[StepUP!]

So it all started out of a premonition! And I booked Grandi10. But then Hyundai dealer Cartel happened. And then Figo happened.
While Papa’s 5.5 yrs old WagonR Vxi was spic and span, had only 25000 kms on odo, I could see the hesitation to take out the car in maddening Pune’s traffic. He is 61 now, retired recently and prefers to travel by scooter (read Access 125) over driving his car. Well I do agree scooter offers impeccable convenience in traffic but, his safety was bothering me. Again WagonR lacked basic safety features - ABS and airbags. It is not at all safe now a days for an elderly person to travel on a two wheeler. Then this thought clicked me, why not replace it with automatic hatch? It will serve him as well as my wife who is equally reluctant to slot gears. Decided then. While he didn’t agree to let go his WagonR which was as good as new, he finally gave in to my persistence.
My requirements were as below not in particular order:
• Petrol automatic, No AMT
• 2 airbags and ABS minimum
• Right size for city use, easy maneuverability
• Pocket friendly maintenance
• OTR budget 8L

I am talking about sometime in Jan 2017.
Papa is not into cars and new to the world of automatic cars. We started the search. I was never convinced on AMT and don’t consider AMT as true automatics. I always feel that’s a ‘Jugaad’ to serve ‘kitna deti hai’ hungry crowd. So, no AMT, choices were limited. Budget was fixed around 8L on road as we were going to buy in cash. We test drove Grand i10 TC, Baleno CVT, Jazz CVT, EcoSport DCT and Dzire AMT. YES! Figo was not test driven but directly booked! We test drove new Dzire, as Papa was keen on Maruti, just to get the feel of AMT. It was fun explaining Papa, types of automatics in layman’s terms and explain the advantages disadvantages of each.
Though many suggested, I didn’t consider Micra CVT. I find it too old to consider and Nissan as a brand seems smug with their portfolio. Which was the last car they launched? I don’t remember!

Grand i10 TC impressions:
Wonderful car in a small package. Perfect size for the city. Interiors exude class! Automatic is not available in top trim Asta. The next trim in which it is available is Sportz (O). It comes with machine cut (or diamond cut?) alloy wheels, touchscreen unit, airbags, reverse parking camera, rear A/C vent.
Omission of ABS is dumb move by Hyundai. It clearly shows Hyundai is playing populist as airbags come to layman’s mind when we speak about safety. This belief is further accentuated by sales advisors who make customer believe that ABS is not required in city! Sportz (O) lacks auto A/C, request sensors. The old school 4 speed TC unit is good enough for city use. Space is sufficient. Space was not a deciding factor in my case as most of the times only driver and front passenger seats will be occupied. Hyundai was offering 25k cash discount for 2018 car and 50k discount for 2017 car. In Pune, Sportz(O) OTR comes to 8.12 lakhs.
Papa is used to WagonR’s tall stance which has ample headroom and big greenhouse. He liked Grand i10’s quality interiors and space at the front.
• Perfect size for a city automatic car
• Well built in the segment, fit and finish, parts quality is top class
• Machine cut alloys look swell! Though look a bit small for the size of the car
• Feature loaded
• Ride and suspension was very absorbing and sorted
• Light steering and feel is improved by Hyundai standards
• Engine is butter smooth, NVH is excellent
- Lack of ABS and other safety features
- Dated 4 speed TC unit which is good enough for city use
- Baleno pricing makes this car look overpriced
- Hyundai strategy to price it higher and then offer discounts
- Fixed headrests
- Hyundai Dealer cartel

Baleno CVT impressions:
A looker, feature loaded car let down by its build quality. When I pulled the door handle first time, I was like holy moly! Did I break it or something! Sit inside and it greets you with good amount of space and features. 1.2L engine mated with CVT is perfect for this car due to it’s light weight. It is good to drive, S mode on the gear lever offers some fun, while the Graphics on the speedo console entertains you with pie charts. Bulbous design works and it looks premium from outside. Though interior plastics, part quality, fit and finish leave a lot to be desired. Only thing that is at premium inside the car is rear headroom! Good move by Maruti to make ABS, 2 airbags, ISOFIX mounts, cross beams standard in Nexa cars. Baleno CVT comes in 3 trims – Delta, Zeta and Alpha. Not a rupee discount and waiting period is quoted 2 months! I must say Maruti nails it, with every product. It’s been 2+ years since this car is launched and yet it commands 2 months waiting period! In Pune, OTR prices for delta, zeta and Alpha are 8.3, 9.14 and 9.91 lakhs respectively.
Papa didn’t like the build of this car. He found it inferior to his WagonR. Also, all black interiors made the cabin claustrophobic for him.
• Good to drive mated with smooth CVT box
• Safety features standard across all variants
• Looks premium from outside
• Spacious
• Feature loaded
• Value for money
• It’s Maruti!
- Build quality
- Interior quality
- 2 months waiting
- Swift like face
- Rear seat headroom for tall passengers

Jazz CVT impressions:
This car is packaged brilliantly! So much space inside. It is the only car in this segment which comes with paddle shifters. Certainly, it feels good to drive using paddle shifters. Steering wheel is excellent to hold. Honda’s 1.2L unit is smooth and does the job. However, interiors look like an afterthought. Build quality is better than Baleno. Dashboard does not look cohesive. Parts and plastic quality is mixed. Jazz is an overkill for my requirement. It does not come into top VX trim. The one level below top, V trim costs 10.1L OTR in Pune!
Papa liked this car’s cabin space as he felt it outweighs WagonR sitting, headroom in particular.
• Space, space, space
• Paddle shifters
• Smooth engine and CVT
• Ride quality
• I liked the seats. Ergonomics are perfect, I felt cocooned in the driver’s seat. Steering is nice to hold
• Good looking
- Overpriced
- Lacks interior quality and features you expect at this price
- No magic seats


Dealer experiences:
I don’t want to name anyone here. I must say every sales guy sacrilegiously shred competitor’s products! Augmented by lies like
• Maruti guy - Baleno is the only our car that comes with EBD. It is the safest due to HSS used.
• Honda Hyundai guys - Baleno is not safe and many have sold off their Baleno and bough Jazz / Grand i10
• Honda snobbish said we don’t have a competition and no other car is as safe as ours
• Hyundai guy - Grand i10 does not require ABS as it is engineered in that way
• Ford guy – Figo sells more than competition in export markets. Indians don’t understand cars.

Hyundai:
Well Hyundai has taken a leaf out of Nexa it seems. The first dealership we hit, had all their sales advisors suited and booted! And later they proved, they are ‘suit boot ki sarkar’! I was greeted, and assigned an advisor. He provided me all the information, arranged a test drive. Though he was not updated with car features. For ex. He didn’t know Sportz(O) automatic comes with alloys. Perhaps Hyundai to blame here? As Sportz(O) manual comes with steel rims. When it came to actual booking, I saw a quote of 31K for the insurance, 3k as handling charges! This was zero dep but no other extras like return to invoice, engine cover etc. I checked online and found quotes starting from 10k! As they were not offering more than 25k discounts or free accessories, I insisted on getting insurance done from outside. Sales advisor agreed and took my booking amount cheque. The next day, came up with lame excuse that his team lead denied. Reason stated is its dealer’s cartel and they can’t offer any extra discounts. Otherwise Hyundai will fine them! I mean really? They also tried to pull a fast on me stating, outside insurance claims won’t be honored. I enquired at 6-7 dealers. Same replies. No ‘team lead’ bothered to call me up and explain. It was like take it or leave it attitude. I ran out of patience and was angry at their unison to loot the customer. I canceled my booking.
Dealer score : 5/10

Nexa:
So far the best experience. The showroom ambience was in apple-pie order! I was greeted, offered beverage of my choice, explained all the features. Follow ups were prompt and not pushy. Sales advisor was knowledgeable, patiently answered my Papa’s all questions. We were left impressed overall. They follow go-green and everything explained on tabs and screens. No prints, leaflets. Lest the car might not impress you, this experience and Maruti brand behind it certainly does. It shows why Maruti eats other competitors at breakfast. Not a slight hint of arrogance. Kudos Maruti! After Grand i10 bitter experience we had almost finalized Baleno until, Figo happened.
Dealer score : 10/10

Ford:
I had called Ford dealers to enquire on Figo automatic. They didn’t have any TD car. The OTR was quoted 9.38L for 2018 car. I enquired if they have any 2017 cars and they said they will check and call back. I followed up thrice. And well no one bothered! Meanwhile I took test drives and booked Grand i10. I was not keen on Figo as price was out my budget. After I booked Grand i10, I received a call from Ford dealers saying they have 2017 car in Oxford white on which they offered 60k discount. I decided to visit and haggle the deal. We were attended promptly and offered TD of EcoSport as Figo was not available. Old EcoSport comes with same engine gearbox combo. TD experience was good. Sales advisor lacked car’s knowledge. He said Titanium has 6 airbags, 10 yrs warranty on the gearbox which is not the case. His team lead met me personally and assured the car is brand new and not abused in test drives. He agreed for pre-inspection and listened to me, answered my doubts patiently. Overall a satisfactory experience sans proactiveness.
Test drive and initial experience: 7/10

Coming to the car now, I own 7.5 yrs old Figo TDCi. She has clocked 90000 kms so far. I am very much happy with the car and Ford’s service costs. This sole factor made me overlook new Figo’s shortcomings and made me chase up dealer. I was biased towards Ford owning to this reason.

Here it is


Mere do anmol ratan

[StepUP!]

Why Figo?

Well Figo clearly lags the competition in certain areas which are required to sell the car. What impressed me is Ford’s commitment towards the essentials.

• They are offering 1.5L engine despite it attracts higher taxes than competitor’s 1.2L engines
• DCT gearbox which is technologically superior to TC, AMT and CVTs
• No compromise on safety. Figo DCT comes with 2 airbags, ABS with EBD, ESP, Hill launch assist, perimeter alarm. No automatic car in the segment except VW Polo has all of them

One can opt for Titanium(O) which has 6 airbags. I was getting 2017 car with good discounts. Hence I didn’t have this option.
After I canceled Grand i10’s booking, choice was limited. I was tempted to book Baleno but, somehow I couldn’t digest the build of the car. Papa was not keen either on Baleno. Jazz and Polo are out of budget. I sealed the deal on Figo due to the discounts offered.

This is the car displayed at the showroom when we visited. The diamond white color was an instant click with Papa as he likes either White or Silver.

Display car in the showroom



What I like:

• Smooth, powerful, inline 4 deliver 110 BHPs
• Mature looks
• DCT gearbox - a lot better over CVTs, TCs and AMTs
• Value for money
• Soft ride quality
• Electric steering which weighs fairly at high speeds
• Space on offer
• Safety equipment on offer

What I miss:

• HPS from old Figo! New EPS is nowhere close to it
• Old Figo's Build is much better
• Old Figo's handling and ride quality is better
• Interior quality not up to the mark
• DCT is nowhere close to DSG in terms of outright performance
• Less boot compared to old Figo
• Seats lack lumbar support

Booking and Delivery experience:

I booked the car on 28th Jan by making a cheque payment of Rs 1L. Rest was paid online on 31st Jan. Dealer had insisted to make full payment before month end to avail the deal. I pre-inspected the car on 31st Jan and didn’t find any issues as such. Odo showed 68 kms.
I handed over all the documents by 5th Feb. I took delivery on 17th Feb.
There was lot of delay in completing formalities by dealer. I received registration number only on the D day as dealer paid the road tax just one day before. Thankfully, I didn’t have to drive without the number plate on that day.

We went around 5 PM as told by dealer. I wanted to take the delivery by noon but sales adviser gave excuses. The car was still being worked on when we reached. We sat and waited for 45 mins. Meanwhile we were handed over all documents except payment receipts. Sales adviser promised to give those receipts on next day. Car was covered with Ford Blue satin silk.
Ready for unveiling on D-day



It was overwhelming and a very joyous moment when everyone in the showroom gathered and clapped while Papa was cutting his birthday cake and uncovering the car. Overall pleasant experience. We immediately drove to fuel station and tanked her up. Then we went to temple to offer prayers and seek blessings of almighty.

Curtains up!

Looks grown and mature

Coconut breaking, lemon crushing and ready to roll!





Delivery experience : 9/10

I had opted for Ford accessories - reverse parking camera with mirror display, body cover, seat cover. Well none was provided at the time of delivery. The car was not fitted with basic kit also which I paid for – mats and mud flaps. I was given some lame excuses which left a bitter impression. Later I had to follow up a lot of times to get the basic kit and payment receipts. I decided against to buy any accessories from dealer due to this attitude. At the time of taking delivery I was asked to fill up a feedback form which goes to Ford. I gave them 9/10. I wanted to give them 7/10 but didn’t. She was not happy with 9/10 either and wanted 10/10. I really wanted her to learn something from Nexa.

This was solely a purchase by a Ex-Ford customer and dealer played no role. Whereas I still want to buy Baleno just to reward the Nexa’s sales adviser!

Price Break up

Ex showroom: 800,300
Tax: 92,744
Comprehensive Insurance + Zero Dep: 29,203 + 5200
Essential Kit: 3520
Third Yr Warranty + RSA: 7132
Total OTR: 9,38,099
Less discounts: 90,000

Final OTR: 8,48,000

Free accessories: None
Overall dealer score: 6/10

Vital stats:

Make: Ford Model: Figo Trim: Titanium Color: Diamond White
Engine: Ti-VCT 1.5 Ltr, Petrol, inline 4, 4 valves per cylinder DOHC
Compression ratio: 11:1
GC: 174mm Turning radius: 4.9 mtrs
Transmission: 6 speed, dual clutch, powershift automatic
Power: 110 BHP @ 6300 rpm
Torque: 136 NM @ 4250 RPM
Shoes: 175/65 R14 Apollo Alnac
ARAI fuel efficiency: 17kmpl
Safety: 2 Airbags, ABS+EBD, ESC, Hill hold assist, side and front impact beams, Perimeter alarm, driver seat-belt warning
Kerb weight: ~1100 kgs
Number of kms covered while writing this review: 7000 kms, 2000 kms highway trip, rest in the city
Usage pattern: 90% city, occasional highway trips. 300-400 kms in a month


Exterior design and Looks:

Figo is a good-looking car. It might not turn heads like an elite i20 or a Red Polo does but it certainly looks classy particularly in diamond white shade. While the front fascia is dominated by large grill, rear looks clean and elegant with. The chrome detailing on front grill looks tasteful. Black treatment on this white car will certainly make her damsel! Matt black wrapped roof, black alloys and matt black wraps on mirrors aka Figo Sports will make her look drool worthy. It was amusing to see the sales guy using cliché “Aston Martin grill” when 99% junta don’t know what it is!
The first gen Figo is an ordinary looking car. The new gen is certainly a huge improvement in this area. The paint quality is solid as is the case with all Fords. Ford does not charge extra on metallic shades like other manufacturers do. This diamond white shade is whiter than whites provided by other manufacturers.

The blue oval has shrunken in size which sits flush on the bonnet area. I would have preferred Fiesta eyes over the current design. It would have looked sharper. Windshield washers still sit on bonnet. And Next Gen Figo still comes with that long antenna. Shark Fin antenna finished in black would have looked great! The windshield washers squirt while the old gen washers used to spray.

Aston Martin anyone?

Blue oval sits flush, Fiesta eyes from Fiesta hatchback would have looked better


As they call, there is a power bulge, a slight hump in the middle of the bonnet. Side of the bonnet is flanked by a pucker which runs till the grill. The bumper also has curves, creases around the headlamps and fog lamps. The diverging vertical lines running from bottom look good. Shut lines are tight everywhere.

Side profile is clean. Mirrors come with indicators, there are black fillers in place of apron indicators. I find the alloys design outright boring. 15” wheels would have looked much nicer and filled in the gap.

Indicators on side mirrors. Notice torch like fog lamps. Chrome tastefully applied on grill slats

Cavity on fender filled with black plaque

Clean side profile with shoulder line running across

Stock tyres - Apollo Alnacs. Found them good. Though not as silent as sticky as Michelins on my old Figo.

Simple sober looks, clean lines. Looks very proportionate

Ribbed roof

Flower alloy design. I find it bland

Tow hook cover on the bumper

Winshield washers still sit on the bonnet. Nozzles are good, squirt good amount of water


Ford skipped the Christmas taillights with the new gen. Rear lights design now looks neat. Gels well with the overall car’s design. While all AMTs are bragging about auto gear shifts, there is no moniker which reads automatic here! I certainly want one. The rear bumper protrudes out by a good margin reducing the damages to tailgate in the event of a collision.
She looks bigger than old Figo.
Rear bumper protrudes by a good margin reducing damages to hatch in case of rear ending. Recess to slid hand

Rear design is simple in comparison with the front fascia. Notice no 'Automatic' badge. I would have liked one

HMSL hides the rear washer. Key hole below Ford moniker looks out of place
Build quality:

Well it's a step down from usual Ford's build quality. However, it is not as bad as some articles want me to believe. If you have been in old Figo, it is evident immediately when you step inside. Door handles, doors certainly feel light. But certainly better than Baleno or the competition. Nothing feels flimsy or plasticky here. I appreciate the paint finish. Very much smooth and bright. Overall panel gaps are consistent. Not as tight as say Polo.
No rattles of whatsoever so far. Everything appears well put together. While doors are light, bonnet is certainly heavy. It gets full cladding. No cost cutting here.

Closer look at headlamps



Rear lights. Notice exhaust pipe is hidden from the view. Tow hook protrudes out

[StepUP!]

Interiors

Interiors are spacious. I have installed aftermarket seat covers. With height adjustment driver's seat and adjustable steering column, you will feel at home quickly. Everything is put well together, no rattles. Controls fall at hand easily. With this version of Figo, control stalks are RHS which are LHS in old. Often I start wipers while driving this one.
Headroom at rear as well as at front is improved. This is noticeable as new gen is taller and roof does not slope downwards unlike last gen

Driver side view



Passenger side view





Steering is not adjustable for reach. Only tilt.
The dashboard size is smaller and gets hidden from the view in particular steering column's position.

The mobile holder is cool gimmick from Ford. It works well. It has Aux In inside.

Seat travel is good and 6 ft passenger can sit behind 6 ft driver.

Front door pockets have bottle holders and storage space. Rear door does not have a single storage. Rear seats have integrated headrests.

Front doorpad



Rear doorpad.



Hatch opens far up. Gets a proper cover inside. Loading lip is high


Boot space has shrunken.




Boot lamp. The cap which can be removed to access mechanism to open the hatch from inside.

Notice the hook provided for shopping bags

Engine and Gearbox
It has 110 BHP inline 4 unit. Engine is smooth and responds to throttle inputs quickly especially in Sports mode. Though it is not as sharp as turbocharged 1.2 TSI of Polo, it is no slouch either.
Most if the times I drive in D. Never felt a need to put it in S.
In city driving lift off foot on the brake and it slowly crawls at ~7kmph. With gentle throttle push it moves smoothly. Gear changes are smooth and not felt unless you have a keen ear.
Sports mode holds gears for longer. When you get aggressive with throttle, put her in S, throttle response improves. Though there is lag of second or so, it is quick. 110 BHPs help as there is no replacement for displacement. On open highways I find her performance more than sufficient. She won't set road on fire but not slow to drive as competition's 1.2 NA ltr units.

AC is powerful and keeps cabin in no time. Auto AC works well. THough higher level of fan gets noisy.

While in D mode if you want aggressive overtakes, it needs to be planned. When you press throttle aggressively, engine rpm shots up but it takes a second or two to put it on road and speed up. In D again up shifts might delay your overtaking time. It is best to put her in S or use manual mode for aggressive overtakes. For rest of the duties, D is more than sufficient.

No paddle shifters here. But you have + and - button on the gear lever. You can switch to manual mode only in S mode. Also only in S mode the selected gear is displayed in MID.

While DCT fears are back of mind but I have faced no issues so far in 2 years of ownership. No heat ups in bumper to bumper or no tantrums of any kind from the gearbox.

NVH levels are not Hyundai silent but very well controlled. It gets full bonnet cladding. No engine cover.





Fuel efficiency
In city with AC on, bumper to bumper traffic, I get 11-12 kmpl. The best I have got is 19 kmpl on the highway. I am satisfied with these numbers. For 1.5 ltr unit with DCT I find these numbers good.

Ride, Handling
Clearly new Figo has lost the DNA. First the HPS and second the handling. This one is tuned for soft cushy ride. EPS is slick and light to use. It absorbs well all bumps on the city roads. When I drive old Figo after driving this, I find it harsh and heavy steering. But on the highway it's different story.
The way old Figo inspires confidence at corners or stays flat on undulations, new Figo appears floaty. HPS is way precise and direct. Old chassis is tighter too.
However nothing to complain or deal breaker. For regular Joey, this is very good ride. EPS is calibrated way better than any other EPS cars in the segment.

Brakes
The brakes on this are inadequate. Especially you can feel it coming from old Figo which has excellent braking hardware. The one on this simply lacks the bite and does not inspire confidence. Ford should have provided bigger discs for this 110 BHP version.

Other points

• GC improved over old Figo and does not scrape easily.
• Thankfully, bonnet opening lever is placed on driver's side unlike old Figo which has it at passenger side
• Headlights though improved, felt inadequate
• All controls are much lighter and easy to use over old Figo.
• Front seats though supportive, lack lumbar support
• ICE sound quality is good. I felt the one in old is better
• Ford's touchscreen with Sync is sorely missed
• Like first gen it comes across as no nonsense, VFM car
• Ford's ASC is much improved and affordable now. Cheaper than Maruti
  
• Service interval is 10000 kms / 1yr. Average cost of servicing is 6-7k
• With Ford's service plans, it becomes even cheaper. Wherein you can buy servicing plan at today's rate and save yourself from next 2-3 yrs price hikes of consumables, labor charges

Signing off
Some pics with my old and new one

1000 kms completed milestone




Old and New



My cutie pie!



New gen is contemporary while old lacks the flair


Best angle to view old Figo


Key fobs



Pune BHPians meet


You can see BHPian Asit's red Figo here. His thread went live recently Abarth belongs to BHPian blackwasp
New gen maroon Figo TDCi belongs to BHPian Jayakumar aka JK
And finally Vento belongs to BHPian Satyajeet

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing! Your car is shortly going to our homepage .

[powershift]

Nicely written. I had an old Figo with 1.2 L petrol. It was so under powered that I drove a lot of time in 2nd gear with AC. But somehow the interor space and highway driving was enjoyable. I even had a TD for new Figo and to my surprise it had a drastic improvement with respect to the refinement.

Btw, what did you mean by DCT not in par with DSG? Isn't both the dual clutch?

[vshankarhere]

Nice write up. Figo petrol auto is always a rare breed but we do have a couple of other ownership reviews; as many usually point out in our forum, it is a model which general car buying public don't know exists! I have always liked the Figo but the major deterrent for me is the boot space. Excellent handler and even with an EPS it is better than the competition. White is no nonsense colour; maybe you can get the roof blackened and change to more sporty alloys later when you feel "bored" with the ownership of the car.

So this engine is an inline 4? Guess Ford launched the 1.5L 3 cylinder Dragon engine in 2018 then? That is mated to a TC auto though. Hope the DCT does not throw you any gremlins and ensure a fuss free ownership!

[lifebuoy]

Great review man ! Very much like the T-Bhp's official review. Good coverage of the car and comparos with the old Figo. Thanks.

[haldar_siliguri]

Great review mate. I own a Figo 1.5 AT too. Puchased in Aug 2016 and has done 60K kms till date. My car had gone through a Ford gearbox recall in 2018 due to faulty/jerky gearshifts between 2nd and 3rd gears. Other than that a lovely experience for sure so far.

Do keep me updated on future meetups as I am based in Pune (PCMC actually). Would love to connect with fellow DCT owners

Cheers!

[gatsby_great]

Great review. Wishing you a wonderful ownership experience. I have seen that in top trims, ford cars are much more value for money. Comparing with i10, figo is simply a bigger car. Ground clearance is better than Swift. Engine choice is also excellent with dragon petrol coming to scene. If we observe closely, it has nothing to offend anyone. I have also shortlisted it for making a new purchase at home when the lockdown ends

[Night Raven]

Nicely written.
My in-laws own the same model of Figo, 1.5 petrol DCT titanium. I can relate to most of the things that you have said about ride, handling, steering etc. The DCT is fast enough to give you that leaping forward feel when the signal turns green. I have enjoyed it so much and even my wife who hardly knows driving have noticed how fast it picks up speed. ( Her benchmark is our 75 hp Punto, which takes a bit of time to go through the gearshifts and pick up speed) The engine sounds kind of sporty too. Where it all goes down is when you come to the open road with some curves and sharp turns. The handling doesn't inspire confidence in curves, the EPS doesn't give the feedback that I am used to, and the brakes aren't in the same league as in our car. But for most people with regular expectations, it is a good car. Wishing you many more memories and safe miles with your car.

Off topic, did you actually start writing this review two years back? I admire your determination to complete it even after two years I started writing the ownership review of my Punto Evo 5 years back, kept on postponing it and now if I wait a little more I think I can write a tribute for it.

[BMvW.Rajat]

That's a great review! Congratulations, hope you have many fun, safe and hassle-free miles.

I feel the same way you do about Hyundai and Maruti (non-Nexa) showrooms. They don't much care for the customers because they know that most people don't need much convincing when it comes to their product mainly because of the peace of mind ownership and very reasonable after sales.

Just out of curiosity, I read that the DCT offered by Ford have some reliability issues. Have they improved on this or offer some kind of extended warranty on the gearbox? You also mentioned that the sales exec mentioned falsely that they offer 10 years warranty on the gearbox, how many years was he off by?

[SuperSuri]

Good review and congratulations. Figo did the magic for Ford in India, and they made it in such quality that owners wow about the same. DCTs/DSGs have a tendency to heat up in traffic jams, advise you to drive the car in manual mode in bumper to bumper traffic. Happy Miles munching.

[anandpadhye]

Congratulations!
Good to see another petrol automatic (that too dual clutch) on the forum. Excellent choice!

Interesting to know that Manual mode is only enabled in S mode. It should have been enabled in D as well. How are the shifts in manual mode? Instantaneous?

Wish you kilometers and kilometers of joy rides.

[Maverick Avi]

I am surprised that you have mentioned soft ride quality as one of the likes. I feel rigid suspension is one of achilles heel for my 2019 Aspire which is same platform as Figo unless their ride characteristics are different.

[StepUP!]

Originally Posted by powershift

Nicely written. I had an old Figo with 1.2 L petrol. It was so under powered that I drove a lot of time in 2nd gear with AC. But somehow the interor space and highway driving was enjoyable. I even had a TD for new Figo and to my surprise it had a drastic improvement with respect to the refinement.

Btw, what did you mean by DCT not in par with DSG? Isn't both the dual clutch?

Thank you! I have driven Ford's 1.2ltr petrol. Though didn't get chance to test top end, drivability ia very good. Technically DCT and DSG are same dual clutch transmissions but DSG is tuned for aggressive shifts. I never experienced DCT skipping gears when I drove pedal to metal or under hard braking.

Originally Posted by vshankarhere

Nice write up. Figo petrol auto is always a rare breed but we do have a couple of other ownership reviews; as many usually point out in our forum, it is a model which general car buying public don't know exists! I have always liked the Figo but the major deterrent for me is the boot space. Excellent handler and even with an EPS it is better than the competition. White is no nonsense colour; maybe you can get the roof blackened and change to more sporty alloys later when you feel "bored" with the ownership of the car.

So this engine is an inline 4? Guess Ford launched the 1.5L 3 cylinder Dragon engine in 2018 then? That is mated to a TC auto though. Hope the DCT does not throw you any gremlins and ensure a fuss free ownership!

Thank you! Yes, Ford discontinued DCT as well as inline 4 1.5 ltr engine. It is replaced by TC and 3 cylinder 1.5 ltr dragon engine. Even I am finger crossed over DCT.

Originally Posted by lifebuoy

Great review man ! Very much like the T-Bhp's official review. Good coverage of the car and comparos with the old Figo. Thanks.

Thank you mate!

Originally Posted by haldar_siliguri

Great review mate. I own a Figo 1.5 AT too. Puchased in Aug 2016 and has done 60K kms till date. My car had gone through a Ford gearbox recall in 2018 due to faulty/jerky gearshifts between 2nd and 3rd gears. Other than that a lovely experience for sure so far.

Do keep me updated on future meetups as I am based in Pune (PCMC actually). Would love to connect with fellow DCT owners

Cheers!

Attachment 1998041

Thank you! Nice click! Yea, so we are 3 now. I know only one BHPian who owns DCT. Same color as yours! Mini meet possible

Originally Posted by gatsby_great

Great review. Wishing you a wonderful ownership experience. I have seen that in top trims, ford cars are much more value for money. Comparing with i10, figo is simply a bigger car. Ground clearance is better than Swift. Engine choice is also excellent with dragon petrol coming to scene. If we observe closely, it has nothing to offend anyone. I have also shortlisted it for making a new purchase at home when the lockdown ends

Thank you and very true! But I belive Ford has discontinued Automatic Figo
Don't see it on website.

Originally Posted by Night Raven

Nicely written.
My in-laws own the same model of Figo, 1.5 petrol DCT titanium. I can relate to most of the things that you have said about ride, handling, steering etc. The DCT is fast enough to give you that leaping forward feel when the signal turns green. I have enjoyed it so much and even my wife who hardly knows driving have noticed how fast it picks up speed. ( Her benchmark is our 75 hp Punto, which takes a bit of time to go through the gearshifts and pick up speed) The engine sounds kind of sporty too. Where it all goes down is when you come to the open road with some curves and sharp turns. The handling doesn't inspire confidence in curves, the EPS doesn't give the feedback that I am used to, and the brakes aren't in the same league as in our car. But for most people with regular expectations, it is a good car. Wishing you many more memories and safe miles with your car.

Off topic, did you actually start writing this review two years back? I admire your determination to complete it even after two years I started writing the ownership review of my Punto Evo 5 years back, kept on postponing it and now if I wait a little more I think I can write a tribute for it.

Thank you! Yea I started to write this 2 years back, but couldn't complete it for one reason or another.

Originally Posted by BMvW.Rajat

That's a great review! Congratulations, hope you have many fun, safe and hassle-free miles.

I feel the same way you do about Hyundai and Maruti (non-Nexa) showrooms. They don't much care for the customers because they know that most people don't need much convincing when it comes to their product mainly because of the peace of mind ownership and very reasonable after sales.

Just out of curiosity, I read that the DCT offered by Ford have some reliability issues. Have they improved on this or offer some kind of extended warranty on the gearbox? You also mentioned that the sales exec mentioned falsely that they offer 10 years warranty on the gearbox, how many years was he off by?

Thank you! While I haven't seen any DCT issues reported but there was recall on this gearbox for some part replacement. In my circle 2-3 folks own Figo/EcoSport automatic. But no issues so far.
That 10 yr warranty was misunderstood. Ford advertised this gearbox as sealed for life. Which means does not require oil changes or any kind if maintenence for 10 yrs. This was advertised by sales guys as 10 yr warranty. Standard warranty 2+2 extended warranty applies.

Originally Posted by SuperSuri

Good review and congratulations. Figo did the magic for Ford in India, and they made it in such quality that owners wow about the same. DCTs/DSGs have a tendency to heat up in traffic jams, advise you to drive the car in manual mode in bumper to bumper traffic. Happy Miles munching.

Thank you! Yes, I put it in N while waiting at signals.

Originally Posted by anandpadhye

Congratulations!
Good to see another petrol automatic (that too dual clutch) on the forum. Excellent choice!

Interesting to know that Manual mode is only enabled in S mode. It should have been enabled in D as well. How are the shifts in manual mode? Instantaneous?

Wish you kilometers and kilometers of joy rides.

Thank you Anand sir! Yes, shifts are instantaneous in S mode and gearbox holds it until I change, unless I choose a gear which will stall the car.

Originally Posted by Maverick Avi

I am surprised that you have mentioned soft ride quality as one of the likes. I feel rigid suspension is one of achilles heel for my 2019 Aspire which is same platform as Figo unless their ride characteristics are different.

Thank you! Yes, suspension is tuned on softer side, in city driving where I spend lot of time, it's a boon. Not sure if it's tuned differently on Aspire. Never got a chance to drive one.