The Indian car market is flooded with plenty of makes and models in all segments and consumers are literally spoilt for choices - this is a cliche AND it is hard to say if this is a boon or a bane.
They say "Ignorance is bliss" and an average buyer would ask a few questions like "1.What’s the mileage(kmpl)" 2. "How about service backup" and "3.How about resale value?" before buying a car. No wonder the Maruti’s rule the market as their cars get a’tick’ mark on all these checkpoints.
But it is the’informed’ buyers who are in a pitiable state as they find it really hard to make their minds on the car that they want to plonk their money in. Since you are reading this review, I assume that you fall under Category 2 - Informed buyer:)
Good car vs Bad car:
There is no such thing as a good or a bad car. Whether a car is good or bad depends upon what the customer WANTS in their car and how the car under consideration fares against its competitive offerings
What I needed in MY Car:
I am a person who takes frequent outstation trips with an quarterly usage of about 4k-5k km. Hence I needed a diesel hatch with the requirements stated below:
Space good enough to accommodate 5 people
Good boot space - comes in handy during long travels
High performance AC - I am from Chennai!
Reasonably powerful engine - I was not looking for a pocket rocket!
Budget of max 6 lacs OTR Chennai+ or - 20k
Other CARS considered, what’s GOOD in them and why I chose to DROP them:
No offence to owners of these cars - this was my personal decision given my requirements
Fiat Punto:
- Killer looks - HOT looking hatch, SOLID build, free extended warranty and RSA on offer
- Lack of service backup, unimpressive performance(engine), lack of interior space / storage
TATA Vista
- Best value for money in the segment - loads of features on offer for what you pay, ’Sofa like’ rear bench which can easily accommodate 3 adults
- Looks and Taxi image, frequent niggles reported by existing owners
MARUTI SUZUKI Swift D
- Well established in the market, Looks good, Driver oriented and good steering feedback
- Insane waiting periods, pricey - you dont get what you pay for, not a proper 5 seater
Toyota Liva
- Excellent suspension set up - soaks up all pot holes, comfortable 5 seater
- Interiors was a serious let down, coarse engine note when revved hard, pricey!
Hyundai i20
- Premium interiors, powerful engine, oodles of interior space, comfortable 5 seater
- Exhorbitantly pricey, Lack of feedback in steering, audacious sales associates
Renault Pulse
- Amazing engine - almost petrol like in performance!, very fuel efficient too!
- Pricey, looks were just OK for me, not a proper 5 seater
Volkswagen Polo
Looks - Truly European, upmarket interiors
Expensive on maintenance, unwelcome 5th occupant in rear bench, coarse engine, Pricey!
As you could see, I had seriously considered every product in this segment and extensively test drove all of these before I narrowed down to Figo. And except TATA Vista and FIAT Punto Dynamic, all other cars were pricey IMHO and the primary reason why I turned them down.
What I like about Figo: in addition to meeting MY requirements stated above
Bone chilling A/C - best for hot cities as in Chennai
Good driver visibility - driver could see the bonnet and is a boon for ladies
Anti stall feature in engine - you cannot stall the engine unless you’make an effort’;)
Excellent OEM music system - you wont need to spend on an upgrade
Superb steering feedback - an average buyer may find this to be’hard’ though
Sporty suspension set up giving you confidence in corners - though a bit on the harsh side
No turbo lag - making it a boon in city driving conditions
Looks - Figo is neither dull nor aggressive in looks and this compliments my personality
Ergonomics - Like most Fords, Figo is a driver-centric car and I love it when I am behind the steering wheel
What could’ve been better in Figo:
Rear windows are manual(not powered even in the top end Titanium version)
Clattery diesel engine(though it settles down with AC and music on)
Lack of outright power especially in the top range - pointless revving after 3000 RPM
Low ground clearance(addressed by upgrading to higher profile tires and 35psi tire pressure)
Interiors - some people feel that interiors are not very plush, though I am ok with it
My ownership experience so far:
Reliability:
This car has been serving me very well so far in about 2yrs 3mnths of ownership experience as of Feb’14 and has done about 37, 000 KM on the odometer. I drive with AC on 100% of the time. The only problem that I have faced is the AC that conked off but was fixed under warranty. No other niggles whatsoever until now - touch wood
Fuel efficiency:
My city - highway usage pattern is 30% - 70% respectively. The best figures in terms of fuel efficiency is 20 kmpl with a cruise in highways with speeds under 90 kmph. With speeds of 100 to 120 Kmph, you can expect a FE of 16 to 18 kmpl
Depending upon the traffic conditions, driving style and time of commute you can expect an FE of 13 to 16 kmpl in the city. I usually drive in lean traffic period in city and get 16 Kmpl consistently.
Service center:
The service center experience has been good so far with Chennai Ford in Chennai. I haven’t had a problem booking an appointment with them. The service bills have also been reasonable and I havent seen Chennai Ford fleecing their customers. When I bought Figo, I saw a comparison table in Ford showroom which provided the service cost of other cars like Vista, Swift etc and claimed Figo to be a cheaper car to maintain; I guess I agree with this claim based on my personal experience.
Build quality:
This is one of the plus points in this car that is often ignored / seldom spoken about. Given the city I live in, there have been numerous occasions where bikes, even autos at times have banged into my car and I was surprised to note that there was no serious damage like dents. All that happened was the surface slightly scratched which has also been removed using a thinner.
The bumpers are flexible type which take the impact and dont break easily. The tail lamps are "Christmas tree" type as they call and hence are on the upper portion of the rear of the car which means lesser chance of breaking when rear ended by cars, autos and bikes.
Conclusion:
Ford Figo is one of the best cars the Indian market in the hatch back segment. It offers good value for the money as compared to other offerings in this segment. No wonder this product has given a new lease of life to Ford in India which was performing dismally before Figo’s entry.
People normally write off Ford cars in India as’expensive to maintain’, ’costly spares’ etc. without realizing that Ford has localized most of its spare sparts especially for Figo and hence it is pocket friendly on maintenance.
Finally, if you are looking for a diesel car with a budget of around 6 lacs, which has decent performance(power), does well city conditions, looks cool(not HOT), has spacious interiors and are not worried about resale value, you could safely put your money on the Figo and you will not regret it! I didn’t:)
Happy motoring!
Barani