Ford Figo Sports Edition : Official Review

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

Great review, Vid!

Whilst the diesel is great, I wonder what's stopping Ford from giving us the EcoBoost petrol engine in the petrol Figo S, like what Maruti has done with the Baleno RS? Sure, the EcoBoost may not be meaty enough in the lardy EcoSport, and an EcoBoost Figo S may not be a 'fast' car in the truest sense of the word, but it should be brisk enough to warrant the S badge in our market at the least. It's sure as hell faster and more of an 'enthusiasts' motor than that miserable 1.2.

I think Ford has missed a trick here. They could have cashed in on the warm-hatch wave with the EcoBoost Figo S.

Originally Posted by vishy76

-That would have been a risky move. An ecoboost would have driven the prices up by a large margin since the engine is a complete import. This wouldn't have allowed Ford to undercut Hyundai.

-Additionally, the ecoboost is a halo engine only meant for the more premium offerings as listed in the official review of the figo.

Also agree to the fact that a 1.5+manual combo should have been offered although the engine is nowhere as good as the ecoboost.

I actually asked Ford why they didn't take this opportunity in getting the 1.0L Ecoboost to the Figo range. I think they could have but my feeling is that the bean counters played safe and decided not to spend more on a product that wasn't doing great in terms of sales. I doubt an Ecoboost engine would have made a huge difference in sales and more than anything would have made it difficult to recover the cost of development an Indian spec Figo 1.0L Ecoboost.

Although price wise the Ecoboost in the Ecosport sits between the petrol 1.5L and diesel, unlike the boosterjet which Maruti has priced above the diesel.

What they could have done is get the 1.5L petrol engine with a manual box and not even bothered with the 1.2L petrol. This would have been more exclusive and probably less development effort.

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

What they could have done is get the 1.5L petrol engine with a manual box and not even bothered with the 1.2L petrol. This would have been more exclusive and probably less development effort.

This was the simplest thing that they could have done to give the petrol heads an option along with the 1.5 Diesel. They have the engine, the gearbox might not have been too difficult as well since there was the Global Fiesta in 2013/2014 with the same combo of a Petrol 1.5 manual. Assemble it and plonk it into the Figo and it would have been a good proposition.

Just thinking, did they intentionally not want to come up with the 1.5 manual owing to poor FE that it might return and tarnish the already damaged (in terms of FE and maintenance) image of Ford India?

[karan561]

Originally Posted by Kishen.padiyar

Agreed! Those alloys are just awesome. Apart from the grille, see if you can get your hands on those dampers and springs that come with the S variant and you should be all set

Thanks Kishen, not too keen on that kinda retrofit to be honest.

Originally Posted by PrideRed

No offence meant dear friend, to me the Figo S looks better. Probably a rare occasion where the stock car looks great. While your car has better rubber and alloys, the stock Figo S looks wicked with that lowered suspension resulting in a squat position. The blacked out roof, mirrors,headlamps, grille etc. makes it stand out.

Hey PrideRed, no worries man. When I bought the Figo i had no option of an S variant but always visualised how the car will look with larger rims & wider tyres hence i modded it my way. Similarly Ford have done it their way & its not bad at all. Hope you are getting one soon, Enjoy

Originally Posted by Keynote

It does look good, but can you coax fellow bhpian abhinav.s to share a pic of his newly acquired hot hatch and then decide ?

OT : he generally maintains low profile even on a HIGH profile wheel and alloys.

He finally did upload a pic, thanks for instigating him to do so

@abhinav.s - Nice ride !

[AMG Power]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Crazy driver, check the original Figo review linked in the second post, it's mentioned there.

The review mentions this:

"Expressway stability is par for the course. It's stable enough, but not as rock solid as European Fords have usually been..."

You've indicated that the high speed stability is good - would it be much better than the regular Figo now?

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by AMG Power

The review mentions this:

"Expressway stability is par for the course. It's stable enough, but not as rock solid as European Fords have usually been..."

You've indicated that the high speed stability is good - would it be much better than the regular Figo now?

Did you read this review? From my review on page 1:

Originally Posted by Vid6639

As speeds increase, the ride actually improves compared to the regular Figo because there’s less vertical movement and the vehicle remains flat. In effect, the ride quality over bad roads hasn't deteriorated too much, but high speed composure has become superior. The biggest improvement overall is the composure at high speeds, lesser body roll and eagerness to turn in.

[deetjohn]

This is how Figo should have been from day 1. Ford simply went after customers who aren't ready to jump ship and alienated the faithfuls.

And a little sad to see the note about the EPS tuning. They really should have gone full monty here including the 6 airbags. Would have become one stellar package.

And also the EcoBoost. That is one hell of an engine for the open roads and would have suited the lighter Figo/ Aspire to the tee.

Originally Posted by Vid6639

What they could have done is get the 1.5L petrol engine with a manual box and not even bothered with the 1.2L petrol. This would have been more exclusive and probably less development effort.

Probably, the bean counters said no here too. The excise duty on the larger motor would have made it almost as expensive as the diesel or EcoBoost. And its not like its a very potent motor either.

I really think Ford should have taken this opportunity to get the EcoBoost more India ready and given it to these cars here.

[VishnuNarayanan]

My Figo Sports in ingot silver has arrived. I would be taking delivery of the car by sunday.
I will post an ownership review after getting hands on my new car.

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by VishnuNarayanan

My Figo Sports in ingot silver has arrived. I would be taking delivery of the car by sunday.

Congrats Vishnu!! Is this the Diesel one? Looks very toned down in silver-black combo.

[VishnuNarayanan]

Originally Posted by abhinav.s

Congrats Vishnu!! Is this the Diesel one? Looks very toned down in silver-black combo.

Yeah. Its a diesel car.
Though the silent petrol motor was super smooth, silent and easier for the left foot(clutch usage in the city) the economy and the mileage factor pushed me to stick with the diesel.

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by VishnuNarayanan

Yeah. Its a diesel car.
Though the silent petrol motor was super smooth, silent and easier for the left foot(clutch usage in the city) the economy and the mileage factor pushed me to stick with the diesel.

Dont worry, at cruising speeds, the NVH of the diesel will not disappoint you. Also comparatively the clutch is not heavy but it is springy! You will need time to get used to this springy action initially for a few days. Once you get a hang of it, you can manage just fine. The engine when being revved might feel coarse to the ears but it is not actually bothersome. You will tend to feel some vibrations in the A, B & C pedals but again, not a deal breaker. Overall, good VFM, fun to drive hatch!! Enjoy

[VishnuNarayanan]

Originally Posted by abhinav.s

Dont worry, at cruising speeds, the NVH of the diesel will not disappoint you. Also comparatively the clutch is not heavy but it is springy! You will need time to get used to this springy action initially for a few days.

Yes.Getting accustomed with the longer clutch requires time.
My daily drive is a Swift diesel. I test drove the petrol as well as diesel variants of the figo before finalising on the diesel.
Comparing with the Swift diesel, i felt the figo diesels clutch to be longer and harder. But i have to say the power on tap at lower rpms was too good at lower rpms and is linear when compared to Swift.
Regarding the engine noise, i felt that figo diesel is silent when compared to the Swift at higher rpms.

[espraveen]

Originally Posted by VishnuNarayanan

Yes.Getting accustomed with the longer clutch requires time.
My daily drive is a Swift diesel. I test drove the petrol as well as diesel variants of the figo before finalising on the diesel.
Comparing with the Swift diesel, i felt the figo diesels clutch to be longer and harder. But i have to say the power on tap at lower rpms was too good at lower rpms and is linear when compared to Swift.
Regarding the engine noise, i felt that figo diesel is silent when compared to the Swift at higher rpms.

Congratulations on the Figo S
I drive the Figo 1.5 diesel and there's a Swift diesel in my family as well. It would be great to see your inputs on the comparison between these two driver's cars going forward!!

Originally Posted by deetjohn

This is how Figo should have been from day 1......

Agree with you completely!!
At this price-point, it's almost a no-brainer to go for the Figo S diesel if one is looking for a fun to drive car which is also easy to maintain!
I so wish that this variant was available when I had bought mine!!

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by espraveen

I so wish that this variant was available when I had bought mine!!

+100!! This is how Figo should have been from Day 1 of sale. At least the alloys, tyre size and the suspension bits should have been what it is in the Figo S. We can get the cosmetic bits from the accessories/service center for sure. Maybe not right away but in due course once sales pick up to the usual Figo levels. The lowered springs is something I am trying to source for my car. Will keep you posted if I am successfully able to lay my hands on them if you are interested.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

The new Figo S diesel had me tempted for the past few days, to replace my aging diesel car with this one. However, after two days of thinking - decided to drop the plan since the cons seem to outweigh the pros in this scenario!

+ Pros

1. Fantastic diesel engine. A solid 9bhp and 25Nm upgrade for me, but more importantly a huge improvement in power/weight and torque/weight figures. More relaxed highway nature as well (of the engine).

2. Looks hot! The red - especially is a looker. Not too impressed with the other colours though.

3. Price. Very competitively priced and is brilliant value for the performance on offer.

The Average -

1. Interiors look boring with its sea of black. But understandable given the value pricing.

2. Equipment list is basic. No touchscreen HU, no reversing camera, no rear a/c vents - but understandable for the price. However, no parking sensors either?

3. The car has almost flopped in the market, selling an average of less than 1000 units per month over the last six months (and just over a year of launch). Not too worried about it personally, but one of the points to consider along with the below -

- Cons

1. Safety. 3 stars at best and with the body shell integrity rated as unstable. It is still decent in the Indian scenario, where cars fail the tests royally, but!

2. Not available in the Titanium+ variant. For a car that has average safety ratings, I would have been happier with the 6 airbag variant. The rear seats are rarely used in the city, but the better half does tend to use it often when we hit the highways.

3. Build Quality. I'm a self confessed fan of cars with good sheet metal quality - the Europeans and ironically, Ford. However, the Figo is an exception. The build feels light and looks like it would accumulate a lot of small scratches and dents over the years due to our traffic conditions where the cycles and bikes are ever so likely to bump into your car and just move off without even saying a sorry. Some may argue that sheet metal quality is not everything when it comes to safety, but I'm talking only about appearance here. High speed safety anyways is average as proven by NCAP.

4. Paint Quality. Looked good on the new Figo without orange peel effect, as noted in the official review. But, I have a couple of friends who are into the detailing business and they had very poor comments on the paint quality of the new Figo, specially evident in the highlight orange colour. Looks like Ford has cut costs here. Disappointing since I really like detailing and maintaining the gloss of the car - and was looking at a red one for this particular reason.

5. Disconnected steering. "It's only on the open straight highways that you feel the steering is disconnected." as mentioned in the review, and unfortunately - almost 8/10 of my highway trips are almost 500 km drives down the arrow straight roads of Tamil Nadu, enroute Trivandrum from Bangalore. And my only reason to change cars would be for a better highway experience. Deal breaker!

Skipped the Ford for now. Since I'm in no hurry, the wait continues for better diesel highway scorcher options - May be the upcoming Polo (if it comes to India), or the S-Cross 1.6 facelift. Now, all these options would admittedly be more expensive than the Figo S, and that value is where the Figo S scores. But look beyond the price, and it starts putting questions to the mind as to whether it really is a Ford worthy of the S badge, which they've used carefully for their earlier generations cars like the Fiesta.

[Waspune]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

1. Fantastic diesel engine. A solid 9bhp and 25Nm upgrade for me, but more importantly a huge improvement in power/weight and torque/weight figures.

It should be 6 Nm of gain if I am not wrong.

Punto 90 HP: 209 NM
Figo: 215 NM