Hi friends,
Here’s a long term report of my 1st gen Ford Figo 1.4 Titanium Diesel. I have owned this car for close to 6 years now. My overall ownership experience has been satisfactory. I have given a breakup of maintenance costs and the expenses that I have incurred during my 6 years of ownership. I hope it will be beneficial for fellow members. Please pardon me for keeping the review short and crisp.
My car purchase saga.
I am the 2nd owner of this car. The first owner was a Doctor who had purchased this car for his wife. Since his wife used office transport, the car was rarely used by her hence they wanted to sell it off.
The Doctor had purchased this car in Jan 2011 and had driven it close to 13k kms till Oct 2011. Since he planned to sell the car, he didn’t even bother to get the 1st service done which was due at 10k kms. I saw the car listed on an auto classifieds site and decided to check it out. Since it was almost brand new car, I had very less scope for negotiation and could manage to knock off about 15k from the price that he had quoted.
Long story short, I picked up the car for 4.90 lacs in Oct 2011.
Clicked near Aarey beach on Ratnagiri - Ganpatipule coastal road.
Kumbharli ghat on Chiplun - Satara highway
What I like: A Driver’s car - I absolutely love the way it handles and feels planted on highways. I have quit other modes of travel and started traveling by road after I purchased this car. The suspension is a bit firm but it aids in maintaining the composure. The steering is a bit heavier to my liking on low speeds but lightens up as you pick up speed.
Build Quality – Though not in the league of VWs and Fiat, the build quality is robust and much better than its Japanese and Korean competitors.
Looks – They say that beauty is in the eyes of beholder. I am not a fan of flashy in-your-face, space-age designs; I prefer clean, well-proportioned looks. The Figo meets my requirement in this front. It may not have a wow factor but the design won’t offend anyone.
Fuel Efficiency - I get around 14 – 15 kmpl in city and around 18 kmpl on highway with 100% usage of AC. These high mileage figures combined with excellent road manners make it a good highway runner.
Boot Space – 284 liters of boot space means you can easily stack luggage of a nuclear family for a 20 day road trip. Apart from a large and a medium sized suitcase, I also of carry 3 cans of 5 liters Bisleri, 2 pillows, a laptop bag and a travel bag. All of this fits conveniently in the boot.
My RX 100’s chassis in Figo's boot. Comfort - I have extensively used this car on highways and can vouch for the driving comfort. Many a times, I have driven Mumbai to Jaipur in a single day (with food and health breaks) and haven’t felt uncomfortable after such a long drive. The driver’s seat has a good travel range and a healthy height adjustment range. Legroom, headroom in rear seat is adequate for medium sized adults. My wife and son have been with me on all our road trips and they too feel at ease in the car.
Bhandarpule beach near Ganpatipule
Yours truly somewhere near Tarkarli
What I don’t like: Not a true top end – Despite of being ‘Top-of-the-line’ Titanium variant, it misses out on many goodies. For starters, the car has power windows only on the front doors. The rear seat passengers get the traditional window winder. Furthermore, it doesn’t have any sort of steering adjustment option; neither reach nor rake. For a car which was almost 6 lacs on-road in 2011, these are shocking omissions.
Low Ground Clearance - I have lost count of broken mud flaps I have replaced on this car. I finally gave up and accepted defeat. Whenever I have 3 passengers in the car, the under body kisses speed breakers. Even more alarming is the fact that this car doesn't have a sump guard. My car's oil sump has taken a hit but fortunately is still holding fort.
High cost of ownership – My experience in this section is mixed. Since most of my usage is on highways, I end up spending more on preventive maintenance sometimes. Please find a breakup of expenses till date.
List of invoices for reference of parts changed during service schedules.
Since the first owner wanted to sell the car, he didn't send the car for scheduled first service at 10k kms. After the sale, once the documentation work was done, my first job was to give the car for its delayed first service.
In Feb 2012, I drove down to Trivandrum via Bangalore and returned via NH17 - coastal Karnataka - Goa route.
A pic at Thalasserry in Kannur district - Kerala
2nd service at 25k kms
At the time of 3rd service, I decided to get the 3M underbody anti-rust treatment done.
During one of my drives from Ratnagiri to Mumbai, the AC stopped cooling all of a sudden. Since the 4th service was anyway pending, I decided to address the AC issue along with it. It turned out that AC Compressor coil had gone kaput. Since the car was not under extended warranty, I had to shell out the entire amount from my pocket. The cost including service was approx 12k. Here's a copy of the job card for everyone's reference.
The ABS warning light came on sometime around 53k kms. I got the car scanned and the issue was zeroed to a faulty ABS sensor and wheel bearing.
I drove down to Shimla, Manali and Rohtang from Mumbai in Nov. 2014. The car behaved wonderfully throughout.
A pic near the Pundoh dam en-route Manali
The 60 k kms service was a major expense because I got major suspension components changed. The overall expense was around 59k.
The 70k kms service costed me around 20k. Again this time, I got the timing belt, pulley changed because the car had completed 5 years and I was leave for Nainital for a holiday.
In the month of Nov 2016, I did a road trip to Nainital & Jim Corbett. Again, the car performed flawlessly.
Clicked near the tropic of cancer at Gujarat.
On my way back from Nainital, The ABS light started glowing intermittently around Dhule. I drove down from Dhule to Mumbai with the light having its own mind.
I got the car scanned once I was back and it turned out that Front ABS sensor was at fault. I spent around 5k in getting it repaired.
The only time I was stranded on road was when the gear cable bush broke somewhere around 66k. Fortunately, I was on 3rd gear and 15 mins away from the Ford ASC at Ratnagiri. I drove down to the service center and was out in 20 mins after spending 600 bucks.
All in all, the Figo is a costly car to live with. A Maruti or a Hyundai of the same vintage will be much cheaper to own. Having said that, I don't mind spending extra because I want to car to be in a good shape.