[wantarangerover]

Nice review, especially the small observations! I have a Figo 1.5D Titanium as well, and could relate to many of your observations.

Originally Posted by thoma

Dislikes

• Do not feel the 100 horses below the turbo zone. The horses come alive at higher RPM and enjoyed in higher speeds. Lower end is bland; whereas the Micra was a pocket rocket which could pick up from any RPM any gear.

I haven't driven the micra, but I wouldn't call the Figo bland at the lower end. The turbo kicks in from 1.2k rpm, and there is only a little lag in 2nd if the speeds go below 20 kmph. Otherwise, it is pretty quick off the line. (On a side note, I do miss the throttle response of my old 1.6 Ikon )

• No keep-on-holding headlamp dimming pass switch. Either the switch is at on or off, we can't hold on to dim till a vehicle passes. This is frustrating.

Yes, this a major irritant in 2 lane highways. I can imagine your ordeal in 2 lane Kerala Highways! Here in Gujarat, not much of an issue though. Another issue is that the stalk feels a tad hard to operate.

• The clutch is a bit heavy after the half way mark. The Polo’s is a delight to use.
  .

Well, I found the clutch to be lighter than the 1.5tdi vento and the old polo diesel. It is not heavy at all by diesel engine standards. Maybe you should get yours checked?

• Accelerator pedal need to be depressed a bit more; bad design here. I am getting slight knee ache in the right leg because of this on long drives.

Again, haven't noticed this. Maybe I drive with a lead foot always

[thoma]

Originally Posted by abhinav.s

One thing I noticed is that you were complaining of less FE in most parts of the review. But you have mentioned yourself that the Figo is returning 19 and once it has even done a phenomenal 27.3 as per MID. And comparatively, it is around 3 kms less to your micra which had a 68bhp engine. So a 100bhp engine returning close to 20kms on the highway and the same mileage in the city as the Micra is actually a feat in itself and not a cause for complaint.

I was complaining because the ARAI rating is ~3 kmpl more for the 100 hp Figo than the 65 hp Micra but I get 4 kmpl less on the Figo than the Micra practically. I've even got 34 kmpl on the Micra's MID compared to the 27 kmpl on the Figo; but these are just MID figures .

Originally Posted by wantarangerover

Otherwise, it is pretty quick off the line. (On a side note, I do miss the throttle response of my old 1.6 Ikon )

Well, I found the clutch to be lighter than the 1.5tdi vento and the old polo diesel. It is not heavy at all by diesel engine standards. Maybe you should get yours checked?

Again, haven't noticed this. Maybe I drive with a lead foot always

I think my observations were influenced by comparisons with the Micra.

[bhphog]

Originally Posted by wantarangerover

The turbo kicks in from 1.2k rpm, and there is only a little lag in 2nd if the speeds go below 20 kmph.

I could be wrong, but as far as I know the tirbo kicks in at ~1700 rpm for the diesel.

[docmoya2007]

Attachment 1605697
I was shocked to see soot marks from a brand new car. Further investigation soothed my nerves


Attachment 1605698
Bent underneath and saw soot mark sprayed on to the beam. Rat repellent in the background!


Attachment 1605699
Finally found out that the front portion of the muffler had something like a safety valve through which soot is intended to come out.


I noticed a similar incident of water dripping from the exhaust area today in my Dad's brand new car, the 2016 Ford Figo Titanium Petrol 1.2. At first I thought it was from the AC condenser, but I was told that the AC was put off the whole time. We then concluded, it was the exhaust steam which liquified and started dripping. Thanks for your close observation and the reason behind it. By the way I am planning to compile an initial ownership of the car on my Dad's behalf soon.

By the way I totally agree with you regarding the build of the car. The general notion is that the new Ford Figo is flimsy in built quality because that was what was said in the official review. It is not flimsy at all. It is the most sturdy built of all the hatchback(you can see the comparison and see that the kerb weight is the heaviest). And the wheelbase is amongst the widest too, next to Honda Jazz, Maruti Suzuki Baleno and Hyundai Elite i 20. And it is even wider than my 2011 Ford Fiesta Classic! And all these cars cost a lakh or two more.

There are many more observations(all positives) contradictory to what was mentioned in the official review. I will try to cover more in my initial ownership review soon.
Meanwhile, Happy Driving. Ride Hard. Ride Safe.

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by thoma

I was complaining because the ARAI rating is ~3 kmpl more for the 100 hp Figo than the 65 hp Micra but I get 4 kmpl less on the Figo than the Micra practically. I've even got 34 kmpl on the Micra's MID compared to the 27 kmpl on the Figo; but these are just MID figures..

Well I am surprised you quote ARAI ratings and expect to achieve them in real world. There should be a thread on T-Bhp itself on the way ARAI ratings are arrived at. They are ideal conditions and cannot be the same in the real world. But of course you should be aware of it and you are free to be opinionated on the FE of the Figo based on the ARAI ratings. Just that generally, those 3-4kmpl difference on a diesel hatch with 100hp on tap should not make it a deal breaker or point of complaint.

[thoma]

Originally Posted by abhinav.s

Well I am surprised you quote ARAI ratings and expect to achieve them in real world. There should be a thread on T-Bhp itself on the way ARAI ratings are arrived at. They are ideal conditions and cannot be the same in the real world. But of course you should be aware of it and you are free to be opinionated on the FE of the Figo based on the ARAI ratings. Just that generally, those 3-4kmpl difference on a diesel hatch with 100hp on tap should not make it a deal breaker or point of complaint.

Everyone knows that ARAI not equal to reality, but that is the only comparable standard that is available in India. My only grouse is that when the Micra and even the Vento over-achieve ARAI figures, should I not bother when a car under achieve it by a large margin, is it not?

Why do you say that bhp figures reduce FE; this is not necessarily true. My neighbor's 140 hp 2.0L Jetta delivers pretty close to a Vento's FE figure.

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by thoma

Why do you say that bhp figures reduce FE; this is not necessarily true. My neighbor's 140 hp 2.0L Jetta delivers pretty close to a Vento's FE figure.

No no, i did not mean to say that higher bhp should always reduce FE. I meant to say, when the competition is offering under-powered engines for a higher price with similar or lesser FE than the Figo in the real world, it is not fair to say that it is a disadvantage or deal breaker. There are +/- for each brand in the same segment and Figo has the price to power advantage when compared to others & hence a slightly lower FE compared to ARAI or other competitors in the segment should be acceptable. Did not in any way mean to say that you should not expect the best FE possible as per your driving style.

[swiftnfurious]

A lot of attention to details there Thoma! And thanks for all the comparo with different vehicles.

Only one thing am confused, if you managed a 27.5 kmpl FE in one of the trips, how are you not able to manage a 20+ on consistent basis! May be the roads you use don't allow holding onto one gear for long and requires too many breaking because of the traffic conditions?!

Edit:

Originally Posted by abhinav.s

Well I am surprised you quote ARAI ratings and expect to achieve them in real world...

I believe ARAI numbers are a mix of city + highway cycle leading to an average figure. I have almost always managed to get a much better number on my Swift during highway drives. If you belt the car, you'll see a much lesser number.

Originally Posted by thoma

...when the Micra and even the Vento over-achieve ARAI figures, should I not bother when a car under achieve it by a large margin, is it not?...

+1, it's definitely possible to get better figures, depending on the driving conditions.

[thoma]

Missed a few pictures. If moderators can merge with the earlier pictures post, would have been great.


Front on



Box of chocolates from the dealership, Kairali Ford



Bigger sister, the Aspire



This guy liked the Ecosport more; budget constraints or else his wish would have been granted



Puny mudflaps even at the front



These things are better built than in the Micra



Driver too gets a vanity mirror



See how much the wipers obstruct the front view



Take off the key and put right or left indicator to use the respective side park lamp only



Console at night



Night shots, front and back



Another better angle



Bang from the side. The very front is almost cut off



With his ex-garage mate

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by thoma

Attachment 1606562
See how much the wipers obstruct the front view

Thanks a lot for sharing this pic. The frontal visibility is hampered a lot owing to those wipers. The wiper arm placement is at such a place that it is blocking the front view. This is very unlike Ford where they always have made cars with good frontal visibility (till now at least). Will changing the wipers to the Bosch or Hella one's help?

[thoma]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Only one thing am confused, if you managed a 27.5 kmpl FE in one of the trips, how are you not able to manage a 20+ on consistent basis! May be the roads you use don't allow holding onto one gear for long and requires too many breaking because of the traffic conditions?!

Thanks buddy. The 27.5 shown on MID was on a sunday trip through the newly laid Pala-Thodupuzha 'Autobahn'. I was going from Kottayam to Perumbavur, a distance of ~90 kms carefully driven for mileage. Can't drive it for all practical purposes. With the same kind of driving, I got ~34 kmpl on the MID with the Micra!

Originally Posted by abhinav.s

Thanks a lot for sharing this pic. The frontal visibility is hampered a lot owing to those wipers. The wiper arm placement is at such a place that it is blocking the front view. This is very unlike Ford where they always have made cars with good frontal visibility (till now at least). Will changing the wipers to the Bosch or Hella one's help?

I believe changing the wiper to Bosch Aero Twins would help a lot. Waiting to be a year to throw out the current ones.

[espraveen]

Thanks for sharing the review!! Your attention to detail is superb

As far as mileage is concerned, I've extracted 22+kmpl tankful to tankful multiple times from my Figo TDCi and my driving style is not that sedate. The car is capable of decent mileage figures.

Originally Posted by thoma

... Sad that Ford cannot afford nuts and bolts to fasten the rear mudflap. It's an eye sore that the double sided sticker looses its strength pretty fast....

My Figo's rear mudflaps have been fastened using nuts and bolts as shown in the picture below. They've held up quite OK so far (crossed 15months and 45K kms) :

[thoma]

Originally Posted by espraveen

As far as mileage is concerned, I've extracted 22+kmpl tankful to tankful multiple times from my Figo TDCi and my driving style is not that sedate. The car is capable of decent mileage figures.

My Figo's rear mudflaps have been fastened using nuts and bolts as shown in the picture below. They've held up quite OK so far (crossed 15months and 45K kms) :

I have heard many people including a Ford SA telling to wait till the first oil change to improve FE figures; I do not know how that works except maybe the driver gets more acclimatized with a new car.

I don't know if I am right, but that shot is from the inside of the wheel arches? That portion is indeed bolted to the wheel arch, but I'm complaining about the lower portion of the flap which you can see from the outside rear of the car.

[karan561]

Originally Posted by thoma

Nowhere near your hit movie on the Figo I have drawn a lot of inspiration to buy the Figo from your review, so thanks to you

Thanks for your appreciation, im glad my video review helped your buy decision

[espraveen]

Originally Posted by thoma

I have heard many people including a Ford SA telling to wait till the first oil change to improve FE figures; I do not know how that works except maybe the driver gets more acclimatized with a new car.

I agree with the acclimatisation part. Waiting till the first oil change (10K KM) for improved fuel efficiency is too long!!

I don't know if I am right, but that shot is from the inside of the wheel arches? That portion is indeed bolted to the wheel arch, but I'm complaining about the lower portion of the flap which you can see from the outside rear of the car.

Yes, that's from the inside of the wheel arch. I guess these nuts and bolts are good enough to hold the flaps firmly in position!!