The Story of MIKE - My Ikon Flair 2006 (EDIT: 3 years and 35,000 kms)

[benbsb29]

HISTORY :
The IKON - I was eternally smitted by the Ikon bug, right from the time it was launched and from the time i laid my eyes on one. Deep down inside, i always knew that i wanted to own one someday. It wasnt really about sheer performance or anything of that sort that made me feel so, although the 1.6 was a Josh machine as the admen put it. To me then, all i cared about was the car as an entity, and nothing else.

Come to the year 2005, which saw me in Hyderabad. Having some free time on my hand at office, i used it to simply scan the Ford India website. There was a linky for test drives, and i gave in my contact details. The dealer there was quite prompt, and i was offerred the test drive in a few days time. I was hooked, and so was my wife (then girlfriend).

Move on to the year 2006, and i was now no longer single. Marital status changed, and along with that came on need for more resposible behaviour. Dad said, enough of fooling around on a bike, get a car. I was in love with cars right from my childhood, and so it was inevitable that even before thinking of a house, i began to think of owning a car. I was really excited. Wifey and me knew which car we loved, but we felt it wasnt really within our reach. We thought more in terms of a Santro, or a Swift, but like many others, she felt the Swift resembled a frog from the rear. Swift was ruled out. As for myself, i liked the Swift, but it wasnt as heart tugging as the Ikon. The heart ruled over the mind and we decided on the Ikon Flair finally, while in between dillydallying with thoughts about a second hand Scorpio too.

THE CAR BUYING PROCESS :
Reading about shivasuma's thread about Metro Ford, decided to approach Cauvery Ford for our purchase. The sales team here were really prompt, and even today make it a point to approach me and ask about how i am doing, hows the car and so on. Needless to say, i have referred them to others even on this forum.

Discounts werent really much, but with the price hikes around the corner, and also increasing interest rates, we decided to seal the deal. On road price was Rs. 5.45 lakhs. With the 3 year extended warranty thrown in, it came out to Rs. 5.5L on road. They had an offer wherein they added a Blaupunkt MP3 player for free, along with goodies such as floor and boot mats, car perfume, solar films (Llumar). I had joined TBHP, but wasnt really active then. and so no real knowledge about after-market accessories and fittings. Hence, decided to go in for company fitted accessories. Opted for the Ikon Blast pack for Rs.20,000/- which included speakers, Kenwood MP3 player, leather vinyl seat covers, Autocop, Chrome Exhaust trim with fitting. They traded the Blaupunkt MP3 player, and reduced the price on the Blast pack by Rs.5000/-. I had also recieved a corporate discount of Rs.7500/-.

Deciding on the colour was a difficult choice. We more or less had decided on the Platinum or Silver, but a last minute change of mind, and we decided on Jewel Violet which has really been well-recieved by all, and also gives the car some road-presence against the usual silvers and the like. Bonus here was that the car was booked on my birthday.
October 5th, and the car was finally handed over to me, following registration and PDI. One look at the car (Mike) and we knew we loved him. There he stood all handsome and gleaming with pride. Some snaps :

At the Showroom



Following PDI and explanation of technical details



THE EXPERIENCE :
Day 1 itself was a disaster, with me not judging a kerb properly and hence the bumper recieved a really big scrape. Paint had scraped off and my heart was broken. This too while me along with my brother were taking the car to my wife's office to pick her up.

Even before we were able to get over this, we had a near miss while trying to park within the pillars in my building's parking lot. The door beadings came to the rescue here, and we were spared of further agony.
Soon i got used to the car dimensions, and now parking and maneouvering is a breeze, although the rear parcel shelf does block vision when reversing.

For city commutes the car is adequate, and complaints of it being underpowered are stretching the truth a bit. Granted its no performer like its brothers of the 1.6 lineage, but its not all that bad. The hydraulic power steering is defintiely a gem, and is quite confidence inspiring even on the highway. Handling is defintiely one of its fortes, and its no different from the 1.6'ers. Suspension is stiff but thats the compromise that we make for the precise handling.

There have been complaints from fellow members about the A/C diverter valve failing, but by God's grace, nothing of that sort so far. The power window switches positioning is a major farce, and even today i end up rolling down the rear windows, while what i want to do is roll down the front ones. Absense of a remote boot opener is another grouse i have.
Took the car on a Kerala trip last December and the amount of luggage the 450 litres boot swallowed was a revelation. We were able to dump in mattresses, large suitcases and even loads of stuff like shoes, clothes and so on. On the trip back, having the boot allowed us in getting back loads of stuff from home such as jackfruit, bananas, tapioca and so on, all sent along by my in-laws.

Me with MIKE - my prized posession



AFTER SALES EXPERIENCES :
There have been innumerous threads complaining about Ford and poor A.S.S., but i have had no major complaints so far. My dealer offers pick up and drop service for servicing provided i book three days in advance, but i have never availed of it. I prefer to drive down myself, and being there in person. I dont like Ford's policy wherein they dont allow you to be by your car while the work is being carried out, but looks like i have no choice here.

The dealer calls up and reminds me when my service dates approach, and this has been really helpful. Car being in my wife's name, was pleasantly surprised when she recieved a birthday card too. For the Fiesta anniversary, we even got tickets to watch the screening of 'Casino Royale' at PVR Cinemas with even snacks included.

While at the service station, i do have to wait about 10-15 mins till my car is attended to and taken up for servicing, but during this period, they do apologise for delays, specially since i usually ask for servicing to be carried out on a Saturday and thats when they are literally overflowing with vehicles. I maintain a good rapport with the service personnel, and this makes the experience a good one.

Before embarking on my first long distance trip with the car (to Kerala) i took the car over to them, and asked them to check if everything was in order. They did the same happily, although they were hard pressed with time, and also washed the car for free.

First service was carried out at 1000kms or one-month, which was for Rs.0/- bill. The second service bill came out to Rs. 1200/- (apprx, i dont remember the exact amount) which was carried out at 6 months. Fuel efficency did drop slightly following this, but is now back to the earlier values.

FUEL EFFICIENCY :
I use only Shell normal for tanking up, and stick to the same pump as far as possible. I use the tankful-to-tankful auto cutoff method for calculating the mileage. Only time i have not stuck to Shell was during my Kerala trip, where i tried to stick to Reliance normal as much as possible. Manufacturer recommends the use of System G additive, but i have never felt the need, and so never used it.

Mileage details are as follows :
City : Between 11-14 kmpl (depending on A/C usage)
Highway : Between 16-18 kmpl (16 kmpl with 100% A/C usage and slight ripping)

Lowest ever in city was 10.98 kmpl which was under 100% A/C, and also deadstill traffic with the engine running. I usually get 12+ kmpl for Bangalore city conditions, but then again, i drive with a light foot, and use the A/C depending upon the temperature outside. Usually manage with the fan and windows rolled up.

I maintain an accurate track of the mileage details using the xls which other fellow members like Akroy also use, and will put up the details here shortly.

The car has now done 9900+ kms and not a single rattle or complaint of any sort. Speaks well about its build.

Keep coming back for periodic updates.

- Benny, reporting on behalf of MIKE.

P.S. Please contact me for any further details.

[Raajiv]

Benny,

One Word to put it - AWESOME.This shows the love towards your car,Sorry MIKE.Hey man i love the name and the car too.

Keep us updated as you log more and more with your MIKE.

[suren181]

Ben, I have to say that I used to have some negative thoughts of the Ikon before I read your review. They seem to have vanished now after that awesome review of your Mike. Keep him going pal. Take care of him as you are now and he'd take care of you. Happy driving and drive safely.

[benbsb29]

Raajiv, thanx for the nice words there. Will keep updating. 10,000 kms is around the corner now.

Suren, i have felt quite a lot of negative energy about the Ikon recently on the forum, and since i have had a different experience i felt it as my responsibility to put it up here. If it has made a difference in perpective, my effort has not been wasted. Thanks, buddy.

[suman]

So Benny, at long last you picked up the pen.....oooops, I meant keyboard! Nice review mate - looks like the expensive-to-maintain-Ford vehicle is giving you the time of your life , nice pics too

[hormaz]

Great review ben, Ford is not as bad as people think it is,

mike looks great too.

[speedmiester]

Nice writeup there ben, that is one satisfied customer to Ford.

[rjstyles69]

Splendid one Benny,another statisfied Ford Owner.Now keep the ball rolling and give her some jewellery and footwear dude.

Deciding on the colour was a difficult choice. We more or less had decided on the Platinum or Silver, but a last minute change of mind, and we decided on Jewel Violet which has really been well-recieved by all, and also gives the car some road-presence against the usual silvers and the like.

Yeda kalla pray that I dont get to lay my hands on your car.I would be more than happy to show you how nice some scratches would look on a darker color .

[sammyboy]

Hey Mike , have been in touch with your buddy Benny thanks to team bhp and its been a pleasure.
Ben - Very nice narration bro . The Ikon is a beautiful car and is one of my proudest achievements too .

Drive on bro ..wishing you a long and enjoyable experience for the time to come.

[ravibhat]

Thats nice report, Enjoy your ride!

According to me every car manufacturer's service is bad now a days. Few people have good experience and few not.

Your FE figures are impressive. Its spacious sedan nice car.

Regards,

Ravi.

[jaison1380]

Hey Ben,

Awesome review buddy ! Really happy to read a detailed piece from you after long. Your passion towards Mike and his ilk is always seen in your posts and this article simply displays that to its fullest..

Keep writing buddy, really enjoy reading from you.
Cheers!

Jaison

[Nimz]

Hi Mikey..howz u..

Nimz on behalf of Sparky

[rahul_intlad]

Nice write-up benny,any thing in particular behind the name MIKE.

[Jaggu]

great review man, enjoy the drive

[akroy]

Spendid Review Benny !! Another proud Ford Owner... Ikon really rocks !!

Abhi