Ford Ikon Flair -Ownership report EDIT: Updated to 35k Report

[sammyboy]

A little history first ---
I was looking for a car around the 4 l range and had zeroed on the wagon r ,saved money for the deposit and had finalized a couple of good deals in Delhi .
Then a friend of mine came from Mumbai and I borrowed my boss’s wagon r to take him out. It was supposed to serve like the final test before I got my own. Loved the engine and the handling was not too bad either.
Ok , so i take my friends out clubbing ,had loads of fun and then went to drop them to the hotel . And then I reversed the car and hit a little iron rod about 2.5 feet high or so that the hotel owners had hidden somewhere out of view at approx 5 kmph. Got a small jolt and got down to check the damage (which I didn’t think would be any).Well, well how wrong I was.. the bumper went in, the l and I of lxi were together ,the tail light was hanging out …and I was sc****d . Took the car to a guy who does a good repair job , repaired for 2.5 k and instantly dropped the idea of buying the wagon r.
So it was back to square one .Then a few of my friends bought flairs and I fell in love with it as soon as I drove it .
It was safe , fun to drive , responsive and total vfm .
So I got the flair (panther black) and am writing this 10 k report .

Report
Engine and Performance – It is a great car for city driving , the throttle response and handling is superb .It does tend to feel a little under powered when it comes to highway driving ,especially overtaking at high speeds but the superb handling compensates well for it. I took it to coorg a few months back and the roads weren’t in the best of conditions, lots of potholes and broken roads but it just glided over it.
Did 140 kmph for a few moments on the good roads and handling impress me. Love the throttle response and engine grunt over 2k rpm in the second and third gears as it abso zooms.
It was awesome throwing the car into the bends as it feels super glued to the roads.
Made me feel really happy that I made a good decision.

Areas of improvement -
The cabin is not completely soundproof and the tire noise does get a little irritating sometimes.
The brakes need some getting used to and I am not really impressed by the stopping power but they do get the job done.
Lights and wipers are also not the best in class, will have to change the low beam bulbs. Any suggestions?
The one thing that is seriously missing is a rear defogger.

Average – In delhi – city it gave me about 13.5 kmpl with 75% ac.
In Bangalore – well let’s not go there. It’s giving me around 10 kmpl.
And I am not a road racer.
The seats are really comfortable and you can drive on for hours without feeling any pain in the a**.
Reversing is a little difficult in the beginning but then you get used to it.
Same goes for the light lever on the left and wiper on the right.
Haven’t had the hot air problem with the Ac but a couple of my friends have.
There is a slight squeaking noise coming from the front right hand side, will have to get it checked.
Service – Well the first and second services were free.These were done from South City ford (Delhi) and I loved those guys .The third one was a complete health check with oil and filters at Metro Bangalore (ok ok ) changed so cost me rs 2700 which is absolutely fine.
Other than that I haven’t had to spend a single paisa (touchwood) on my car till now.

Overall I really love this car .It is the best buy for the price and gives you a big car experience for a small car price.
And it is completely stock …till now 
Will go in for a free flow soon.

[kdb]

Nice review ..

Anyways why did u had to pay rs 2700 on the third service?? .. i mean what were the charges .. actually i have done 15K on my Fiesta already and I paid only rs 1100 and that too on the third service including the oil and filter change...

[deepakhon]

Good review. What is this hot air problem you are talking about?

[sammyboy]

Thanks guys .
@kdb - There was a small oil seal that had to be changed and rest was the service charge that the metro ford ppl charged me for ...I know it is an absolute rip off but then i guess thats how it was.

@deepakhon - There is a small but nagging problem which some ford ikon owners have faced ..that of hot air blowing of the ac before it actually starts working.Was referring to that .

[benbsb29]

Hi sammyboy,
Liked ur long term review on the Ikon Flair.
Mine is 1400 kms new, and past the first service at Cauvery Ford, Bangalore. Been getting 13.2 kmpl in city, with 75% A/C.

Lookin fwd to the next update from u.

- Benny.

[sammyboy]

Thanks bro, will be driving down to Ooty next weekend ,will post performance and another review then.

u seem to be getting a really good avg from your ikon bro.

[kpzen]

Originally Posted by sammyboy

, will be driving down to Ooty next weekend ,will post performance and another review then.

Nice report man.!!!

Absolutely love this car for its handling n the driver feel its gives ....
I did a couple of trips to Himachal n not many cars could outrun this one on the curvy roads...BUttttt the worst thing in this car is the lousy brakes.....

Enjoy the car n have pleasure drive to Ooty

KP

[blueraven316]

Yeah the Flair is a nice buy for its price. And it handles very very well with some good rubber , like 195/50 - 15 Yokos .
One major problem is its brakes after 100 KMPH, it just keeps gliding.

[sammyboy]

@kpzen Thanks bro am going to the red hill nature resort ...supposed to be a nice place ...will review that too once i am back
yes blueraven, i agree it is a wonderful car for the price.I love its stability especially while turns ,also makes me feel more secure as it has a solid built .
I wish something could be done about the brakes too :(.
Also had one question , is it possible to put a rear defogger ? The rear visibility is awful during rains .

[BWN]

Originally Posted by sammyboy

Thanks bro, will be driving down to Ooty next weekend ,will post performance and another review then.

u seem to be getting a really good avg from your ikon bro.

Is the Ooty trip over.Do share ypur experience of the Flair.Waiting for it

[danlalan]

Nice report...i am suprised the guys at ford still havent put in a rear defogger for the car...it is possible for an aftermarket defogger..but will have to be made but it aint worth it...shall find out how much its cost though...performance is good too..lucky for me ive got a 1.6...so it performs good...also handles well..breaks are not as good though but if you downshift and break..it is a lot better.
Wanted to know a few things..
1)Have they given seat height ajusters in the seats...
2)Do the new models come with leather interiors or are they the same fabric ones..
3) whts the current discount your getting.

[superavi]

Metro ford might not be the best dealership in Bangalore.

Another TBHpian's woes are captured pretty accurately elsewhere.

[benbsb29]

Originally Posted by danlalan

Nice report...i am suprised the guys at ford still havent put in a rear defogger for the car...it is possible for an aftermarket defogger..but will have to be made but it aint worth it...shall find out how much its cost though...performance is good too..lucky for me ive got a 1.6...so it performs good...also handles well..breaks are not as good though but if you downshift and break..it is a lot better.
Wanted to know a few things..
1)Have they given seat height ajusters in the seats...
2)Do the new models come with leather interiors or are they the same fabric ones..
3) whts the current discount your getting.

Hi danlalan,
Answers to ur queries :
1) Seat height adjusters, are still absent.
2) No leather interiors as yet, they come with the fabrics even now. I opted for the Ikon Blast pack, and so got leather-vinyl seat covers with it. Like the feel now. (please visit my Gallery for some pics)
3) Last time i checked, they were offerring free insurance on the Flair in 2006. Not sure now.

Hope that helps.

[Dragonov]

Ikon Flair is surely a VFM car. Mine has done over 30k in the last 1.5 years and touchwood not a single problem have I faced so far. It still purrs like new with a mileage of 13 kms in delhi city and 15+ kms on the highways and all this when I tend to have a heavy foot.. I just love my car !
And yes, all I have gotten fitted so far is a K&N filter with a intake pipe...

[rajat60]

Nice review dude. I have one 2006, done 8000 Kms. Not very happy with the service (Metro Ford, Bangalore). Rest all seems to be k. Mileage is 10-11 A/C running always.... I do have a small issue

When the engine is cold the engine seems to rev up a lot, close to 2200 RPM at times and even after I let it idle for a minute it still hunts a lot when the A/C is on, this only happens for the first 5 minutes of operation.

Initially I though the idler is gone, got it checked.. First it took the Metro Ford guy 10 minutes to understand what an idler is, then after checking they finally said all is good, anyone else facing the same issue??