Ford Ikon or Swift

[isacM]

Hi All


I am bit confused between Ikon and swift , I live in bangalore and this is my first car . I like the design ,build and ride quality of Ikon but worried about its maintenance and resale value [also abt using a sedan in blore traffic ]. Is it worth buying a Ikon now or should I look at something else ?

I am also planning to put a carputer [car pc] in my car , did any body tried carputer in Ikon? Would highly appreciate if you can share ur exp , Thanks

[benbsb29]

IsacM, for details regarding my ownership experience with the Ikon Flair, please visit my thread on the same, at the link provided below in my signature. Any specific queries on the same, i shall answer there.

[WhiteKnight]

Originally Posted by isacM

I am also planning to put a carputer [car pc] in my car , did any body tried carputer in Ikon? Would highly appreciate if you can share ur exp

Weird are the ways of IT folks!! Only think I like to do with computers is to play games

If you plan to install carputer (whatever) for sat navigation, better go for a specific GPS equipment.

[theMAG]

The only grey area is if the Ikon will be around in another 5 years time. That apart its still a great car to own and is the all-rounder between the two. Buy the Swift only if you dont have space requirements.

[gemithomas]

The Ikon has been the Drivers car for years. In case you want space, good driving posture, a boot, go for the ikon.

If you dont mind the space and the price, take the swift and enjoy the A.S.S of Maruti.

[snaronikar]

Boss, go with Ikon......It's a good car. Even I'am buying the same from my brother. If you choose Swift, it should be DDiS. Or wait till another 3 months, you will have swift sedan.......

[Tiger]

I dont think swift sedan will be launched in next 3 months, Maruti are having capacity constraint.
Any day Swift is better as it will have better resale value, better service & less head ache.
Ikon is in its last stage of its life(1999 launch). India is the only country where it is being made. Its resale value is pathetic. Within 2 yrs it will depreciate by >50%.
If you are not using boot so much. go for Swift.. no 2nd thought on that.

[rocksterraghu]

Originally Posted by isacM

I am bit confused between Ikon and swift , I live in bangalore and this is my first car . I like the design ,build and ride quality of Ikon but worried about its maintenance and resale value [also abt using a sedan in blore traffic ]. Is it worth buying a Ikon now or should I look at something else ?

I am also planning to put a carputer [car pc] in my car , did any body tried carputer in Ikon? Would highly appreciate if you can share ur exp , Thanks

If it is just city use and minimal boot space requirement, get the swift - much better A.S.S and resale.

About the carputer, you can visit the ICE section, where DIY threads discuss quite a few of them. Here is a link to that section:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/diy-do-yourself/

[raghutk]

In my opinion you should go in for swift.
Here are the reason's which includes both pro's and con's
1. Very good drivers car. (Ikon-Swift)
2. Good FE.(swift)
3. After sales support from Maruti(unmatched with ford).
4. Brand image.(Swift)
5. Resale value.(swift)
6. Ikon has no more 1.6 so lack of power.
7. Ikon is outdated. My family had a tough time to find one good used Ikon for my brother and he finally chose to buy a used accent.
8. Very expensive ford service and spares.

[anachronix]

Isac,

Any time you want to buy a Swift... buy the DDiS LDi. Good VFM. Its very good in FE.

If you dont want a diesel then i would say Ikon to be 100% of a car

1. Good driver's car. - Ikon (No doubts in that)
2. Comfortable seats with good Thigh support. - Ikon
3. Enough leg room for 3 passengers on the rear seat which Swift completely lacks. - Ikon
4. Boot space! (Boot capacity of Swift is less compared to other cars in that segment) - Ikon
5. A.S.S for Ford is slightly on the higher side compared to Swift. But the build quality is much better than the Swift.
(E.g: You can notice a number of Swift/WagonR on the road with back cover of the outside rear view mirror missing. And the mirror costs the same as that of the Ikon. So you will notice very negligible price difference on the spares)

[amohit]

@isacM,
Testdrive ikon and swift. and i am sure you'll see for yourself who is the clear winner.
Swift will be more peppier, but once when you sit in ikon, there will be no swift.(it happened to me, i'm sure will happen to you too..)

[isacM]

Just an update , I saw an Ad for Accent at 4.99 [ex showroom ] in bangalore . Is it worth considering ..


Thanks all for the quick replies

[Jaguar]

Good that you started this thread Isac, infact I had started the a thread about the same 2 cars a couple of days ago. But it never surfaced (Mods are you listening?). But now that you have started this, I guess I don't have to start a new one again.

When you talk about the Ikon and Swift the one major difference all the previous posts misses out is the waiting period. While the Ikon is readily available, that is not the case with Swift (atleast not in bangalore where both of us are). Here is what some dealers have to say:

Mandovi:-
Lxi - 3 Months???
Vxi - 4 Months
Vxi with ABS - Don't even think about it - No Booking
DDIS - 4-6 Months
Zxi - Ready but only sky blue (as of today)

Pratham:-
Lxi, Vxi/ABS - 3 Months
Zxi - Only silky silver (3 months for others)
DDIS - No Booking

So, go for the swift only if you are ready to wait Or if you have some good contacts.

Another factor is that Ikon comes with a lot of discounts while Swift has none. This should not be the prime criteria for choosing the Ikon though.

Let us know what you decide. And do remember to take a TD of both before making the decision. (Well I my case, even that doesn't seem to help as I like both the cars very much). Anyways I'd be taking a call by this week. Maybe we can go together and get some good deal what say?

Cheers
- Jag

[nitrous]

From a reliable Ford insider:
Success or Failure, a Ford model in India will have a minimum life-cycle of 10 years.
So, U're good to go till 2009.

[akshat]

Really good to see so many Ikon supporters here. To be frank when i bought (or to be honest got gifted ) my Ikon, I was not very sure about the car, but it was the only car with boot under my budget. But its been almost 3 years now and everyday I love this car a little bit more. Well yes spares are costly but the build is awesome and since the car has been around for 8 years now all local mechanics know how to repair it.

I agree the 1.3 rocam cannot be compared to 1.6 but once inside the car it is so confidence inspiring that pushing it to its limits feels like an obligation rather than a challenge.

If you are planning to buy a petrol then Ikon it is.