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Old 8th April 2010, 19:39   #1651
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Quote:
Originally Posted by misquitas View Post
If Figo petrol's 'on road' mileage is going to be around 11-13 kmpl, it would only mean that Ford hasn't really done all of its homework properly. Producing a cheap small car with loads of features with the assurance of affordable and durable spares as well as a growing fleet of dealers is excellent work, keeping the average Indian in mind. But the average Indian has another average in mind before buying a car. If Ford ingores that critical component -- a great fuel economy/average -- in its petrol Figo, the petrol variant could well struggle to leave the showroom. The horror FE tales of Fiat's early Palio still lingers in the minds of the average Indian.

If Figo petrol drinks a litre of petrol every 12-13 kms, it is surely off on my radar, no matter what goodies it has to offer.
Have to disagree with you. You are making generalized assumptions about customer preferences --- in reality, the customer preferences vary widely across market segments.

A segment : Ultra Cost-conscious (Cost = cost of buying + running + maintaining + repairing)
Alto, M800

A+ semgent: Cost-conscious
Wagon R, Santro, i10 1.1

B segment: VFM conscious (cost still plays a role in this segment)
Swift, Figo, i10 1.2, Ritz

Figo Petrol is great VFM compared to competition. As far as cost of buying the car is concerned, Figo beats its competition. However, it is a little bit on the higher side when it comes to cost of running, maintaining the car. Nevertheless, I wouldnt count out Figo Petrol sales. I am confident that it will have good sales because it is great VFM (which is what matters most in B segment)

Figo Diesel beats competition in VFM as well as Cost. So, Figo Diesel sales can be expected to keep zooming ahead

Anyways, if you are planning to buy a Petrol car, this is my suggestion....
If you are more Cost-conscious than VFM-conscious --> go ahead and buy a A+ segment car.
If you are most VFM-conscious than Cost-conscious --> go ahead and buy a B segment car.

If you are more Cost-conscious and buy a B-segment car --- no matter how much you save on the fuel costs with a FE engine, it will not be enough to compensate the huge depreciation that the car will undergo.
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Old 8th April 2010, 19:44   #1652
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<<Why is that bunk so famous? Do you really see a marked difference in FE?>>

Yes Brix. PMed for more details.
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Old 8th April 2010, 19:44   #1653
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I googled her - she is an Editor of that magazine. Strange, but why should she comment about the Figo???

EDIT : Ford India invited South Africa's leading automotive and lifestyle journalists to review the Figo. She is part of that group.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gilead View Post

Yes, that's GTO, but who is Melinda from True Love? Is that a mag?

Last edited by Brix : 8th April 2010 at 19:51.
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Old 9th April 2010, 00:14   #1654
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Guys one question, diesel owners, the owners manual mentions a glow plug indicator. I did not see such a thing. Have you seend the glow plug indicator, if so can someone post a pic of the same.
Diesel cars should be idled for 30 seconds before starting is it only for cold start or for every time? like in a traffic signal. similarly switching off procedure to wait until it returns idle is for bringing a car to rest for a considerable time unlike at a traffic signal
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Old 9th April 2010, 02:59   #1655
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Quote:
Originally Posted by xingamazon View Post
I guess Ford had never mentioned mileage as a selling point at any of thier campaign. They only talk about the space and other utilities that one derives out of the car. Well if the car would succed or not is something that time will tell. The utility one derivies out of the car is something more not just restricted to the amount of pennies that he would be saving from the milage of the car.
Unlike Maruti, which tends to advertise its FE figures, Ford has advertised the "lifestyle" features (bluetooth pairing, music system, etc) on the Figo. But yes, time will tell if the Figo really gets Ford's cash registers ringing or not. I still tend to believe that Ford diesel will be the preferred car among the two engines.

Quote:
Originally Posted by xingamazon View Post
Well @misquitas, if you belive you are not satisfied with the mileage then please dont go for figo, there is no requirement to emphatically state that in every post. Just my opinion. No one is forcing you to buy Figo petrol this is not the Figo marketing thread.
I never said I'm NOT interested in a Figo. I mentioned earlier that the Figo "diesel" could well be my next car of choice, given the better performance and FE figues of the diesel variant. I'd rather prefer a Figo diesel EXI to a Figo Petrol Titanium. In any case, many of the goodies over and beyond the EXI do not appeal to me that much. The lovely music system, central locking, electric hatch door release knob and other essential goodies are in the EXI.


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Originally Posted by Brix View Post
One more - and this is proof that Ford takes the TBHP Forum seriously. See Point 9. Guess thats GTO's name.
That is because of one name: Mustang.101. Thanks to him (I guess he's a he and not a she), we have had access to some valuable info from within Ford and he has been there -- patiently and promptly -- to reply to most queries. Heck, with such people like him, I would even consider buying a Ford road-roller (if they manufacture one)!!!

Finally, I have come to know 007's real identity. GTA's reviews have, as always, been extremely useful to me and I have been glued to team-bhp and his valuable inputs.

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Originally Posted by mkerala View Post
Got good news from ford RSM
Excellent news. My prayers for you and Mustang's intervention have yielded the desired results and I'm eagerly awaiting the day you drive out your Figo squeeze from the showroom.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gilead View Post
He is entitled to his opinion just like everyone else. And as a prospective customer, he does have the right to ask questions about the mileage. Nothing wrong with it.
Thanks for your vote of confidence. I'm dying to divorce my Alto and enter into wedlock with the Figo diesel (yes, the Sania-Shoaib effect). First problem: my Alto is only 2 years old, has done only 29K kms, has not had a single problem so far and has generated me excellent FE till date. Second problem: I'm low on funds at this point in time and no matter how much I have tried, I'm never lucky with those damned lotteries.

Quote:
Originally Posted by PYSO View Post
Have to disagree with you. You are making generalized assumptions about customer preferences --- in reality, the customer preferences vary widely across market segments.

A segment : Ultra Cost-conscious (Cost = cost of buying + running + maintaining + repairing)
Alto, M800

A+ semgent: Cost-conscious
Wagon R, Santro, i10 1.1

B segment: VFM conscious (cost still plays a role in this segment)
Swift, Figo, i10 1.2, Ritz
Interesting analysis, there. However, I still believe that FE is an important psychological, if not economical, factor when many average (repeat, average) Indians chose their cars. Mind you, I would strongly want Figo to do well simply because of its all-round prowess at a tempting price tag.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Captain Slow View Post
Congrats Mkerala! Finally your car is within reach! Hmm I wonder if mustang had something to do with this??
Thanks mustang you being here has really helped us all
Mustang's the real hero over here. If the thread has had 2000+ posts, it is largely due to his inputs (reassurances, explanations, suggestions, tips and insider info). I was predominently following debates pertaining to the Alto and Eeco previously and following GTO's reviews and Mustang's inputs, I have happily switched over to this Figo thread.

Quote:
Originally Posted by mkerala View Post
Yes i mailed him about this to him again and replied it is coral. No problem for me. I close my eyes and drive it if i am not going to like it.
mkerala, instead of closing your eyes, consider getting yourself sun glasses with a blue tint. Then, the coral dash will look purple!!!

Quote:
Originally Posted by rajushank84 View Post
By the way I just thought of sharing this link, it has some great photos of the sea-grey Figo next to a silver Swift: Ford Figo Vs Maruti Suzuki Swift - shootout / comparo / review / road test - Motoroids.com
The grey Figo sure looks stunning and I happened to see one of them on the road here in Goa. Not a commom colour and I love it, after the 'chill'.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gilead View Post
Nope, it starts from date of sale. You can keep driving an unregistered car on temp plates but not without insurance. Many people waiting for fancy numbers do this.
Interesting, it never struck me to ponder on when the insurance actually starts.

Quote:
Originally Posted by mkerala View Post
Also i need all your help. I saw the PDI list, it took an hour for reading it properly. I think it will take 3 hours for me to complete it...So i need your help to short list important pints and that are applicable to figo from it.
Aaaah, the joys of a typo. I would surely help you to shortlist the important "pints". Come down to Goa and most pints would be applicable to the owner of the figo.

Quote:
Originally Posted by mkerala View Post
I use it 1 or 2 times a week for a short drives and 1 or 2 100km drives in a year. So you all get that my car won't even go more than 1000km a year.
Man, with your kind of driving, I'll forget about buying a new Figo and will simply wait for you to sell off your Figo. Within 5-6 years, your car would hardly have travelled 5-6K kms. And given your concern for the Figo, I'm sure she would be in good hands. So then, put me on your list of prospective customers when you plan to sell off your car.
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Old 9th April 2010, 09:26   #1656
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Mustang, @MPL Ford, Chennai 3M is being offered for ages now, IIRC. Chennai Ford however is tied up with Waxoyl. Earlier, during 2003-2008, MPL was also dealing with Waxoyl.
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Old 9th April 2010, 09:29   #1657
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Ok my bad then, i thought that waxoyl was the only paint protection brand that ford india uses as bhagat & south city ford & chennai ford used that only. I have hardly been to any other workshops.
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Old 9th April 2010, 09:35   #1658
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Does the mfgr have a say in this? I thought it is upto the dealer to have the tie up, provided it is one the those establised brands.
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Old 9th April 2010, 09:40   #1659
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Dealer can only decide amongst the options given by ford india, So if the options are waxoyl & 3M, then he can decide one amongst the two. He cant go for a third
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Old 9th April 2010, 10:24   #1660
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Mustang: Is there any specific reason behind having the AC condenser inches behind front bumper? How about in Fiesta?

What was the thinking of Ford in placing the hood release lever on the passenger side?

I hope you would be the right person to answer the above ones.
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Old 9th April 2010, 10:49   #1661
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Praveen1 View Post
Mustang: Is there any specific reason behind having the AC condenser inches behind front bumper? How about in Fiesta?

What was the thinking of Ford in placing the hood release lever on the passenger side?

I hope you would be the right person to answer the above ones.

It is in the design of the figo that the condensor is soo close to the figo, There is a dog bar there which wont protect your radiator from the dogs but will surely protect it from a small bump/kiss with another vehicle.

The hood release lever is on the LHS as according to the design & platform ie. the fiesta platform, The car is sold in more LHD countries than RHD ones, The only RHD countries where fiesta is sold are

1) India
2) UK
3) South africa
4) Australia

Rest all are LHD countries

Hence the release is on the LHS to cater to the LHD countries which are much more than the RHD ones.

Also according to design the lever cannot be moved to the RHS.

It makes hardly any difference if lever is at LHS or RHS as i am sure you wont be opening the hood even once a month
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Old 9th April 2010, 11:03   #1662
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Quote:
Originally Posted by misquitas View Post
If Figo petrol drinks a litre of petrol every 12-13 kms, it is surely off on my radar, no matter what goodies it has to offer.
If FE is the only criteria, will it not be better to just check for the highest ARAI figures and zero-in on the model. Why bother shopping around? Why do even a TD?

IMO, a car would be selected based on the package it offers at a particular price point, be it average or non-average consumers. For fleet operators, the selection criteria will differ.

Even going by other ownership reviews will not be sufficient, since FE depends on a zillion parameters.
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Old 9th April 2010, 11:11   #1663
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[quote=sanjayc;1829130]If FE is the only criteria, will it not be better to just check for the highest ARAI figures and zero-in on the model. Why bother shopping around? Why do even a TD?
quote]

In that case people have to come back to Ford. Buy a Figo TDCi blindfolded
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Old 9th April 2010, 11:27   #1664
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sanjayc View Post
If FE is the only criteria, will it not be better to just check for the highest ARAI figures and zero-in on the model. Why bother shopping around? Why do even a TD?

IMO, a car would be selected based on the package it offers at a particular price point, be it average or non-average consumers. For fleet operators, the selection criteria will differ.

Even going by other ownership reviews will not be sufficient, since FE depends on a zillion parameters.
+1 . I have seen many people who give too much importance to cars having just 1 or 2 km additional FE than other better cars but they might just drive 500+ kms a month. Its just the psychological thing and the overall saving would not justify the other good things they might miss like driving pleasure, fit and finish, safety etc,.
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Old 9th April 2010, 11:39   #1665
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Quote:
Originally Posted by xingamazon View Post
I guess Ford had never mentioned mileage as a selling point at any of thier campaign. They only talk about the space and other utilities that one derives out of the car.

Well if the car would succed or not is something that time will tell. The utility one derivies out of the car is something more not just restricted to the amount of pennies that he would be saving from the milage of the car.
I think we should be more bothered about what the car offers than what points Ford is marketing. When the petrol engine is underpowered compared to the competition, we would naturally expect it to aleast give better FE. What happens in this case is that it is neither quick, nor tuned for economy.

Quote:
Originally Posted by PYSO View Post
Have to disagree with you. You are making generalized assumptions about customer preferences --- in reality, the customer preferences vary widely across market segments.

A segment : Ultra Cost-conscious (Cost = cost of buying + running + maintaining + repairing)
Alto, M800

A+ semgent: Cost-conscious
Wagon R, Santro, i10 1.1

B segment: VFM conscious (cost still plays a role in this segment)
Swift, Figo, i10 1.2, Ritz

Figo Petrol is great VFM compared to competition. As far as cost of buying the car is concerned, Figo beats its competition. However, it is a little bit on the higher side when it comes to cost of running, maintaining the car. Nevertheless, I wouldnt count out Figo Petrol sales. I am confident that it will have good sales because it is great VFM (which is what matters most in B segment)

Figo Diesel beats competition in VFM as well as Cost. So, Figo Diesel sales can be expected to keep zooming ahead

Anyways, if you are planning to buy a Petrol car, this is my suggestion....
If you are more Cost-conscious than VFM-conscious --> go ahead and buy a A+ segment car.
If you are most VFM-conscious than Cost-conscious --> go ahead and buy a B segment car.

If you are more Cost-conscious and buy a B-segment car --- no matter how much you save on the fuel costs with a FE engine, it will not be enough to compensate the huge depreciation that the car will undergo.

Do you mean to say that a person lookiong at a B segment car would go and buy the car even it gives an FE of 5 kmpl just because its the most VFM of the lot?
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