Ford Figo TDCi Titanium Nine months and 20,000 Kms of falling in Love

[dhanushmenon]

I was working in Goa last year and it was with a fury that the monsoons lashed itself onto the state of sun, sand and sea.
Once it started, there was no stopping and soon it was pouring like the end of Universe. It did not require Einsteins brain nor astro physics logics to soon figure out that Goa during monsoons was also the land of SLUSH!!!. Also dawned the realisation that if i were to survive my daily work schedule with 'dignity' I will require a car for commute. The heading: 'Car' which was relegated in my wishlist until October suddenly shot up in priority and within no time, i was diving head long into the research process and test drives.

Many kilometres of test drives,hours of surfing and midnight oil burnt on car magazines later, I finally crash landed on my choice of Ford Figo TDCi Titanium. The insights i got from the ownership reviews in team BHP, their views and opinions were all worth its weight in gold all through out the process of decision making to the final purchase by end July.

The main reasons i bought Figo:
1) I am a 6 footer and i wanted legroom up front and at the same time did not want to cramp rear seat passenger comfort.
2) Hatchback practicality with decent boot space. Wanted a car which can squeeze into tight spots
3) The TDCi engine was a delight and fell in love with it from the word go.
This was one department where Figo galloped way ahead of competition. No turbolag at all. To top it all, it had a sporty and involving drive and could chug it in and around corners at will. The gear ratios and steering feel are spot on.
4) Decent economy, amazing drive and the host of features it came with at the price. The competition just ran out of steam when it came to VFM.

Having said that, i will get to the main topic- Nine months and 20,000 kms of the Figo experience. Many keyboards would have already broken discussing the features of the car and its pros & cons.
So, I will leave that un touched and only deal with things which propped up on the long run.

1)FUEL ECONOMY


0- 5000 Kms Highway- 21 Kmpl City/ Moderate Traffic- 17 Kmpl OVERALL- 18 Kmpl
5- 10,000 Kms Highway- 22 Kmpl City/ Moderate Traffic- 17.5 Kmpl OVERALL- 19 kMPL
10- 20,000 Kms Highway- 21 (10- 15,000 Kms)/ 19 (15- 20,000 Kms) City/ Moderate Traffic- 17 Kmpl OVERALL- 17.5 Kmpl

Note: The mileage was calculated by full tank- full tank menthod. Corrected to the nearest 0.5 kms


2)WEAR AND TEAR

a) Stood well to wear and tear. Weathered out almost all kinds of terrain without a glitch including high ranges, high moisture content atmosphere, bad roads, ugly roads, sea spray and rain.
b) Sturdily built. I wasn't expecting the car to be built like battle tanks nor was i expecting it to be flimsy. However, I was pleasantly surprised with the build quality. Had quite a few occassions when 'sister vehicles' who were sharing the road solidly nudged me even on side frames and doors, but left no scratch or dents whatsoever
c) The colour of the car did not fade (which i was horribly afraid of with the Colorado Red) even after exposure to varied elements and conditions over extended periods. Eg: Sea spray, rain, extended exposure to sun etc

3)After Sales Services

Though not of excellent standards to write home about, it has been okay on broader terms. I have dealt with three different service centres for my three different servicings- Ahmedabad, Cochin and Goa. Cochin was the better of the lot, but the other two was not not bad either.So, I maintain 'Even Stevens' on this.

4)Cost of Maintenance

Other than standard scheduled servicing charges, Nil Relevant. Well, on after thought, it is pertinent to mention that I had to change to sets of front mud flaps. The plastic mud flaps are a complete misfit in the package. First of all, the car is low slug with next to minimal ground clearance and then you fit it with plastic mud flaps which more often than not keep scraping along any credible hump it traverses. “Ford... What were you thinking???”

WHAT FORD COULD IMPROVE UPON

a) The car could definitely do with company fitted USB in music system rather than push it down the throat as an add on. And that too at a cost more than 10 times the actual cost. Customers definitely feel cheated and robbed of their money. Dont know why Ford dishes out such a good deal in the pricing of the car and then wipe out the smile from the faces with such silly things
b) Stock headlights just wouldnt suffice for Indian driving conditions. Doesn't instill the confidence in you to drive through into deep dark roads.
c) Ground clearance. Biggest bane in the car IMHO. We are in India, not in US. “Ford, Come on guys...”
d) The stock tinted glass is just a namesake. It doesnt do anything. Leave the car under sun and you can welcome yourself into an oven when you return. The large windscreen area lets in a lot of solar energy. A quality sunfilm is highly recommended. Plus, tinted glasses increases trhe aesthetics and appeal of the car manifold.
e) The rear end of the car could have been a tad bit higher in dimension. Though it has a lot of space inside, from outside it looks small. My personal opinion. I know it will be different for different people. I also understand that the taper to the rear has been done to enhance the looks of the car. However, having said that, on the flip side, if the increase in dimension is to infuse body roll, i'd rather it remain the way it is.
f) If not alloy wheels for the top end, atleast the wheel caps could have been better. It looks rather drab now.

PROBLEMS FACED

a) Involuntary shut down of engine while rapid decelerations/ shifting down of gears- experienced it thrice
b) My A/C went on a lightning strike once on a long drive. Switched it off for some time and it came back online after some 90 minutes. As suggested by RGK, i checked up the condensor and found nothing wrong. The service technician also drew a long blank on the issue. Happened only once and am on a sharp look out for any abnormalities in A/C functioning.
c) Then the same old problems which are common with most Figos-
i)Ground clearance
ii)Broken mud flaps
iii)windows rolling down
iv)squeaking noise
Enough has already been said about these. So i leave it at that.

THE GOOD PART

1) Figo is as good on highways as it is on cities. Long drives had never been a problem and i always came out fresh after the drive.

2) Come rain, havoc, sandstorm or sunshine, Figo was always ready and revving to go. I never had a mysterious leak nor even the slightest reluctance for engine cranking. (Touchwood)

3) The seats are well shaped out and ergonomic. I had my doubts initially about the thigh support but it stood the test. The seating is low slung and the pedal well is quite accomodative. The 'pedal well space' and the sides are beautifully contoured out and designed to ensure that no parts of the central console or the door keeps jabbing at your legs inconveniently.

4) So, to put it on perspective, the car has performed well for the 20,000 Kms i drove it. It still speaks to me the same way it spoke to me the first day i drove it out of the show room. Have kept me happy whenever i drove past a fuel station whilst at the same time giving prime performance and drive quality. With the host of features it came with, space and the engine performance, Figo Titanium TDCi is a complete Value for money package to say the least

GAZING AT THE VIBRANT HORIZON....

Now that the car has weathered through its infancy and is on its prime, everything seems to be happy and lips are curved upwards. But gazing at the horizon of darkening clouds around the bend of South West Arabian Sea declaring the arrival of monsoons, i reckon it is gonna be testing time. Last year the low slung Figo saw me through quite comfortably in the monsoons in Goa from August onwards. However, with my fate set to be repositioned to Cochin by June, the thought of ground clearance and water logged roads has already started haunting my dreams. If you are even remotely aware of the unpredicatble lash of rain in Kerala and the pitiful state it brings the roads to, you can very well comprehend what i'm faced with.

I REST MY CASE...

[bluevolt]

Let me be the first to congratulate you for your Ford Figo. In fact it’s raining Figos all over team-bhp, several members owns this car. Wonderful review but please add pictures to complete your ownership report.
Take good care of her and keep the thread updated regularly.
Wishing you happy and safe driving.

[Ace F355]

Originally Posted by dhanushmenon

i bought Figo

Congrats on your new car! Figo seems to tick all right boxes for most and it reflects in its monthly sales across the country. It really is a VFM and no nonsense car! Waiting for the pics to come up.

Drive hard and drive safe!

[(Alok)]

Congratulation for new car, in my opinion except price tag FIGO is best in class. 20k kms on odo in only nine months is a well run. Keep posting.
If need one other hatchback today which one you will choose?

[SPIKE ARRESTOR]

Originally Posted by dhanushmenon

a) Involuntary shut down of engine while rapid decelerations/ shifting down of gears- experienced it thrice

This is serious, why did it happen? Did you report this to the service guys?

If you are even remotely aware of the unpredicatble lash of rain in Kerala and the pitiful state it brings the roads to, you can very well comprehend what i'm faced with.

Manasilaayi (understood ), very well written report Dhanush.

Spike

[figo_united]

Congratulations dhanushmenon.

Most of the the stuff you have mentioned are exactly my thoughts too, at the same point of ownership [20k in 9 months].
I guess more or less, every figo owner has similar thoughts.
Your FE figures are very good
Enjoy figoing, and wish you many more happy miles with it.

[Mustang.101]

Congrats on the car and your FE figures are awesome.

Have fun and drive safe.

[dhanushmenon]

Originally Posted by (Alok)

Congratulation for new car, in my opinion except price tag FIGO is best in class. 20k kms on odo in only nine months is a well run. Keep posting.
If need one other hatchback today which one you will choose?

Ahem... Did you just say "except for the price tag??". Sorry, i beg to differ. Rather, for the money you pay, which car gives you so many features? Rather, if you look at the competition for the top end version, except for Vista which will be some thousands cheaper, Figo is the cheapest.


Now, for the question of another hatchback, with the introduction of MJD 90 of Punto, the option is quite a dilemma. My choice would be such with respect to the various factors considered:
Engine: Punto (without doubt). What an amazing drive. Just cant equate it to words. Except for the pricing and the A.S.S of FIAT, Punto would've been the winner
A.S.S: Hyundai i 20
Features, space: again i 20, followed very closely by Figo
VFM: Figo

And at the end of the day, I'd still go with Figo. Its still a complete all round package. And maintaining it is an important factor i have to cater to. I ain't no Ambani. So i'd still stick to VFM

[dhanushmenon]

Originally Posted by SPIKE ARRESTOR

This is serious, why did it happen? Did you report this to the service guys?
Spike

Yes it is serious problem. The service guy gave me a stare as though I've slapped across his face. He then went about with a thorough checkup of the engine but could not get a result. Atlast he mentioned that it might me because of some peculiar driving conditions and washed his hands off.
This has been discussed in another thread. Check this: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...nshifting.html (FIGO TDCi: Car dies occasionally while downshifting!)

Originally Posted by Ace F355

Congrats on your new car! Figo seems to tick all right boxes for most and it reflects in its monthly sales across the country. It really is a VFM and no nonsense car! Waiting for the pics to come up.

Drive hard and drive safe!

Pics are soon on the way.I dont have my hard disk with me presently

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[dhanushmenon]

Posting some snaps of the car

The first 5 were taken on the initial two days of purchase
the rest two were taken recently

[Skyline GT-R]

Your report gives me an idea of what to expect in the coming months.

The last image is good & makes me wonder how will a yellow Figo look near some red flowers. Photoshoppers welcome.

[TheARUN]

Congratulations on your FIGO, albeit a few months late.

Never noticed a red FIGO before, this colour suits the car really well, the FIGO also looks awesome in black, there is this guy at office who has a black FIGO with chrome alloys, I'm always a few minutes late to work since he bought the car

[figo_mba]

Congrats on your figo.
Even I own a Colorado Red 1.4 Zxi figo (Aug2010). Have done 25,000kms and return me a mileage of 18-22kmpl.

The only problem I faced was the tray on my dashboard (where the titanium version has the airbags) is rattling now (can't blame it on figo though cos I have been driving through pretty bad roads in kerala lately).

Again utterly reliable. Come rain come sunshine it never fails to crank or has never got a leaky pipe.
the long drives are fun and refreshing on the figo.

Waiting for more updates from you. happy mile crunching.

[dhanushmenon]

Originally Posted by figo_mba

Congrats on your figo.
Even I own a Colorado Red 1.4 Zxi figo (Aug2010). Have done 25,000kms and return me a mileage of 18-22kmpl.

Cheers... So, i have another BHPian in Cochin with a car as old as mine. You seems to have munched in a lot lot more than others. 25,000 Kms in 10 months is some distance man.
why dont you consider writing a travelogue of the drives you have done in on your figo. ( i safely presume that you have traveled to quite some places to have clocked in 25000 Kms).

I actually can't comment on the noise from the tray. I haven't yet been put to the mercy of Kerala roads as i haven't yet moved into kerala(Man, i dread those days which are just round the corner).

Have seen your activity in the quick meet thread at Cochin too. Hoping to catch up with you then

wish you many many more miles to come

[figo_mba]

Originally Posted by dhanushmenon

Cheers... So, i have another BHPian in Cochin with a car as old as mine. You seems to have munched in a lot lot more than others. 25,000 Kms in 10 months is some distance man.
why dont you consider writing a travelogue of the drives you have done in on your figo. ( i safely presume that you have traveled to quite some places to have clocked in 25000 Kms).

I actually can't comment on the noise from the tray. I haven't yet been put to the mercy of Kerala roads as i haven't yet moved into kerala(Man, i dread those days which are just round the corner).

Have seen your activity in the quick meet thread at Cochin too. Hoping to catch up with you then

wish you many many more miles to come

I am planning a travelogue of my travels which is not much by the way; The odo is at 25k due to my weekly travel from Trivandrum to kochi and back(440kms total). (4 weeks x 10 month x 440= 17600kms) so all that i would have traveled otherwise is just 8000kms. Had made a road trip to chennai and rameshwaram. will put that up.

Now I am settled in kochi. and drive just 40kms a day.

You are not in kochi ?? where are you then ?
And by the way, i found the problem with the shaking tray. it was a connector bumping against the tray. i kept the connector away and the rattling is gone too....