[swami.n]

This review has been in the assembly line for quite a while now. Finally got some time to take some snaps and complete it.

A Teaser Pic: Taken at the time of delivery.


The Decision to buy a Car:

This ownership thread should have been written by me, somewhere in the early 2014, and the title should have had Punto MJD 90hp in it. But as they say, if everything works as planned, there is nothing interesting in it(Sour grapes. I still regret I couldn't get the Punto).

Anyways, the decision to buy a new car happened in a split second on 28th Dec 2012 at around 4-5pm. When my wife & I returned from a meeting, our beloved Palio 1.9D would not start. But the starting point for the decision was not that day. It dates back to a few of months before, when the Palio was giving niggles every now & then.

DISCLAIMER:

This is my first ever ownership thread and I thank you all in advance for your patience.

Now this is going to be one long story. Nothing similar to the Bolly/Kolly/Tollywood flicks, but hoping to give you something interesting to read through. Those who are looking for the impressions on the new car, scroll through to the next post.

The Start of the Problem:

It was on one of our trips to my In Law's place in Trichy it all started. We started from home at around 5pm on a Saturday evening in the Palio loaded with 4 of us, Me, Wife, our 1and half yr old daughter & my wife's brother. And packed with so much stuff that, even the rear seat was full, literally. We had just crossed perungalathur around 6.30 and suddenly the alternator belt got cut. Pushed the car with the help of few people and started, but the power steering was not working as the belt is cut. To cut a long story short, somehow managed to take a U turn(boy that was the toughest u turn in my life) and brought her to a garage at Kovilambakkam at around 8.30. This was the only person willing to work on the Fiat. He said it might take a couple of hours and my wife sat with the baby in the owner's room.

They managed to somehow get the exact spare with great difficulty, as it was late Saturday. The fixing was done at around 10-10.15pm. Since our daughter was asleep inside the room, we thought let us idle the vehicle for 15 to 20 mins and make sure all is well before she wakes up. Our daughter saved us by sleeping. The belt again got cut after 15mins of idle. It is only then they realized the alternator assembly itself has to be changed as the pulley on which the belt runs itself was bent and about to get broken. Now we cannot proceed with the palio and since I had given commitment to a few of my associates in trichy, I just could not cancel the trip and return home.

So quickly analyzed the other options like taking a bus, but with all the luggage it was ruled out. Then called up my cousin at Porur, who had just bought a Micra a few months back. Luckily he was in station and the vehicle was available. Asked him to bring the car to the garage and in the meantime, booked a taxi for him to return home. Both reached around 11.30, shifted the stuff from Palio to Micra and off we started at around 12am. A big thumbs up to the owner of Hi-Power car garage and his staff for being very courteous and treating us like family.

I was consciously keeping the speeds less than 100 kmph, as we had a baby-on-board. Still I was amazed that the Micra(Petrol) returned me a staggering average of 22kmpl for the 650 to 700 odd kilometers we took it for. Also its MID was pretty close to actual. But that’s another story.

Coming back to the Palio, that’s how the problem started. The next incident was in September last year when the car suddenly was losing power when driving as usual. The throttle response was going up & down and upon checking with my mechanic, the engine was about to seize as the rings had gotten struck and almost broken in one of the cylinders. Thus one of the cylinders got a slight scratch inside. It was only 65K kms on the odo and he too was surprised, and advised me to go in for a rebore as we are opening the engine. As I loved the palio, and had no idea of selling it, I went ahead with the rebore. Cost me around 60K. The engine was now great and I restricted myself to 60 to 80kmph with less than 10% ac for the next 2000kms.

At 67K on the odo the engine seemed to set in nicely with a reduction in vibes, but suddenly a new problem occurred. The Check engine light does not switch off once the vehicle is started. Took to the MyTVS at Ambatur and did a scan. Some wires were loose and a few sockets were not fixed properly. Got it fixed, cleared the errors and the light went off.

But then another problem surfaces. I have mentioned it in the technical discussions section too. While cruising in 5th gear, the check engine light goes on, all of a sudden. Switch off and start again the light goes off. The issue was occurring intermittently and there was always a fear at the back of the mind, when it would light up again. Though I hoped it was not a major issue, but the Peace Of Mind quotient was taking a battering in this period.

Now coming again to Dec 28th, the day we made the decision, came from the meeting at around 1pm, slotted the key and cranked the engine. Started fine, but stalled just after a few meters. Again tried to start, but the car would start and immediately stall. Tried the same a few more times and finally called up MyTVS at around 1.30 pm to send someone for on road assistance. As it was close to lunch timings, they said the person would arrive by 2.30 to 3pm. Two people came at 3pm with a spare battery, thinking my battery was at fault. But soon realized that my battery was fine and then he removed a socket behind the engine. Then he tried starting and it did not start at all. He again connected the socket and now it started in the first crank. He said in case this happens again, remove the socket, try starting, again connect it ad start. I did not remember to ask him further details as we were very tired and just wanted to get back home. Thanked the person and paid couple of hundred rupees. To my surprise he refused to take it and I had to force him to take it as a note of appreciation for his help when needed.

We had actually planned for a long trip on Jan 7th to Vaitheeswaran Koil to get our daughter's ears pierced and the first mottai(I do not know the English term for it). The plan was to leave from chennai on 5th night and return only by 11th.

This is when me & wife had a conversation while returning in the Palio.

Wife: "How can we take this car with the child for such a long trip. Can we borrow some friend's car for the trip?"
Me: "Yes we can ask a couple of people, but it wouldn't be nice to ask their car for close to a week."
Wife: "Ahn yes. They may have some plan of their own."
Me: "Correct, we shouldn't ruin their plan."
Wife: "Then why not buy a new car?"
Me: "Are you serious? Buying a new car."
Wife: "Why not? Anyways we had planned for a new one in early 2014."
Me: "But that was supposed to be the Punto 90hp, and you love the Punto's looks, don't you?"
Wife: "Yes, but this trip with the baby is more important and we need to have a reliable car."
Me: (What she said was right and I gave up on the Punto.)"Ok. We'll get it"
(We dint have the Micra option this time as my cousin has relocated to Coimbatore.)

I did not dare to stop the car anywhere before reaching home. Once we reached home, discussed with my parents and got the nod(Our parents thought we were crazy).

That is how we made a decision to buy a new car.

Deciding What Car:

Now the trip was just over a week ahead and all of a sudden we had to buy a new car. One more problem is, It was already Friday evening and there was a weekend and the new year's eve in the coming week, leaving us with only the Monday, Wednesday & Thursday. We had to get the car delivered by next Thursday(3rd) after registration, I wanted Friday for accessories, if any, and understanding the car. Saturday we had to start.
It was like the college final exams time. Very very hectic, but unlike the exams now I was excited.

I was still not sure to sell or exchange the Palio. It was very close to us. So did the calculations and decided on the following conditions with all in the family.

1. Price : On road price + all the accessories that we wanted, has to be 6.5lacs with another 20 grand max.
2. Fuel Type : It had to be a diesel, as my annual running would be > 20000 kms.
3. Car Type: Hatchback. Did not want a lengthy car at this moment.
4. Other Aspects: Should drive and handle well. Has to have space for 3 at the back, decent boot space, service availability.

And the most important thing was, It shouldn't have any waiting period. As we practically had no time to wait. Period.

After deciding all this, now we had to look at the prospects.
Punto was ruled out due to the budget we had. One thing I was sure "If it had to be a Punto, It has to be the 90Hp"

The Contenders:

1. Swift/Dzire
2. Ritz
3. Micra/Pulse
4. Beat
5. New Sail UVA
6. Etios Liva
7. Polo
8. Vista
9. i20
10. Figo

I've put the Figo last as it is the one I will write the most about. Fabia was not even considered to honor Harish.

@harishv

Now lets go one-by-one on the contenders.

Swift/Dzire

Its really confusing to decide whether the Dzire is a sedan or a hatch, so it is part of the list :-)
On the brighter side, IMHO the Swift was the first Maruti which was fun to drive. People may say the Esteem or the Zen, but the G series engine on the first gen Swift was a beast. But both these were not finalized as my wife never liked the Swift/Dzire's looks since its launch, and with the latest upgrade the looks became even more worse.

I dint want it primarily for the reason above, but also the current version feels too flimsy(Its a given that we were used to the Palio's build quality) and the rear seats were way too cramped for 3.

Anyways considering the long waiting periods, these two were just added to the list to make up the numbers.

Ritz

I was really impressed with the Ritz from the moment I stepped into one of my friend's Vxi. It was really good to drive, Interior space & quality were better than the Swift IMO and was real VFM compared to the Swift.

Though the rear looks awkward, it grows on you with time and is actually not as bad as many project it to be.

"What we feel from inside is more important than what others get to see on the outside."

But almost all in the family were against its looks. So dropped it with a heavy heart.

Micra/Pulse

Both these cars are pretty identical and I always liked the Micra's looks than the Pulse. I was very impressed with the Micra's steering and its ease to drive in traffic. But they were dropped because of their wafer thin service network and limited rear space.

Beat

It was dropped for its small boot and cannot accomodate even an occational 3rd person at the rear.

New Sail UVA

Has fantastic space and ticked almost all our requirements. But as it was barely launched, and Chevrolet did not do much on the promotion side for which is supposed to be their volume car.

Etios Liva

Was never inclined to its looks and even on the quality side, the Etios & the Liva are not what I expected from a Toyota. And I would never have the speedo console at the center of the dash and have my mom & dad alerting me everytime I cross 70kmph.

Polo

Its pretty good in terms of looks, but somehow when I look at the Punto & the Polo, I feel the polo is missing something. I'm still not able to exactly specify, but it looks like something is not complete. Also as a package I always felt it was overpriced for what it offers. Add to that the service experiences, with these German manufactures, from many were not helping either.

Vista

Probably the most VFM hatch at the moment. Ticked all our checklists,even more than the Figo in terms of interior space. But somehow the Tata's quality & the A.S.S never gave enough confidence to give a serious fight. Another negative is the speedo console in the center.

i20

Though I might have had to stretch my budget considerably, the i20 was constantly fighting with me in my decision making. It has everything that I was looking for and much more. It was always a hot looking hatch and the current version is even more hotter. The best looker in my above list. Add to that, very good interior and boot space, a tried & tested engine and an endless feature list, which even cars of higher segments would be ashamed of.

It almost won over the Figo in every department, except for the handling dynamics and VFM. But the ultimate deciding factor was the price. Once I thought of stretching for the i20, suddenly the Punto 90HP crosses the mind and asks me to stretch a bit more. So I did not want to stretch the budget too much, as I would be looking for a sedan 2 or 3 yrs later and the Linea tops that list at the moment.


Before writing about the Figo, the actual purchase, I would like to sincerely thank all of you guys here in Team-BHP and a special thanks to GTO for his review on the Figo. As I literally did not have the time for a TD, I just went with the review & feedback of people on this forum and I do not regret my decision at all.

[swami.n]

Figo:

Now that all other options were eliminated, it was finalized that the Figo was the best matching car for our requirements and well within our budget.

All of this happened on Friday night and on Saturday(29-Dec) morning my father & I visited the Chennai Ford showroom located in Arumbakkam, which was closer to our home. As soon as we entered and moved towards the Figo, a sales woman came enthusiastically to explain the Figo and comparisons with competitors. I immediately told her, do not mind to show me comparisons. I have already finalized on the Figo TDCi and have come only to finalize the variant, color and which dealer to buy. So we straightaway talked business and got to know the feature differences in the variants.

The ZXi dint make much sense to me. It had to be the Titanium or the lower variants. Though I would have preferred the Titanium variant for its features, it was a bit over the budget we had decided. Also the only features I wanted was the ABS & Airbags and all other features of the titanium were some thing I could live without. I think Ford can make ABS as standard on all variants. Also my previous cars did not have ABS and if I buy a new one without the option, its not going to make much difference to my driving. So we decide, it has to be the Lxi or the Exi.

Got the quotes from the dealer and the finance guy. But he said they are on leave on Sunday. Also, even if I finish all the paperwork by Monday, and Tuesday again being a holiday(New Year), they can release the funds to the showroom only on Thursday evening or Friday. Which means the car can be sent for registration only on the next Monday. Which was the day we had to be at the temple. This really dampened my spirits. Told the saleswoman that I wanted delivery of the car on Thursday and told her to get some other finance option. Told her I will come with wife in the evening to finalize color & variant and pay advance if the finance option is sorted out.

Started to the showroom with wife in the evening, and she had the dark grey as her first preference of color, and I always like Black. When we went there, we were disappointed that the other Finance guy was not available and they asked us to come on Monday to meet the finance guy. This really was the deal breaker. If he was available at the time to explain me about the difficulties in meeting my time requirements, I would have accepted. Anyway the good thing that happened there was, my wife was just blown away at the neatly polished Black Figo on show. Next moment she uttered the word i was waiting to hear. "Lets get Black. It the best of the lot". I thanked god, but walked away with a heavy heart, knowing its going to be difficult to buy the car in time for our trip.

Next day was Sunday. With the hopes of getting the car fading, thought of visiting some other showroom to check possibilities. So my wife and I went to the MPL Ford showroom on Mount Road. It was a Sunday, but I still saw sales persons very enthusiastically showing the car and explaining features to customers. When a salesperson was allocated to us, I directly told him, I know the features and do not want to waste time, by collecting information from various dealers. I have finalized the Figo and if you can assure me delivery by Thursday i can make the payment immediately and since i had interacted with the finance person the previous day, I also had all the required documents ready in my memory card. This is where the MPL Ford impressed me a lot.

They immediately called the Sundaram Finance guy and he came to the showroom with in 15 mins. We were very impressed. Now it was Me, the Finance guy & the salesperson discussing further while my wife went around looking at the other vehicles on display. I explained my situation on delivery date. The finance person told, he will start work immediately, if I can produce all the necessary documents and told me he will release the funds to the showroom by Monday evening itself, If I make the remaining payment to the showroom by Monday morning. The salesperson assured me that, if the finance is released by Monday evening, since Tuesday is holiday, the showroom's processing will be done by Wednesday and on Thursday morning the vehicle will be sent for Registration. Delivery can be taken on Thursday itself and the number would be available on Friday. The deal seemed perfect.

Since we had only the soft copy, my wife took the help of the lady sitting in the reception to get the print outs. In the mean time the finance person had called another person from his team to come to the showroom with the forms. He was supposed to reach in 30 minutes time. So i sat with the salesperson to finalize the variant and color. I told him i wanted black and the second choice would be the grey and told him to check the variants available readily for black. Also told my preferred options would be Lxi or Exi. He immediately checked with the colors available. Grey was available only in ZXi and Titanium so ruled them out. Black was readily available in LXi and Titanium only. For the black to be available in EXi it would take more than 15days.

The Exi had central remote locking, front power windows, left ORVM, remote boot release and touches of silver in the dashboard in addition to the LXi, which was the bare minimum package. I was very skeptical about the single remote key they offer as standard. The quality of the buttons were not inspiring. Also i wanted to have all 4 power windows. The only major miss in the LXi was the boot release button in the dash. The people at the show room said that can be added as an accessory later at <5k bucks. So I thought, if i go with the LXi, I will have more than enough cash to spend on whatever accessory I want. So paid 10K as advance and booked the vehicle and finished all the paperwork with in an hour. The only thing we missed out was the cheque leaves. The finance person told he has to come to our home for verification anyway and will collect the cheques in person. So after a frantic couple of hours, we came home and the finance person came to our home in another hour and we gave the cheques to him. Paid the remaining amount in the showroom the next day, after getting assurance from the finance person that the funds would be released by evening without fail. He kept his word and the salesperson called me and confirmed that my car would go for registration on Thursday. I had shortlisted some Ford accessories and paid for it on Wednesday and told them the accessories have to be fitted when I take delivery on Thursday evening. Here again I was very impressed by the Accessory manager and his positive response. Following are the accessories I chose from Ford.

1. Left ORVM
2. Chrome finish for grill.
3. Chrome surround for indicators.
4. Wheel Caps
5. Side beading for doors

As promised, the vehicle was sent for registration on Thursday and got a call from the salesperson around 5.30pm, stating the vehicle is ready and the accessories are also done. Took delivery of the car at around 7.30pm after doing a round of checking with the Team-BHP PDI checklist and all was fine. My Father, Mother, Wife and Kid all were present to take the delivery and we were very satisfied with the way we were greeted and treated. to MPL ford.


And that is how the black Figo TDCi became a part of our family. Took the car to a nearby temple and did a pooja and drove home.

Now its time for some pics taken at the time of delivery.


The Chrome Grill and the Left ORVM




The Chrome Blinkers






No Silver touches on the dash and ac vents.


Side beading for doors, Wheel Covers and pointed this tyre was not polished and they duly polished it



Accessories:

Next day was planned for fitting the following accessories. Went to the shop early and all accessories were planned a day in advance to avoid any issue with availability.

Seat Covers: I do not remember the brand, but it cost me around 5.5k.

Full Floor PVC Matting: @ 2K

Steering Cover: @ Rs 350

Central Remote Locking: I went for the Minda central locking system @ 6k.

Fixing the central locking mechanism was a tedious task on the Figo. It took close to 6hrs for the entire setup.

Illuminated Scuff Plates: for all 4 doors @ Rs 2300

Horns: Got a pair of Minda horns for Rs 1200 sounding similar to the Skoda's and VolksWagen's.

All 4 Power Windows: @ 11k.
Had the option of fitting only the front 2 for 6k, but I always preferred to control all the windows from driver seat. Also this has a feature when we forget to roll up one or more of the windows, the central lock automatically lifts all the windows once we lock the car. Also all 4 are Auto up/down.

Music Player & Speakers: I had a pioneer HU with USB and SD card option removed from my Palio along with 2 JBL oval speakers. So Bought a pair of Alpine speakers to be fitted on the doors @ 3k and fixed the JBLs in a wooden rear parcel tray.

Chrome Beading:
As this was the LXi variant, the chrome strip was not present in the hatch door at above the number plates. So got a chrome strip pasted there. But suddenly got an idea of playing a bit more with the chrome strip and the outcome was pretty pleasing to me. Cost me 1k for the entire chrome lining job. Pics at the end.

Now time for some photos.

I wanted a black and silver scheme for the seats and this fitted the bill perfectly.






The Steering cover matching the theme.


The remote key matching the theme :-)


The Illuminated Scuff plates.



The Power Window Control in Driver side door. All 4 are one touch Up/Down


The Pioneer HU



The Wooden parcel tray with the JBL Speakers.

[swami.n]

Now Some exterior snaps.



Got the Fog lamps installed at Ford service center.




View of the Chrome strips on the sides.






Did it for the handles too.



Now lets get to the review. As this is not an Official review, this is going to be a bit tilted towards the Figo. But I will try to keep it as much unbiased as possible.


Design & Looks:

This is the face lifted Figo with a different headlight and a different grill design. Apart from that, it is just the same as the previous generation. So it has nothing special or extraordinary to write about the looks of the car. Certainly nowhere close to the Puntos, Polos or the i20s in terms of looks.

But though the design is not as catchy, it did not have anything awkward for anyone in our family to not like it. Apart from the Polo & the i20 in my above considered list, every other car had someone in our family not liking something about the looks. But the Figo was unanimously accepted.

Anyways just to avoid the monotonous exteriors, I decided to pep up things with the Chrome touches at various places. The chrome touches to the black car has certainly improved the looks & made people on the road to take a second look at what they thought was just another Figo, but suddenly find something different.

The panel gaps are pretty even throughout and at par with what we came to expect from a car at this price point.

The new Headlight assembly looks better than the previous model and is also comparatively more brighter, but the older design gelled better with the car.
This new design is more futuristic compared to the overall design of the car.


Interiors & Space:

This is a big selling point for the Figo. Thought the plastics do not feel premium, they do not feel flimsy either. The plastics do give a built to last feeling, than being catchy. The full black dashboard gives very minimal glare, compared to the grey dash in my Palio.

I think the legroom is on par with some sedans and certainly a lot better than its competitors. Probably only the Vista & i20 beats the Figo for space.

So far we have done two long trips of more than 1000kms and none of the rear benchers have complained about the space. The same people were very uncomfortable when we did 200+ kms in my friend's swift.

Seats set at my usual driving position and you can see the room available. I'm 172cms tall.



Also in the boot space too the Figo outscores all the competitors except for the i20. It has been able to swallow all our luggage for our two long trips.

Nice, Spacious and easy to load.


Ergonomics:

I'm adding this topic because I wanted to point out two glaringly compromised aspects in the Figo with regards to the ergonomics and ease of use.

First being the position of the bonnet release button in the passenger foot well. Though I knew well in advance that it was placed on the other side, out of practice I have been searching for it in the driver side a few times. This is not a frequently used button so this cannot be a deal breaker.

But the second major aspect is the positioning of the indicator and viper stalks are reversed. This took quite a while for me to get used to. All the cars that I have driven so far have always had the indicator stalk on the right side of the steering wheel. For the initial week or so, I was constantly switching on the vipers every time I was turning

Yes it has sinked in and I have gotten used to it, but I still feel, most of the times we use the indicators, we will be up or down shifting. Either overtaking or taking a turn. So every time, we cannot have the left hand on the gear lever and use the indicators.

I think Ford should consider this for the next iteration surely.

Driving & Handling:

The engine under examination here is the Ford's reliable work horse. I would even say this is probably "THE" engine that has kept Ford competitive in India.

Having completed 5000+ kms in the 3-4 months that I have owned this vehicle, I think I can comment about it. Mostly my observation is comparing it with my Palio 1.9D and the Swift DDiS as these are the only two diesel hatch backs that I have done decent amount of driving.

The engine is absolutely lag free compared to the Swift. But what it takes away is the thrill of the turbo boost in the Swift. But when compared to the Maruti, this can do much lower speeds in the 2nd gear without stalling. But, my Palio was much better in low end pulling compared to the Figo. I can virtually move the car in 2nd gear from stand still.

So over all the Figo is much easier to drive in Bumper-to-Bumper traffic compared to the Swift. Also it has a slight edge over the Palio because of its light steering and turning radius. Taking a U-turn has become a lot easier compared to my Palio.

But when it comes to acceleration above 100-110, the Ford just loses steam. This is where the Swift is just steaming ahead. It takes light years for the Ford to reach the 140 mark. But one satisfying aspect of the Ford is its fantastic handling at those high speeds. You feel very assured even at 140 kmph and just wish the engine had more power. Because the Figo's build is capable of handling much higher speeds. I did not have the same feel of being assured in a Swift at that speeds. Though the Swift had enough grunt to take it over 150kmph, I was pretty nervous beyond 130-140kmph and slowed down.

Though both these newer cars can never come close to the steering feedback of the Palio. Many times I feel the Palio talking to me. It is the best of the lot at speeds around 100-120kmph.


The Figo is consistently returning me an average of 15+kmpl in city and 17-18kmpl in my highway runs and I'm pretty satisfied with the numbers.

Now to make the Figo a bit more interesting, I'm planning to get the Race Chip Pro installed. My BIL is currently in Europe and he will be in Germany next month and returning here in July. He has told it would be fine for him to make the purchase either directly from them or shipping across Europe is free.

This is what I am talking about(Image from the Race Chip site).


I have asked my BIL to enquire about the Pro2 and the Ultimate variants, before the purchase and the reason for such a vast difference in pricing.
I will post the query in the Team-BHP's corresponding section for the expert advice.
So hoping to get one of the two by July when my car would have probably completed close to 7500 Kms(It has already completed close to 6000Kms).

If the Race Chip delivers what it promises, then I'm sure the Figo is going to be a lot more exciting in the 100+ kmph speed range.

Ride & Comfort:

The GC of the Figo is a real cause for concern in the no so good roads. Also in most of the toll plazas, the speed breakers are like mountains. In the first few weeks of owning the Figo, I had a lot of mild screeching noise when crossing the bigger humps. I never had this problem with the Palio. Though the Palio is shorter than the Figo, its GC is lot better I guess.

Nowadays I always try to go over the speed breakers diagonally to avoid any scrapping but still once in a while there is that screeching noise when crossing the bumps, which is not very good to hear.

Apart from that, the ride is pretty smooth and the smaller bumps are crossed smoothly. The cabin is a bit noisier than the previous gen Swift at speeds beyond 100 kmph, but a lot quiter than the Palio, which was very noisy.

So I did a bit of DIY to take care of the noise myself. I have put in a detailed report about the DIY here. Now the noise levels are comparatively better than before.

Took the vehicle to 3M the next day after the First 2500Kms service and got the Underbody Protection done. I am not sure how it is going to protect the car from scrapping, but at-least it would prevent rusting due to the scratches. It is the 5yr pack and it has a free check-up every 6 months. So I hope I can get the scratches touched up and have the underbody rust free for the next 5 yrs.

Some before and after snaps of the Underbody protection done at 3M.

The underbody was thoroughly washed.


The sides were covered.



The Painting


Before and After










Some random Snaps.

A lot like the Fusion





And Finally, the Figo got Team-BHPed


And that completes a pretty detailed report of my decision making, buying experience and the initial impressions of the Figo. Now I'm looking forward to your responses, comments and suggestions.

So keep'em flowing and thanks for reading.

Cheers !!!

[GTO]

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

[ghodlur]

Congratulations Swami on the black beauty.

Somehow I was very apprehensive about the black colour as it is difficult to maintain, will be waiting for your experience on this one. Did I see power windows at the rear coz the recent test drive I took of Figo Titanium diesel did have manual levers for the window operations. Couldnt agree less with the boot space, its huge as compared to other hatchbacks. Did you find the diesel clatter inside the car, for a moment I felt I was the driving the old Indica when I test drove the Diesel Figo. The engine noise is making me tick off the Figo.

Happy mile crunching and drive safely.

[Sommos]

Many congratulations Swami for your Figo.
You'll have a tough time maintaining the black beauty.
What you said about the indicator and wiper stalks being on the opposite sides, is common for most European brands.
Wish you many happy mile munching with the Figo and drive safe.

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by ghodlur

. Did you find the diesel clatter inside the car, for a moment I felt I was the driving the old Indica when I test drove the Diesel Figo. The engine noise is making me tick off the Figo.

Yes, after using a Fiesta petrol and a Waggie, I do find engine noise in the cabin, especially while accelerating. But it is subdued when cruising on the highway. And I found engine noise also on the I20 under similar circumstances. but it is quieter on the outside.

BTW, Congratulations Swami for your new Figo.

[rajeev k]

Following are the accessories I chose from Ford.
1. Left ORVM
2. Chrome finish for grill.
3. Chrome surround for indicators.
4. Wheel Caps
5. Side beading for doors

Couple of questions.
The wheel cover appears to be of a non Ford accessory though bought from the dealership.
How much does the illuminated scuff plates cost?
Is the blue colour on the center console same as the blue colour available on the dash of the Titanium version?

[DRIVE_ADDICT]

Hi Swami, Congrats on your new vehicle. Yes you are wise enough to go for the LXI and got the accessories done outside. The chrome lining adds a classy touch. Looks good.

One suggestion, paint the wheel drum with black, it will enhance the looks (like EXI/ZXI).

Originally Posted by rajeev k

Couple of questions.
The wheel cover appears to be of a non Ford accessory though bought from the dealership.
How much does the illuminated scuff plates cost?
Is the blue colour on the center console same as the blue colour available on the dash of the Titanium version?

The wheel cover is ofcourse genuine Ford accessory, but this is the wheel cap design of Fiesta. Swami, did you opt for this? or the dealer provides you this?

Anyways a well written ownership review.

[mkpiyengar]

Hey swami,
Congratulations on your new ride.. Looks wonderful.

You've tastefully done the needful to make the car much better looking than the basic car.

Does Ford also not provide the LHS Rear View mirror ? Something like maruti does for Alto Lx. That is surprising.

Can you get the remote boot release lever fixed or it is electronic release button? What is the cost quoted by Ford dealer.

Finally, before you take the plunge on the tuning box, consider the re-map option too. It would be slightly expensive, but the linear power delivery is addictive. Only thing the Ford engine misses is mid range power, you fix that everything else is taken care of.

Refer to kryptonite's review on converting his Rapid to Laura .

Cheers
MKP

[rajeev k]

Originally Posted by mkpiyengar

Does Ford also not provide the LHS Rear View mirror ? Something like maruti does for Alto Lx. That is surprising.

Even for the the old gen Alto, including the Lxi variant never came with factory fitted LHS ORVM.
Did you mean the new Alto 800?
Edit: I checked the brochure of the new Alto 800 and is not available even on the top end Lxi.

[ramzsys]

IMHO, a good set of bling footwear must precede any adrenaline shot to the heart.

[rajeev k]

Does the Lxi has rear fog lamp or is it an added accessory?

From the picture it appears that the rear fog lamp is On; or is it an illusion.

[nipcarlover]

Hey Swami! Congrats on your new Figo!
It does looks really cool n Black, a colour one doesn't see often on a Figo.
Looking forward to the RaceChip install. Any plans to upgrade the tires post the RaceChip upgrade?

[mkpiyengar]

Originally Posted by rajeev k

Did you mean the new Alto 800?

Yes, the earlier Alto Lxi as well as New Alto.

I'm not sure they had it in the Alto K-10Series Lxi, when it was launched. It was there on K10 Vxi.

Good Practices from Maruti, shared and adopted by others
1. No LHS Rear view mirror.
2. Additional charges for metallic paint

Disclaimer: Above lines are to be taken with pinch of salt (sarcastic comment).

Cheers
MKP