[akshay380]

I own a Petrol Figo, October 2011 make. From what i understood in my research is that the rattles and most niggles are taken care of in post June 2011 cars.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Aroy

Basic Requirements
- Reasonable highway speed - I normally desist from driving beyond 120
- Good FE in B2B traffic
- ABS & Airbags
- Tachometer

Aroy, it's a no-brainer between the Swift ZDi & the Figo; I would pick the Maruti any day. The new Swift is much improved on the older car. Yes, it's less on the edge, but I consider it a more complete package overall. Please buy the ZDi only. As you know, the L & V variants have poor brakes.

I would also highly recommend you to check out two other hatchbacks:

- Hyundai i20 diesel : Space, quality, jewel of a diesel engine

- Renault Pulse / Nissan Micra : Workhorse zero-lag engine, nicely built, neutral road manners.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by GTO

Aroy, it's a no-brainer between the Swift ZDi & the Figo; I would pick the Maruti any day. The new Swift is much improved on the older car. Yes, it's less on the edge, but I consider it a more complete package overall. Please buy the ZDi only. As you know, the L & V variants have poor brakes.

I would also highly recommend you to check out two other hatchbacks:

- Hyundai i20 diesel : Space, quality, jewel of a diesel engine

- Renault Pulse / Nissan Micra : Workhorse zero-lag engine, nicely built, neutral road manners.

Thanks.

Hyundai i20 has GC problems. What with its long wheel base it gets stuck as much as the Honda City & Baleno

Renault/Nissan not really considered as the A.S.S. is still an unknown factor.

[iliketurtles]

Originally Posted by Aroy

Hyundai i20 has GC problems. What with its long wheel base it gets stuck as much as the Honda City & Baleno.

Aroy, I own two of those three cars and I can assure you that the i20 has never had a GC issue, even when I've loaded the boot and back after an airport run with bags and passengers. The City you have to be a bit careful with, but the i20 has no such issues in my experience.

Coming to your conundrum, I'd plump for the Swift any day of the week. The Figo is a good, practical car but it's too...cheap in my books. The new Swift is a marvelous option, and I'd recommend the Fabia too if you're willing to consider Skoda.

The Swift ticks all your requirements though, and I honestly can't think of a car that fits your requirements at that price (brand new, of course) that suits your needs better.

[volkman10]

IMO, the Swift ZDI would be the complete car for your requirement.

It has far improved in quality from the earlier version!

Cheers!

[vnabhi]

If I were to use the car more in b2b traffic, I'd go for the Figo. The Swift diesel does suffer from turbo lag, like the i-20.

It is only the Figo or the Micra/ Pulse that have negligible turbo lag.

For more use on highways, the Swift zdi may make sense, but do keep in mind that the boot space is minimal, far less than the Gen 1 Swift. Moreover, it costs around 70 K more than the Figo. And the back seat is not as spacious as the Figo.

The 1-20 has the most space, but has a weak AC---many in the rear seats have complained of inadequate cooling in peak summer. And the AC louvers are very brittle---they break while cleaning, and cost a bomb to replace.

There are no GC issues with the i-20. Mostly Figo owners have complained of GC issues when the car is fully loaded.

[Relativity]

Originally Posted by GTO

Aroy, it's a no-brainer between the Swift ZDi & the Figo; I would pick the Maruti any day. The new Swift is much improved on the older car. Yes, it's less on the edge, but I consider it a more complete package overall. Please buy the ZDi only. As you know, the L & V variants have poor brakes.

I would also highly recommend you to check out two other hatchbacks:

- Hyundai i20 diesel : Space, quality, jewel of a diesel engine

- Renault Pulse / Nissan Micra : Workhorse zero-lag engine, nicely built, neutral road manners.

@ GTO: I thought the CRDI engine in 120 is inferior to the 1.3 Multijet in a Punto. I may be wrong, please clarify.

[ramharis]

Why would someone by a Swift Petrol when you can get Figo Diesel for the same money, not mention Figo is more spacious, easy on your pocket, and AFAIK Figo is currently cheaper to maintain (as in regular maintenance) ?

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Relativity

@ GTO: I thought the CRDI engine in 120 is inferior to the 1.3 Multijet in a Punto. I may be wrong, please clarify.

The Hyundai i20's worst engine choice is the under-powered 1.2L petrol. On the other hand, the 1.4L diesel is a beauty.

- It's the fastest diesel hatchback today.

- Minimal lag : Far less than any application of the 1.3 MJD. Only the new Swift (with its retuned diesel) comes close in driveability.

- Punchy mid-range & easy overtaking. Fairly free-revving too.

- Refinement levels are far better than the Punto. No comparison here.

The bad part about the i20 diesel is its handling capability (or lack of) and the resting-in-peace steering (it's completely DEAD)!

[sajo]

Originally Posted by ramharis

Why would someone by a Swift Petrol when you can get Figo Diesel for the same money

Because of 3Rs
- Resale
- Reliability
- Refinement

Other factors which tilted the scales in Swift's favour (for me) were:
- Rear power windows.
- I like the looks.
- More modern interiors.
- Flimsy bumpers.
- A few incidents when I started with used cars hunt : A 2004 WagonR going for a higher price as a 2004 Ikon Flair.

Do I regret buying the Swift? Hell no!
Do I regret buying the Petrol Swift ? Hell no!
Do I regret not being very rich to not feel the petrol pinch? Hell Yes!

PS : This was incase you were referring to the OP, which is me..

PPS : I still love the Figo and would whole heartedly recommend it to anyone..! If I was to make this decision all over again, I still wont be able to choose!

[tj123]

I have be driving my Figo Tdci for the last 5 months and noticed that after about 4000 km the engine has really opened up and is running very smooth.
The car is an absolute joy to handle and with minimal turbo lag its quite zippy in traffic. Getting a decent mileage of 16-17 kmpl (City with AC) and 21-22kmpl on highway.

I feel Figo is an absolute all-rounder and a real value for money product which ticks right on almost all the boxes for me.
The interior cabin is spacious along with a generous boot. The music system with blue tooth is just fantastic the call clarity is worth mentioning. Figo’s air-conditioning effect is one of the best in its class, it really chills the cabin in minutes.
I feel the biggest drawback of the new Swift is its boot space, it’s just not enough for a weekend getaway that was one of the main reasons I cancelled my booking back in July 11 as I always wanted a compact car with a spacious boot.

Ground clearance is not an issue, it is just the way you drive and negotiate a hump, I have hardly ever scraped my Figo that too in breaker city Bangalore.
Touch wood I don’t have any rattles or any other niggling issues like stalling till date, I think Ford has made some improvement to address the initial niggles. With Fog lamps the night vision has improved significantly and I am ok with the stock.

Overall I’ll say be Cool ..Go Figo …!

[sidindica]

Originally Posted by GTO

The Hyundai i20's worst engine choice is the under-powered 1.2L petrol. On the other hand, the 1.4L diesel is a beauty.

- It's the fastest diesel hatchback today. But absolutely rubbish through the gears. the MJD/ K9K beats it hollow in driveability through the gears.

- Minimal lag : Far less than any application of the 1.3 MJD. Only the new Swift (with its retuned diesel) comes close in driveability.

Minimal lag? The 5 speed BS 4 has way too much lag. In fact, typically most of the Hyundai diesels are worst in city and hill climbing. Then what about the micra and pulse?

- Punchy mid-range & easy overtaking. Fairly free-revving too.
Needs lot of downshift.

- Refinement levels are far better than the Punto. No comparison here.

The bad part about the i20 diesel is its handling capability (or lack of) and the resting-in-peace steering! (it's completely DEAD)
Add to it, the poor AC cooling, the rattly steering mechanism, high maintenance costs and clunky suspension.

My replies given in bold.

[GTO]

^ Ah yes, how could I overlook the Micra? That car has, without doubt, the best driveability amongst hatchbacks.

I've driven the 6-speed at length and found it extremely driveable within the city.

[Relativity]

Are you suggesting that Maruti has somehow managed to better tune the Fiat engine?

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by Relativity

Are you suggesting that Maruti has somehow managed to better tune the Fiat engine?

I believe yes and it has been discussed over at forums quite extensively. The weight (or the lack of it) contributes to the sprightly performance of the DDis engine powered Cars along with better tune-up.

If today, I had to buy a diesel Car on a budget, I would chose the Figo D again. If not on a budget, a Fabia.

Somehow they isolate you from surroundings and feel so reassuring to drive. The Cars are brilliant, but aren't ably supported by their manufacturers or service centers. That is the only fly in ointment.

@Aroy - Please update us with your impressions after a test-drive.

And yes, I spent a cool Rs 1,6xx for annual service of the Figo D including a wiper blade replacement. (The 2nd due service scheduled @ 10,000kms) Though I plan to get oil changed at every 5,000kms as what Ford uses is mineral and I can't trust them for 10,000kms in our chaotic conditions, but that is me.