[Ibanez_70]

Voted for the Figo/ Freestyle 1.5D. Freestyle is a very underrated car IMO. When I first drove it, I was surprised by the ride quality that it offered. Ride and handling balance is spot on. The touchscreen though a little laggy, does the job. Its a fun car to drive.

In addition you get amazing safety kit. 6 airbags, Anti Rollover Protection, ESP, Hill Hold assist, etc. These can be life saver during emergencies which people in India don’t appreciate enough.

I don’t need to say anything about the powerful 1.5 TDCI, its proven, reliable, and will put a smile on your face everytime you take it out.

If however you decide to go for the figo Blu, check out the car in white, it looks awesome.

[gatsby_great]

Most of the people voting here including me have not driven polo 1.0 tsi so their opinion could be based on perception only. Do keep this in mind.

[nimishlalwani]

Tough decision, but these are the decisions you want to make in life! Let me try to answer this from 'If I were choosing between these' perspective.

Some background first. I have driven the following cars extensively bearing the same name/mechanicals:

1. Ford Figo 1st gen: Amazing chassis, the car feels like a leech on the road with its grip. The first gen Figo would be on my top 3 list for price/fun ratio. If it were available today, even with the smaller engine, its hands down a better car for keen drivers than the Polo or the current Figo.

2. Ford Figo/Aspire 2nd gen (pre-facelift): Ford lost the plot here, it improved the engine but every thing else was a letdown. Right from the seats to the steering to the body roll, everything felt more Maruti than Ford. The engine was amazing but the rest of the chassis just couldn't keep up.

3. Ford FreeStyle: Ford came back with a better Figo, it was better in every aspect than the Figo. Its steering is much better and the suspension, even with the increased height, is much more sporty. Further, the new gearbox and paired with the TDCi engine was a blast, especially in 2nd and 3rd gears. However, the car feels loose if you push it hard. The old Figo was up for the game no matter how hard you pushed. The tires would squeal but the steering would still inspire confidence. This magic is missing in the FreeStyle. Further, the interiors are low-rent. Scratchy plastics, fly-audio, and average switch gear. I wouldn't notice such things but because the drive isn't as good, you see these things even more.

4. Polo GT TSI: The Polo has a better engine than the Freestyle for me. I love rpms and the Polo's engine spins like crazy. I love the power delivery it has. It also has great grip in corners, much better than the Freestyle. However, it is a bit inert. It's like the smartest kid in the class with no friends. Even with all the wheels spinning, it feels controlled and I would personally like more 'energy'.

I haven't driven the 1.0 TSI to share opinion on it. But overall, if you will end up using rear seats, buy the Freestyle, the Polo is horrible in this department. However, if that's not an issue the Polo is a great car. It is really close to the first gen Figo in terms of grip, responsiveness and the confidence it inspires. If only it chatted more with you with a better steering!

[ashvek3141]

Figo / Freestyle over Polo.

1. 1.5 Diesel is sweet!
2. Lighter on pocket being a diesel.
3. Fords maintenance is way cheaper then VW’s.
4. Polo’s 10 year old design has started showing its age (maybe a personal opinion)
5. Cheaper then Polo & more feature loaded.

[Viraj.515]

I’ve a Ford Freestyle 1.5D Titanium at home. The only reasons why I would choose Volkswagen Polo 1.0L TSI over Figo/Freestyle 1.5D are better build and smart/plush german fit and finish quality.

[sanyog26]

Voted for the VW Polo 1.0 TSI..

Reason- Newer engine. Good on torque, although not comparable with Ford's 1.5 TDCi.. Test drove the Rapid 1.0 TSI yesterday and was pleasantly surprised with refinement levels of a 3-pot turbo-charged petrol engine. If that 1.0 TSI mill was able to effortlessly pull a heavy car like the Rapid, then surely this engine is a winner. Being a petrol engine fan, I'd recommend the Polo 1.0 TSI despite a relatively higher cost of ownership in the long term. Nothing in the segment can challenge the quality being offered by VAG.

Nevertheless, Figo/Freestyle are extremely capable cars and the 1.5 TDCi is a gem of an engine. If my usage is 20-25k kms an year, then it makes sense to opt for a diesel powered car. But for anything less, a hot-petrol hatch still makes much more sense considering the NGT's diktat on 10 years old diesel/15 years old petrol cars.. Atleast you can enjoy your petrol powered car for a longer duration without bothering much about scrapping it.

[Mat095]

Voted for Figo/Freestyle

I would say go for the Figo/Freestyle as the 1.5 TDCi is a hoot to drive and definitely bang for the buck. Also, the idea of having a 3 cylinder at this price doesn’t seem right. To be specific I’d say go for the Figo Titanium Blu rather than a Freestyle for that hot-hatch feel.

Cheers!

[COMMUTER]

Voted Figo 1.5 Tdci.

The VW holds up on the performance front with the German wizardry, in spite of the weight due to that excellent build. It is the thought of having half the FE of the Figo Tdci that puts me off.

We have an Ameo 1.5 Tdi and a Figo 1.5 Tdci. I will share a few bits about how those two stack up.

Ameo is slightly better handling than the Figo at speeds I don't cross often. Acceleration-wise, Ameo might be a hairbreadth ahead of Figo but is hugely let down by the lag below 80Kmph in the top gear on the highway, while the Figo which pull hard from 60Kmph onward is more relaxing and more fun with lot less gearshifts on the highway. Figo returns 2-3Kmpl more to a liter. I have started going to the FNG for the regular Oil change, so the maintenance costs are within 1-2k p.a. of each other.

[anumod]

Voted for Figo the reasons are being

1. Figo is cheaper by 90,000 rupees (even with diesel ) -- I considered Figo 1.5 titanium with Polo highline Plus
2. Rear seat is more spacious in Figo
3. Cost of ownership is much cheaper in Figo (even though it is a diesel) -- For instnace, my freind's polo first service cost was 12K, compared to 3K with a diesel Figo
4. Driveability in City. I owned an Ecoboost Ecosport(1.0 litre turbo ), and city driveability was bad.

[aabhimanyu04]

Voted for FreeStyle 1.5TDCi. ( not from an enthusiast's perspective)

This was a real-life question to me this Feb when I sold my ageing 2016 EcoSport TDCi to buy a new car.
From an enthusiast perspective, I think the Polo TSI is slightly better but not anywhere close when it comes to the maintenance cost.

The overall cost of ownership of these Ford diesel cars is unbelievable. Hence, as an overall package, it was the Ford for me.

[swapnil.awate]

Voted for Figo.

I own a Figo 1.5 TDCi and driven my friend’s Polo extensively (although not 1.0 TSI, but I am aware of the traits of this engine)

Figo’s engine is brilliant in city as well as highway. You can have both - fun and efficiency. It’s proven, reliable and easy to maintain engine. You may fault it’s NVH being a diesel car and not a rev-happy one but a 3-cylinder 1.0 TSI has lost that advantage as well. 4-cylinder 1.2L TSI MT would have been an interesting comparison.

Another aspect for FTD is dynamics where in Ford has superior steering, handling and comfort than Polo. My passengers have suffered motion sickness in Polo but not in Figo, this may be attributed to Polo’s claustrophobic cabin.

[Alfa_Romeo1]

Voted for the blue oval.

Own Ford Freestyle diesel and it really puts a smile on the face every time I drive it.

Few specific points I would like to highlight -
1. Suspension and steering feedback of Ford is much much superior than Polo.
2. If requirement is drivers car then it has to be Ford because of feedback from car. Freestyle is really a fun to drive car.
3. Ford 1.5 TDCi has got potential. In stock tune itself it is a pocket rocket, in city as well as on highway. Remap will do the wonders. Polo 1.0 TSI wont stand against this engine.
3. Rear cabin space and comfort - Ford is the winner.
4. Ford - maintenance costs are very low and clearly transparent. Service quality is also better. Volkswagen after sales service quality can be hit or a miss but for sure it is going to be expensive than Fords in question. My friend has suffered for bad service from Volkswagen ASS in the past.
7. Safety equipment - do I need to say anything?

The points where Germans will take lead are - sheet metal thickness and that sturdy feeling of doors, fit-finish, panel gaps, tighter quality control obviously visible. Interiors quality is altogether in different league as compared to the Americans.

All the best for your decision and do let us know what the final outcome is.

[ankitsharma]

Just for my information wanted to know the reason behind low service cost of Ford engines. I see everyone these days quote this while my Maruti Dzire diesel service comes minimum 10K every time. Is ford using semi-synthetic oils for stock service ?
My Dzire costs used to be 5-6k in the first 2 services when I was using the stock oil. After that I switched to fully synthetic, Helix which made the service cost 10k.

Originally Posted by anumod

Voted for Figo the reasons are being

1. Cost of ownership is much cheaper in Figo (even though it is a diesel) -- For instance, my friend's polo first service cost was 12K, compared to 3K with a diesel Figo.

[anumod]

Originally Posted by ankitsharma

Just for my information wanted to know the reason behind low service cost of Ford engines. I see everyone these days quote this while my Maruti Dzire diesel service comes minimum 10K every time. Is ford using semi-synthetic oils for stock service ?
My Dzire costs used to be 5-6k in the first 2 services when I was using the stock oil. After that I switched to fully synthetic, Helix which made the service cost 10k.

In Ford Service centres they use both Semi Synthetic as well as fully synthetic. Semi synthetic is around 330 rupees per litre and fully synthetic is around 1200 per litre. The 3K estimate I have given above was with semi-synthetic oil.(With fuilly synthetic oil, the price will be around 6K. Figo needs 3.9 litres of oil.). Online you can get 4 litre synthetic oil (Motul for ~2000) . (For your car, you need only 3.2 litre, so you can save the remaining 800 ml for top-up) . So if you are buying the synthetic oil from the Maruti authorized service centre, it can shoot up to 10K.

[SaiSW]

Originally Posted by Shantnumehta

Now that the Polo has become much more affordable and going by the reviews on Youtube, this one seems to be alot of fun. Although I never liked the three cylinders setup but this one in the new polo seems to be very refined. When almost paid the advance for a figo diesel in February, lockdown happened and I held on for some more time. I was compromising on good interiors, android auto and apple carplay, driver's arm rest on the figo just for that beast 1.5 Tcdi but with all those features, a great engine and in similar price range, does the new Polo make more sense?

I would suggest you go for the Figo, if max performance for the buck is what you're after. Not saying that the 1.0 tsi is slow by any means, but the figo is faster to 100 ( 0-100 -- around 9.3 seconds ). In a drag race, the figo will win.

The mid range of the tdci is still one of my favourite aspects about the car, it is an ego crusher for many people on the highway. I, myself have left several crystas surprised in acceleration.

Apart from the blisteringly fast mid range, the Ford service costs and spares posts are also way cheaper, and the Figo TDCi being a diesel will return a bare minimum of 14-15 kmpl even in heavy city traffic, from personal experience in traffic blocks I've been stuck in, in a friend's Figo.

On top of all this, you get 6 airbags ( ESP, Hill Launch Assist and TC as well if you opt for the Freestyle ).

My opinion, go for the BS6 Figo.

What you'll miss out on is cruise control, all window up/down and android auto/carplay, better build quality - Polo build quality needs no introduction and the same is the case for facelift, that confidence we get in higher speeds in the Polo is offered by very few cars in the same range.

If you're interested in the used cars, then there are other alternatives as well, like the JTP, same case like the Figo - explosive mid range, 0-100 under 10 seconds, handles better than the Figo, is built better too ( 4 stars ).