[aabhimanyu04]

A treat to read so much about this little monster. It was this very car a few years back that made me sure I am buying a Ford. I loved its composure on the ghats at good speeds, this car never gave up. Treasure this car buddy, it is a lot of happiness

[Aditya]

Very comprehensive review of an excellent vehicle.

When the Figo was introduced in India, I remember it had completely won me over with its terrific handling and peppy diesel engine. Even the build was quality was good. What I didn't like about the car was the top-end performance. Still, it was pretty good to drive most of the time.

With a remap, most performance shortfalls should be addressed. Since Bruno has turned 8, I think you can gift him one.

Wish you many more happy years and kilometres with Bruno.

[McLaren Roxx]

Dt: 17th Oct 2018

Hey Bruno,

Congratulations on your 8th birthday. You seem to have a master who has not only kept you in ship-shape, but after all these years is still smitten enough to pen this detailed 'auto'-biography. Lucky you.

Although I do suggest you try and convince him for treating you with the bundle of surprises soon. Some new footwear & a fancy new chip to start off with would be swell.

I had a good time reading through and I do look forward to meeting you in person whenever I visit your state.

Be good and wishing you happy miles ahead!

Love,
Juggernaut

[Chetan_Rao]

Happy Eighth Bruno!

Dad's car is a MY2010 petrol variant, and it's the most fun-to-drive hatch I've ever driven, modest engine notwithstanding. Handles like it's on rails (I've probably said that a thousand times by now), and the engine note when revving high (though there isn't much go to match the growl), is addictive. If ever there was a car that embodies 'there's more to driving than absolute numbers', this one's as good as any.

[Varun_HexaGuy]

Originally Posted by sidindica

Rated 5 stars and that's an outstanding review, almost on par with the high standards of this forum considering your age and talent, varun. Keep it up.

Soup this up with some delicious alloys, remap and you have an outstanding hatchback that goes as well as it handles with sheer precision.

Thanks a lot, sir! Yeah, Bruno really deserves mid-life updates which I'm sure would happen at some point of time. Now that I'm nearing the date of getting my Driver's License, that should happen soon.

Originally Posted by Prathiiik

Firstly, wishing Bruno a very Happy 8th Birthday!

Excellent review of the go - kart, Varun. Rated thread a well deserved 5 stars.

Remap Bruno, delete the EGR, get a downpipe installed and change the suspension. There you go - A perfect Go - Kart.

The Figo had everything an enthusiast wanted, a precise steering and excellent handling, but lost out on the motor. This Figo with the 1.5 TDCI would be a hoot to drive

Also, Bruno doesn't look 8 years old! Neat maintenance Varun! Wishing you many more happy miles with the Figo.

Thanks a lot, Prathik! Bruno surely has aged gracefully than I expected. No wonder what, Bruno's gonna stay till eternity. Now that I've already lost the Italian Lady, I'm not gonna lose Bruno at any cost. Now that Bruno's getting a new cousin from Namma Bengaluru (your yet-to-arrive Aspire), he's excited to meet her someday.

Originally Posted by RGK

Thank you for the wonderful write-up. Wish you many more years with Figo...

Unfortunately, I did not have a pleasant experience with my Figo (maybe one-off case). Still, there are niggles and the long-term reliability is a question mark.

Note: Big service centers like MPL Ford, Eureka Ford (Chennai) and Rajshree Ford (Opened in 1997 at Coimbatore) are closed and new players (Suryabala. Raba and Dhruvan) have come in.

Thanks a lot, sir! Yours seems to be a one-off case and hope it's doing well. But there's nothing much to go wrong in the car as a whole. Lesser electricals, simple mechanicals et all. The only fear which I have (and which shouldn't come true) is the Fuel-Injector failure issue and that'll cost a bomb if that happens. Otherwise, it's quite a simple and robust car.

Originally Posted by aabhimanyu04

A treat to read so much about this little monster. It was this very car a few years back that made me sure I am buying a Ford. I loved its composure on the ghats at good speeds, this car never gave up. Treasure this car buddy, it is a lot of happiness

Thanks a lot, sir! I really love the way Bruno handles! Zipping in and out of the corners is a treat for us. Bruno's here to stay till eternity; come what may.

Originally Posted by Aditya

Very comprehensive review of an excellent vehicle.

When the Figo was introduced in India, I remember it had completely won me over with its terrific handling and peppy diesel engine. Even the build was quality was good. What I didn't like about the car was the top-end performance. Still, it was pretty good to drive most of the time.

With a remap, most performance shortfalls should be addressed. Since Bruno has turned 8, I think you can gift him one.

Wish you many more happy years and kilometres with Bruno.

Thanks a lot, sir! This coming from you means a lot to me. Bruno has surely managed to impress us (me in particular) in every possible way. The only downer is the top-end performance. That's something which can be looked after in the form of a remap. But the low-end performance is great which makes city driving a bliss. A remap would (and should) happen as soon as I get a valid Driver's License in hand. With that, Bruno would be a complete package and would be the one of the best driver's car in the segment (without any arguments).


Thanks for reading,
Varun

[Porschefire]

Brilliant review, Varun. Your writing skills are top notch!

Your Figo looks immaculate and I'm sure people would be shocked to find out that it is 8 years old. Serious respect to everyone in your family who've taken care of this car.


Your thread put a big smile on my face as I too own a pre-worshipped (well, not quite) 2010 Figo EXi Petrol. With the intention of not hijacking your lovely thread, you've motivated me to write a few lines on my Figo story. I hope it's ok.

After I passed the Fiesta to my father, my wife and I needed a car for our commute. Everyone knows that one can find whole load of treasure in the second hand market and for a set budget of INR 3L one can find anything between a humble Nano, all the way to a Civic! But I had my heart and mind set to buy a Figo and only a Figo. Although I had never driven one, I'd read enough about the go-kart like handling abilities and quite robust (for it's time) build quality. And, after owning the Fiesta, I became a fan of the Ford DNA and was happy with the Ford service as well. The search didn't take long and we bought home our black beauty in March 2017.

It took me time to find my camaraderie with the Figo. I was mainly using it for the city commute and to be quite honest, I was silently regretting my decision as the petrol motor is lethargic! It was very recently that I took the Figo for a long drive, all the way to Udupi and you know what, I fell in love! What a neat little car it is. You can make out that it is very simple and sound engineering that has gone into making the driver's car that is the Figo. The petrol motor in mine is like a puppy, always wanting to let loose and run around the garden! I love my car.

To sum up, I loved reading your thread and has inspired to finally, after almost 2 years of ownership, give my Figo a proper title.

Meet 'Play' -

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by Porschefire

....It was very recently that I took the Figo for a long drive, all the way to Udupi and you know what, I fell in love!...

A point I've made to numerous people over the years.

What makes it a hoot to drive on the highway, esp. the twisties and undivided bits, is the 3rd gear that pulls cleanly in the mid-range and lets you have some fun putting the solid handling to work.

Contrast that to the i20's 1.2 Kappa motor that hits a flat-spot at 3.5-4k RPM around 80kmph in 3rd gear, it gets annoying and often scary on undivided highways. Good cruiser but no fun.

[tharian]

Nice to see a full blown ownership thread of the old Figo after a while.

Reminded me of my 2010 petrol Figo that I sold last year in exchange for an Aspire. If I had an option, I would have kept it.

Something that I miss in the Aspire is that I had a connection with my old Figo which made me enjoy that car so much. It was a proper drivers car and apart from the engine, which I enjoyed revving the nuts off although the comparative speed was not much, it still had character. And that petrol engine was one of the smoothest.

Would suggest trying not to sell off yours and give it some wider tyres and enjoy it more.

[bharatbits]

NIce review. Well maintained car. I hope to maintain my Fiesta Classic like this. Currently, being used by dad.

Even the Titanium variant Figo doesn't come with all 4 power windows right?

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by bharatbits

...
Even the Titanium variant Figo doesn't come with all 4 power windows right?

Front power windows only. Ford claimed a design limitation in the rear door for being unable to accomodate motors.

[dhanushmenon]

Originally Posted by Varun_HexaGuy

Again, special thanks to BHPian dhanshmenon and his Satin White XUV500 for this wicked idea of coming up with an autobiography. If not for the XUV's Autobiography, Mr.V would've never got such an idea.

Thanks for the credits there man.
A thoroughly detailed and comprehensive report that one is. You have convered each and every nut and bolt in that car.
The 1.4 TDCi with the Ford DNA is an absolute bliss to own and drive. Having owned a red devil figo TDCi for four and half years and having munched 1,05,000 kms in that during that period, I very well know what a stunner of a handler she is.

Thanks again for the detailed review. Will definitely serve as a reference manual for anyone.

[techn0l0gist]

Originally Posted by Varun_HexaGuy

Thanks a lot, sir! Yours seems to be a one-off case and hope it's doing well. But there's nothing much to go wrong in the car as a whole. Lesser electricals, simple mechanicals et all. The only fear which I have (and which shouldn't come true) is the Fuel-Injector failure issue and that'll cost a bomb if that happens. Otherwise, it's quite a simple and robust car.

I own a 2011 figo myself. I have gone through AC evaporator replacement, injector failure, VSS failure , caliper replacement(recall), RTB replacement (recall) , steering rack replacement(recall) , wheel bearing replacements, timing belt/accessory belt change.

There are intermittent issues that crop up with the gear syncros (taking the gearbox apart is a big hassle and expense!). Also there is a play in the steering linkage(and that's not available as a child part, need to buy the whole column)

I hope I've gone past the injector issues - replaced one and serviced 3! (still i have a feeling another injector might need replacement in the future) . I have also noticed a leak in the steering rack and I'm not sure if the child parts are available for servicing that !

The car has been fun to drive and one of the best handling cars I have driven, but the niggles have been too many , the car is at 100k+ kms and if anything major crops up I'm not sure if it will justify keeping this car in the long term !

Also genuine parts are not easily available (unless you have a Ford parts distributor in your city) as the dealer will not do counter sale of parts! Genuine parts ordered on boodmo either donot turn up or take forever to arrive !

[petrolhead_neel]

Varun, my man! This thread is wonderful!

Happy 8th to Bruno and congratulations to you and your family.

I have always loved the old Figo. I'll go on to say that I will still pick it over the newer one, even after considering the new and way more powerful diesel mill. Plus, I can relate to a lot of things that you (or rather Bruno) had to say, having a Fiesta (Classic) in the family. I just wish that this car had the 1.6 Sigma under the bonnet, would have been a stonker given the handling and driving dynamics. One thing that you will definitely appreciate and consequently miss when driving other cars after you can legally take her to wherever you want to ( I am sure I will as well), is the ergonomics and spot-on driving position. As owners of the yesteryear Fords, I think that's something that we take for granted.

I wish you many years more of blissful ownership with the cute, little, practical, evidently reliable Ford. Bruno, happy mile munching!

Neel

P.S: Let's see if TooFun meets Bruno one day over a sip of petrol and diesel and chai for us.

[Varun_HexaGuy]

Originally Posted by Porschefire

Brilliant review, Varun. Your writing skills are top notch!

Your Figo looks immaculate and I'm sure people would be shocked to find out that it is 8 years old. Serious respect to everyone in your family who've taken care of this car.


Your thread put a big smile on my face as I too own a pre-worshipped (well, not quite) 2010 Figo EXi Petrol. With the intention of not hijacking your lovely thread, you've motivated me to write a few lines on my Figo story. I hope it's ok.

After I passed the Fiesta to my father, my wife and I needed a car for our commute. Everyone knows that one can find whole load of treasure in the second hand market and for a set budget of INR 3L one can find anything between a humble Nano, all the way to a Civic! But I had my heart and mind set to buy a Figo and only a Figo. Although I had never driven one, I'd read enough about the go-kart like handling abilities and quite robust (for it's time) build quality. And, after owning the Fiesta, I became a fan of the Ford DNA and was happy with the Ford service as well. The search didn't take long and we bought home our black beauty in March 2017.

It took me time to find my camaraderie with the Figo. I was mainly using it for the city commute and to be quite honest, I was silently regretting my decision as the petrol motor is lethargic! It was very recently that I took the Figo for a long drive, all the way to Udupi and you know what, I fell in love! What a neat little car it is. You can make out that it is very simple and sound engineering that has gone into making the driver's car that is the Figo. The petrol motor in mine is like a puppy, always wanting to let loose and run around the garden! I love my car.

To sum up, I loved reading your thread and has inspired to finally, after almost 2 years of ownership, give my Figo a proper title.

Meet 'Play' -

Attachment 1808993

Thanks a lot, sir! Glad that you liked the way my Bruno penned it down. Well, Bruno's excited to meet Play in real someday. I hope that happens someday.

Originally Posted by tharian

Nice to see a full blown ownership thread of the old Figo after a while.

Reminded me of my 2010 petrol Figo that I sold last year in exchange for an Aspire. If I had an option, I would have kept it.

Something that I miss in the Aspire is that I had a connection with my old Figo which made me enjoy that car so much. It was a proper drivers car and apart from the engine, which I enjoyed revving the nuts off although the comparative speed was not much, it still had character. And that petrol engine was one of the smoothest.

Would suggest trying not to sell off yours and give it some wider tyres and enjoy it more.

Your Red Rascal! I miss his updates and hope the new owner is taking good care of her. True, the way Bruno and the older Ford's connected was different. I'm not selling Bruno as long as I'm there. Yeah, tweaks and mods are in store for the future.

Originally Posted by bharatbits

NIce review. Well maintained car. I hope to maintain my Fiesta Classic like this. Currently, being used by dad.

Even the Titanium variant Figo doesn't come with all 4 power windows right?

Thanks sir! Yeah, the Titanium variant also got only two power windows at the front.

Originally Posted by dhanushmenon

Thanks for the credits there man.
A thoroughly detailed and comprehensive report that one is. You have convered each and every nut and bolt in that car.
The 1.4 TDCi with the Ford DNA is an absolute bliss to own and drive. Having owned a red devil figo TDCi for four and half years and having munched 1,05,000 kms in that during that period, I very well know what a stunner of a handler she is.

Thanks again for the detailed review. Will definitely serve as a reference manual for anyone.

Thanks a lot, sir! Glad that you liked the way Bruno penned down the details. Bruno wants to meet you and your XUV500 someday!

Originally Posted by techn0l0gist

I own a 2011 figo myself. I have gone through AC evaporator replacement, injector failure, VSS failure , caliper replacement(recall), RTB replacement (recall) , steering rack replacement(recall) , wheel bearing replacements, timing belt/accessory belt change.

There are intermittent issues that crop up with the gear syncros (taking the gearbox apart is a big hassle and expense!). Also there is a play in the steering linkage(and that's not available as a child part, need to buy the whole column)

I hope I've gone past the injector issues - replaced one and serviced 3! (still i have a feeling another injector might need replacement in the future) . I have also noticed a leak in the steering rack and I'm not sure if the child parts are available for servicing that !

The car has been fun to drive and one of the best handling cars I have driven, but the niggles have been too many , the car is at 100k+ kms and if anything major crops up I'm not sure if it will justify keeping this car in the long term !

Also genuine parts are not easily available (unless you have a Ford parts distributor in your city) as the dealer will not do counter sale of parts! Genuine parts ordered on boodmo either donot turn up or take forever to arrive !

These issues aren't very major considering the age of the car. The Fuel-Injector failure is only worrying me to hell. If that happens, I don't know what would happen! What exactly are the symptoms of failing gear synchronizers? Curious since I'm also having issues slotting the gear into 1st from a past couple of weeks. If that is the case, I'll have to replace the gear synchronizers on my Bruno. Apart from that, Bruno has been truly reliable at almost ~ 72k on the odo. He was recently serviced on his 8th Birthday. He still manages to put a wide smile across anybody's face with the way he handles. He has made me realize that the numbers don't matter as long as a drive is enjoyable. But if the expenses keep increasing with age, it's wise to move on and sell your machine (with a heavy heart).

Originally Posted by petrolhead_neel

Varun, my man! This thread is wonderful!

Happy 8th to Bruno and congratulations to you and your family.

I have always loved the old Figo. I'll go on to say that I will still pick it over the newer one, even after considering the new and way more powerful diesel mill. Plus, I can relate to a lot of things that you (or rather Bruno) had to say, having a Fiesta (Classic) in the family. I just wish that this car had the 1.6 Sigma under the bonnet, would have been a stonker given the handling and driving dynamics. One thing that you will definitely appreciate and consequently miss when driving other cars after you can legally take her to wherever you want to ( I am sure I will as well), is the ergonomics and spot-on driving position. As owners of the yesteryear Fords, I think that's something that we take for granted.

I wish you many years more of blissful ownership with the cute, little, practical, evidently reliable Ford. Bruno, happy mile munching!

Neel

P.S: Let's see if TooFun meets Bruno one day over a sip of petrol and diesel and chai for us.

Thanks a lot, Dada ! I agree with you. Bruno is so much fun-to-drive. As said earlier, the numbers don't matter as long as the drive is enjoyable. Wish it had the same heart from TooFun. That'd have been Savage!

We should make this meet happen once we get our Driver's License. Bruno is waiting for the day. While we enjoy our sip of tea (I don't drink tea though!), Bruno and TooFun will have fun guzzling down gallons of petrol and Diesel!


Varun

[devansn]

Very detailed review indeed! Your car is very well maintained...

I mean you are very well maintained! Oh its so confusing.

I, for one, would have liked it better if the review was from Mr. V, Mr. T (?) or someone like that. This autobiography stuff is a little confusing and reduces the readability. Its a new idea nevertheless.

My car is going to complete 1.5 lakhs (July 2010 model) soon and I sincerely wish to post a good detailed review like this, but not sure if I will be able to write it so well.