look..there it was, a sensuous maroon Ikon was driving straight towards our house. Before I knew, it was at the gate.
At first, I was lost in its beauty...as it was standing on the other side of the gate...my eyes scrolled from its large air-dam and to the catty head-lights and a swooping bonnet...definitely I was turned on (??)...till chowkidar shook me...”Beta, Gaadi ko andar to aane do”...The gate opened and in came my beauty. My eyes again swivelled at the swooping fat C-pillar that gave way to an awesome-looking boot..I was floored!
Kapoor Uncle (from Amritsar) got down and said “Kaise Ho Sunny Beta?” I was so lost in my car-dreams that I blurted out “Uncle, can I park the car?” I wanted to get inside it so badly. He stared amusingly at me “I thought we had planned to start at 6 pm. Its already 6:30. I’ll go inside and call everyone, right!” No answer. I felt like stepping on his feet..so mean of him. I turned away from the car, but somehow, I could hear it (?) calling me “Come on, Drive me”...I controlled myself and tried not to look back.
Time to go. With suitcases tucked in the boots, the boys were given the Honda City, and I was chosen to be at the wheel, what with my clean driving career (I never ever had an accident, touchwood!). As I was swinging the keys of my favourite girl-friend (City), the new-found babe was standing right behind still pinching me with her eyes. I stood there, still.
My throat went dry, the heart started beating at an unimaginable pace and eyes became watery...I wanted to drive it, at any cost. Just as I was standing, a tap on the shoulder woke me up. It was Kapoor Uncle. He stretched his hand out and gave me the key to his Ford Ikon “Take care of your new girlfriend”..Atleast there was somebody who understood my passion for cars, eh! Delighted, I gave him a big hug, rushed to the Ikon, and cosseted myself in the driver’s chair. Everything felt so light, and new. Uncle’s son told me they had bought it just one day ago. The car ‘smelt’ of upholstery and insence. I clicked on the key, and vroom...I was greeted by a growl. I knew there was some real fun instore for me.
A LOOK INSIDE...
The steering felt a bit heavy at first, but lightened as soon as the car’s speedo showed 10 kmh. The Ikon I was driving was a top-end 1.6 Zxi (fitted with a 1600cc ROCAM mill) model. For its price, I felt it had not much to offer. No CD player, just a vague-sounding tape-deck, and one look at the upholstery, and you’ll find that even Santro uses better material at 2 lacs less. The dashboard wasn’t the usual classy stuff either, and I found it way too plasticky for my liking. The light grey colour only added to my groans. What Ikon did have was space. And that too in aplenty. The front seats had all the right curves at the right places, and retained the passengers during a sharp turn. Though hard, the rear-seats were undoubtedly one of the best. It actually had the space which even our old Amby could find hard to compete with.
The A.C. was just about okay and ditto for the boot space, but the gear-lever was an absolute delight—it felt like cutting semi-melted butter with a knife.
LOVE ITS HEART...
After a good look around, we were on the highway. The engine, as I said, was a 1600cc mill which though sounded somewhat measly on paper what with just 91bhp of power for 1500 rpm, but it was a complete blast on the road. One blip at the throttle, and this mean machine surges forward with numbing speed. The tuning between the car and the engine is so good, that at no time it fails to impress the driver. Gear-changing is another activity which you’ll indulge in the Ikon. I can go on and on, but in word, Ikon seriously doesn’t have any competition when it comes to driver’s appeal. Its just so full of boy-racerish attitude, that you’ll find it almost impossible to drive slow.
A U-TURN AT 100 KMH...POSSIBLE!!!
What further accentuates this Ford’s performance is its superb chassis and suspension settings. On the long drive to Nainital, it was difficult even for Dad to catch me with his Honda City, let alone Santro, Baleno, Astra and Lancer (the other mean beasts.). I was completely bowled by the Ikon’s handling, and not because it was neutrally obedient (like the City), but because of the feedback that the car gave to the driver, adding volumes to the fun factor. The steering makes this car an absolute cream to manoeuvre. On the ride front, Ikon falters a bit at slow speeds (much because its tweaked for the enthusiast), but at high speeds it does have the stability to touch 150 kmh and above. Wind-noise and tyre-roar is again not very impressive, and after 15-20 minutes of a heavy right foot, the drone of the wind does bother you.
BAD DRINKING HABITS...
So, do I have to talk about the fuel-efficiency as well, huh? Alright, believe me, in the 300-350 kms that I drove the Ikon, the average didn’t nudge over 10 kmpl (city and highway combined, with A.C. on). Of course, if you can control yourself and stay away from pushing the accelerator pedal in the Ikon, you can manage 12-13 kmpl, which is just okay.
SAFE BUT....
Safety is one area that Ford has addressed and with a three star rating at the Euro NCAP, you can feel assured in the Ikon. Though at its price, absence of air-bags and other safety goodies is highly superficial.
Kapoor Uncle said that his experience with many of the dealerships wasn’t that encouraging. During buying, there were no discounts offered, and service times were awful. Also, spare-part prices keep fluctuating between dealerships and the mechanics seldom do know what they are doing. Also, communication between the dealer and the customer is awful.
TIME FOR GOODBYE
After experiencing the Ikon for 5 hours and 350 kilometers, the time had come to say good-bye. When I got down and handed over the keys to Uncle, I was doe-eyed. Attachment has that effect. As the car reversed and went out of the driveway, I stood there watching its boot and the red tail-lamps for what seemed like eternity. Two clicks suddenly awoke me. It was Mom. “I know you liked that car, Papa will buy it once we go to London, allright!” As promised, I was welcomed with a Ford Fiesta in London, but that commands another review for another love affair of mine.
A LOVER’S OPINION..
Overall, Ikon is the car for those with a heart. Its the stuff boys are made of. Mean-looking, it leaves an impression and with performance and handling that can shy away even the Indian rally cars, its one of the best Indian automobiles when talking of attitude. For its sheer driver appeal, no car holds a candle to the Ikon, and if you are on a lookout for a machine that will pump up your testosterone levels, don’t look any further. All others with a head, go in for the Hyundai Accent please.
For a more professional advise, refer to the comments please...and do comment if time permits...
And for a glance of this mean-machine check out the brilliant website: https://india.ford.com
