[Astleviz]

The Ford Figo with 71ps power is hardly considered to be an enthusiasts car. Infact the few people I know who bought Figo petrols did so because they wanted an inexpensive VFM hatch and their monthly runs would be too less to justify spending that extra moolah on a diesel.

On the other hand, the swift petrol, also referred to as the hot hatch, and for good reasons, has always been the weapon of choice for an enthusiast on a budget.

So how would a stock Figo petrol (1040 kg) with only 71 ps stack up against a Swift petrol (980 kg) with 85 ps on a race track?
Quite brilliantly it seems.

In an Overdrive track test, both these cars were driven around on a test track by Karun Chandhok and the Figo beat the swift by 1 second.

You can read the specifics of the test here-
Overdrive

[lordavenger]

Originally Posted by Karun Chandok

The chassis felt like it could handle a lot more power and this car certainly feels underpowered when you look at its overall performance.

All the more reason for Ford to seriously think about introducing the 1.6 engine to Figo. Yes, it would be the old Fiesta engine and perhaps might cannibalize some of the Classic sales, but that would be a true enthusiast's car! From the company's point of view, why not discontinue the Titanium version altogether and offer a ABS+Airbags+Alloys as an option pack on the ZXi (a la Chevrolet)?

In the Figo segment, wonder how many actually think of ABS+Airbags as a differentiating factor?

[gemithomas]

Thats one thing i have always been telling swift/ritz owners. The feeling of speed you get in these cars are one of the best and they really test your adrenaline glands. But i have always believed that on a 'good car' speed should be concealed by the cars characteristics/dynamics. And i have failed miserably in almost all occasions. Maybe this would be an eye opener to all those who curse the Figo Petrols performance.

[adimicra]

Don't know about racetrack. But on a normal open road, my Santro will show the Figo petrol a clean pair of wheels.
Figo has excellent handling but when it comes to power, it sucks (specially the petrol one)!

[sidindica]

In the track, the car with better chassis tuning and steering caliberation will always complete the lap first because not all power is used when speeds vary,

BUt But but.....a picture speaks more than a 1000 words.

[condor]

Just went through that link. The Figo seems to have carried forward the characteristic Ford handling - as seen on their earlier cars.

The numbers were really stacked up for the Swift. But the comparo served a pleasant surprise. Even if the cars & clocked timing were swapped there - and the Figo had been the slower of the two cars, the Figo can still be considered the winner. Remember - it is heavier of the two, and has the lower set of specs.

And we cant say that the drivers did not know how to handle the cars.

Originally Posted by adimicra

Figo has excellent handling but when it comes to power, it sucks (specially the petrol one)!

And that triggers the thought: What if Ford had given the Figo a slighly bigger engine, with a little more power & Torque -say, even a 1.3 ?

[vishnurp99]

Not surprised at all. I own a figo diesel and the car is incredibly stable at speeds and helps you maintain a high average speed throughout.

[sidindica]

The model shown is an OLD swift VXI with weedy 14" wheels. Though the figo will still be faster than the new swift, we would like to see how well the new swift zxi in 15" boots improve that track time.

[rajess_in]

Originally Posted by Astleviz

In an Overdrive track test, both these cars were driven around on a test track by Karun Chandhok and the Figo beat the swift by 1 second.

Quite true.

The brilliant handling and suspension set up is a true mark of the FIGO (I own a Zxi Petrol). This enables you to take corners fractionally faster than the Swift (a tall boy design with slight body roll).

So on straight line, the Swift will be the fastest, but on a track or in actual roads the Figo will

[Torquedo]

God knows which Figo Karun was testing, but having owned both, the Figo and the Swift (1.3 G13B), here are my inputs -

1) The low end Torque on the Figo to say the least is pathetic !!
2) With the AC 'ON' the Figo feels breathless, the AC is a chiller though.
3) The Swift has much better low end torque, though it just cannot be compared to the Santro 1.1L IRDe engine, the low end torque on the Santro is phenomenal, the in gear accelerations are real quick and it is a hoot to drive in the normal city traffic.
4) This might be a bit OT, but worth a mention, the headspace on the Figo is not worth mentioning, things might change but for a 6' there is a shortage on the headspace.
5) The gear shifts on the Figo are nowhere as slick as the Swift.
6) The G13B engine is more refined than the engine on the Figo.
7) Figo loves to be revved; there is nothing at the bottom end though.

Happy Motoring !!

[vinya_jag]

He He! At last, The Figo wins.
Yes, this car needs to be driven very very differently to other Indian hatches.
Very less low end (Because of its gearing? - Not sure)
But rev hard and you can scare a few away.

A Santro or a swift can zip ahead, But this car kicks in later.
You need to be in the right gear to extract all its power which it provides in plenty on the higher end.
It can easily rev upto the redline on almost every occasion, and can hit 85 in second gear.

And handling, take any corner at any speed, very little tyre squeak, and lots of grip. (I learnt what a good handling car should be after I drove the Figo)

156 compressor, sure is going to take a lot out of it though, Chiller AC, and when you need power simply switch it OFF (You win some you lose some)

[adimicra]

Originally Posted by rajess_in

So on straight line, the Swift will be the fastest, but on a track or in actual roads the Figo will

Can you tell me which 'actual' roads are you talking about which are as twisted as a racetrack?

[KiloAlpha]

I speak as the owner of a Figo Petrol.

When my car had stock MRF tyres, I "raced" (so to speak - I was just following him and determined not to let him out of my sight) with a Swift VXi shod with 195/60R15 tyres on the twisties - across the Western Ghats.

I had trouble keeping up with that car. And I learnt driving from some ex-rally drivers, so they had taught me a trick or two. It took all of my skills to keep up.

The Swift was not modded except for alloys/tyres. Personally, I think the limiting factor for the Swift in this test was the pathetic rubber fitted by Maruti.

Both the Swift and the Figo chassis can take a whole lot more power, and are capable of putting it down on the road too!

[Chetan_Rao]

We own a Figo at home, and it's under-powered for it's weight, no debate. But that car handles much better than any comparable hatch I've driven. It might struggle to keep up in a straight line, but I know which car I'd want to be driving in a hairy situation.

The Swift on stock rubber feels like it'll tip over if you corner it hard. I know the stock tires are not meant for that kind of driving, but the Figo handles fab even on stock rubber, I'd say on par with the alloy/wider-tired top-end swift.

Straight-line speed and quarter-mile times aren't everything. And if Ford ever plonks the 1.6 in it, we'll have a true spiritual successor to the Palio Sport.

[deetjohn]

The most interesting part for me in that article was this.

The Figo runs 175/65 R14 tyres while the Swift uses 165/80 R14 tyres, another crucial factor that works in the Figo’s favour. The wider, lower profile tyres help immensely in terms of grip which just seems to go on and on.

A track outing is a ruthless test for any car. It will expose all the flaws to a great extent.

And the last thing one would want to do is go in with inadequate rubber to a track. A narrow footprint will prevent late braking hurting entry speed into a corner and it will also struggle to put down the power properly thereby hurting the exit speed as well. Now, these factors would have very badly affected the Swift' timing. I would be very interested in knowing the times for a Swift on 185 cross-section tyres.

Now, I am not taking anything away from the little Ford here. The Figo chassis dynamics is superb. And this just adds to the big shout for want of better engines in the Figo.

The Figo has been Ford' biggest success so far in our country. Its hightime they release an updated version. The petrol Figo is neither here nor there. It is deficient in power and is not a FE champ as well.

Now, the easiest way to oversome this disadvantage will be adding the excellent 1.6 DuraTorq from the Classic. But only a handfull of enthusiasts will pick this up and this is not going to do add any significant number to Ford' sales kitty. Instead I feel, Ford should bolt in a small turbo to the 1.2L engine. This way, they will still get the excise benefit to keep VFM flag flying and the smart usage of a Turbocharger should bump the power as well as the efficiency.

And Ford, when you are on this, get the Aquarius blue colour, 15" wheels and a whistling blowoff valve as well. I am ready with the cheque.