Team-BHP - Review: 1st-gen Ford Figo (2010)

Hello friends,

I just came back from a test drive of Ford Figo TDCI and I was a bit disappointed with the car only in one area i.e driver seating.:Frustrati

Here are my observations:

Exterior: I find them pretty good the car has balanced design with roof curve leaning at the end but I don't tall people sitting in back would complain about it. The fit and finish, paint quality is pretty good. The doors open and close with moderate thud but they are well built.

Interirors: The interiors are better than any suzuki car and I find them very good considering the value for money proportion. The seat fabric color and choice is really fantastic, I think its best in segment. The plastics are of good quality and all the controls are easily reachable from driver side.

Seating and comfort: Though it being bit more spacious than swift and other B segment cars, I was very much disappointed to sit on the drivers seat and both of my knees touching the panels. The left knee touches left wall of stereo/controls and the right touches the doors. I am just 5.8feet and not that tall. I had to squeeze my legs to sit into this hatch to drive. Now is not that cramped but I was expecting it to be at least more spacious.
The thigh support is good but not that great as compared to Polo which I went for test drive after Figo.

Ride quality: The diesel engine of Figo really delivers. Its a charm to drive with balanced torque with no sudden surge of power but all linear. I had a :D while I zipped this car on Delhi roads. The car takes it well even at speed of 25km/hr on 3rd gear and there was no strain or judder in engine.
The potholes are not felt at least on the driver seat. So I believe the suspension is good. I read at some reviews where owners stated that they did not feel confidence taking this car beyond 120. I doubt that and believe that it should be stable at high speed.

Color: I managed to see all the colors at showroom which were getting ready for delivery or were waiting for their owners. Personally I liked white, silver and dark grey. Rest did not attract me much not even red. I believe this car stands out in white and silver most.

Conclusion
I believe this 1.4 tdci engine and spot on pricing is the only plus point which is drawing crowds to showrooms and of course I could see so many Figos getting ready for delivery.

Would I buy it? I guess I would consider it but I need to check and confirm by sitting in all other B segment cars driver seat and see if my legs touches both sides and if they feel cramped as well. I would request fellow bhpian's comment on the cramped driving area of the figo and other cars if any.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mission_Safari (Post 1830368)

Sounds strange as i am hearing this for the first time. My friends who TD with me were of your height but none had any such troubles. Are your sure that the seat adjustments were right?

Yes, I am very much sure I tried with moving back and fro the seats to see if some position is comfy. Now I can not take it too back as well from where my feets could not reach the clutch/brakes. I think I am the first one to find it cramped just my personal opinion or expectation with a B segment hatchback.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sameer551 (Post 1830363)

Hello friends,

I just came back from a test drive of Ford Figo TDCI and I was a bit disappointed with the car only in one area i.e driver seating.:Frustrati

Here are my observations:

Also I forgot to add about Air conditioner cooling. I went in afternoon and temperature was around 40 above I think. I had around 10 mins test drive and the AC failed to chill and it was pretty much struggling to cool. I made that point to the salesman and he nodded to me. I am not sure if it was only in that test drive car that AC was not cooling much or its just like that. I used it at 3rd blower level.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sameer551 (Post 1830363)

Hello friends,
Seating and comfort: Though it being bit more spacious than swift and other B segment cars, I was very much disappointed to sit on the drivers seat and both of my knees touching the panels. The left knee touches left wall of stereo/controls and the right touches the doors.
any.

sameer - I am driving a Figo for a week now. I am 5'10 and do not find the issue that you mention as a major thing. Yes, the left knee touches the central console sometimes. But in Ritz, I found much more problem in this area ! So comparatively, Figo is ok. And your comment about A/C - it should be something with the TD car ! All Figo owners have vouched for the effectiveness of A/C and I do the same. During my morning drives at around 10 AM in Bangalore, position 1 is good enough to keep it cool. During afternoon, may be I will need to put in 2. More than that would be required only if you park in hot sun for long time.

I guess the car must have been out in the sun for a long time. Or the AC is faulty.

Happened when I took a second TD recently. But the car became cool soon enough.

In fact I find the AC of my WagonR too cold. As a single driver I always keep it in the first position always, sometimes even switching it off at night. Only when it stands under the sun does it require the second position.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sameer551 (Post 1830381)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Revy (Post 1830399)

Yes, Revy the left knee was more of a problem. Its not that bad but I just feel that It could have been more spacious. What about fat guys adjusting to it?

I would check with other cars like swift, punto, ritz, and vista tomorrow. I already had a TD of Polo after Figo and I found polo much more spacious in the driver seat.

Yes I think about AC it could be because car was parked in direct sunlight for too long that it was taking it time to make cabin cool.

The Figo seems to be getting huge accolades elsewhere on this forum. All have been raving about Figo's March performance, whereby Ford sold a whopping 7200 Figos within less than a month. Someone has even wondered if Ford has the capability to deal such with huge volumes.

Check out the discussion on this link:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...-break-up.html

Mustang, kindly convey my heartiest congratulations to your colleagues at Ford for the excellent performance in producing an excellent car at an excellent price with excellent features.

I may have reservations about the Figo petrol, rest assured that the Figo diesel is topmost on my wish list at this point in time, when I shop for my next car.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sameer551 (Post 1830413)

Yes, Revy the left knee was more of a problem. Its not that bad but I just feel that It could have been more spacious. What about fat guys adjusting to it?

There is something weird about the body adjusting to the seats and the surroundings. I have never been comfortable in my boss' Chevy Malibu but I feel snug as a bug in a Fiesta which is much smaller. I only sat for 10 mins in the Figo TD car and it did not seem all that bad to me. I am nearly 6'. You should definitely take a look at other hatches if you are not comfy with the seating. It's an area that's not worth compromising.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gilead (Post 1830451)

Yes, I would be test driving other cars in coming days to see which one I feel comfortable.