The Ford Ikon had caught my fancy way back in early 2001 after its introduction in the Indian market, post phasing out of the Ford Escort. In due course of time, the car was seen as a successful vehicle for people who cared little for the maintenance expense and valued the car for the sheer love of driving a powerful vehicle.
By the time my 2000 model Santro being driven by me was close to 2.5 years old, I had decided to give the Ikon a fair assessment. I went over comparing the others in this segment with the Ikon, upon my dad’s suggestion. The ones I actively considered were the Maruti Esteem…..underpowered!! Hyundai Accent…….too bland!! Opel Corsa…...the gears were just not meant for me!! I have nothing against these cars. But fact of the matter was that I had already made up my mind to buy an Ikon. So the Ikon it was… fully loaded 1.6 Zxi., moondust silver. Driving it was like floating on cloud nine… or maybe ten…
My top level view on a Ford Ikon is in the pros & cons. For me it has been a good 3 years of wonderful driving with my Ford Ikon. Kill joys have been the inexperienced service center staff. However, good maintenance and careful driving has resulted in giving an average of 12 kmpl (good for a Ford vehicle)...my dad’s "keep that foot off the clutch" does still ring in my ears so very often.
My Ford Ikon has taken me to to Rohtang, Manali, Shimla, interiors of Rajasthan, Punjab and a host of other places with no problems whatsoever. The vehicle is stable even at high speeds with a firm grip on the road, and the driver being in full command of the vehicle.
From the viewpoint of a person who does not look under the hood everyday some highlights of the 1.6 Ikon :
+ives
Excellent pick up – you can see an entire line of cars struggling far behind after a stop light, in the rear view mirror
Excellent Air conditioning – chills the interiors completely in just 3 minutes on a hot summer day. Though there is a definite reduction in power with the AC on
Excellent stability even at high speeds and on bad roads
Light, manouvreable steering Fairly good Average of 12 in city conditions and 14.5-15 on highway running
Good bumper to cushion mild to mild+ bangs
Spacious front and ample leg room for passengers; big boot
-ives
Somewhat low seating
Below average interiors and plastic mouldings in drab grey
Quality of factory fitted music system is average
Sloping rear shelf distorts rear view
Coming from a woman this love for cars is often treated with a lot of cynical amusement. But my love for automobiles dates back to my infanthood. As a baby, whenever I cried, a short drive was all that was required to lull me to sleep. Till I started going to nursery school, I ate my breakfast in my dad’s Fiat or my grandad’s Standard Herald (being fed by my mother while I busily tried to rotate the steering wheel of the parked car). As a child, I would carefully inspect vehicles parked in our neighbourhood and occassionally tinker with the ones in our own garage. I secretly dreamt of modifying Ashok Leyland trucks and buses. In college, while my friends dated guys, I was perpetually in love with one or the other machine on wheels.
As of now, after driving the Ikon for close to 3 years, the bug has bitten me again to feel the whirr of a new engine…to smell a new car.
Honda City has launched the ZX series……Tata Safari has brought in the Dicor…..Ford too has launched the Fiesta. Who knows what catches my fancy next. However, I will always love my Ikon.
Signing out…SM