[finneyp]

Being addicted to a European car, I will go for VW Polo.

[nurni76]

From purely a looks perspective, I'd love to be seen in a Red Polo

[joshdrive]

Originally Posted by Daewood

Ford's attitude towards the Indian customer is not apt considering India's potential today with a huge middle class whose income is growing at 15%/year. They think they can offer an recycled old car and fool the Indian customer. As an Indian we demand to be treated on par with the world.

Most of the brand's attitude is like that.Market has not yet matured enough to accept "global" cars at their "right" price at the >10 lakh segment. VFM is the main criteria. Polo we get here is not the same one sold in developed countries. They have skimmed it but priced it right here in India. Thats what majority of customers are looking for.

Ford is not fooling the customers here. They are doing what that is right in the business sense. Make use of existing relevant resources and come up with a car that is good in most of aspects and price it right.

Originally Posted by Daewood

Very valid point.

When Ford launches the Fiesta hatch in India we can compare it with Polo. Comparing Figo with Polo is like comparing Estilo and i10.

I agree here. Figo and Polo are have marginal difference in segmentation.

But as someone said in this thread earlier, people are going to compare them because of their size and close pricing too.

[rajivn]

Originally Posted by poloman

But do they have the guts to offer the European Fiesta (which is the actual competitor to Polo) in Indian market at the price points what VW is offering Polo?

Well, I doubt, cuz Figo will tackle the Polo. Well, not really (Polo fans can chill). Figo is Mass and VFM and Fiesta hatch (2011) would be Premium and VFM. What I mean is, they might load the Fiesta hatch with international specs and interiors and price it in i20 territory or marginally higher. So, for the car that it is and the features that it offers, it will be VFM. Ford has learnt its lesson well from Fusion debacle. They will know how to price the Fiesta hatch competitively.

Originally Posted by Daewood

Ford's attitude towards the Indian customer is not apt considering India's potential today with a huge middle class whose income is growing at 15%/year. They think they can offer an recycled old car and fool the Indian customer. As an Indian we demand to be treated on par with the world.

When Ford launches the Fiesta hatch in India we can compare it with Polo. Comparing Figo with Polo is like comparing Estilo and i10.

To me, Ford has done the right thing. Take a successful platform, build an out and out VFM car and position it bang in the heart of the hatchback market. The end result, the positioning is such, Figo competes with cars right from i10s, Beats to Vistas and Swifts to Polos and Puntos. ( taken both Figo P and Figo D into consideration). To me thats brilliant.

Figo looks aint flashy. Thats the only major grouse. But the mass market will definitely not mind. Not everyone wants an ultra modern car. I would let the sales numbers do the talking from here.

To me, both dont appeal, Nissan Micra might turn out to be more appealing looking at those pics and features its got. I wish they launch the international spec Micra with VFM pricing and not do a VW here.

[pramodpk]

Voted for Ford Figo as I think it is more VFM and fun to drive.

[rpmx1000]

Originally Posted by finneyp

Being addicted to a European car, I will go for VW Polo.

The Figo's genes are European. The Fiesta is not found in the US. It is a Ford Europe-only model.

Originally Posted by joshdrive

I agree here. Figo and Polo are have marginal difference in segmentation.

Frankly , I find all this segmenting ridiculous. The rate of growth of segments in the Indian Autocar industry is growing faster than intel brings new chips out.They are of the same size, and practicality and so will be compared. Or, if to make sense to you people, I think they should be termed as in 'overlapping segments'. Humph!. Tomorrow you will have segments because there is a 1 mm difference in length.Segmentation is pure marketing spiel than an obvious thing nowadays.

[hpzone]

I voted for POLO (Petrol)

It is unfair to compare these two. Figo is the old generation Fiesta in Europe! And how it’s a made for India car? POLO petrol (trendline) is the best VFM allround car under 5L on road IMHO

Diesel may be different story due to a better engine (as per GTO)

[jacksons]

I have voted for Figo, its VFM car.
1.Spacious than Polo
2.Cheaper than polo
3.Easy to drive
4.I care for practicality than snob value, its my hard earned money.
5.Looks are subjective and I like Figo more than Polo
6.Asas will be much better than polo again.
7.Resale will be better than polo.
Its my opinion only not forcing on any body.

[sathee46]

Originally Posted by rajivn

Well, I doubt, cuz Figo will tackle the Polo. Well, not really (Polo fans can chill). Figo is Mass and VFM and Fiesta hatch (2011) would be Premium and VFM. What I mean is, they might load the Fiesta hatch with international specs and interiors and price it in i20 territory or marginally higher. So, for the car that it is and the features that it offers, it will be VFM. Ford has learnt its lesson well from Fusion debacle. They will know how to price the Fiesta hatch competitively.

+1. IMHO Figo is a VFM car and not a premium hatchback. The problem with polo is nether it's a VFM hatch nor a premium hatch. May be this is the reason for people getting confused in camparing it with every other hatchback available. By the time the fiesta hatch arrives the comparison might be turned down saying the fiesta is a premium hatch. The polo is a stunning car with it's gorgeous looks, so other than the looks (which is subjective) in every other aspect the Figo is a good car if not better than the polo

And I would like to know what are the cons of using a older platform to develop a new car? I know ford can save lot of money, but what negative aspect does it have to the customer.

[Speed Pujari]

Assuming the platform of figo is same as the oldy fusion, then i dont think it has an 'impressive' ride handling. My Boss own a Fusion+ 1.6, and I use to drive it quite often.
The car pull is great in city given the fact of 100hp beneath the hood, but the handling does not compliment the power. I never get a gut feel at corner due to high GC. And the build quality- well ford is ford, I never liked the build quality of any ford car. The doors knock feels delecate and do not have even a pinch of thud. The plastic quality gives an okayish feel (well better than sx4).

Overall the riding posture in the car is also quite uncomfortable. I get an urge to stretch after say every 30km during long rides. With my palio and other swift I easily drive for continuous 100+ without any break.

The steering and clutch pedal is idiotically free, which looses confidence at high speeds. I prefer to stick to 100-120 range (or less) on highways.

The interior of figo and fusion is cent-percent same. Also while modifying the LHD to RHD, they did a cost cutting to change the location of front bonnet lever. The bonnet lever is on the passenger side. I am not sure if they have rectified this is in figo .

No 1st hand exp on Polo but I expect the car handling to be in the likes of Palios/Puntos.

[poloman]

Too early to judge Figo and Polo on resale value. But it is a matter of fact that the current Ford cars do not command decent resale value compared to peers. Most of their early cars like Escort, Mondeo and Fusion were duds in the market. Add to that, their wrong marketing policy of launching limited editions at lower price and better features to boost the sales. Hopefully they won't repeat this in case of Figo since margins may be wafer thin at current levels itself

[Amartya]

Originally Posted by Sawyer

If the car is a hit in a free market, does it not mean that a lot of people like it? Is it your point that if they do, they would be all wrong to your right?!
How is hoping that lots of people don't like the car make any sense to anyone other than a direct competitor?!
I have no strong views about either car at this time, but since I keep coming across such posts on the forum that leave me puzzled, this post.

It's a fair and valid question, appreciate it. I agree with you, that whatever the free market has in store for a product is the correct and democratic way of judging it.
However, if you had read the last line of my post a little more carefully, I had mentioned that the market segment I was concerned with were the members on teambhp ("at least on teambhp..."). In my opinion we form a section of the car buying public that is more well informed and enthusiastic about cars than the average Indian customer. A case in point being the percentage of Punto's and Linea's we have amongst out midst.

So, the Polo having 3 cylinder engines, in my opinion, was a retrograde step which enthusiasts should criticize. There are engineering issues with 3 cylinder engines, that just cannot be wished away. A car manufacturer will never do anything more than the market demands of it, so if the market goes gaga over the current version of the Polo, they might just introduce the Polo 1.6 a year later at a stratospheric price (with just the highest trim level). On the other hand, if the Polo gets criticized for it's power-plants, we might get the 1.6 as an option across trim levels at a more reasonable price.

Coming back to the topic at hand, the Figo's dynamics are just as good as the Polo's (read GTO's reviews) and the 1.2 litre engine in it is more refined. Put that in perspective with the Polo's perfect gearbox with a ergonomic disaster of a clutch position (again Polo lovers would fail to see this), makes the Polo more of a poser's delight than an enthusiasts.

I love the Polo's styling, but unfortunately that's just about it.

[kiku007]

Originally Posted by Daewood

Ford's attitude towards the Indian customer is not apt considering India's potential today with a huge middle class whose income is growing at 15%/year. They think they can offer an recycled old car and fool the Indian customer. As an Indian we demand to be treated on par with the world.

This is getting boring. Did Ford give pedal to run and stool to sit instead of an engine and seat in the Figo and charging the moon from the Indian customer that you are saying that they are fooling Indians?

Let us wait for the sales figures to come out and see where the two cars stand wrt the competition.

Originally Posted by kiku007

I have driven the Figo diesel. All I can say is, people may thrash the car for being old, un-exciting looks, no rear power windows, poor A.S.S history, pink dashboard (why don't ppl understand that it's optional?) etc etc. BUT once you see the Value For Money proposition (Initial cost and Fuel Cost) all the complaints seem unjustfied to me.

Common, the reasons for all the skimmping is to cut the cost and they have passed on the damn benefits to us customers.

The Figo is relevant to the indian market. Period.

Originally Posted by Daewood

When Ford launches the Fiesta hatch in India we can compare it with Polo.

Originally Posted by kiku007

By that time if Polo fans are successfull in comparing the Polo to the i20, they may please compare it to the 2010 Int Fiesta

Originally Posted by Daewood

Comparing Figo with Polo is like comparing Estilo and i10.

Originally Posted by kiku007

Dude, even I don't like to compare both the cars. I have mentioned this in some of the other threads as well. But you know what? Can you and me stop people from comparing? People out there (Non BHPians) and BHPians here have decided to compare the cars and well that's it.

Like it or not, Figo is compared to Polo and this should be giving sheepish smiles at Ford and heartburns at VW.

Frankly I see that here in T-BHP itself

[formel_eins]

Originally Posted by rajivn

Well, I doubt, cuz Figo will tackle the Polo. Well, not really (Polo fans can chill). Figo is Mass and VFM and Fiesta hatch (2011) would be Premium and VFM. What I mean is, they might load the Fiesta hatch with international specs and interiors and price it in i20 territory or marginally higher. So, for the car that it is and the features that it offers, it will be VFM. Ford has learnt its lesson well from Fusion debacle. They will know how to price the Fiesta hatch competitively.




To me, Ford has done the right thing. Take a successful platform, build an out and out VFM car and position it bang in the heart of the hatchback market. The end result, the positioning is such, Figo competes with cars right from i10s, Beats to Vistas and Swifts to Polos and Puntos. ( taken both Figo P and Figo D into consideration). To me thats brilliant.

Figo looks aint flashy. Thats the only major grouse. But the mass market will definitely not mind. Not everyone wants an ultra modern car. I would let the sales numbers do the talking from here.

To me, both dont appeal, Nissan Micra might turn out to be more appealing looking at those pics and features its got. I wish they launch the international spec Micra with VFM pricing and not do a VW here.

Successful platform sounds good, how about Innovation?? If the platform is successful then why does Ford need a new platform, they could have continued with it in other markets too?? In reality every product has a life cycle, what Ford does is develops and sells latest products in other markets. Once the products reach their life cycle it brings them to India, I think we deserve much better than that and we dont need this ageing products from Ford. look at Hyundai which brought its global platform in form of i10, i20 to India, Toyota who brought theirs in form of Innova and Fortuner, VW brings the platform in form of Polo. Even though the features on Indian makes may differ from ones available abroad, the important thing is freshness of product in form of exterior looks and base platform. Figo spells AGE to me and even though platform is proven I deserve a global platform, a fresh product

Originally Posted by rpmx1000

The Figo's genes are European. The Fiesta is not found in the US. It is a Ford Europe-only model.


Frankly , I find all this segmenting ridiculous. The rate of growth of segments in the Indian Autocar industry is growing faster than intel brings new chips out.They are of the same size, and practicality and so will be compared. Or, if to make sense to you people, I think they should be termed as in 'overlapping segments'. Humph!. Tomorrow you will have segments because there is a 1 mm difference in length.Segmentation is pure marketing spiel than an obvious thing nowadays.

European genes in Figo !!!! for me it looks like a 50 year old lady trying to fit into a young crowd, but even with that makeup which Ford gave it, the lady fails miserably

Originally Posted by rpmx1000

The Figo's genes are European. The Fiesta is not found in the US. It is a Ford Europe-only model.


Frankly , I find all this segmenting ridiculous. The rate of growth of segments in the Indian Autocar industry is growing faster than intel brings new chips out.They are of the same size, and practicality and so will be compared. Or, if to make sense to you people, I think they should be termed as in 'overlapping segments'. Humph!. Tomorrow you will have segments because there is a 1 mm difference in length.Segmentation is pure marketing spiel than an obvious thing nowadays.

Originally Posted by Speed Pujari

Assuming the platform of figo is same as the oldy fusion, then i dont think it has an 'impressive' ride handling. My Boss own a Fusion+ 1.6, and I use to drive it quite often.
The car pull is great in city given the fact of 100hp beneath the hood, but the handling does not compliment the power. I never get a gut feel at corner due to high GC. And the build quality- well ford is ford, I never liked the build quality of any ford car. The doors knock feels delecate and do not have even a pinch of thud. The plastic quality gives an okayish feel (well better than sx4).

Overall the riding posture in the car is also quite uncomfortable. I get an urge to stretch after say every 30km during long rides. With my palio and other swift I easily drive for continuous 100+ without any break.

The steering and clutch pedal is idiotically free, which looses confidence at high speeds. I prefer to stick to 100-120 range (or less) on highways.

The interior of figo and fusion is cent-percent same. Also while modifying the LHD to RHD, they did a cost cutting to change the location of front bonnet lever. The bonnet lever is on the passenger side. I am not sure if they have rectified this is in figo .

No 1st hand exp on Polo but I expect the car handling to be in the likes of Palios/Puntos.

Nope, Ford didnt care to provide bonnet lever on RHS, it is ridiculous to have it on LHS

Originally Posted by Amartya

It's a fair and valid question, appreciate it. I agree with you, that whatever the free market has in store for a product is the correct and democratic way of judging it.
However, if you had read the last line of my post a little more carefully, I had mentioned that the market segment I was concerned with were the members on teambhp ("at least on teambhp..."). In my opinion we form a section of the car buying public that is more well informed and enthusiastic about cars than the average Indian customer. A case in point being the percentage of Punto's and Linea's we have amongst out midst.

So, the Polo having 3 cylinder engines, in my opinion, was a retrograde step which enthusiasts should criticize. There are engineering issues with 3 cylinder engines, that just cannot be wished away. A car manufacturer will never do anything more than the market demands of it, so if the market goes gaga over the current version of the Polo, they might just introduce the Polo 1.6 a year later at a stratospheric price (with just the highest trim level). On the other hand, if the Polo gets criticized for it's power-plants, we might get the 1.6 as an option across trim levels at a more reasonable price.

Coming back to the topic at hand, the Figo's dynamics are just as good as the Polo's (read GTO's reviews) and the 1.2 litre engine in it is more refined. Put that in perspective with the Polo's perfect gearbox with a ergonomic disaster of a clutch position (again Polo lovers would fail to see this), makes the Polo more of a poser's delight than an enthusiasts.

I love the Polo's styling, but unfortunately that's just about it.

"There are engineering issues with 3 cylinder engines, that just cannot be wished away." Thats a very bold statement Amartya. Research has been going on to make these engines more efficient and refined. Do you think one of the biggest automotive group like VW will make a blunder with a 3-cylinder engine?? They learnt from Fabia and brought more refinement in Polo. They have launched 3-cylinder engine not just in India but in Europe too. Even Nissan Micra will be coming with a 3-cylinder engine. So a 3-cylinder mill does not necessarily mean a compromise. With proper tuning and engineering it is capable enough to defend its territory

Note from the Team-BHP Support Team : Please use the "edit" button if posting within 20 minutes of the first post, instead of creating another back-to-back post.

Also use "Multi Quote" option for quoting Multiple posts.

[nandi]

Voted for the Figo. Going by looks, the Figo is no match for the Polo (though the rear styling is pretty plain compared to the gorgeous front). But the Figo is an excellent overall package and VFM which the Polo is not.
And the Polo and Figo will attract totally different sets of buyers, ie, Polo = snob value (in India) and Figo (practical and VFM)