A good car in its range. Review on Ford Ikon

This is my first review of any car in my life. I purchased a ford Ikon 1.4 Litre diesel car by Sep 2009. I had researched a lot about which one to buy for more than an year.

I finally zeroed on this car for three main reasons,

1.) Budget (It came for 6.1L after corporate discount)

2.) To save on fuel and its Fiesta engine

3.) Its looks and its performance and its presence in India for more than 10 years.

I always had the likeness for Honda and Toyota cars, but had to go in for Ikon for the above said reasons.

Prior to choosing this car I had checked the Dzire and Logan..Dzire has less space for rear seat boot and its looks were not impressive, whereas Logan has the taxi brand.

Till now the car has run for 4000 Kms. 2 long trips one to Ooty and another to Kancheepuram near Chennai.

This car is a good one to drive and its performance is quite well even at top speeds. I have touched a maximum of 130 Km and the control of the vehicle is good.It was great to drive in ooty for its superb drive control in such hilly areas. It lacks the features like air bags and ABS and hence I would not suggest to go at very high speeds to have a maximum risk compared to other vehicles which has such options.The first service of the vehicle is completed.It has good ground clearance for our high rise bumps in cities these days.

One bad thing that I have noted is regarding A/C . I was knowing about such an issue in Ikon even before buying.But after 4 months of driving I got the A/C problem which was sorted by my dealer (Lathangi Ford , Bangalore). There was some manufacturing defect in the A/C coolant tube the dealer said.I asked why Ford has not fixed this long standing issue, and he said Ford will fix this issue soon as it has agreed to do it.

I am getting around 20 KMs in city with an average speed of 50KM and usage of limited A/C in city. I am lucky to use a road where I am not struck up in traffic and hence the result. I am not sure if this is a good mileage without A/C. The vehicle has got good pickup.The notable thing is the noise of diesel engine which is understood. I have to bear this one for the mileage.In highway I haven't checked the mileage yet and hence will not be able to tell at this point of time.

To be frank, I used to get tempted when seeing other cars cruising at 80 to 100Km/hr. But I used to control myself with 50Km/hr for the mileage. Its a good family car apart from its cons like old car and no advanced features. I had spent another 40 k on the vehicle for the music system, rear spoiler, side skirts to get a sporty look, seat covers, remote trunk release.

Overall am satisfied with this vehicle.I still have to see how this vehicle will perform over the years. The spare parts of this car has reduced a lot and is less than Dzire as per the chart from Ford.Ford may not match regarding the dealer N/W compared to Maruti and Hyundai. But it has better road side assistance these days compared to its earlier days.I see most of the users complaining about Ford regarding its service. Till now am satisfied with my dealer to an extent and hope they provide such a service in future as well.