I am a Tata Indica owner. Have driven Esteem, Santro, Premier118NE & maruti800 on previous ownerships. I did an extensive + intensive research on various models and manufacturers below the 5 lac segment. Man these days many choices gets your head spinning. I started off with i10, beat, punto, vista and even peeped into the new wagonR. All have their own plus and minus. Yet my aim was to have a good, value car, spacious for 5, with good reliability, decent comfort, good AC, useful add-on features like MP3 with USB, mobile hookup,
Having gone through the grind of tata and maruti products I wanted to try a fresh built for India model.
COOL FIGO from Chennai was a breath of fresh air great pricing. Team-bhp was a good source of info with its good reviews, test drives, ownership and initial drive reports. I test drove some of these cars and shortlisted FIGO on many aspects like good space, decent driving comfort, great boot space, fine music system, attractive build, nice colors, easy gear shift and ergonomics, foldable rear seats.
Turnoffs were the absence of rear power windows, position of the boot opener, left to right swapping of wiper and turn signal controls, coral red dash; but an ebony black option was a way out. Mileage in petrol has to be seen in the long run. For a reliable build after sales service wont pose many issues if ford gets their spares prices right. diesel is a sure winner while petrol is a balanced buy.
I have booked a 1.2L petrol ZXi...the waiting is more than 40 days which I hope ford cuts down...This is really testing me.. will keep you all posted on further developments!.