Vrrrrrrrrrrooooooooooooommmm…..U heard that…that’s my car….

Well!!! This site has helped me in terms of deciding “Ford Ikon Flair” is really a good car. Thanks to one and all to mouthshut.com team. Before I decide upon any car, I read all possible reviews about the “flair” right from AUTOCAR INDIA, BS MOTORING, CYBERSTEERING, and INDIACAR to OVERDIRVE. Being an automobile engineer, I have a special interest (nut) in reading/reviewing about the new technologies and development in automobile industry. So searched a lot… thought a lot…calculated a lot…and finally zeroed down to “Ford Ikon Flair” coz of several reasons…

1.     My dream car(decided to go for FORD vehicles 2 yrs back itself)
2.     Stunning sporty look
3.     The engineering
4.     Great value for money
5.     Fair Mileage, Great Handling
6.     Mind blowing acceleration/pick up when u hit the gas

I bought my first car, Panther Black Flair ( Fully loaded) on 17th Nov, 2005 for 5.62 lacs. It’s a great feeling to own such a BIG and muscular car. After the purchase, I went out with family to Horanadu(a temple place in Karnataka) for 2 days trip. Covered almost 850kms at an average speed 90-100kmph. I am quite satisfied with the performance of the JOSH machine.…absolute zero engine noise.. no hassles in overtaking…very responsive… great handling(with just one hand on steering wheel) in its class…

‘Flair’ comes with fully power everything, all power windows, power steering, power brakes, central locking(opt), classy interiors, good looks in its class, handles like a sports car, engine fairly smooth, though 1.3 does seem little underpowered with AC on inside city, but once you learn to work through the gears can manage to keep your self ahead of the traffic, highway is no issues and very comfortable cruiser, the only main concern I had was fuel efficiency before buying, but in the last 1 month of ownership and over 1000 kms driven inside city with AC, consistently getting 11-12 kmpl which should improve slightly after intial services. Highway trip gave 14+.

Engine, Gearbox And Performance:
Design of ROCAM engine is at its best. The Engine is addictive!!! The ROCAM engine is Amazingly Strong and Powerful. You can always see the Tachometer Flying. It is extremely Fast and Zippy. You can easily see the other cars trailing you through your rear view mirror after you start at traffic signals. It can reach to speeds in excess of 125 km/hr without any strain of any sort. Acceleration is brisk and you will be propelled ahead of the crowd in no time.
The Gearbox is Very Sporty and you will Enjoy every little shift you make on this Beast.

Boot space:
Its great, it fits in 2 international luggages on top of eachother which wont happen in a Merc C180, however increased boot height results in poor reversing visibility, so need to be used to looking at rear view mirrors to get a better idea. Paint job is great, color choices is quite wide.

Comfort and Suspension:
Well you can hardly complain about the comfort and the ride quality ford provides you as it’s simply a class where it should be for mid size car. What I mean is that the front and rear seats are extremely comfortable, especially the rear ones, they can accommodate 3 persons with ease. The cabin inside is very roomy and not cramped like what you would feel inside other cars in the same segment. The AC is simply awesome it really cools the cabin in no time. The best part about the AC is that it’s got a dedicated vent for the rear seat passengers.

Tips for bargaining:
Rule is …Bargain as much as you want. You can get Discounts as well as Freebies. You will have to Bargain with them and the good bargainer will be extremely rewarded. The dealers are willing to give you lot of discounts but unless u bargain for it. I got a SONY 2210 CD/MP3 Player (worth rs.9000/-) free with JOSH kit which comes with Blaupunkt Cassette player. Also I got antenna kit and 350watts 2 rear speakers in place of 52 Watts. It rocks and rolls on the road when I hit the high volume. Again, not to mention, one year insurance free + 10,000 cash discount (Corporate offer). Approximately I got discount Rs. 45K+.

Dealer:
The Sales and Service department of Ford India is Excellent. The Sales people in Showrooms are very good and are genuinely Co-Operative. In fact I wanted my flair to be delivered on 17thNov, 2005 before 10:30 morning ( coz my dad wanted ). Cauvery Ford, Bangalore made all possible efforts to get the things done within that time. And there… my blacky flair was standing with fully loaded and ready to take off. Ford India has the Industry best delivery timing and you may get your car in not more than 4-5 days. I got mine on the 4th day after booking!!!

You will Love this car for sure and you will always be longing to hear its Sweet engine Revving!!

Purchase Price (INR):	5,62000
Dealer Name and City:	Cauvery Ford, Bangalore
Model Year:	No Comment