I was working in Goa last year and it was with a fury that the monsoons lashed itself onto the state of sun, sand and sea.
Once it started, there was no stopping and soon it was pouring like the end of Universe. It did not require Einsteins brain nor astro physics logics to soon figure out that Goa during monsoons was also the land of
SLUSH!!!. Also dawned the realisation that if i were to survive my daily work schedule with 'dignity' I will require a car for commute. The heading: 'Car' which was relegated in my wishlist until October suddenly shot up in priority and within no time, i was diving head long into the research process and test drives.
Many kilometres of test drives,hours of surfing and midnight oil burnt on car magazines later, I finally crash landed on my choice of Ford Figo TDCi Titanium. The insights i got from the ownership reviews in team BHP, their views and opinions were all worth its weight in gold all through out the process of decision making to the final purchase by end July.
The main reasons i bought Figo:
1) I am a 6 footer and i wanted legroom up front and at the same time did not want to cramp rear seat passenger comfort.
2) Hatchback practicality with decent boot space. Wanted a car which can squeeze into tight spots
3) The TDCi engine was a delight and fell in love with it from the word go.
This was one department where Figo galloped way ahead of competition. No turbolag at all. To top it all, it had a sporty and involving drive and could chug it in and around corners at will. The gear ratios and steering feel are spot on.
4) Decent economy, amazing drive and the host of features it came with at the price. The competition just ran out of steam when it came to VFM.
Having said that, i will get to the main topic- Nine months and 20,000 kms of the Figo experience. Many keyboards would have already broken discussing the features of the car and its pros & cons.
So, I will leave that un touched and only deal with things which propped up on the long run.
1)FUEL ECONOMY 0- 5000 Kms Highway- 21 Kmpl City/ Moderate Traffic- 17 Kmpl OVERALL- 18 Kmpl
5- 10,000 Kms Highway- 22 Kmpl City/ Moderate Traffic- 17.5 Kmpl OVERALL- 19 kMPL
10- 20,000 Kms Highway- 21 (10- 15,000 Kms)/ 19 (15- 20,000 Kms) City/ Moderate Traffic- 17 Kmpl OVERALL- 17.5 Kmpl
Note: The mileage was calculated by full tank- full tank menthod. Corrected to the nearest 0.5 kms
2)WEAR AND TEAR
a) Stood well to wear and tear. Weathered out almost all kinds of terrain without a glitch including high ranges, high moisture content atmosphere, bad roads, ugly roads, sea spray and rain.
b) Sturdily built. I wasn't expecting the car to be built like battle tanks nor was i expecting it to be flimsy. However, I was pleasantly surprised with the build quality. Had quite a few occassions when 'sister vehicles' who were sharing the road solidly nudged me even on side frames and doors, but left no scratch or dents whatsoever
c) The colour of the car did not fade (which i was horribly afraid of with the Colorado Red) even after exposure to varied elements and conditions over extended periods. Eg: Sea spray, rain, extended exposure to sun etc
3)After Sales Services
Though not of excellent standards to write home about, it has been okay on broader terms. I have dealt with three different service centres for my three different servicings- Ahmedabad, Cochin and Goa. Cochin was the better of the lot, but the other two was not not bad either.So, I maintain 'Even Stevens' on this.
4)Cost of Maintenance
Other than standard scheduled servicing charges, Nil Relevant. Well, on after thought, it is pertinent to mention that I had to change to sets of front mud flaps. The plastic mud flaps are a complete misfit in the package. First of all, the car is low slug with next to minimal ground clearance and then you fit it with plastic mud flaps which more often than not keep scraping along any credible hump it traverses.
“Ford... What were you thinking???” WHAT FORD COULD IMPROVE UPON
a) The car could definitely do with company fitted USB in music system rather than push it down the throat as an add on. And that too at a cost more than 10 times the actual cost. Customers definitely feel cheated and robbed of their money. Dont know why Ford dishes out such a good deal in the pricing of the car and then wipe out the smile from the faces with such silly things
b) Stock headlights just wouldnt suffice for Indian driving conditions. Doesn't instill the confidence in you to drive through into deep dark roads.
c) Ground clearance. Biggest bane in the car IMHO. We are in India, not in US.
“Ford, Come on guys...”
d) The stock tinted glass is just a namesake. It doesnt do anything. Leave the car under sun and you can welcome yourself into an oven when you return. The large windscreen area lets in a lot of solar energy. A quality sunfilm is highly recommended. Plus, tinted glasses increases trhe aesthetics and appeal of the car manifold.
e) The rear end of the car could have been a tad bit higher in dimension. Though it has a lot of space inside, from outside it looks small. My personal opinion. I know it will be different for different people. I also understand that the taper to the rear has been done to enhance the looks of the car. However, having said that, on the flip side, if the increase in dimension is to infuse body roll, i'd rather it remain the way it is.
f) If not alloy wheels for the top end, atleast the wheel caps could have been better. It looks rather drab now.
PROBLEMS FACED
a) Involuntary shut down of engine while rapid decelerations/ shifting down of gears- experienced it thrice
b) My A/C went on a lightning strike once on a long drive. Switched it off for some time and it came back online after some 90 minutes. As suggested by RGK, i checked up the condensor and found nothing wrong. The service technician also drew a long blank on the issue. Happened only once and am on a sharp look out for any abnormalities in A/C functioning.
c) Then the same old problems which are common with most Figos-
i)Ground clearance
ii)Broken mud flaps
iii)windows rolling down
iv)squeaking noise
Enough has already been said about these. So i leave it at that.
THE GOOD PART
1) Figo is as good on highways as it is on cities. Long drives had never been a problem and i always came out fresh after the drive.
2) Come rain, havoc, sandstorm or sunshine, Figo was always ready and revving to go. I never had a mysterious leak nor even the slightest reluctance for engine cranking.
(Touchwood)
3) The seats are well shaped out and ergonomic. I had my doubts initially about the thigh support but it stood the test. The seating is low slung and the pedal well is quite accomodative. The 'pedal well space' and the sides are beautifully contoured out and designed to ensure that no parts of the central console or the door keeps jabbing at your legs inconveniently.
4) So, to put it on perspective, the car has performed well for the 20,000 Kms i drove it. It still speaks to me the same way it spoke to me the first day i drove it out of the show room. Have kept me happy whenever i drove past a fuel station whilst at the same time giving prime performance and drive quality. With the host of features it came with, space and the engine performance, Figo Titanium TDCi is a complete Value for money package to say the least
GAZING AT THE VIBRANT HORIZON....
Now that the car has weathered through its infancy and is on its prime, everything seems to be happy and lips are curved upwards. But gazing at the horizon of darkening clouds around the bend of South West Arabian Sea declaring the arrival of monsoons, i reckon it is gonna be testing time. Last year the low slung Figo saw me through quite comfortably in the monsoons in Goa from August onwards. However, with my fate set to be repositioned to Cochin by June, the thought of ground clearance and water logged roads has already started haunting my dreams. If you are even remotely aware of the unpredicatble lash of rain in Kerala and the pitiful state it brings the roads to, you can very well comprehend what i'm faced with.
I REST MY CASE...