[arunphilip]

Originally Posted by thoma

I'm really confused as to why almost all the people whom I ask (of course third party, not Ford owners; but valuators and taxi services mostly) about the Figo or even a Ford does not recommend it for flimsy build and high accident repair cost.

I've created a thread that contains videos of crash tests performed by an insurance company (link to thread).

They perform low speed crash test not to test for passenger safety, but to test extent of damage and reparability in low-speed collisions (fender-benders in cities).

While that thread has more details about the tests, as well as videos for more models of cars, here are the videos of the tests for the Aspire sedan and Swift.

Ford Aspire Full-size Sedan (2016) - Low-Speed Crash Test
Note that India gets a compact sedan, with a less protuberant rear bumper

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_i2bGKHSa0

Suzuki Swift (2013) - Low-Speed Crash Test

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsQsqDb3HeY

Note that these tests are performed in Mexico, and the vehicles may have differing build quality compared to India, so its hard to draw comparisons to what we get in India. That said, relative damage between two videos should be something we can draw reasonable conclusions from.

[thoma]

Originally Posted by arunphilip

That said, relative damage between two videos should be something we can draw reasonable conclusions from.

Thanks for the videos and the thread, but I couldn't decipher much conclusion from it. Still, I feel the Swift did better in the video; am I right? And the Micra, Punto and Polo still better?

[teemus]

Originally Posted by AbhisheKulkarni

It was Sai Sakshi Ford, Wakad.

I guessed so! When last year I was shortlisting my car, Figo was very high up on the list so first I went to Planet Ford, turns out the dealership was terminated by Ford (though they had a functional showroom!). Turns out, the Planet Ford dealership was bought by another person and it would be called Sai Sakshi Ford now. Went to their brand new showroom near Wakad and even though the showroom was new and the cars launched were new, there was no one who attended me even after waiting for good 45 mins. I left the place disappointed and headed to Talera Ford.

There the experience was far better and within 10 mins of reaching the showroom, I was TD'ing the car. Perhaps you should try that dealership. Since you preferred Wakad, I believe there is a showroom near Nigdi.

Coming back to the car, if you are looking for a diesel, you will surely not look elsewhere after driving the Figo TDCi! Personal experience!

Happy shopping!

[arunphilip]

Originally Posted by thoma

Thanks for the videos and the thread, but I couldn't decipher much conclusion from it. Still, I feel the Swift did better in the video; am I right? And the Micra, Punto and Polo still better?

I too think the same based on the video - the sheet metal damage on the Aspire is more than what is seen on even the Swift (let alone the known to be tougher Polo and Punto). That said, if you look at other Fords' videos - such as the EcoSport - you'll notice they fare better. So its probably just the Figo/Aspire that are having this behaviour.

Moving away from sheet metal damage covered in these videos is the aspect of structural safety. In this regard, Ford cars have tended to be good, and the few unfortunate ones to have had accidents in the Figo/Aspire have come out safely. At the end of the day, I think this is what matters to more (all?) owners.

So it depends on what exactly the valuators/taxi guys are referring to when they talk about accident damage - are they referring to minor or major accidents, and what non-Ford vehicle are they comparing to? The Fiesta, EcoSport and old Figo are all known for their tough build, so I'd be unlikely to believe their general statements of "all Fords have flimsy build and high accident repair cost". Also, are there that many Figos and Aspires on the road that these valuators and taxi guys are able to draw such conclusions? Or are they only talking based on the few that they have seen. Ford dispatches around 3000 Figos and Aspires in total each month, so that's only about 35-40,000 vehicles on the road over the last year.

[thoma]

Originally Posted by arunphilip

Moving away from sheet metal damage covered in these videos is the aspect of structural safety. In this regard, Ford cars have tended to be good, and the few unfortunate ones to have had accidents in the Figo/Aspire have come out safely. At the end of the day, I think this is what matters to more (all?) owners.

A dog and a lamp post did this to our BHPian samaspire's Ford Aspire at 60 kmph and I am shocked to see the rear end almost missing after the hit. Couldn't find the repair costs though.

[arunphilip]

Originally Posted by thoma

A dog and a lamp post did this to our BHPian samaspire's Ford Aspire at 60 kmph and I am shocked to see the rear end almost missing after the hit. Couldn't find the repair costs though.

The damage seen was caused by a spin and a primary impact onto one lamppost, with a secondary impact on another lamppost (see this pic). End of the day, Samarth himself said the damage was reasonable given the impact, and he's happy with how the Aspire performed and kept his family safe.

Samarth mentioned that the estimate for the work was 1.5 lakh, for both parts and labour.

Originally Posted by samaspire

The estimate is 1.5 lakhs. I have to bear the Rs.1000 - 1500 claim amount + cost of consumables (nuts, blots, bushes, oils, etc.).

Originally Posted by samaspire

Financially, I will be getting an amount of around 3000 back from the insurance guys. That is a little less than what I have spent on visiting the bodyshop in the last 2 months. So all's well that ends well.

[jetsetgo08]

The reason many go for bull bars is to avoid the damage caused by strays.
Our highways are filled with plenty of them and a hit can leave the car stranded in the middle of nowhere and a humongous bill. There are many cases where the presence of ABS would not have mattered. Intrigues me if there were any cases of Airbags deployed due to strays?

Now here is the catch-

Disadvantages of Bull-bars
Might affect the sensing capability of airbag deployment in an accident.
Might cause an internal damage to the chassis.
Reduce the ground clearance.

The bumpers these days are designed to save a pedestrian in case of a hit, and hence the rather flimsy build. In fact, so flimsy that hitting a stray even at 30-40kmph can bust the radiator, leaving us with a pile of bills. Thanks to zero depreciation insurance which comes to the rescue.

IMHO one would rather hit a stray and try to avoid swerving, as the consequences could be much worse.

Originally Posted by thoma

Thanks for the videos and the thread, but I couldn't decipher much conclusion from it. Still, I feel the Swift did better in the video; am I right? And the Micra, Punto and Polo still better?

If I am correct, that is not an India made Swift. So, cannot really compare.

[zavegur]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Narain Karthekeyan says Ford Figo is as good or better than none other than the mighty Audi R8

http://www.cartoq.com/ford-figo-dies...n-karthikeyan/

Ford Figo and Aspire got so many rave reviews. Just wish it transpired into real sales which unfortunately is not happening !!!

But, this is truly an unexpected feedback

This is just amazing. I can relate my experience in racing a few cars above its category- punto, VW Polo TDi/ petrol, Jetta, City iVtec & iDTEC, Scorpios, Taveras and Xylos Marutis and hyundais etc., I pretty much eat them all up if I have the 'push' to just overtake them. Had a nice 200km 'overtaking- overtaken' game with an fiesta 1.6 from BLR- Chennai- he was a better driver and I wasnt pushing as it was night. Best was when I was driving around circles with a modded VW TSI- had a good laugh as he just couldnt keep up! A BMW 5 series did do well against me but i caught him in the traffic :-).

Ah good times Figo.

I have a Figo TDCi T+

Z

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by zavegur

Best was when I was driving around circles with a modded VW TSI- had a good laugh as he just couldnt keep up! A BMW 5 series did do well against me but i caught him in the traffic

I know what you mean. Just yesterday, A 3.6L V6 250 BHP Skoda Superb had a tough time catching up with my Aspire over a 50+ kms stretch

[rsm97]

Originally Posted by mobike008

I know what you mean. Just yesterday, A 3.6L V6 250 BHP Skoda Superb had a tough time catching up with my Aspire over a 50+ kms stretch

I drive a Fiesta having 90PS power and can well imagine what the re-tuned 100PS engine can do to the thrust of Aspire/Figo on an open stretch of road. But when I test drove the Figo at its launch, could not get the required confidence to throw it around. This also seems the general impression from various first-drive events.

So could not help wondering that speed apart, if both these actually have the corresponding built and dynamic ability to take on the one like Superb or 5 Series on highway.

As many on this forum have been driving both of these sufficiently long, surely they must be feeling secure while pushing them so hard. Why, in their opinion, a virtue like high class handling still waits to be recognised.

[zavegur]

Originally Posted by rsm97

I drive a Fiesta having 90PS power and can well imagine what the re-tuned 100PS engine can do to the thrust of Aspire/Figo on an open stretch of road. But when I test drove the Figo at its launch, could not get the required confidence to throw it around. This also seems the general impression from various first-drive events.

So could not help wondering that speed apart, if both these actually have the corresponding built and dynamic ability to take on the one like Superb or 5 Series on highway.

As many on this forum have been driving both of these sufficiently long, surely they must be feeling secure while pushing them so hard. Why, in their opinion, a virtue like high class handling still waits to be recognised.

On your first drive, i cannot disagree as the new figo is not as 'solid' as yours or the good old Figo. But it is nimble and you can play with the engine and its high revvs. That said New Figo is no way near to 'tinny'.

Of course I will not even go near the built and dynamic ability of Superb or the 5 Series, my comment with 5 Series was just fun-with-words. I can rate its stability and handling on the same lines of our Skoda Rapid MPi.

All said, this is a genuine car that gives you ample confidence in straight lines and more than enough stability in the curves and is packed with safety that's straight out of cars way above its class. The brakes are probably the best in its class and I can vouch for it as I have seen how it can save the day in distress (I had a blown RR tire @ about 110kmph).

Z

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by rsm97

I drive a Fiesta having 90PS power and can well imagine what the re-tuned 100PS engine can do to the thrust of Aspire/Figo on an open stretch of road. But when I test drove the Figo at its launch, could not get the required confidence to throw it around. This also seems the general impression from various first-drive events.

I have seen that people in general feel superior/knowledgeable when they point out mistakes after a test drive, makes them feel like an expert . Not that I'm refuting their claim about the "thin metal" part

Now tell me which car in this segment gives you a "built like a vault" feeling except maybe for the Punto?

Every car not just in < 10 Lakhs segment but, above it is also using lots of cost cut measure and diverting their focus on other consumer expectations i.e (interior features, ABS as standard, more and more fuel economy etc, )

Hence, the paradigm shift in every manufacturer's strategy in building cars.

Having said that, they will never compromise safety and will use thinner sheet metal which is strong if not stronger than previous models.

As we all know, FE and Interior features are the best bragging points for selling their cars in volumes

I do agree the Aspire twins feel light (especially when you close the door) other than that time there is nothing to make you feel it's light or unstable or makes your drive uncomfortable due to "thin metal" they used. It's still brilliant in handling and outstanding in ride quality and stability at high speeds is to be experienced to be believed.

P.S: All of above after changing stock tyres to Yokohama Earth 1 which significantly changed the dynamics of the car

Originally Posted by rsm97

So could not help wondering that speed apart, if both these actually have the corresponding built and dynamic ability to take on the one like Superb or 5 Series on highway.

Definitely not! They are in a different league. They are much stronger built quality and can mask high speeds with utmost ease but, accelaration wise comparable to an extent due to the similarity in power to weight ratio and how a certain car puts down the power.

Aspire accelerates right from the word GO ( as low as 900 RPM)

In the past, used to drive a modded Cruze running on 220bhp and I think Aspire is nearly 80% of the brutal straight line speed that Cruze was capable of and better at initial accelaration any day (Cruze had a small turbo-lag until 1800rpm). Also, it reaches nearly 85% of the top speed of the Cruze quite easily. This says a lot about Aspire's capability.

I would rate the Aspire way better in a corner than the Cruze

Finally, a driver's ability is the most important after which car is just a "tool"

Originally Posted by rsm97

As many on this forum have been driving both of these sufficiently long, surely they must be feeling secure while pushing them so hard. Why, in their opinion, a virtue like high class handling still waits to be recognised.

As mentioned above, Aspire handles better than a Cruze which is 2 segments above it and this is after Ford owners claim that previous gen fords were even better handlers

Now I can relate to what they were saying about Ford handling

Originally Posted by zavegur

I can rate its stability and handling on the same lines of our Skoda Rapid MPi.

+1 as I have driven the Rapid a few times

Originally Posted by zavegur

All said, this is a genuine car that gives you ample confidence in straight lines and more than enough stability in the curves and is packed with safety that's straight out of cars way above its class. The brakes are probably the best in its class and I can vouch for it as I have seen how it can save the day in distress (I had a blown RR tire @ about 110kmph)

Aspire stability and control at high speed is simply brilliant and anyone familiar with ORR in Hyderabad which I would rate as the best road in entire India, would know that we have "daily" opportunity of doing speeds that is unmentionable on the forum

Btw, after that cat and mouse game with Superb when we stopped for some nice hot filter coffee, guess what he commented :

Superb owner mentioned he was watching my tail and was impressed with the line it was keeping (straight like an arrow) while he mentioned i20 (another car with us during the drive) was all over the place

[rsm97]

Originally Posted by mobike008

I have seen that people in general feel superior/knowledgeable when they point out mistakes after a test drive, makes ---------------------

Superb owner mentioned he was watching my tail and was impressed with the line it was keeping (straight like an arrow) while he mentioned i20 (another car with us during the drive) was all over the place

Originally Posted by zavegur

On your first drive, ---------------------------------------- The brakes are probably the best in its class and I can vouch for it as I have seen how it can save the day in distress (I had a blown RR tire @ about 110kmph).Z

Thanks zavegur and mobike008 for the inputs. More than built, which it is what it is, my curiosity was towards dynamic ability. Sure you gave quite detailed perspective including applicable boundary conditions.

My serious interest is in the AT, so TDCI goes out of the equation. With the common aspect discussed, request specific view from owners on performance of 1.5L petrol engine and dual clutch gearbox.

Thanks in advance.

[espraveen]

Originally Posted by zavegur

.. But it is nimble and you can play with the engine and its high revvs. That said New Figo is no way near to 'tinny'... All said, this is a genuine car that gives you ample confidence in straight lines and more than enough stability in the curves and is packed with safety that's straight out of cars way above its class. The brakes are probably the best in its class and I can vouch for it as I have seen how it can save the day in distress (I had a blown RR tire @ about 110kmph)....

Originally Posted by mobike008

.... I do agree the Aspire twins feel light (especially when you close the door) other than that time there is nothing to make you feel it's light or unstable or makes your drive uncomfortable due to "thin metal" they used. It's still brilliant in handling and outstanding in ride quality and stability at high speeds is to be experienced to be believed.... All of above after changing stock tyres to Yokohama Earth 1 which significantly changed the dynamics of the car..... As mentioned above, Aspire handles better than a Cruze which is 2 segments above it and this is after Ford owners claim that previous gen fords were even better handlers......Aspire stability and control at high speed is simply brilliant.....

Couldn't agree more with you guys on the above aspects of Figo/Aspire!! I've tested my Figo TDCi's handling many times in situations like narrow chicanes, tight corners, sharp overtaking manoeuvres etc (driving style's spirited here, of course ) and never has the car been disappointing. It has almost always come out of such situations with flying colours. Of course, one has to be aware of their car's ability and drive accordingly (that goes without saying!). And yes, even I've upgraded the tyres to 185/65/R14 Michelin XM2s and that seems to have improved the dynamics quite a bit!!

P.S.: The Aspire /Figo twins aren't that bad in the handling/dynamics department which certain impressions that came out in the days just after their launch suggested. In fact, they are actually quite good, maybe even better than most cars in their segment IMO.

[manojraja]

I am contemplating on buying a figo tdci. Today while going to office, I saw a figo zooming past us. I am sure the driver was revving a little hard. I saw black soot from the exhaust. I never noticed this from an i20 or a city. Is that normal? Pardon me for my ignorance.