I own the following cars:-
accord
innova
I have in the past owned esteem, accent, m800. I have extensively driven in almost every indian vehicle on road and abroad (no pun). So I think I am qualified to write on the figo.
I was looking for the following qualities in a car meant for city, to be driven by my wife and daughter:-
economical and diesel. Spacious for 4 large people, good ac.
Fit for driving and parking by ladies in congested cities. Reasonable boot for that trip to the airport or rail. good highway skills.
i value the indian customers penchant for buying stuff thats great vfm. so I needed a car where 99% indians agreed that it was a good buy.
style quotient not very important.
practical and no nonsense approach to motoring.
i tested and evaluated many options.
i thought ritz was a good option though swift is a proven vehicle. but I found ritz too congested and the swift too common.moreover I thought a 1300 cc engine would not produce good cooling in indian summers.
i dont trust fiat and I think tata products are still evolving. a tata taxi may be good to ride but not good to drive by a gal.
i found polo handsome but too expensive (petrol), and too cramped, and the engine too small.
i10 is good but petrol and i20 too expensive, with a long waiting period.perhaps i20 is a befitting vehicle for diesel and would be a good second choice for me , but for the wait.
i thought micra was too small, though very stylish.the diesel option should be great but not for a family of four tall people who like to sprawl.maybe ok for a college gang.
i wasn’t looking at petrol sedans so , honda city, corolla etc are not being discussed here , though fantastic vehicles. honda jazz is very jazzy but underpowered, seriously. they have kept the engine at 1200cc to avoid duties but seriously compromised the quality of drive , city driveability , overtaking, and can be quite dangerous in a tricky situation. in fact all above mentioned cars have 1200 cc petrol engines that cause serious driving power problems. you cant even overtake a rickshaw with confidence.
so I went for the most awarded and sold car in india - the figo.
this car is practical, packs in my family in great comfort. its as cool to drive as sit in the backseat. I love its stereo and blutooth connectivity with my phone. its very economical and gives me a range of 550 km on full tank of diesel costing 1400 rs. these days since the car keeps idling with ac on, I guess in winters or highways it should return at least another 75km. anyways I fill up well before empty.
the car is powerful and the ac gives me a bad cold.even on the hottest days.
the ride is stiff and suspension good on lousy roads.it has the same engine as fiesta so its really powerful. since the car has to cool a very small space, the ac is super.
my wife is very happy driving it in delhi and it parks easily and moves in heavy traffic without much of a bother.
you are not even driving a cheap tata so no egos are bruised.
i have a red color which the youngsters rave about.
you want a great, practical, economical, value product - go for figo (zxi is good vfm).