[benbsb29]

My Ikon Flair (Oct 2006) has now completed 5K+ kms.
Took it for a trip to Hogenakkal this weekend, and managed to touch the 150+ kmph mark (speedo indicated). Car was rock-steady even at these speeds, and steering feel was excellent. Then again, its an IKON.

Getting pretty good mileage figures from Mike, as we call him :

City figures : 13.4 kmpl
Fuel used : Shell normal petrol
A/C usage : Negligible owing to decent weather conditions

Highway figures : 16.8 kmpl
Fuel used : Shell normal petrol
A/C usage : 100%

During trip from Palakkad to Bangalore :
Highway figures : 18.9 kmpl
Fuel used : Reliance normal petrol
A/C usage : 10%

During all these, maintained a more or less sedate driving style, and always shifting up or down as required, without straining the engine.
Ripped when possible during the trip from Bangalore to Hogenakkal, specially along the stretch from Hosur to Krishnagiri, clocking my highest ever 150+ kmph.

[sammyboy]

Hi guys, nice to see you all having as much fun with ur Ikons as I am.
Well, have covered about 18k km now and boy, has it been a hell of a journey.

Did a Bangalore – Ooty – Emerald (red hill nature resort) one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen, about 550 km round trip with the last 25 km or so without roads .
I always thought that this car was meant more for city driving than off roading but this journey just proved how wrong I was.

It tackled the roads with as much effort as a hot knife through butter .
Never felt any lack of power anywhere in the journey .The car gives you so much confidence that at times you wish for a lil more challenging terrain .

The other journey I did was Bangalore – Yercaud (twice) .No problemo , got an avg of 17 kmpl which is all thanks to the great work being done on the NH7.

But the most awesome journey has to be Bangalore – Hyderabad- Nagpur ,non stop 1153 km one way .
The Ikon was in its elements ripping to Hyd in 7 hrs 10 min. Then got lost in Hyd (as was warned by the fellow team bhpians) and wasted almost 4 hours . But then managed to get back on the way and was in Nagpur by 12:30 am (left bangy at 6:45 am).

Ok now my take on the journey ---

Suspensions – Awesome is the only word that comes to my mind. Everytime I hit a pot holed road I just feel so pleased for having bought this car . The suspension apart from giving a very comfortable ride also keeps the car in complete control .

Handling- This is again one of the strengths of the Ikon , the way it is firmly planted on the road is second to none ,especially when it comes to twists and turns .
Brakes , as all us know need improvement but then I prefer not to cross 120 kmph so that kinda makes up for it .

The seats – Well this was one part I never really thought about till I did that 1153 km in a day journey ,but I can confidently say that I still haven’t felt this kind of comfort in my life on the driver's seat .Maybe I am exaggerating a little bit but then it was amazing that inspite of being on the drivers seat for almost 16 hours there was no discomfort of any kind ,as in no back ache ,no thigh muscles aching nothing .The only thing that I felt was a little stiff neck ,which once I reached and downed a few glasses of the good ol Old monk , disappeared .

The only part I replaced since I got my car serviced at 10K km ,was a fuse ,which is a standard part of the kit .

The average – I only use Shell Unleaded + System G and if Shell is not available Reliance + System G .The average km to a litre I got on these long journeys has varied from 15.5 to 17 kmpl with 95% AC,which is completely acceptable by me.

So overall it has been a most wonderful experience over the last few months. This experience with the Ikon has been much more rewarding than what I could have ever hoped for .
Hope you all are having a blast too .
More updates as time progresses .

Drive safe and have loads of fun with the Ikon. Cheers



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[theMAG]

The Ikon is a good car. Well engineered like all Fords. Great driving dynamics. And safe. Its not without cause that I miss our old Ikon. Ford shouldnt discontinue this car - its the best of the competition.

[sammyboy]

I hear you MAG ,its more than a car , its an experience of a lifetime

[extreme_torque]

@All... 13.5 kmpl in city with some AC usage is kinda unrealistic. If this is the case, why do anyone buy a wagon r or santro for average, coz i know a lot of people who dont go for bigger cars since they average less.

[johy]

I would like your advice folks.

My brother has been on the hunt for a car for a few months now. This is going to be his first car. He has looked at the old Baleno, Esteem, Swift, Aveo, Indigo, and wants to take a look at the Ford Ikon as well.

The problem is where I live (Siliguri), there is no authorized dealer. The nearest dealer is in Kolkata which is like 500 kms away. However, Ganges Ford from Kolkata have opened a small office here in town where they make deliveries and also provide service for the car. When you need parts, you might have to wait a few days for them to come by - not for the common parts though. My brother's running is not going to be much, around 500 km per month. Also, waiting a couple of days is no problem for him. He can always use my Wagon R (which is available almost every day) in case his car is out of action.

Now considering this background, do you think the service can become an issue?

What should he look forward to in a Ford Ikon Flair?
What are the big pluses?

[Jaggu]

Now considering this background, do you think the service can become an issue?
You will have to wait for the dealer to get parts or arrange for the service crew to come around (which is the case in some places) otherwise ok

What should he look forward to in a Ford Ikon Flair?
Great fun driving experience which will take lot of thrashing, funny brakes (but one will master it soon)

What are the big pluses?
rear seat ride, and driving pleasure

[benbsb29]

Being a proud Ikon Flair owner myself, i can vouch for the views expressed by the other fellow owners here. An excellent car known for being a drivers car, and amazing road handling.

@All... 13.5 kmpl in city with some AC usage is kinda unrealistic. If this is the case, why do anyone buy a wagon r or santro for average, coz i know a lot of people who dont go for bigger cars since they average less.

@extreme_torque : Buddy, why do u think the above mileage figure is unrealistic? My Flair, or Mike (as i call him) returns city averages in the range of 12-14 kmpl, all with A/C usage in varying %ages. Please check out my previous posts in this thread. While the 1.6 may have shown traits of being a guzzler, the Flair is the more economical version.

As Jaggu said, the brakes arent exactly the best, but u do get used to them, and learn how they need to be worked.

[sammyboy]

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

@All... 13.5 kmpl in city with some AC usage is kinda unrealistic. If this is the case, why do anyone buy a wagon r or santro for average, coz i know a lot of people who dont go for bigger cars since they average less.

Why is an avg of 13.5kmpl hard to believe ? Its a very realistic figure which can be easily achieved by driving normally (no ripping),correct tyre pressure and a basic additive like system G.

[extreme_torque]

Originally Posted by benbsb29

@extreme_torque : Buddy, why do u think the above mileage figure is unrealistic? My Flair, or Mike (as i call him) returns city averages in the range of 12-14 kmpl, all with A/C usage in varying %ages. Please check out my previous posts in this thread. While the 1.6 may have shown traits of being a guzzler, the Flair is the more economical version.

Dunno but have always got the figure in the region 10-12 kmpl even with careful driving, from my friends who drive the Ikon flair. Going by the mileage figures quoted by you, the flair is a fantastic buy for the price. It in anycase was, I for one would prefer it over the Accent and the esteem.

[benbsb29]

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

Dunno but have always got the figure in the region 10-12 kmpl even with careful driving, from my friends who drive the Ikon flair. Going by the mileage figures quoted by you, the flair is a fantastic buy for the price. It in anycase was, I for one would prefer it over the Accent and the esteem.

Rightly said, pal .... Its just that the 1.6 has set the tag, and people associate the Flair accordingly. I for one am very happy with my purchase, specially when my friend who bought a Swift seems to report lower figures as mileage.

[shalini_g]

Hi benbsb29,

Can you please let me know where ur car getting serviced. I am having a 2005 August Flair, and not so happy with Metro Ford service.

Regarding mileage, I am getting 12.5 to 13.5 on Housr road traffic( Koramangala to EC) and getting 16.5 to 17.8 on highway.Did 3 trips to Kerala.

[benbsb29]

@Shalini :
Had one service done so far, and have been doing so at Cauvery Ford.
So far, pre and post sales experiences have been satisfactory.
Initially comtemplated Metro for being within the city limits, but post reading a thread on them in the Indian Car dealerships section, went ahead and bought the car from Cauvery.

U seem to be getting pretty good mileage figures, in line with what the others have reported too.

[sammyboy]

Well i have been to metro ford twice and was pretty happy with the service provided .

[Tharamal]

I too have a July2006 Flair thats done 12K. Recently did a 1200km round trip to AP. Just recently been finding the time for the trips.
Man, do I love this baby. Love the handling and the look & feel too.
The Tirupathi-B'lore ~250km stretch was done in 3.5 hours flat (leaving at 5:00am helped avoid a lot of traffic).