Sep 30, 2002 12:11 AM
4239 Views
(Updated Sep 30, 2002 01:28 PM)
Dad I must say is a great performer, a power manager as the company took away our small car – the Maruti 800 and replaced it with the Ford Ikon 1.3.
Ford Ikon 1.3 looks reasonably good, especially the one I have (hey hey). If you look and Garfield and Goldfish you can guess that cats and fish can’t co-exist. Just look at Ikon and you would be surprised. The front looks like a fish pout and the lights look like cat eyes. Great combi! The sides are pretty normal like any other sedan though not as bulging as a Sienna. The rear is a wee bit disappointing. The tail lights are on extreme edges with a slight extension on the sides and a peek at the top. See the car from a distance and you can see that it slopes upwards from front to rear. Note that this factor makes reversing a bit difficult.
The Interiors are extraordinary considering that it is not a luxury sedan and that it is a budget car. The upholstery and dashboard are pretty normal. But the Leg Space is real good both on the front side as well as the rear. On the front because the glove box is pushed back and on the rear I would attribute it to the seat angles that provides a good back rest and the seats slightly rise on he front side, tending the push us back. It has seat belts on both front and rear. From a drivers perspective the seat position and the front view is just perfect. The dials are all clearly visible and the steering wheel is the best part that adds up to the Josh. The leg reach for the brakes and accelerator is reasonably good but then both dad and me are above 5’ 7” tall. I have a feeling that shorter guys may face some problem especially while reversing. The AC is nice and cool, with reasonably uniform cooling in the entire space.
But where it excels is the Performance. Turn the key and hear the engine come alive. This is where the real Josh begins. The idling of Engine is smooth. The car wheels gently out of our building gate, a look on left and right – no car in sight, step on the gas and it darts on the road. The gear shifts smoothly without any jerk, which of course depends on how you release the clutch. Josh machine is solid fun to drive on the Palm Beach Road, then a long stretch from Haji Ali to Worli, Highways and well the supreme Mumbai-Pune Expressway.
The sedan is responsive to quick start/stop a requirement that characterizes the city driving. But with all that Josh there is a lot on the flip side. Firstly it has 2 valves per cylinder unlike most others with 4 valves. The Engine is only 1300 cc, 4 cylinder that produces only some 55-60 bhp. You readily feel the difference as a Honda City, the Ikon 1.6 or at worst times, even a Santro whizzes by, while the Ikon 1.3 struggles to cross 140 Kph. The pickup too is hampered and it takes 18 to 20 sec for the needle to touch 100. The Fuel Efficiency is lower than the Esteem 1.3 and it gives around 9.5 kpl and with AC on around 8-9 kpl for city driving but around 11-12 kpl on highways.
Talking of Maintenance, I would say that it is virtually maintenance free. Of course dad gets it serviced once a year (at company’s cost…hee hee), but it has faced no major problems to date i.e. slightly above 2 years now.
To sum it up, I would say that it is a good car for a company to give it to their employees or a good buy for the budget conscious. For pure thrills, enthusiasts should look elsewhere like the 1.6 versions.
