new Ikon vs Logan vs Esteem vs Accent

[dcetech]

Thanks Geeksrik, benbsb29, SLK, VC12 for replying.

@benbsb29, yes they have managed to catch the fancy of the cab operators.. and have launched CNG based ikon too.

@GeekSrik, any official notification regarding price range of SX4? I mean if its starts at 6L.. on-road would be ateleast 6.6L, way ahead of my budget!

@VC12: Congratulations on your new Ikon!
What price you paid for your new machine.. and what all goodies you managed to get from the dealer? I've another doubt.. to go for luxury ikon model or not.. luxury (all standard features + alloy wheels + spoiler + seat covers + chrome exhaust trim)

[dcetech]

forgot to mention... luxury ikon with alloy wheels & spoiler costs Rs35,000 more

[DriverR]

My two cents.....
I would go for the Esteem. Why? MUL service, fantastic engine (old but gold), tough (parents drove their esteem all over the North East, all seven states + West Bengal), reliable (never broke down durin a trip), looks (Ya, call me mad, but I like the VXi looks)
Drawbacks include lousy quality of power windows, esp the front passenger side (once failed in the down/open state just before a planned trip. Had to take an alternative vehicle instead) , you may feel intimidated sitting relatively lower than other cars.
I may not go for the petrol Indigo. Tata has never been strong on petrol engines, leading to high maintenence cost. The intial petrol Indicas and Indigos had their share of problems. While the petrol Indica engine seems to have been sorted out, no one (including Tatas) has said much on the petrol Indigo. (Are both cars sharing the same engine??? If so then, possibly the petrol Indigo engine should be fine)
Second option would be Ikon.
Accent is actually a decent car and would have been my next choice, but as you mentioned, it's future is uncertain.
Logan...... man, I would not buy it. Call it a negative mind-set but I do not think the 1.4 petrol is worth paying for. For the same money you can get a much better featured midsizer.

You may want to consider resale value after 5 years. If we were to assume that Esteem, Ikon and Accent gets discontinued in two years time, then which one will have the best resale value, I really cannot tell. It is too early to even guess Logan's resale value, as it all depends on how well it sells in the coming months.

[ashwin_seattle]

Hi dcetech, my advice would be go for an ikon flair. my close relative just bought one, and got it for 5.2 lacs in chd. its got good looks, nice colors nowadays, and the build quality is solid. u'll feel re-assured whiel sitting inside, unlike estemm where teh only gap between u and other vehicles is a thin sheet of metal. Esteem might have its own qualities, but too old to count them. Ikon with a nice set of alloys still attracts looks, and man teh handling is good, and it does not rattle even after 2-3 years.
With the Rocam engine, the fuel efficiency is also decent. And Ford service has improved if not great.
If you want a RELATIVELY safe vehicle, nice backseat drive, good driving pleasure, solid machine, go for Ikon flair. With your budget, it seems the best fit.

Else wait for SX4 and see how it comes through.

Just my 2 cents.

[DriverR]

dcetech, do not leave a test drive just on the words of another. Different people sees the same thing differently. If I may sugggest, do a test drive of all 4 cars (which you have done) + Indigo (you should test drive it), because then you will have a much better feel of how each cars compares for some of your criteria like handling, looks, etc. I may have sounded negative about the Indigo, but it is a good VFM car with good features. I just have my doubts about the petrol engine as compared to the proven diesel turbo engine. Cheers

[GeekSrik]

Originally Posted by ashwin_seattle

If you want a RELATIVELY safe vehicle, nice backseat drive, good driving pleasure, solid machine, go for Ikon flair. With your budget, it seems the best fit.

ashwin,

the crash stories of ikons have been horrible, as you so sure its solid and reliable? somehow i think otherwise ...

[benbsb29]

Originally Posted by GeekSrik

ashwin,

the crash stories of ikons have been horrible, as you so sure its solid and reliable? somehow i think otherwise ...

GS, are u referring to the accident in Mumbai, where some drunk moron trying to impress his girlfriend went at speeds exceeding 120 kmph and rammed into an electric pole? Or are there any other incidents you can quote? Please provide solid facts here.

On the other hand, lets try doing the same stunt i have quoted earlier with 'any' of the other cars mentioned on this thread, and await the results.

[DriverR]

Regarding safely........Any car driven properly and carefully is safe. What we cannot predict is how the other people on the road will behave.This is where safety equipments (structural, control and interior) in cars plays a role.

[wolfinstein]

Ikon does not have a great Safety record, There have been accidents here in delhi,Where You can see Ikons smashed..! But I personally believe these accidents are more caused by Josh, than the Josh Machine..!

Ikon is expensive to maintain, The Paint quality was not great till a few years back..!

If Ford has truly revamped the car, then we are looking for a revival of JOSH machine..!

[benbsb29]

@wolfinstein : Point noted, pal... but tell me, among the choices listed in this thread, which one provides greater safety?

The Accents may have come with ABS earlier, but i dont reckon the current sets do. The Esteem... may the owners comment. Logan is tinny is what the members who reviewed the same have commented. Brakes were an issue on the earlier Ikons', but has been rectified now. While the Ikon may not be the manna from heaven in this segment, it presents a strong case.

Regarding paint quality on the current set of Ikons'... i shall leave it to the TBHP members to inspect my car for the same during the Nandi Hills trip (Bangalore TBHP meet) this weekend, in case anyone is interested.

FYI, my car has not been through any paint/exterior protection treatments so far. All stock is the term.

[dcetech]

Originally Posted by DriverR

dcetech, do not leave a test drive just on the words of another. Different people sees the same thing differently. If I may sugggest, do a test drive of all 4 cars (which you have done) + Indigo (you should test drive it), because then you will have a much better feel of how each cars compares for some of your criteria like handling, looks, etc. I may have sounded negative about the Indigo, but it is a good VFM car with good features. I just have my doubts about the petrol engine as compared to the proven diesel turbo engine. Cheers

I have taken test drive of Esteem, Logan, Ikon n Accent.. Below are my findings:
Esteem - rally car.. superb acceleration ... good AC.. but interiors especially old knobes for AC/Fan sucks.
ikon - best handler and responsive engine .. good interiors
Logan 1.4 - nothing special here.. normal car.. little sluggish at low gears


Further, I even took test drives of
Getz 1.1 : very sluggish, underpowered.. only good thing- gears
Fiesta 1.4: same as ikon.. best handler n responsive with improved interiors n exteriors
Aveo UVA LS: better than Getz1.1 in terma of interiors, exteriors n drivability
Swift: sporty.. superb pickup

[wolfinstein]

I'm not commenting on the Safety features, I am talking about the Shell of the Ikon,it does not appear to be solid enough to larger impacts,Accent was no strudier..! Even worse on my choice list, Esteems build quality appears stronger than the Ikon..!

Paint quality, I'm talking of two models from Year 2002 AND 2004, One had discolouration patch in 3 months and the other started chipping and peeling paint in the 2 month..!

Maybe you were lucky to get a really good QA car..!

Plus in Delhi there are only two ford dealers left and as mentioned in Ikonic troubles, they really are no good..! So After Sales a Big - In delhi.

Ikon Sxi was a sports car on a budget , I really liked the look of it and The Push back effect on accelaration is superb..!

[benbsb29]

As someone pointed out on another thread, just coz Mr. Roy got a defective Sumo, does that mean all of them are bad? Dont think so.

As for the paint problem.. i do remember the post from a member on the same. Why?? I dont know, but the problem should have been addressed now.

Regarding the Esteem's build quality, since i dont own one, i would not comment on it. What i own is the Ikon Flair, 6 months old/new to be precise, 7.5K kms on the odo, and no complaints so far from my end.
Agreed we all may have some grouses with our vehicles, and i have mine too, but doesnt take away the joy of this car.

Dectech, i have presented my experiences here, and i am no brand ambassador for Ford.

Gud luck with ur purchase.

[ownerofazkaban]

We have petrol Indigo GLS at home, it's done 60k in 2 years and I can vouch for it's comfort and space. recently fitted a 60L LPG tank and still good space left in trunk and it works out well.

Economy is around 12, in city and 14+ on highway with AC.
It's a very good car for family. Done long long journeys in it. It's good value for money.

[GeekSrik]

there was an incident in bangalore, where a guy was driving in a posh locality and there was a tree stump he did not notice (this tree was somewhere on the road in that area which later got cut and tarred). the ikon rammed the stump, it got cut into two starting from the bonnet up until the passenger cabin and while the driver was spot dead, the co passenger died in hospital.

i m not vouching for the fact that any other car wont suffer the same fate, but even i have heard from many many people that the body structure of ikon cant take lot of damage. (you can add 800, santro, etc to the list, but not indica, swift, palio, innova, wagon r and matiz!! - i ve seen worst accidents in all these cases where the passengers came out unhurt!)

my two cents. if i wont buy an ikon its only because of its FE and more maintenance costs (or my believed perception of the same)