[supertinu]

Hey all, feels weird writing an ownership report despite reading zillions of them on teambhp. Let me go through the whole nine yards starting with the background on the purchase decision to present when I have 1300kms on the Odo. Beware, its going to be a long one.

Background


My 1st car was or rather still is a 2004 Ikon Flair with ~65K km on the odo and still going strong. But after 7+ yrs of satisfied ownership the urge to have something more modern, safer (ABS/airbags) and cheaper to run (read diesel) was forming in my mind. But I didn't really want to get rid of Ikon since its fairly well maintained and the emotional connection that I have with the car and also poor resale just doesn't justify selling it.

Since my wife is also a regular driver, it just made sense to not replace the existing sedan and just buy a 2nd smaller car and in due course of time when Ikon really ages then replace with a bigger car (sedan/SUV/MUV) based on family needs at that point.

With this thought process we were thinking of buying somewhere mid year when the pre-budget hype started around diesel car prices going up. Dad called around 24th Feb and said if you are anyways going to buy a car later, might as well buy now and save some money. To make matter worse I had an International business trip starting on 10th march, so time was even more constrained. Under normal circumstances I would probably take a decision like this over period of months of ground work and test drives but the time constraint actually made it an easy job. Plus all the hours of reading on TBHP did come in very handy in terms of ground work.

Shortlisting Process

Before I get into the details let me list down the key top criterias in our decision process

• Backseat comfort and leg space, absolute priority (in a family of 4 don't want half of them ill treated)

• Boot space (should be reasonable for wkend trips for family of 4)

• Safety features - ABS + airbags

• Driving characteristics (handling, road behavior etc) (after driving Ikon for 7yrs I am sure you can understand )

• Reasonably good interior quality. Don't want luxury but shouldn't be cheap either.

• Pricing, my middle class blood wants VFM

Figo - This was the 1st car that we checked out due to showroom proximity. And surprisingly my wife instantly fell in love with it (doesnt happen too often the 1st time). USP that really got her attn was the back seat comfort and the decent leg space. She does end up sitting right behind me lot of times and me being 6ft does not really help the matters with leg space. On our Ikon her knees interfere with my seat but on Figo with the seat set to my preference she was comfortable on the back seat with couple of inches between her knees and the seat. Plus the back seat recline was just right and would suffice our long distance driving as well. It had very good boot space too. We test drove the car couple of times over the course of the week and found it very easy to drive and petrol like for most part. Definitely more noisy and less responsive than a petrol but turbo lag was minimal and the torque from about 1500 to 3500 rpm was great. I had read about lack of top end grunt from the engine but with 100 kmph reached at 2300rpm I was sure cruising at ~120kmph would be comfortable, since the power band extends beyond 3500 rpm. Couldn't test drive any faster within city limits. Also the ford DNA was quite obvious in its handling and seemed like a much bigger car than it really is. Price was ~7lac (93K road tax) on road in Bangalore for titanium version, decent VFM. So this was a strong contender with few negatives and pretty much a bench mark against which rest of the cars would be measured.

Swift - Always liked the looks of the car but never been a fan of interior space. With the new swift I was actually hoping that some of the practical issues will get addressed. Well some of it did and some didn't. Backseat and leg space definitely improved but then the boot space shrunk even further. Also on top of that a 8.2 lac on road price for Zdi with 6months waiting period pretty much ruled it out for us.

Ritz - For some reason I have always been a fan of this car. Mainly cause of the good looking front and abstract rear which no one else in the family likes except for me. We checked out the car and found it to be wanting in terms of rear seat, the recline was bit too straight or santro like and the leg room too was less than Figo. Plus there is no real Zdi in Ritz, all maruti offers is Vxi + ABS and that too with 2+ months waiting. On top of that the interiors though design wise modern, but quality wise was really poor. Compared to Figo/swift definitely seemed notch lower. The AC control knobs are as cheap as they come (No offence to existing owners). Both my and wife ruled it out.

I20 - we have a i20 in my extended family and the maintenance experience has not been cheap. Plus having driven and sat in the car, I never found the driving experience upto the mark and back seat is tab too up right. Plus a on road price of 8.5 lacs just seemed too much for a hatchback. So it was never considered as an option

Polo - Again wasn't an option due to the price tag, 3 cylinder diesel and not a VFM proposition

Liva - This was the last car that we planned to check out. I have driven a friends Etios and well aware of the interiors and driving characteristics. Though I loved the way petrol Etios drives and behaves but I never can really adjust to a center instrument console and also the rather plasticy grey interiors. They are almost the same grade as my Ikon in terms of quality. Also with no real high end variant the middle variant with SP was about 7.2 lac on road and missing alloys, stereo, tacho meter + few more compared to the Figo. Now I may not be buying absolute high end hatchback but still 7lacs is not a small amount to spend for a car without dicky and then still having to compromise on some of these basic items was not acceptable. Plus both me and my wife are not a fan of the looks. So even before I could test drive, she convinced me out of it.

In short we checked out cars on wkend of 25th Feb, gave it some thought during the week and negotiated with dealers, booked Figo on 3rd March and got delivery on 7th March from Lathangi Ford, Bangalore. Color chosen was diamond white. Our top 2 choices were Panther Black and Diamond White, but eventually sense prevailed and keeping practicality in mind we chose white over black. A clean shining black definitely looks cool but white is also very majestic and the car actually looked bigger than it is in White.

Ok enough writing. Time for some pics before I pen some more thoughts. Upcoming initial 1000km ownership report and dealer ship experience.

Pics from delivery time




I like the alloy design over the other earlier Ford designs



Plane Jane Speedo


Looks much better in the night, pic with all indicators on


Scuff plates that i bargained for with the dealership




Few Interior pics, some of these are taken with my phone cam so pardon the quality



Initial ownership

I have driven the car for about 1300 kms now. out of which about 600 is in the city and 700 on the high way. We chose a weekend trip to put kms on the Odo and also speed up the run in process. Drove to wayanad from Bangalore via Mysore. Now people from Bangalore would know that mysore road on a weekend is more like a city road with lots of traffic and ideal for run in since consistent speeds cannot be maintained. I ensure we didn't cross 2500 rpm through out the trip. Heres my observations in no particular order from the experience so far

• Engine is quite clattery during idle even when warmed up but turns into a smooth machine when revved. Overall there are absolutely no vibrations inside the car nor on the gear stick. Engine is audible only when worked hard which I havnt done much yet due to run in. Overall its barely audible with stereo on. Insulation is lot better than my Ikon but definitely could have been better, but I have no complaints

• Slighly non responsive nature of a diesel engine compared to petrol is actually a boon at times. This is my first diesel car. Since the engine does not react to every smallest pedal movement esp in lower RPMs, the overall drive actually ends up being lot more smoother. The power delivery from 1500rpm is very good, but gear change is not required even at as low as 1000 rpm.

• During my weekend trip I touched 100kmph lot of times and engine was at ~2300rpm. At that speed engine is barely audible and cant tell it's a oil burner. In addition overtaking is easy since its right in the turbo zone.

• Car really handles like a much bigger car. Ride is very composed and no twitchiness of a tall boy. Its actually at par or better than my Ikon, however its not as easy to throw into corners. I did touch 120kmph few times for short spurts and ride was well composed. City ride is pliant. Slightly on the firmer side but acceptable. On the highway it's very assuring and almost sticking to the road. OEM Apollo Aceleres do there job well in terms of decent grip and low noise.

• I managed around 17km/ltr avg during the 1st 700kms in combo of city and highway driving. Should improve as the engine run in happens. My personal expectation is 15 for city and 20 for highways

• OEM stereo is feature rich and decent. I love the BT streaming feature. USB supports upto 8GB sticks which is sufficient.

• Interiors are well built and hard to touch. No grouse there since I am satisfied with the design. Front seats are comfortable but lack proper lower back support. Nothing beats my Ikon for that. Infact rear seats support lower back better. Need to get a small airplane cushion for front seats.

• Boot space is amazing for a hatchback. I figured it can easily fit 5-6 cabin luggages , my weekend trips are covered yaeee. Don't intend to put rear speaker shelf in interest of the boot space.

• Brakes definitely deserve a special mention. Perform very well and effortless. Pedal modulate well and there is no rubberiness.

• A/C deserves a special mention, compressor size definitely helps. I haven't felt any performance difference with or without the AC. Another observation that it doesnt run continuously, I can feel the compressor cutting in at times. More on this in my dealership review.

Few things that I don't like. Most of the items are kind of minor from my perspective

• Lack of rear power windows. Really? Ford… come on. But it was not a deal breaker since my driving is pretty much 100% AC on hence windows are always closed.

• Indicators stalks are very rubbery and vague in action. I miss the nice clicks on the Ikon.

• There is a big gap between the 1st and 2nd gear. Or rather 1st gear seems too short to me. Not a big deal but could have been better

• One problem with the OEM HU is that whenever the stereo restarts it does not start for the track where it ended unless the track has run for 30 secs or so. This is weird and annoying at times during city driving with frequent stops. Speakers need a definite upgrade. ICE upgrade is pending, considering front components + amp and a small 8inch sub to save space. Suggestions welcome.

• Got weird rattle that comes around 1300 RPM. Need to get it checked. Some one has reported similar issue earlier on TBHP. Will use that lead.

• I love the all black interiors, though it does result in lot of glare from the windshield while driving in sun. Good polarized glasses are highly recommended. Mine come in very handy.

• I was getting a weird smell from the AC blower when the compressor was switched off, I used to get similar smell from my Ikon when the air filter gets dirty but this was a new car. Dealership assured me that this is common with new Figos and smell actually goes off after sometime. I did check this on other new Figos in dealership and found similar smell. It has actually reduced now after 1 month of use. Still not sure what is the real reason.

Time for some more pics








I like the smoked effect in the headlights


ODO after the trip


Console looks better at night with all red backlit


Spacious boot for a hatchback


Now coming to the last part of my thread


Dealership and delivery experience

I checked both with Elite and Lathangi Ford. Elite being within 2km vs 25km for Lathangi from my house was an obvious choice. The overall experience was good but I was bit ticked off with their absolute no free goodies for a diesel car attitude. They were not ready to offer anything other than essentials pack and 3rd yr warranty.

On the other hand Lathangi ford though with similar policy were atleast lot more receptive to offering some goodies. Finally they offered essentials pack, 3rd yr warranty, scuff plates, sun film, car cover, teflon coating ( I know not recommended by TBHP, but it was free ) and side door beading. Also by default Figo has 3 OEM tire suppliers, Apollo Accelere, MRF and Good year. Out of these only Apollos were acceptable to me and others I would have definitely upgraded to better brand like Michelin owing to my good experience with XM1+ on my Ikon. The sales agent was nice enough to ensure that I get a car with Apollo Acceleres, saved me some money there.

Overall buying experience was smooth. They showed me the car before registration to verify the VIN (Feb 12 manf date)and also check interiors and exterior. It had 5kms on odo. Delivery experience was also smooth except for one hiccup which was eventually minor but made me ruffle some feathers at the dealership.

Let me explain it bit more. During the car demo we sat inside the car and the sale guy started the engine to get AC going. What I noticed immediately was that the compressor was cutting off on its own and most of the times it was off and turning on only for 10 seconds or so. Even the sales guy noticed and got his manager to see. His manager saw but acted as if it wasn't a problem which really got me ticked off and I lost it a bit and shouted at him. Then he called the incharge from the service floor who looked at the issue and immediately agreed that there was some problem and requested to take the car inside for inspection. By this time I was really furious cause a brand new car having gone through PDI shouldn't be having such glaring problem. I even told the dealer that I wouldn't take the car if there really as some problem. After an anxious wait of some 25-30mins there team came back with the car and assured me that there was no problem and it was normal behavior. There service incharge said that apparently during cold start the engine automatically cuts off the AC more during idling till it reached operating temp and then it operates fine. They had idled the car for sometime and the problem was gone now. They showed it to my in my car. Since I was still suspicious I asked them to show me the same behavior on another car with cold start. He promptly took me inside and found a diesel car with a cold engine and started it with AC and exact same behavior was seen on that car also. The service incharge upon my questioning also admitted that they never knew about this characteristic till now when I pointed it. Finally I accepted there explanation and found it rather surprising that they never knew about this. Have other Figo owners observed similar thing on there vehicles?

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!

[revintup]

Congratulations on a sensible purchase. And nice to know that your Ikon is still going strong.

Originally Posted by supertinu

during cold start the engine automatically cuts off the AC more during idling till it reached operating temp and then it operates fine.

If this is indeed a feature, Ford must be commended for this. I do this manually most of the time i.e wait till operating temperature is attained before switching on the AC. Just makes me wonder though. Do any other cars have such a feature?

[joe1980]

Congrats on your new Figo. The white color looks awesome for the size of the car. It looks chic and cute. Did you already check the FE that you get? Would be happy to see some more interior pics of your car. Wish you a safe and happy drive.

[supertinu]

Originally Posted by revintup

Congratulations on a sensible purchase. And nice to know that your Ikon is still going strong.

If this is indeed a feature, Ford must be commended for this. I do this manually most of the time i.e wait till operating temperature is attained before switching on the AC. Just makes me wonder though. Do any other cars have such a feature?

Thanks Revintup. Yup the Ikon is doing well and still lot of fun to drive .
Yes this AC cut off is a good feature, though i dont know if other brands have same thing or now

Originally Posted by joe1980

Congrats on your new Figo. The white color looks awesome for the size of the car. It looks chic and cute. Did you already check the FE that you get? Would be happy to see some more interior pics of your car. Wish you a safe and happy drive.

Thanks Joe, yes white color looks great. From the 1st 900kms which had mix of ~250km city driving and rest from highway i got about 17+ kmpl. I havnt taken too many interior pics. Will do so soon and post before it gets dirty on the inside .

[Blow Horn Ok]

Congrats for the buy. Due to good ride/handling, large boot space and diesel economy, You will enjoy and love the long trips even more. The alloys and dark tints add to the looks. With recent additions in the titanium, it has become a true top end model (though it still lacks rear Power windows).

What accessories have you added? Where you got the tints installed?

[supertinu]

Originally Posted by Blow Horn Ok

Congrats for the buy. Due to good ride/handling, large boot space and diesel economy, You will enjoy and love the long trips even more. The alloys and dark tints add to the looks. With recent additions in the titanium, it has become a true top end model (though it still lacks rear Power windows).

What accessories have you added? Where you got the tints installed?

Thanks Man. yes the new titanium range definitely makes it more up market thou no rear power windows are still an anti climax . Haven't added any accessory so far other than what I bargained with dealer. Got sun film, scuff plates, side door beading. Sun film is some US brand Global which dealer recommended. Quality wise found them quiet effective, they do help a lot in keeping the car cool. ICE upgrade is pending, will happen in sometime.

[HappyRoadie]

Congrats on your purchase. Really a value for money car. White looks good on Figo. Wish you many happy and safe miles. What are the mods that you have planned.?

[wilful]

Supertinu - excellent choice! Congrats on the purchase! Figo is a car that I really like - for its space and comfort, equipment and the responsive nature of the engine. A colleague has the Titanium diesel (loaded version) and I borrow it occasionally when my car goes for service. It certainly is an enjoyable drive.
Here's wishing you many happy hours of driving!

[supertinu]

Originally Posted by HappyRoadie

Congrats on your purchase. Really a value for money car. White looks good on Figo. Wish you many happy and safe miles. What are the mods that you have planned.?

Thanks Roadie, for now no plans to mod as long as warranty lasts. Only change pending is the ICE upgrade. Still deciding what to do with that.

Originally Posted by wilful

Supertinu - excellent choice! Congrats on the purchase! Figo is a car that I really like - for its space and comfort, equipment and the responsive nature of the engine. A colleague has the Titanium diesel (loaded version) and I borrow it occasionally when my car goes for service. It certainly is an enjoyable drive.
Here's wishing you many happy hours of driving!

Thanks Wilful. Yes titanium version offers very good vfm compared to competitors.

[Fordmanchau]

Congratulations Supertinu for your new Figo.
It's surely a VFM car among the hatches for the price it sells for , and the space it has. More so, when its even fun to drive.

Would love to see a pic of both your steed's together.
The A/c cut off on cold starts is a nice feature to have .

[supertinu]

Originally Posted by Fordmanchau

Congratulations Supertinu for your new Figo.
It's surely a VFM car among the hatches for the price it sells for , and the space it has. More so, when its even fun to drive.

Would love to see a pic of both your steed's together.
The A/c cut off on cold starts is a nice feature to have .

Thanks Fordmanchau, yes its definitely a VFM in its category. Wonder where did Ford's wisdom go when they launched new Fiesta, maybe they got over confident with Figo's success.

I will take some pics of both the cars together and post. Need to them out together 1st .

[ashishgandhi_00]

Hi Supertinu,

heartiest congratulations on your new buy. FIGO is definitely a good choice for diesel. and white color looks really rich...

we are essentially in the same boat. i have a ford fiesta petrol, and i plan to buy a diesel hatch for my dad. FIGO was the first car that came to my mind. i am still to take a final call - i also have Ritz and i20 in consideration.

can u help clarify the following:
- how much did the car cost you - OTR?
- are the alloy wheels company fitted? the Ford India site says that even the titanium variant does not come with alloys
- does the music system have USB - i read somewhere in your post. again, the Ford site talks only abt Aux-in. EDIT - sorry, i re-checked the site, it does mention abt USB
- how does the bluetooth feature work - any issues?

take care, and enjoy the ride
Ashish

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by ashishgandhi_00

can u help clarify the following:
- how much did the car cost you - OTR?
- are the alloy wheels company fitted? the Ford India site says that even the titanium variant does not come with alloys
- how does the bluetooth feature work - any issues?
Ashish

My colleague bought a top end diesel Figo 2 weeks ago and the ex-showroom price was 5.92 lacs in Hyderabad.

The price is around 25 k more than the price in November, 2011. But with the price increase, fog lamps and alloys have become a standard feature, apart from usb on the ICE

@Supertinu---congrats for the new hatch. IMO it is the best diesel hatch today.

My views match with yours on the cars you'd evaluated, except the Ritz,which I still cannot stand for its derriere.

[hiren959]

Welcome supertinu to the Figo club, you will enjoy it for sre. I have completed more than 32500km in my figo TDCi in less tahn two years. I am having no complain so far except the poor qaulity paint job and some tyre wear.(could be of my driving style)