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-   -   Ford Figo 1.5L Dragon AT - Ownership Review (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/217276-ford-figo-1-5l-dragon-ownership-review.html)

This is probably going to be the first review of this car on any Indian forum! :) Hope this helps many who wish to know more details about this car.

Ford Figo Ti-VCT AT:


Likes:

• Brilliant and punchy 1.5L Dragon petrol engine with 123 PS of power, most powerful hatch in its segment.
• Smooth shifting 6-speed automatic gearbox, no DSG reliability issues or AMT jerks to worry about.
• Safety equipment like TCS, ESP and Hill hold assist.
• Good ride and handling with communicative steering.
• Unlike some cars with TC automatic, this one has strong brakes, bite is strong and car stops with no drama.
• Small footprint with decent cabin space.
• Excellent VFM, can easily compete with cars with AMT boxes.

Dislikes:

• Exterior is identical to normal Figo, no special treatment like Polo GT. Doesn't even have any unique badge or stickers.
• Power delivery is linear, doesn't feel as explosive as cars with turbo petrol. BUT real world performance is almost on par with the best.
• MID looks ancient, rest of the dashboard looks decent.
• Unavailability of stock and worries about M&M and Ford JV.

Cars that almost made it:


1.Amaze Diesel CVT:

Liked everything about the car, only issue was small Driver seat with limited range for adjustment. If only Jazz was available with this engine gearbox combo!

2.Hyundai NIOS Diesel AMT:

Typical Hyundai car with good looks and superb interior, engine had acceptable power. Rejected due to price tag and light interior color.

3.Aspire petrol AT

I came to know about this engine and gearbox combo from Ford from few Team bhp posts and went to a nearby showroom to check it out. Aspire was offered for TD and they told me bookings were taken for Figo too. Aspire was slightly expensive but had almost 60K year-end discount which made it extremely good deal, biggest deal breaker was beige interior! everything from roofliner to floor mat was light, would get dirty in few minutes after delivery IMO. Sure no no for someone who does Civil engineering related work.


Q&A Related to Figo and its rivals:

Q: Why was VW Polo TSI not considered?
A: We have had a Polo with us before, was not very happy with driver seat's lower back support and A.S.S was not upto the mark. Other negatives were lack of rear seat comfort and space, brakes felt inadequate even for our 1.2 Diesel, TSI would surely feel nervous and will need better stopping power.

Q: But won't you lose FTD factor on the Figo when compared with the TSI Polo?
A: Brakes and seat comfort do matter a lot for me personally, others with different preference might anyday take the Polo over the Figo AT. Figo isn't a bad performer either. With better brakes and steering feel I do get something over what the VW offers, at least in terms of driving experience.

Q: What about Maruti cars? You do love your Swift.
A: This generation Swift's build seems too fragile, wanted something at least as good as my second Gen swift. S-Cross would have been considered if it had a good autobox.

Q: Ecosport has the same 1.5 engine and 6-speed combo, has better quality and feels very matured, why was it skipped.
A: Ecosport is MUCH heavier car and would have missed out on the performance Figo had to offer. I won't lie, fuel efficiency does matter a lot to me as my monthly running is not predictable. anything below 10kmpl overall would be too expensive for me. hence Figo made more sense both to heart and to my head.


Booking:

After deciding to go for the Figo, went looking to see if any dealer had any stock or could promise me a delivery date. To my disappointment, first dealership told me they can only take booking for 2020 made ones with possible hike in price and no certain delivery date! They did have an white Aspire ready.

Went to the biggest Ford dealer in Chennai, same story again with no sight of the car or commitment about delivery. With only one more showroom to visit I was starting to think about alternatives to Figo.

Finally walked in to Hans Ford with little or no hope to book the car, as expected they didn't have any stock ready with them immediately. To my surprise, they told me they could deliver my car within few two weeks if I were to make a booking immediately, to make things better they even gave me 21,000 cash discount :D I made the booking immediately for the only available Figo AT in Chennai in Ruby Red color.


PDI & Delivery:

Got a call from the showroom few days after booking, conforming the car's arrival at their stock yard, went for a PDI the very next day and gave them a green flag to proceed with car's registration and other formalities.

Delivery was extremely smooth and very professionally done! Had received a call on the day's morning to conform my delivery time and they took note of things like color of ribbon to be tied(was given few choices) and few other details. After me arriving at showroom, every single detail about all the steps done till date and the documents related to the same were presented neatly, steps that were to follow too were explained.

After all the formalities we were taken to the delivery area where all the requested formalities like Pooja were done, key were handed-over with some good quality chocolates and we were good to go!

At the stock yard




Km on the ODO



Tyre change:

Did not opt for any accessories as of now, but tyres were bit too narrow for my liking! Went straight to tyre shop near my home and swapped the stock MRF 175 65 R14 tyres with Continental CC5 185 65 R14. Job was done at https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/chenn...m-chennai.html Work was quickly done and all the tyres were filled with nitrogen and I was off. These are the third set of CC5 on our family's car, hopefully its as balanced in durability and performance as it always has been.

Rolling in with the stock MRF Tyres


Waiting for new set of shoes


185 Section CC5 tyre


Initial impression:

Exterior:

The 1.5 Dragon AT comes in only one variant i.e in Titanium trim, sadly though Ford has done almost no work to distinguish this from the regular manual Figo! It doesn't even have any badge to indicate the bigger engine or the 6-speed automatic! Heck it even comes with the same skinny 175 section tyres which won't be enough for the power on tap. Overall neutral looking car, especially the real, which looks plain. Chrome treatment surrounding the front grill and the mustache on the bumper are not to my taste, Figo looks the best in S trim. Hopefully I will have few mods done after few months or maybe years to make it looks close to the Figo S.

Side profile with clean lines


Ugly antenna


Chrome bits on the front


Beautiful grill pattern up close:


Rear stance with new tyres and low-key exhaust design



Interior:

Once you open the door, you are greeted by all black interior with neatly laid dashboard and comfy looking seats with fabric covers. Ticks all the boxes for me. Only sore point about the design is the vintage looking MID with just 2-lines of text being displayed.

Neat dashboard design


ICE screen design is in line with the latest trend


MID, needs update


Seats are large, nice and supportive with good under-thigh and lowerback support. People with wide frame might find the seats a bit narrow. Rear too had good seats, adjustable headrests and good legroom. Cabin is also practical with lots of storage spaces. Overall quality is just acceptable but everything feels well put together.

Large and supportive front seats


Decent rear bench


Lots of storage space


Ergonomics are good too, only biggest flaw being lack of dead-pedal! Gear shifter feels solid and work smoothly, has illumination to show us on which gear we have slotted it to. No cost cutting done here.



Adjustable headrests at the rear


Storage space to keep the remote lock and mobile phones


Steering mounted controls


Decent boot space



Not going to cover much on other bits and pieces as they are similar to the normal Figo, so let's get to the most important bit!

1.5 Dragon Engine and 6-speed automatic:

The AT variant is powered by the 1.5L 3-cylinder Dragon series engine found in the Ecosport, it produces class leading 123PS power and 150NM torque. On paper, this car is much more powerful than even cars from a segment or two above, this with ~1078 kg kerb weight makes for one fast hatch by just specification. Performance figures are extremely hard to find online, except for engine according to the following website, 1.5 takes just 9.9 seconds to reach 100, but only change here is that engine is in a more aggressive tune and makes 128 horse power. Link :https://www.noticiasautomotivas.com....io-automatico/. We can expect the Indian version to hit the 100 mark around 10 seconds. Not bad for a car that was not made for keeping performance in mind.





Now getting to the important part, how the car feels to drive in real-life. Press the push start button and the engine fires up with light vibration, during idling one can feel the three cylinder unit's vibes inside the cabin! but all this ends once the car starts moving, engine is vibration free for the most part. Slot the gear into drive and lift the foot off the brake pedal and the car moves ahead effortlessly, no hesitation or jerks here. Press the accelerator slightly and the car picks up phase in a linear manner, 1.5 unit has good low-end punch which makes things easier for the gearbox.

Within city:

Once on the move, we can hardly notice the gearshifts if we are gentle on the accelerator pedal, press the pedal harder and the car surges ahead and builds up speed and the shifts are slightly noticeable. While there is no issue in power delivery, people who love fast diesel cars and turbo petrol ones will miss the sudden surge of power, here it is extremely linear and feels like those old school 1.8L engine found on cars like the corolla, not in a bad way of course :). Gearbox too performs well on city commutes and doesn't hunt for gears very often, only sore point is slight jerk that rarely comes during throttle liftoff, other than that its seamless, all this, along with light controls make city driving a blissful experience.

On the highway:

Open road is where this car truly shines, car accelerates smoothly and needs minimum throttle input and hits triple digit speed in no time. Overtakes are a breeze, while cruising in 6th gear, just a tap on the accelerator and the car shifts to 5th gear and surges ahead easily with no drama! Downshifts are quick enough for most situations, not sure how it will respond when it needs to downshift more than a gear or two. At 100kmph engine is around 2.3K beats per minute, minimal to no engine noise at this point, thanks to good insulation and refinement. Will update more as I cover more kilometers, not going to rev the nuts off this new engine. All this with 42L tank makes this a fantastic long distance cruiser.

Handling and braking:

While this may not be as good as the Blu variant in terms of grip and handling, with new 185 section tyres it handles and rides extremely well. Have thrown it around few corners and it felt sharp and composed. Best part about hatchback is its short wheelbase which results is good flick-ability, changing direction is a breeze and feels just like my much loved second gen swift.

On the highways, car feels plated and stable upto 100kmph mark, will update if I go any faster! no issues here either.

Brakes have good bite to them and feels communicative. Aspire I did TD on had excellent brakes and was a surprise! Mine needs to bed in before I get to test it further. Overall it has enough braking power for the performance being offered by the engine.

Fuel efficiency :

Its too early to comment on this aspect BUT so far it has never dropped below 9kmpl. Under mixed traffic conditions I expect it to be around 10 to 12 Kmpl consistently, hopefully no nasty surprises here. On pure highway drives, FE might get close to 14 or 15 depending on my driving style and driving saints might even get as much as 18.


Few more Q&A before ending the initial impressions :

Q: If the car is so good, then why do I not see many of them on the road?
A: Three things work against this car,
1.availability, only one was available at Chennai at the time of my purchase
2.Ford's lack of marketing, didn't see this engine specification on few advertisement/brochures
3.Fuel efficiency, not everyone who car afford an 9L Rupee car will be willing to live with 12kmpl mileage.

Q: I am thinking of booking a polo TSI, should I buy this instead?
A: If Polo fills your needs, then better to go with the Polo, if you are worried about past gearbox issues and other brand related problems, then take a TD of this car before looking for other options.

Q: I am thinking of cars from the segment above, like Venue DCT or Jazz CVT, will this be a good option to cross-shop?
A: If turbo kick is what you are looking for, then its better to go for a turbo charged car. If not do take a TD.

Q: Who else should check this car out?
A: Apart from enthusiast who need automatic, luxury car owners too would love this as their daily beater car! This could also be the car that both you and your dad would love.

Q: Who needs to stay away?
A: 1.People who need mild blowing mileage.
2.If you are worried about Ford's JV with M&M.
3.If resale value matters to you.
4.If you love modern feature packed cars like the Venue, Seltos or even the Ecosport S trim.


Overall thoughts about this car:

• Brilliant car with Gem of an engine and gearbox
• Great for both highway and city use
• Makes the enthusiast within satisfied while being practical, reliable and easy to maintain.

Congratulations for the elusive 1.5L Figo AT.

Ford should have promoted this car as it's a hot hatch if you go by numbers. Sadly, I don't see Ford doing much of marketing nowadays barring their midnight sale December offer.

Since this is Titanium trim, it would be missing the extra airbags. Or is it that AT has them?

Pity Ford didn't explicitly market this variant in dealerships. To be honest, the Figo looks dated, especially it's instrument cluster, but I cannot argue that it is one of the most sensible cars you can buy at this price range, especially if you're looking for a fun to drive car.:)

If I was given the choice between the Swift, the Grand i10 Nios and the Figo, I would've gone for the Ford, whether petrol or diesel, sacrificing driveability of the Suzuki K12 engine for the Figo's excellent safety package. Pity this variant isn't the top one. I do hope that Ford updates it(again) soon, too keep it up with the times.

Congratulations sir. This car is a unicorn. I thought it existed only in paper. A small car with 123 ps and an automatic, that too a torque converter. It can't get better than this. Wishing you a lot of happy smiles.

Thanks! :) Not sure why Ford is not interested to sell this car!

Yes, this is in Titanium trim only, doesn't get any extra airbags.

As far as looks, it surely does need some updates, but mechanically its better than most cars in its segment. Hope they give it few more features like sun-roof and other fancy stuff that is needed to sell a car now a days.

We do have more choices in manual variant, but with almost 110NM torque available from almost 1,000rpm, very few cars can rival Figo AT's low-end performance.

It surely looks great on paper with more than 112Bhp/ton ! real-world performance is as good if not better than expected. Thanks a lot for your wishes.

Hey, a nice review, well put together.
Happy mile munching on this beauty!!!
Cheers.. :)

At 9 Lakhs on road this makes a really good alternate to the more expensive (but better) Polo GT TSI.

I test drove one last year and it was a decent performer. The gear shifts were not very quick but manageable.

Congratulations on owning such a rare yet worthy car. Keep updating the thread.

Nice of colour too. I did not have that option when I bought my Figo Sports.

Congrats!
This is an underrated car, just imagine the old Fiesta S 1.6 Duratec which was considered to be a proper enthusiasts car had fewer number of horses than this Figo.

4 years ago if Ford had this powertrain combo on sale I would have bought this. I am anti dual clutch, anti AMT AGS and anti clutch based CVT when it comes to vehicle purchase decisions. Fluid coupling for the win! :D

Congrats for the prize catch. I have been calling up bunch of dealers with no luck with some saying it will only be available next FY. Not that I definitely need the car but I felt its worthwhile to buy one till stocks last ! Will continue paining the dealers since it looks like this endangered species is still available !

I have never seen this particular variant! Solid looking Ford Figo. I always liked the Figo. With 1.5 liter on tap, this is a hoot to drive with the capable AT. Just take it for a long drive in a open highway. You will be surprised at the confidence it provides especially in 3 digit speeds. The car is well composed for its size. Congrats!

Congratulations on the new car. Wishing you the very best. 10-12 kmpl on a 1.5 AT is commendable.

A great marketing failure by Ford- a spruced up sporty Figo AT could have brought some healthy sales numbers in. the Baleno RS and Abarth don't have ATs, the GT TSI is not the most reliable. I thought the AT was mated to the 1.2 dragon engine.
The car is a sleeper from factory. :) Your car doesn't need a sticker, badging or a fancy bumper. All it needs is you to floor the pedal on the highways and leave the crowd behind.

Congratulations on acquiring an underrated gem! The figo is a capable car yet it has very few takers especially the AT. 1.5L in a hatch is an absolute blast in terms of performance. Only problem with Ford cars are variants are messed up big time and are not mod-friendly unlike VW. Regarding the tyres, why you didn't consider 195/55/R15 as they would grip the car better??

Congrats on the lovely sleeper. Most people do not even know that this variant exists, thanks to the lackluster marketing efforts from Ford. This is truly a pocket rocket, added with the convenience of a sturdy auto box. Put on some bigger alloys coupled with fatter rubber, and this will look even better than it goes !