On the 29th of September, my Ikon finally completed 3 years of having joined my family. What was essentially meant to be a car for highway runs, and weekends now has donned the role of a daily runner. Initially, the kms ticked by rather slow since i was just getting used to what is my first car, and also it not being required as a daily usage vehicle - I had my bike for that.
Now that the car loan is over, and i am in the process of getting the hypothecation removed, there is a sense of contentment. The only niggling thought in my head is the fact that the car is now out of warranty, and i am on my own in case anything turns up. I had the option to extend the warranty, but decided against it. Lets see it as it comes.
Now, coming to the experience over the years.. has it fulfilled what we aimed at when we were looking out for our first car? Hell, YES! Rather than remain stifled by a hatch, i chose to go in for a sedan, albeit an entry level one. The decision has paid off big time since we do regular highway drives, and the amount of stuff we load into the boot reiterates the decision for a sedan. Return trips from Kerala always see us being back loads of stuff from home.
SERVICE EXPERIENCE:
Service experience over the years has been rather good, and although i miss my earlier dealer (Cauvery Ford), the current one ie Lathangi Ford has been decent enough. Having built a good rapport with the staff there, i havent had any interaction related issues, although there have been times when i had to go back to get a certain problem fixed.
MILEAGE:
Mileage has been rather consistent within city limits with my varied A/C usage where it returns between 11-14kmpl. Highway drives usualy return about 15-18kmpl, although the last highway trip to Kerala was rather miserly, returning just about 14kmpl. Needless to say, i was ripping and doing speeds to the tune of 100-150kmph where visibility was excellent.
ISSUES?
Well, there was a time when the reverse gear failed to engage, which resulted in some rather embarassing moments when i had to park at the Forum Mall, as well as some other places. We would drive up, then 3-4 people would get out, and then push to reverse.
This was rectified under the Extended Warranty, although i had to pay for some parts which werent covered.
MODIFICATIONS :
I basically like the car stock and so mods were highly limited over the years. I was planning on alloys, but the decision has been deferred.
Other simple mods include the LED cabin and boot lights as well as the boot release cable.
Odo now stands at 34,600 kms, and here's looking forward to many more happy miles on MyIkon.