[asit.kulkarni93]

MAY 2018
My dad had just returned to India and he was looking to work in Pune. We had a 2014 Tata Nano Twist and a 2007 Toyota Corolla 1.8J. Our usage was pretty high and we were planning to get a diesel car but had kept pushing the purchase. I was fed up of the Tata Nano because of the horrible Tata service and frequent visits to solve niggles. I discussed with my family and decided to replace the Nano.

The workhorses at home back in 2018[/center]

JULY 2018
I was at The Mechanic Automotive to meet the owners(fellow bhpians and close friends) when I saw a red Figo on the lift. It was a known car owned by fellow Bhpian nitrogary aka Sarang. Sushant casually mentioned to me that Sarang was planning to sell his car and I decided to check it out. Just when I was checking the car out, I got a call from my mom saying my grandfather is not responding and I should rush home. I rushed home immediately and we tried everything but he was no more. We had a lot of friends and relatives coming in and I only got to speak to Sarang on the 8th day. He was ready to wait and after the 10th-day rituals I decided to show my dad Sarang’s car. My family liked the car but we could only get it after the 16th day and once the Nano was sold. Surprisingly the Nano was sold off in 3 days and I had a smooth negotiation with Sarang. The Figo was sent to The Mechanix Automotive for some minor servicing and I took delivery the next day.
Basic details about the car- A 2010 Figo titanium Diesel done around 97k KMs when I got it In July 2018. Right now the car has done 133k KMs.

On the D-day

The first drive to Lavasa

Exterior-
I like the simply non-offensive design of the Figo. The rear is inspired by the Ford Focus which I have always liked. The side profile is proportionate and I like the less use of unnecessary curves in the design.

The first drive to Nashik. Nowadays the car makes Nashik trips at least once a month

Interior Space and Comfort

The interior space is amazing. Coming from a majority of Japanese vehicles, I loved the seat travel of the front two seats. The headrests on the rear seat are sorely missed. The width of the car makes 3 average-sized adults comfortable on the rear seat but honestly, I would have preferred having split seats(50:50) over a bench seat. The boot is pretty wide and usable. The seat cushioning is pretty good, no complaints there. The dashboard has hard plastics and honestly, the design is outdated. I mean Ford was selling the same thing till 2014. Facepalm but the interior design and feel don’t bother me as much as the ergonomics do. The ergonomics are pretty good but I found the ORVM adjustment joystick placed in a weird way, Very uncomfortable to use if you have to park on the main road quickly and need to lower the ORVMs. The boot lever opening button is on the dash on the RHS of the steering wheel and it’s very easy to operate just wish they had given space to place your hand to pull the boot up. The boot opening lever is on the LHS. I mean -100 points to Ford for this and the weird wiper stalks especially the rear wiper’s operation. It took my brother and dad a while to understand the mechanism. Now that I am used to it, I have no issues with car neither does my family.

The first Team-BHP drive

The workhorses taking rest

The first accidental repair at The Mechanix Automotive

Engine and Gearbox

The car came with a racedynamics tuning box which was good. I had tried all the modes and preferred the P1 in the city and E/P2 out on the highways depending on how I wish to drive. Much has been said about the 1.4 TDCi. I enjoy cars with ample low-end performance and I enjoyed driving it in the city and even during my frequent highway drives I liked the drivability on offer.

The remap being done by Wolfmoto team

Fuel Efficiency

I have seen a full tank go as low as 550 KMs and as high as 900 KMs. I get around 13-15kmpl in the city and 17-19kmpl out on the highways. I have got 20+ kmpl on a few occasions but I was bored in that drive. While driving the Figo, I tend to push it a bit and I am sure if I drive sedately the FE figures can improve.

After the installation of the Hella AUX lamps in January 2019

Suspension and Steering

The suspension is stiff in a way that I like it. It’s pretty comfortable on the highway and the car feels sure-footed. The handling is amazing. The only other cars which connected this well with me were the Octy mk1, E90 and E60. Ground clearance is low and under load, the car scrapes easily. Mudflaps? LOL. I could never retain one in the city of speed breakers-Pune. The steering feedback is simply amazing. Hydraulic power steering is a pure delight. I think with 15 or 16-inch rims this car would be much better.

Articulation test

Remap

I was visiting The Mechanix Automotive for some work when the owners(Aniruddh & Sushant) introduced me to the Wolfmoto team who were at their workshop. Sushant asked me to try their remap and I agreed after some thinking. The wolfmoto team was here for a 2 days. The first drive out I did not find much difference. As I was clocking KMs, I could feel the difference. Sreekanth from Wolfmoto had informed me that you will feel the complete difference after 250-300 KMs and I was able to clock close to 300 KMs in 2 days and spoke to Sreekanth again. He had updated the map again and the car felt good. I used it for another 10K KMS and Sreekanth was in town when he adjusted the wastegate which reduced the black smoke. Although TDCi’s are famous for black smoke so, it didn’t really bother me. Right now the car has done around 22k KMs post the remap feels amazing to use.

Wolfmoto Remap at The Mechanix Automotive

Issues faced

1. Sometime in 2019 January, the car had a weird issue. It would start and die down in a second or two. After that, It would take a lot of fuel pumping by the hand primer and then the car would start. We found very minute leakage from the hand primer pipe and I got one from a fiesta. The issue still did not get resolved. Next day morning I was doing the same monkey business. I went to Bhopal in between and we did not face this issue anywhere in the trip. After I came back the next day while leaving for work, I faced the same issue and took it to an FNG. We decided to show it to an electrician but even he couldn’t start it. I was discussing this with the head technician at Sai Car Clinic(FNG) when a guy who works on injectors heard our conversation and he suggested we check the fuel filter for leakage. There was very minute leakage but I decided to get it replaced. I wanted an original filter so took it to the nearest Ford SVC- Dhone Ford. While taking the filter out we realized that fuel filter was fine and there was a leakage in the water in fuel sensor. Now I realized the whole thing. Basically when the car would be unused air would enter the fuel system via this leakage and block the supply of fuel. After that, till date, we haven’t faced any issue with respect to this.

2. One fine day I reached our parking and the car stalled. I restarted and reversed in the parking but the car stalled again. I scanned it and nothing came up. I suspected the crank sensor gone but it was a Belt which had snapped. Towed the car to Sai Car clinic and got it replaced.

3. This third issue was entirely my mistake. We realized the front two shock absorbers needed replacement. I usually pick up Original Ford spares from Autoji Ford but that particular day I was very lazy and asked Sushant to check aftermarket options. Only Monroe was available and I went ahead with them. The ride went from bad to worse. Even on minor bumps the car would easily crash and felt very bad. It went so bad that at one point of time the stiffness or resistance of the shock absorber to absorb the shock broke the shocker mount. I drove on those Monroe shock absorbers for 12-15K KMs and when the mount broke I decided to get the front shock absorbers and mounts replaced by the original Ford parts. Finally, the car rode well. The shock absorbers were actually absorbing bumps now.

Upgrades
1. Wolfmoto remap
2. Upsized Conti CC5 tyres 185/65 R14
3. Hella AUX lamps
4. Android stereo

Getting the tyres replaced at Saran Tyres, Kothrud

Routine maintenance

1. I service the car every 8k KMs. As it is remapped and I tend to push it, I prefer doing it well before 10k KMs.

2. The clutch was overhauled for the first time at 124k KMs. Sarang and his wife drove the Figo really well which is why it lasted this long. The synchronizer of the second gear had an issue which was done at the same time. Figo’s gearbox is a pain to work on. I guess I should have stuck to getting a second-hand gearbox from a fiesta/Figo as a few other things needed replacement too. This was done in May 2019.

3. I have already mentioned regarding the shock absorber fiasco. Apart from that no suspension or steering components have been replaced. Sometime in January 2020, I felt the steering rack might need an overhaul but it was the strut mount which was making some noises.
Apart from regular servicing and running repairs, there hasn’t been much.

A visit to Dad's first workplace in Uran

What I like about the car

1. Spacious in compact dimensions.
2. Love the ride and handling balance
3. Amazing drivability and performance till 120kmph.
4. Brilliant steering feedback.
5. The car feels solid. Build quality is better than the current-gen Figo.

What I dislike about the car
1. Pathetic headlamps. They should rename the headlights as candle lights.
2. Absence of rear power windows even in the titanium variant.
3. Absence of an intercooler limits mod potential and a SOHC engine feels outdated and lacks top end.
4. Only the height of the seat base can be adjusted not the full seat. How stupid is that?
5. Absence of a handrest in the top variant.

A drive with fellow Bhpians to Aamby Valley. We had the maximum number of Figo's that day. Quite unusual for Team-BHP drives/meets which are normally full of Polos and Puntos.

Summing up, Like every car the first-gen Figo had its fair share of flaws. It was very well highlighted in the official review. Diesel vehicles in the used market are either high run or ODO tampered. Very few less run vehicles and honestly I am never bothered by the KMs a car has clocked. A well-maintained car will serve you well irrespective of how much it has run. Yes, I generally avoid unreliable cars. Figo has been fun and reliable. I would like to thank the team at The Mechanix Automotive & Sai Car Clinic in helping me maintain the car. It was detailed by Glosswerkz Detailers and the results were fantastic.
Considering my usage which is basically 60% in city driving where the low-end performance of the engine and light clutch makes driving easy. The frequent Nashik trips have been a breeze after the remap. Ford has lost its USP in the new Figo. I always thought that people saying the new Figo may be fast but isn’t as fun to drive as the old one were overhyping. I realized it after driving this car for 36k KMs. It had 3 minor mishaps and the other parties involved had major damage which was reassuring of the build quality. Every car teaches us something and I have always been an engine guy, this car has taught me to appreciate suspension and steering too. Leaving you guys with a few pics of our Figo.

My Figo with the Fiat owned by the owner of Bakare Car Wash



Enroute Bhopal





At Bhopal



On the Dewas-Bhopal Highway



With Bhpian blackswap's Maruti Suzuki 800

Enroute Gokak falls

Attachment 1997065

With Bhpian shubhamghute's Ecosport on a drive to madhardevi ghat

[asit.kulkarni93]

Enroute Bengaluru



Enroute Sangli



Got to drive a lot on the highways during the 2019 monsoon. This pic was clicked near Sangamner.



Welcoming home the Skoda Laura



Wolfd Siblings



Resting during the lockdown



Awaiting many more exciting road trips

[wildsdi5530]

I had a similar car 2010 red Ford Figo Zxi. I really had some good times with it but had to give it up at 1,10,000 kms in 2014. I used to comfortably get 900 kms per full tank and once even 1100 kms. But it became too expensive to maintain. A/C failed, Steering failed, Brakes to be replaced, And absolutely no child parts. The rubber bush in the steering was worn, but the whole shaft, 4 ft in length had to be replaced. Every service started costing Rs. 25K. The last straw was the rusting in the roof.

[asit.kulkarni93]

Originally Posted by wildsdi5530

I had a similar car 2010 red Ford Figo Zxi. I really had some good times with it but had to give it up at 1,10,000 kms in 2014. I used to comfortably get 900 kms per full tank and once even 1100 kms. But it became too expensive to maintain. A/C failed, Steering failed, Brakes to be replaced, And absolutely no child parts. The rubber bush in the steering was worn, but the whole shaft, 4 ft in length had to be replaced. Every service started costing Rs. 25K. The last straw was the rusting in the roof.

Even i plan to extract a 1000 Kms range in the next trip. Sorry to hear about the trouble with your Figo. I am guessing the parts have become a lil cheap now. Not sure but they are pretty expensive when compared to the new Figo/Aspire. I also plan to get the cooling coil cleaned as it’s making the Fan run as soon as the AC is put on. I had initially discussed this with an electrician at my FNG and we thought it was a resistor gone bad in the fan but it’s the AC after all. As it wasn’t anything serious I had pushed it and lockdown started.

[bharatbits]

Yes, they don't make them like they used to. I have a 2013 Ford Classic CLXi TDCi. I really like it's build quality. The spares and service costs are inexpensive. I go by the https://www.fordservicepricepromise.com checklist and ask them to do only what's mentioned there.Had no problems so far. Touchwood. A elderly SA at Mody Ford Bandlaguda takes the car on a trial run each time i hand it over to service and mentions the car has been maintained very well. The only car in the current Ford lineup that interests me is the Endeavour.

I had been the primary user till Nov 2016 until i got a Linea for myself. Dad's been using it since then. The odo is at 65000 kms now. My Nov 2016 Linea Diesel is at 47000 kms now.

[RishikeshK]

Nice color and nice car !! One of the positives in this car is excellent front visibility.

When we were in the market in 2011 for a daily ride for my wife, we chose the Ford Figo over the next contender Fiat Punto for this very reason. We ended up buying a white Figo TDCi Titanium. The car has been an absolute pleasure to drive especially in ghats.

We recently sold it as it was approaching 1L km mark and had two breakdowns in the last one year - one major and one minor; but both right in the middle of highway. Thankfully I was in the car both the times. Wife was not comfortable driving the car anymore citing reliability concerns and this was the only car in the family. So we had to let it go. But the car served us extremely well overall and always brought smile for its driving dynamics, torquey engine and fuel efficiency. It will always be missed!!

[asit.kulkarni93]

Originally Posted by bharatbits

Yes, they don't make them like they used to. I have a 2013 Ford Classic CLXi TDCi. I really like it's build quality. The spares and service costs are inexpensive. I go by the https://www.fordservicepricepromise.com checklist and ask them to do only what's mentioned there.Had no problems so far. Touchwood. A elderly SA at Mody Ford Bandlaguda takes the car on a trial run each time i hand it over to service and mentions the car has been maintained very well. The only car in the current Ford lineup that interests me is the Endeavour.

I had been the primary user till Nov 2016 until i got a Linea for myself. Dad's been using it since then. The odo is at 65000 kms now. My Nov 2016 Linea Diesel is at 47000 kms now.

Your Fiesta looks good. I had shortlisted a Fiesta too but couldn’t pick it up in time. Probably the only titanium diesel I care across back then. I was hell bent on a car with ABS and Airbags. Endeavour 3.2 was amazing, it’s really sad that ford has discontinued that smooth inline 5 turbo Diesel engine.

Originally Posted by RishikeshK

Nice color and nice car !! One of the positives in this car is excellent front visibility.

When we were in the market in 2011 for a daily ride for my wife, we chose the Ford Figo over the next contender Fiat Punto for this very reason. We ended up buying a white Figo TDCi Titanium. The car has been an absolute pleasure to drive especially in ghats.

We recently sold it as it was approaching 1L km mark and had two breakdowns in the last one year - one major and one minor; but both right in the middle of highway. Thankfully I was in the car both the times. Wife was not comfortable driving the car anymore citing reliability concerns and this was the only car in the family. So we had to let it go. But the car served us extremely well overall and always brought smile for its driving dynamics, torquey engine and fuel efficiency. It will always be missed!!

That’s definitely a huge plus point. Not only the front visibility but the overall visibility is much better as all the 3 pillars are proportionate.

Sorry to hear about the trouble you had to go through. If I may ask, What issues did you face and which car did you replace the Figo with?

[RishikeshK]

Originally Posted by asit.kulkarni93

Sorry to hear about the trouble you had to go through. If I may ask, What issues did you face and which car did you replace the Figo with?

Of course! In fact, I should've touched upon the issues I faced in the last post itself. However, here it goes.

The first incident - the right rear wheel bearing got crushed and locked up the wheel right on the Nashik-Pune highway. Thankfully it was early in the morning and ABS light started blinking seconds before this happened (because of ABS sensor misalignment); so I had reduced the speed. I could steer the car halfway off the road to the side. Fortunately, I was near Manchar town and could get a new bearing fixed to get home. The guy however damaged the ABS rings and I had to get everything repaired again in Pune. You may want to keep an eye on the wheel bearings' health on your car.

The second incident - the check-engine light came up and car abruptly stopped in the middle of the highway. Again, there was no traffic behind me and I could coast the car to the side. No fuel supply to the engine. The car had to be towed to service station. Apparently, there was some issue with the fuel pump.

We replaced Figo with Ford Ecosport just before the lockdown.

HTH

[asit.kulkarni93]

Originally Posted by RishikeshK

Of course! In fact, I should've touched upon the issues I faced in the last post itself. However, here it goes.

The first incident - the right rear wheel bearing got crushed and locked up the wheel right on the Nashik-Pune highway. Thankfully it was early in the morning and ABS light started blinking seconds before this happened (because of ABS sensor misalignment); so I had reduced the speed. I could steer the car halfway off the road to the side. Fortunately, I was near Manchar town and could get a new bearing fixed to get home. The guy however damaged the ABS rings and I had to get everything repaired again in Pune. You may want to keep an eye on the wheel bearings' health on your car.

Ah! I missed sharing this. I had experienced something similar in September 2018 I was returning from Mumbai when I heard the humming sound. There were 5 people in the car and the xm2’s at the rear were anyway noisy so I thought the concrete on mpew is making matters worse. I had to rush to bhor and wai the next day and while returning I was able to confirm that I had a bearing issue. Just when I reached home I heard a noise and the ABS light came on. Sent the car next day to my FNG got the bearing and ABS ring replaced. I realised I drove close to 300kms after the bearing had given up so no surprises there about the ABS rings getting damaged. The fuel pump issue is quite serious. Congratulations on the Ecosport!

[tharian]

Nice to see a new ownership thread on a previous generation car that was way better than the present one.

I had a 2010 petrol one in the same color and I loved that color as it stood out after a good wash and polish. Mine looked quite similar to yours with the Hella lamps and all.
What a fun car it was to drive and unlike the diesels, the petrol was easy on the pocket when it came to maintainenace costs. Yes the mileage was nothing to talk about, neither was the power which was the main reason I sold it off and bought a Aspire diesel.

The tyre size you have now is apt for this car. I had 195 Zlo's on mine when I sold it and it was as good as having ABS on my non-ABS model.

Have fun till you have the car. Here is mine just before I sold it, with a new gen Figo in the background.

[TheHelix0202]

Very nice review, enjoyed the photographs. Has the Corolla been exchanged for the Laura? Do create a thread on the Laura soon.

[asit.kulkarni93]

I just told my parents and my brother that I have put up this report and asked them to give me some pointers about the Figo. This is our first diesel & a non-Japanese car-

Starting with my Dad- He likes the compact dimensions and visibility on offer which makes city driving and parking at crowded areas pretty easy. He likes the overall driving experience and the stability out on the highway at triple-digit speeds. He has majorly driven compact/full-size SUVs when he was in Bahrain so he is surprised with the interior and boot space on offer. He hates that the wiper stalks aren't like the Japanese vehicles & the boot lever opening is on the passenger side. He likes the fact that the Figo diesel is easy to drive in the city and doesn't stall easily like our Laura. I am guessing the anti-stall and creep functions impress him. He is satisfied that the car has good brakes, ABS and Airbags.

My mom doesn't drive so her pointers were from a passenger's point of view. We have owned 3 hatchbacks prior to this. Alto VX 1.1(2003-06), 2006 WagonR(2013-15) and 2014 Nano(2016-18). She finds this the most spacious hatch we have ever owned and loves the front seat travel. She loves the fact that she can stretch her leg easily. The rear seat space is good too and she likes the fact that the boot isn't too low and with the parcel tray removed she can stuff a good amount of bags in the car. She is happy about the overall running cost coming down as this is a diesel but that is when compared to the Corolla we had earlier. The Laura is much more fuel-efficient.

My brother regularly reads the forum and loves to drive. He loves the torquey nature of the engine and the old school sound and feel. He loves the fact that the car barely rolls around the corners. The sure-footed feel & the solid build quality impresses him the most. In spite of being 6'1, He is comfortable driving the car.

Originally Posted by tharian

Nice to see a new ownership thread on a previous generation car that was way better than the present one.

I had a 2010 petrol one in the same color and I loved that color as it stood out after a good wash and polish. Mine looked quite similar to yours with the Hella lamps and all.
What a fun car it was to drive and unlike the diesels, the petrol was easy on the pocket when it came to maintainenace costs. Yes the mileage was nothing to talk about, neither was the power which was the main reason I sold it off and bought a Aspire diesel.

The tyre size you have now is apt for this car. I had 195 Zlo's on mine when I sold it and it was as good as having ABS on my non-ABS model.

Have fun till you have the car. Here is mine just before I sold it, with a new gen Figo in the background.

Your car looked amazing. In fact when I had shortlisted this car my mom was confused if the Red is light or maroonish. I had shown pictures from your ownership review. I plan to keep the car for some more time as its performing really well and also because they don't make them like they used to. I had spoken to Srikanth from wolfmoto and I guess he had mentioned about your car. Congratulations on the Aspire!

Originally Posted by TheHelix0202

Very nice review, enjoyed the photographs. Has the Corolla been exchanged for the Laura? Do create a thread on the Laura soon.

Thank You. Yes the Corolla was replaced by a laura 1.9 TDi. I am working on the ownership. Will put it up soon!

[GTO]

Lovely little driving package, this car is . Thanks for sharing a review of your nice looking red Figo. Although its old & the engines needed more power, the chassis, steering & feel were absolutely top-class. Wish Ford had plonked the Fiesta's 1.6L into the engine bay of the Figo. That said, I must say that Ford has been continuously tweaking & improving the new Figo too. I have thoroughly enjoyed throwing the new Figo & Freestyle into corners of my favourite mountain roads.

Your car will be going to our homepage today .

[asit.kulkarni93]

Originally Posted by GTO

Lovely little driving package, this car is . Thanks for sharing a review of your nice looking red Figo. Although its old & the engines needed more power, the chassis, steering & feel were absolutely top-class. Wish Ford had plonked the Fiesta's 1.6L into the engine bay of the Figo. That said, I must say that Ford has been continuously tweaking & improving the new Figo too. I have thoroughly enjoyed throwing the new Figo & Freestyle into corners of my favourite mountain roads.

Your car will be going to our homepage today .

Thanks GTO. Totally agree with you on the part that the chassis begs for more power. Whenever I upgrade, I am going to consider retaining this car and swapping the TDCi with the 1.6 from the Fiesta and keep this as a project car.
I drove the Figo S and freestyle back to back and really liked the suspension on the Freestyle. The 1.5 TDCi Figo feels very peppy. Thoroughly enjoyed pushing it on the NH4.

[wantarangerover]

Nice write up!

I have driven the Figo 1.4 of my friend, and it is indeed a great chassis and steering combination albeit with an underpowered engine.

And I strongly agree with you on the title - They don't make them like they used to! I own the new Figo Titanium 1.5 Tdci, and having owned the ikon before, and driven the fiesta classic, old figo, I can safely say the new fords are not as fun. I am especially disappointed with the steering on the new Figo - no feedback, and kicks back on slightly uneven roads. The chassis is good, but the suspension is tuned for ride comfort in normal guise. I have heard good things about the freestyle and the S versions though.

All these changes are understandable - the old Fords India got used to be developed in Europe (old versions adapted to India), and had a unique blend of European and American traits which made it fun to drive, but not very expensive to maintain compared to the Germans. The new Figo I think was developed from the ground up for developing markets, and 'fun to drive' was not really a priority understandably. With the new JV and the current economy, we can forget getting any more true blue Fords in India, any time soon.