[Aroy]

Originally Posted by Parthasarathig

I own a petrol Figo Zxi. It is a fun car to drive on the highways. On the NH4 from Bangalore the maximum I hit was 160 kmph. However the car felt unstable at that speed. Or rather i felt scared at that speed :P However 120-140 will be a very comfortable to drive. Unlike Santro( which also I own ) or swift, the high speed stability of the figo is very good. Only problem i find with the Figo is above 110kmph, the car starts to rev a lot. The Rpms keep climbing above 3500.. Is it bad? or Is it normal? I have tried keeping a constant 2200 rpms but above the 110 mark the rpms climb automatically even if i dont accelerate much. Maybe its due to the physics of high speed.

Also figo owners i doubt if you may have noticed the launch power of the car at the traffic signals. I always end up having a big smile after the green light especially against swifts And it works even with passengers at the back. I simply fail to understand how its possible given the power to weight ratio of the Swift is much much higher than the Figo. Everytime after crossing the Chinnaswamy stadium onto the MG road, we come to a red light. It is at this junction that everytime I end up with a smile. Also happened to me at signals on the BIAL road.
All in all my Figo has put smiles on my face for much more reasons than a Swift or a Santro would. Be it the ride quality, handling, easy maneuvarability, passenger space, ICE, A/C everything has impressed me for all the 10k kms i covered with the car.
City mileage is 10-10.5 kmpl without a/c as i hardly use it. and highway mileage is a meagre 16kmpl.
All in all Figo is a better package than any other similar priced hatches in the market. I am still at odds with the fact why Maruti doesnt give ICEs in the LXI models of swift.

The petrol engines are capable of going beyond 5000 RPM, so do not limit yourself to 2500.

The "Red Light" experience is the practical demonstration of better "Low End" torque. The peak HP may be better in other cars, but it is at the low end that you need the Torque (and thence HP) to out accelerate others.

Regarding Power-to Weight ratio, you are talking of the peak values, not values at the speed you are driving at. If the torque is linear, then with max HP at 150, you should have 10% HP at 15, and 20% at 30. But torque in most cars is bell shaped, so at 15 one car may have 10% HP while another may have 5%, and a low revving car 20% of its peak power. At red light how much you have below 30 km/h is what matters. Weight remaining constant, the better power-to-weight ratio at low speeds will be with the vehicle having better Torque(HP) at low speed.


I have noticed the peaked torque curve to be a characteristic of Japanese engines, may be they like to tune it that way. My MPFI Esteem, the Baleno and now my Alto K10 all exhibit free revving peaked torque curve characteristics. The upside is that you can happily take the engine to 6000 RPM regularly, with no strain on the engine. The down side is that the low end torque suffers so you cannot go low RPM at slow speeds - more gear changes unless you want to remain in the 4K+ RPM bracket. Doing 100 in second gear is highly addictive!

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by Parthasarathig

City mileage is 10-10.5 kmpl without a/c as i hardly use it. and highway mileage is a meagre 16kmpl.

That is atrocious city mileage! Do all figos give this mileage or is it a result of your red light sprints?

[Parthasarathig]

Originally Posted by amitoj

That is atrocious city mileage! Do all figos give this mileage or is it a result of your red light sprints?

I guess the mileage is like this for all Figos. The most I could extract out of my car was around 12kmpl and I have noticed that I get more mileage on Less Fuel in tank, Rather than full tank having 40 litres fuel.

My red light sprints, happen only once in a while, when I feel the need to humble someone at his own game. The thing is due to my car's color Squeeze Green, people think its a cute car and not a powerful car and start making fun of it. They keep revving their engines at the red light while looking at me.
I just sit idly and as soon as the lights go green, Im off before they can even start to roll
Happens with lot of Swift owners, mostly college students.

Mostly I drive calmly as there is no other option left when the mileage is so poor and I have to extract the most out of each drop. So yes the mileage is atrocious

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by Parthasarathig

I guess the mileage is like this for all Figos. The most I could extract out of my car was around 12kmpl and I have noticed that I get more mileage on Less Fuel in tank, Rather than full tank having 40 litres fuel.

My red light sprints, happen only once in a while, when I feel the need to humble someone at his own game. The thing is due to my car's color Squeeze Green, people think its a cute car and not a powerful car and start making fun of it. They keep revving their engines at the red light while looking at me.
I just sit idly and as soon as the lights go green, Im off before they can even start to roll
Happens with lot of Swift owners, mostly college students.

Mostly I drive calmly as there is no other option left when the mileage is so poor and I have to extract the most out of each drop. So yes the mileage is atrocious

so , how do you like the swift?


anyway, this is surprising, cos most journos have mentioned that its the corners where the figo passes on.
and, yeah, i believe that, cos most fords are quite well sorted in corners.

[Parthasarathig]

Originally Posted by mayankk

so , how do you like the swift?


anyway, this is surprising, cos most journos have mentioned that its the corners where the figo passes on.
and, yeah, i believe that, cos most fords are quite well sorted in corners.

I used to like the Swift before I bought the Figo :P Swift would suit me if the car was just meant for me. But neither my parents like it, nor do they find it comfortable.

And the thing you said about journos, I think they would be talking about high speed cornering as the Swift with the small tyres would be losing grip. In low speeds I feel the Swift would move ahead easily.

In straight line speed also the Swift will defeat the Figo no doubt, such as in a 1/4 mile race. It is only at the "launch" that the figo can go ahead of the swift. And if you can manage quick gear shifts, then you can leave the Swift behind but that would be possible only in the city. On the highway I have tried and couldnt catch up with the Swift except at toll gates

Swift Dzire however can be easily defeated

Originally Posted by Aroy

The petrol engines are capable of going beyond 5000 RPM, so do not limit yourself to 2500.

The "Red Light" experience is the practical demonstration of better "Low End" torque. The peak HP may be better in other cars, but it is at the low end that you need the Torque (and thence HP) to out accelerate others.

Regarding Power-to Weight ratio, you are talking of the peak values, not values at the speed you are driving at. If the torque is linear, then with max HP at 150, you should have 10% HP at 15, and 20% at 30. But torque in most cars is bell shaped, so at 15 one car may have 10% HP while another may have 5%, and a low revving car 20% of its peak power. At red light how much you have below 30 km/h is what matters. Weight remaining constant, the better power-to-weight ratio at low speeds will be with the vehicle having better Torque(HP) at low speed.


I have noticed the peaked torque curve to be a characteristic of Japanese engines, may be they like to tune it that way. My MPFI Esteem, the Baleno and now my Alto K10 all exhibit free revving peaked torque curve characteristics. The upside is that you can happily take the engine to 6000 RPM regularly, with no strain on the engine. The down side is that the low end torque suffers so you cannot go low RPM at slow speeds - more gear changes unless you want to remain in the 4K+ RPM bracket. Doing 100 in second gear is highly addictive!

Thanks for the information about the torque graphs.

Maruti cars are rev-happy especially the Baleno.
The Hyundai Santro used to be torquey. now however Hyundai has tamed all its cars

[Turbokick]

I am little late to this topic but I would. ðßldßik e to know how other hatchbacks like Punto 1.2,Polo 1.2 and fabia 1.2 can compete with the likes of Figo 1.2 and Swift 1.2 ?
The European bunch and the Punto in particular are terrific handlers but rather tamely powered.
Can they outperform the Swift and even the Figo on road ?