21st May 2010, 16:24
| #31 | |
| Senior - BHPian  Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Mumbai/Mulund
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21st May 2010, 17:38
| #32 | |
| BHPian  Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: NCR
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If there is some fault in Ford IKON you have two options 1)Take it to Ford service station They have a policy of replacing the system if there is a fault in any of the components. This can be best explained by the example of replacing the whole CPU if the disc drive develops some fault in the computer. Ford has a policy of replacing instead of repairing, and yes that would cost you a bomb. The cost of servicing, the cost of body parts,panels or lights was always at par with the segment contenders,it was the cost of electricals which was scary (mostly imported). For example headlight costed 2995 as compared to the headlight of Alto costing 3600. Paintwork on the fender or any part costed as much as the alto. Servicing cost of Rs2100-Rs2300 was very much acceptable. However send it for electrical or mechanical repairs to Ford Service station and you shed some good weight from your wallet.  2)Take to to any other Mechanic/Service station They try to repair parts and alas you are doomed more.The car hated repairs. Once you attempt a repair on the parts it would start a chain reaction of several parts giving away. I remember an attempt to replace a ball-bearing of the radiator fan from a trusted service station resulted in overheating incidents, A/C compressor giving away and the ECU being replaced. Again | |
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21st May 2010, 17:59
| #33 |
| Distinguished - BHPian   Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: AU
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| @ Albatross. -  I know what you mean. Very well put.What you putforth in Point# 2 is the car's way of telling us, "Don't mess with me. I don't care even if you beg but I will only accept service at Ford's own centres" |
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22nd May 2010, 12:55
| #34 |
| Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Delhi
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| THE LAUNCH  Following positive reviews from the press, including an article "A star is born"in an issue of Auto India mag, the Ford Ikon is commercially launched in November 30, 1999 at a gala event which also marked the inauguration of Ford's spanking new facility at Maramalainagar, at the outskirts of Chennai in Tamil Nadu. Neighbour Hyundai was already running full capacity churning out Santros and accents, some to supply to SRK for phir bhi dil hai hindustani, some for public..but Ford took a joshful theme and entered into a contract with Mr. "Breathless" Shankar Mahadevan, who was in the peak of his career to sing a song aao josh mein with lyrics written by Javed Sahaab. The ikon was unveiled in 4 variants at a psychological price band of below 5 lakhs for the base 1.6 version. It was Launched in 1.6 CLXI, 1.6 CLXI with power steering, 1.6 ZXI and 1.8 diesel ZXI at a price band of 4,99,000-6,00,000 approx IIRC.  Accent, which was also launched around the same time, was priced a bit higher at approx 5.25 onwards. The war was clearly between the ikon and accent. Esteem was selling decently but its sales began to tumble a bit. I remember people buying hordes of accents in my locality and coming to Ganesha temple for poojas at a rate of one car almost every second day..my first sight of ikon was in Ghaziabad where erstwhile legend ford just opened and started selling cars briskly. Many a times at Bikaji Cama place, harpreet Ford used to deliver ikons and I went there for a test ride. I confront a sardar and he gladly lets me in and thee i am staring at hordes of ikons for sale along with little number of escorts, and then time comes for brief ride, and i come back impressed by the car's pick up and handling.  Around a thousand bookings are recorded in the beginning for both cars but in the first few months, the ikon is ahead in sales followed by accent. The cielo gets relaunched as Cielo executive, all other variants are canned and Daewoo lanched another car with a 1.6L DOHC engne-called the Nexia, which too bombs badly despite being a competent product with amazing interiors, especially in the nexia deluxe. About the Siena, the less said the better. But a new shot in the arm is coming soon. December 1999. Time for another ACI comparo between Cielo, Ikon, Accent, Siana and Esteem. The accent is declared as a complete package but the ikon is declared as a complete ll rounder despite downmarket interiors and poor equipment. A combination of low price and the best of both worlds-driving pleasure and rear seat comfort tilts it heavily in its favour, but the biggest shock comes in ACI's 0-100 tests-the ikon is the quickest to 100 at approx 11.9 seconds despite having 8V SOHC and just 91 bhp, the rollifinger camshaft tech doing the trick with hordes of torque causing inadvertent wheelspins...it chews any other car for lunch and spits out of its exhausts..this ones for us, is the verdict!  As we enter a new millenium, ikon production gains further stream, but a new Brazilian based built in Gujrat threat is looming in the horizon, which will heat up the midsized wars even further. Who is threatening this ikonic car? Find out next, as we go to canteen to have chai, coffee and chat in this joshila break.... Last edited by Rehaan : 22nd May 2010 at 22:51. Reason: As per request. |
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22nd May 2010, 23:08
| #35 |
| Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Delhi
Posts: 4,892
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| DAWN OF THE NEW MILLENNIUM THE LIGHTNING STRIKES THE IKONIC BLUE OVAL, BUT IS IT ENOUGH?  The new millennium was a booming era in the Indian automobile industry as the mid size segment saw new launches and many upgrades and addition of many variants. The auto expo made a promising debut of GM's second product-the Brazilian based made in Gujarat Opel Corsa in three flavours-1.4 GL, 1.4 GLS and 1.6 GLS, priced upwards of 5.75 all the way upto 7. "GM raises the quality game" was the remark of many critics. It was expensive because it packed good quality build and finish, the exterior and the interior were top class in terms of overall quality and feel, the 1.6 was superbly equipped as well. Mini astra to many people. Ford had already installed a lightning conductor to protect its ikonic oval. It fired its salvo-a cut price ikon in CLXi guise at a rock bottom 4.50 lakhs with that archaic 1299 cc pushrod OHV engine with just 58 bhp, used in the escort earlier. It was mainly targeted at entry level esteem buyers and it picked up ikon sales. The corsa-not surprisingly, had a slow start. Though the package was excellent on paper, two of the most important criteria-rear seat comfort and engine performance with economy was lacking, moreover reputation of expensive maintenance did it more harm than good. But help will be on the way sooner... April 2000. A new dawn. A new era in engine tech-MPFI comes in, carburetor goes out. As Euro 2 norms kick in across the country, Maruti gives its esteemed competition a smack in the face in such a way that it spells out the blues inside the ikonic blue oval, opel..woh pal ki jab lightning garajta hai lekin barasta nahi, the cielo is almost doomed, only to get a shot in the arm by the launch of CNG variant, but just not OK to save the sinking ship, whereas the siena...OMG! The esteem gets a whopping 20 bhp power increase to 85 bhp and its now the new performance and mileage king, pickup in 11.49 seconds, even better than the erstwhile ikon. All of a sudden, the "new power version" of the esteem takes off like a jet and so do sales, which get a new shot in the arm. Maruti gives it a minor cosmetic upgrade too. Esteemed makeover doesn't get any better than this. Ford also keeps on improving the ikon based on customer feedback of harsh ride and lack of small standard equipment, not to mention its reputation of being a gas guzzler. Yet, enthusiasts love the car for its performance and razor sharp handling. A new variant-1.3 EXI is added in between whereas the 1.6 base model is phased out. New shades are too added, but the micastone and paprika red contain to remain popular choices. The end of 2000 will see an Italiano fiorano from Fiat when it launches what is billed the fastest sedan in the market-the siena 1.6 in two trim levels-the ELX and ELX SP priced north of seven lakh rupees with an all new 1.6 litre 16v DOHC "torque" motor with 1581 cc of pure Italian bliss with 98 bhp of raw Italian passion, timed at 11.58 seconds from 0-100 kmph, and best in class in gear acceleration timings too which would chew the esteem and spit it out if its exhaust. Meanwhile, 2001 sees more action and upgrades to the ikon. The whole model lineup is rejigged and some new variants are introduced.
 The Corsa got a shot in the arm with the launch of a cheaper 1.6 GSi variant, now more realistically priced against the ikon 1.6 ZXI. The Siena 1.6 did not FIRE any kind of torque in the segment, and a well deserved product too bombed badly. Time to go to a doctor. The ikon meanwhile crossed the 10,000 sales mark followed closely by the accent, which too reached the milestone a bit later. To mark the occasion, Ford started its limited edition gimmicks when it launched the 1.3 IRIS version of the ikon in fall 2001, basically a 1.3 EXI with added features. The esteem was selling briskly as usual, with further upgrades in the pipeline. 2001 however will be remembered as one of the saddest years in Cielo's history. Once a desirable product that was once a neighbour's envy, along with its nexia clone, began their journey towards a heavenly abode when Daewoo motors were declared bankrupt in that year. Daewoo's efforts to reignite consumer confidence failed and the company went belly up the next year. RIP Cielo and Nexia, the country's first true loaded luxury cars... While I am a bit grief striken remembering the Dae-woed twins, its time to take a break... Enjoy your sleep, wake up to a refreshed morning full of josh as we look at 2002 with a new dimension as some new competitors are ignited and promise to come back.......in the next post.  (pics of ikon courtesy members kiku007 and normally_crazy) Last edited by sidindica : 22nd May 2010 at 23:09. |
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23rd May 2010, 14:32
| #36 |
| Senior - BHPian  | |
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23rd May 2010, 14:53
| #37 | ||
| Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: AU
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Here are some pics from my HD. And Sid, nice to see my car pics in this thread  | ||
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24th May 2010, 09:56
| #38 |
| Senior - BHPian  Join Date: May 2009 Location: Chennai
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| kiku, is 2075 your car? I think it must be because that's the only one with the dent in the bonnet.  |
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24th May 2010, 10:41
| #39 |
| Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: AU
Posts: 2,322
Thanked: 7,188 Times
| @ Gilhead - Glad you remembered the dent The photo with the broken number plate is very apt for this thread. The photo was taken at Chennai Ford when the car went for a post flood check up/treatement! Chennaites would remember the flash floods in Oct-2006. The Ikon drove us to safety in the night with it's headlights almost immersed in water. It didn't stall at all nor did any part fail (most importantly the ECU). The only problem was that the car's carpet was totally drenched and the front number plate was broken (Don't know where/how). One of the reasons I don't mind spending on it's huge service bills. But now, the time has come. Dad, mother and my wife want to replace the Ikon with a petrol hatch for around 4L. The Ikon also needs rear suspension replacement, tinkering, painting etc. So planning to sell it soon:(  Know anyone selling a low mileage+in warranty Getz, Ritz? Do PM me pls. |
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24th May 2010, 11:22
| #40 |
| Senior - BHPian  Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: MH-04
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24th May 2010, 11:35
| #41 |
| Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Delhi
Posts: 4,892
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| An Italian Maestro gets a Brazilian Royale treatment before a Korean tornado tries to knock off this SeXI ikonic oval in this bitter rivalry full of esteem..  2002 started off with a whimper as daewoo motors is now history, saat saal pehle ki ek aisi kahaani jo shayad itihaas ke panno mein kahin kho gayi ho..but contined to be back with a bang as the entry luxury sedan wars entered a new spectrum with many yearly upgrades and luxo themed top variants being launched. The lightning struck royally when it launched its Corsa 1.6 royale in 2 exclusive colours-black and gold-with top end features like MID, alloy wheels, rear spoiler, root wood finish console, beige interiors etc. It replaced the 1.6 GLS and 1.6 GSI was given a few feature add ons. the 1.4 GL and GLS featured improved rear seat comfort on customer feedback. The interior of corsa royale was literally a class apart with high quality fittings. yet it sold in very limited numbers, price being very high, almost close to the then base astra territory. Whilst Ford launched a limited production run of ikon called as rally sport in 2 exclusive colours-ford racing blue and silverstone in 2000-01, it was nothing but a tarted up 1.6 CLXi with alloys, spoiler and rally sport sticker. Not even an LHS OSVM was standard! 2002 marked as year when Ford finally did make some changes to the ikon, both mechanically and the interiors. the iris was dropped, and SXI trim was added to the 1.8 diesel as well. The 1.6 and 1.8 SXI gained leather seat covers and a 6 CD changer audio as standard, whereas the ZXI and SXI models in all engine options finally gained moulded door trims, lending some upmarket interior feel. Power window placements suffered as a result, way down below, and one had to literally bend down to open/close the window switches. I recall how I had indirectly embarassed a salesperson at a ford dealer by using my legs to do the same!!!!!!! Poor demand for the 1.3 endura petrol, which gained a reputation of being a sluggish performer, limited its success to just the base model and it was relaunched at just 4.49 lakhs with some more loadings. A new shortlived variant-the 1.6 EXI was also launched positoned as a cheaper alternative to the ZXi and came without the audio, defogger and silver splash on the dashboard. IIRC, the price was kept at 5,50,000 approx. The ikon was selling decently, but it was the beginning of its premature doom. Despite improvements to the 1.6 in terms of mileage, complaints kept creeping in and the car was expensive on maintenance. Ford's dealer standards were dropping to new lows and many dealers were opening and closing down due to poor margins that period. the final blow comes when ikon prices are hiked 3 times without notice and the car becomes more expensive than ever... Weather forecast for 2002 worsens for the competition when Hyundai rips off a tornado by launching the most expensive version of its accent ever-the accent 1.6 GTX tornado with segment first standard ABS. Along with mandatory alloys and spoiler (the design which became a fashion for every car accessory lover), it was kitted with its 1.6 version of the 10 year old alpha motor, completely updated with 16V DOHC configuration, 103 ps, 14 plus kgm torque and fat 185 size rubber. 6 CD changer was also fitted as standard, so did its already best in class interior got even better with top class fit and finish. the car sold decently for its premium price, but the engine was a letdown especially for a car trying to convey sporting pretensions.. May 2002. Sachin Tendulkar was at the peak of his career and made Fiat's sales to the max with the launch of the palio 1.2 and 1.6. He now wants the Indian public to get noticed with Fiat's facelifted siena, basicaly a palio with a chipki hui dikki, job well executed. Time comes for a second chance. Second one. 1.2 EX. price-4,85,000.tick. second two. 1.6 EL. price-5,65,000.tick. second three. 1.6 ELX. price-6,10,000. tick. second four. 1.6 maestro. price-6,70,000. tick. second five. 1.6 maestro with ABS and driver airbag. price-7,00,000. tick. Shockwaves flow within the competition after this announcement. Basiclly, target is the esteem, which comes within the same price point. Palio like old interiors be damned, below par fit and finish be damned, this new siena is a sensational VFM sedan. ACI picks it as "our choice" in the may 2002 isue comparison test. Within a full price spectrum, there is a siena for every budget. The 1.2 EX is a base model with nothing other than an AC and PS, the 1.6 EL is partly loaded, the ELX gets more bells and whistles whereas the 1.6 maestro is a made to order variant targeting the accent tornado, the ikon SXI and corsa royale, comeign with wooden dashboard finish, tilt steering, alloys, spoiler, kenwood 10 CD changer and optional ABS and driver airbag on SP version. But someone tells me: disasters don't just happen. They are a chain of critical events. Unravel the clues and countdown those final 5 seconds of disaster. The Siena, launched with high hopes and much fanfare, begins to sink even before it starts its first voyage. Sales are slow, woefully slow. Palio sales have tanked, and the old siena's name and baggage are doing it more harm than good. Tendulkar couldn't do anything about it despite getting many of his photos published on the brochure...sad isn't it? Overproduction and fiat's dismal A.S.S. add more nails to the Siena's coffin.. But the car was simply a delight to drive, so stable and secure with superb handling. My first tryst with a siena came when I visited an old Fiat dealer atil auto near gurgaon border and ripped a peacock blue ELX there in 2003 beginning. I touched 130, yet the car felt so stable and secure. The esteem soldiers on and finally gets its much awaited upgrade. The grill is changed, wheelcaps are added(!) and VX gets a full thk upgrade with wider tyres, spoiler, wheel caps, defogger, body colored handles and mirrors and is renamed as the VXI. Sales start to pickup again for the 12 year old sedan. The ikon's struggle continues, while the SXI sells decently, the diesel sales tank off again and more so when Hyundai bulldozes it with the country's first ever affordable diesel rocket-the accent CRDi with 1.5 litre, 82 ps power 3 pot mill. Performance is devastating, thanks to all that torque and despite the engine sound mirroring that of a sledgehammer, the crdi is the new enthusiast craze, one which dramatically changes Hyundai's image of a manufacturer with a lineup of affordable performance diesel cars in the coming years.  But where is Ford? Its with me, of course, as both of us decide to go downstairs and take a sweet lassi in this hot summer Delhi heat. Full 2003 glasses of it. After that, both of us will go to an astrologer and will discuss the ikon's janam kundli and as I go back to the sets of raaz pichle janam ka, you too can take a break and enjoy yourself. Because I am being told, If you have been good in your past life, its time to wake up to your NXT life.... Yes, my NXT life will begin shortly. Stay tuned.... (pics of ikon courtesy member benbsb29) |
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24th May 2010, 12:10
| #42 |
| BHPian Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: NCR
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|  The car looked as good as new even on its last day with me. I could be seen signing the sale agreements near my scorpio. |
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24th May 2010, 15:59
| #43 |
| BHPian  Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Bangalore
Posts: 94
Thanked: 121 Times
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24th May 2010, 17:08
| #44 |
| Distinguished - BHPian  | |
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24th May 2010, 18:39
| #45 | |
| Senior - BHPian  | I liked the look of the type1 better than the type2 (except for the fading headlight). It looks smashing in the green colour seen in post1, but I never actually saw one in that colour on the road. Quote:
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