[akj123]

Originally Posted by CRtorquefan

The dealer also gave me brochure of Ford Figo, which was lastly updated in June2011. Even their website showing e-brochure was updated Aug2011.
As soon i get the latest one, i'll paste it here.

Thanks. Meanwhile, i'll email to Ford about this.

Originally Posted by CRtorquefan

You can easily push for even better deal, as Figo petrol is quite a Slow seller.

Agreed, this was initial offer from one dealer. Need to check with others. Also, according to ford website there is a new dealer (elite), need to check with them also.

Originally Posted by CRtorquefan

1. Don't expect 12+kmpl in City from Figo Petrol, even on Highways its not more than 14kmpl.
Please beware, There's are huge complaints of Figo P with slow acceleration. So, clear this fact as per your needs & usage before signing a cheque.

2. Ford Service if Good but its Genuine spare parts are available at Dealer/Authorized Service Centres only.

3. Some complain about that, but I haven't exprienced this yet, even after driving Figo D many times.

Yes, i had read about petrol engine being not-so-powerful. The specs say it is 16 PS less than the new swift. But me and wife did not feel that in the TD. We didnt get to TD it on a ramp though. I am planning to do atleast one more TD - wanted to do it on NICE road (an expressway here), but dealer refused.

I am fine as long as service at ASC is good. Even now, after 8 years, i prefer taking my Opel to the GM service centres (to the few that still exist, as GM service centers in bangalore are an endangered species), even though it's cheaper and less hassle to go to local mechanic.

Originally Posted by CRtorquefan

P.S: If you're looking for Petrol hatchback, then go for Japaneese car only, like Honda Jazz, MS Swift or Ritz.
All of these are very Refined & highly fuel efficienct cars with Negligible maintenance.
But if your Driving, justifies a Diesel car, then Figo TDCi is a best package.

hehe ... Agree with you. I have been in this loop for months now, and reached figo after eliminating all of the above. Thanks to the ocean that is team-bhp, me and lappie are on the verge of being kicked out of house
Jazz Select/X - Insane waiting / production issues / Still expensive after price cuts
Ritz Zxi - Good car overall, but clutch position didnt suit us.
i10 Asta - Great interiors, but after driving an Opel I am just not comfy with such light cars. Probably it's equally safe and stable, maybe it's just the feeling i get or a bias i have.
Beat - GM A.S.S, Poor Rear visibility, Rear seat width seems < my Alto, kid-sized boot space. But it has great build and ride quality, high GC, ACC etc.

Swift Zxi - Well the final showdown is basically between this and the figo.
+ Euro NCAP 5* rating, but like you mentioned in swift thread, we dont know what is the metal used here, and other differences from safety perspective.
+ Maruti A.S.S. network, peace of mind
+ Goodies like ACC, steering mounted audio control, tweeters, more info in instrument panel
+ Rear windows child lock
+ Better engine (Power & Mileage)
- Boot space is disappointing - like others said, how can Maruti increase length by 90mm, and reduce boot space. 70mm went into engine area ?
- No Bluetooth option
- Waiting periods, minimum 3-4 months on petrol also

I don't know which has the better ride quality. I like the looks of new Swift, and figo is plane-jane in comparison (subjective, please dont flame me). But i feel darker color and alloys should help somewhat.

Figo seems to have some known issues (engine stalling in diesel, mud flaps, weak headlights, weak bumpers, rattles - could hear them in the TD car too). But it looks like Ford is trying to address them, and has fixed or in process of fixing few of these.

I was very keen on swift, but when i consider there is a minimum price delta of 1.2L OTR, i don't think i can justify it. Let's see, plan to talk to a couple of figo owners, do one more TD and then take the final call.

Sorry for the long post. Thanks a lot for your response.

[wildsdi5530]

Did you consider the Honda Brio? I'm a big fan of Honda reaffirmed on a recent trip from Bangalore when I got a mileage of 20+ in my Honda City b/w Krishnagiri to Madurai. Admittedly, I drove at 80 - 100 kmh and it was late in the night.

[akj123]

Originally Posted by Parthasarathig

Honestly Ive not faced underpower problem in my petrol figo zxi. I drive around in bangalore in the worst of traffic jams such as metro contruction zones etc etc. However till now Ive always driven with a light foot and the car gets rolling at about 1000 rpm itself.

Thanks, good to know. Maybe the power is less for highway speeding or quick pick-up, but sufficient for day-to-day driving. Btw, what is the mileage you're getting ?

Originally Posted by Parthasarathig

If you really want vfm, and in petrol, either get a nano or an alto or an a-star. But you wont get the space, comfort, handling qualities and most importantly the a.c of a figo in any other car.

The plan is to upgrade my Alto Lx, so i was not looking at Nano/Alto. I do think an A-star auto is a good buy for city, read on the other ongoing 'why dont you buy an automatic' thread that someone got 15kmpl in city. But i do want some more space etc.

Originally Posted by Parthasarathig

If your needs are not much for the highway or high speeds, i guess you dont need the ABS and other features.

Well, this time i thought i will definitely go for the safety features, who knows when one needs it. I do plan to take it for some highway trips. Even inside city, we may drive at 70-80 when traffic is freer. Of course, hope is they are never needed.

Originally Posted by wildsdi5530

Did you consider the Honda Brio? I'm a big fan of Honda reaffirmed on a recent trip from Bangalore when I got a mileage of 20+ in my Honda City b/w Krishnagiri to Madurai. Admittedly, I drove at 80 - 100 kmh and it was late in the night.

That's an amazing mileage for a big car like Honda City, congrats Not very keen on Brio, don't like the all-glass rear, and besides, it also has the same productions constraints Jazz is facing.

[Parthasarathig]

Originally Posted by akj123

Thanks, good to know. Maybe the power is less for highway speeding or quick pick-up, but sufficient for day-to-day driving. Btw, what is the mileage you're getting ?

Well, this time i thought i will definitely go for the safety features, who knows when one needs it. I do plan to take it for some highway trips. Even inside city, we may drive at 70-80 when traffic is freer. Of course, hope is they are never needed.

.

In city i manage to get a maximum of 11.43kmpl.
Highway i get around 16.875kmpl.
Average with 70%city and 30% highway I get around 12.07kmpl.

Also you'l get more mileage in the city if you drive longer distances like 20-30kms rather than short trips of 5-6kms. So it makes sense to combine multiple trips into one thereby increasing your efficiency.

On the highways the power is good enough for overtakes if you are at the right speed. Ive however observed this, that after 100kmph the rev counter starts climbing. Ive reached 4000rpms at 160kph but the car feels like its floating in the air. Bit scary at that speeds. But handles 140kph well enough

Economy range is 100kph at < or = 2500rpms.

Also what you may like is the windshield visibility in the front. It helps in bumper to bumper traffic as you can see exactly where your bonnet ends and judge gap between cars more effectively. This has helped to get out of tricky situations many a time. Especially at signals and parkings. I dont think you get that visibility on swift or any other japanese car. I had tried all that before the Figo.
If mileage isnt a problem for you then you'll
Love the car. If mileage is everything, then you'l find it tough to like the car. But then its cheaper than the rest and the price difference will be made up in the amount of petrol you can buy.

Suggest you to fill half your tank and not completely. The car stays lighter and also better mileage. It may subjective but it works with me.

(Have completed 10000kms so far. And still love the feeling I get everytime i wrap my fingers around the wheel and start it up. )

[Parthasarathig]

Originally Posted by akj123

Yes, i had read about petrol engine being not-so-powerful. The specs say it is 16 PS less than the new swift. But me and wife did not feel that in the TD. We didnt get to TD it on a ramp though. I am planning to do atleast one more TD - wanted to do it on NICE road (an expressway here), but dealer refused.

If you are worried about the slopes, Ive taken it to Coorg, Talacavery and nearby places during the run-in period and it didnt cause much problem. Except for a few steep hills where 1st gear is needed (underpowered??) , the rest of the trip was a charm. You'll especially love the twisted roads while driving a Figo. Cornering is a charm at high speeds

[akshay380]

Originally Posted by Parthasarathig

If you are worried about the slopes, Ive taken it to Coorg, Talacavery and nearby places during the run-in period and it didnt cause much problem. Except for a few steep hills where 1st gear is needed (underpowered??) , the rest of the trip was a charm. You'll especially love the twisted roads while driving a Figo. Cornering is a charm at high speeds

Spot on! I am a new driver but the car is so much confidence inspiring and joy to drive. I have 1.2 petrol ZXi and feel it is more than enough for the kind of drives I plan.
I am yet to check the FE as I got her on Nov 7th and will check after next tankful.

[Parthasarathig]

Originally Posted by akshay380

Spot on! I am a new driver but the car is so much confidence inspiring and joy to drive. I have 1.2 petrol ZXi and feel it is more than enough for the kind of drives I plan.

Yes Ive got the same model too.

I love taking it to the hills. And this being my first self driven and self maintained car, I was first apprehensive of taking it to the hills as that was my first experience driving on hills.
But to say the truth, Ive never looked back after that. You can easily manage upto 100kmph on the hilly straights and on the twisties 50-70 kph is manageable and fun to drive

People also complain of underbody scraping. It would happen to me a lot earlier. Got my rear suspension stiffened after first service and paid heed to my dad's instructions of driving slowly over the speed breakers and rough roads. After that, It has been a pleasure to ride.

[sansvk]

Originally Posted by akj123

Since you're also from bangalore, few qs for you

1. How is the mileage ? SA claimed 12-14 in city, but i doubt that, given ARAI is ~16 and our horrible traffic conditions.

2. How do you feel about ford service, are they responsive and able to fix issues ? Also, is there a lot of waiting for getting a service booking ?

3. Lastly, is the lower GC an issue, considering our renowned car-breakers

In city with 100% AC I get just below 12Kmpl. On my latest highway trip (last week) to Palakkad, the mileage was closer to 15Kmpl (100%AC). This strech consists of 300Kms of 4 lane highway, 50kms of broken roads and another 70kms of 2 lane highway. Its an improvement over the low 14's during my previous trips I guess thanks to my 20K service.

Never had any major issues with the car or service (Touch Wood!). Felt its always better to give it for service on weekdays rather than on Saturdays. Only issue I had was with the AC cooling effectiveness, wherein the issue was rectified by replacing the thermistor.

Regarding speed breakers, only the big unscientifically designed ones catches you. In my native during the rains, I got the underneath scratched quite often (any car would have a torrid time on those village roads). During service you can evaluate the damage, its negliable, the underneath is quite sturdy. Maintain a tyre pressure of 32psi and you shouldnt have any problems.

[sansvk]

Originally Posted by CRtorquefan

1. Don't expect 12+kmpl in City from Figo Petrol, even on Highways its not more than 14kmpl.

Your correct with the city mileage, on the highways you can get 14kmpl easily even with a combination of 120kmph highway and broken roads. IMO 16kmpl would be acheivable for a sedate driver doing 80kmph.

[akj123]

Originally Posted by Parthasarathig

In city i manage to get a maximum of 11.43kmpl.
Highway i get around 16.875kmpl.
Average with 70%city and 30% highway I get around 12.07kmpl.

Economy range is 100kph at < or = 2500rpms.

Also what you may like is the windshield visibility in the front.

If mileage isnt a problem for you then you'll Love the car. If mileage is everything, then you'l find it tough to like the car. But then its cheaper than the rest and the price difference will be made up in the amount of petrol you can buy.

Thanks. I expected it to be in 11 kmpl range, given ARAI figure of 15.6. I guess mileage is 1-2 kmpl lower than the other engines, which comes to about Re 1/km at today's petrol prices. So considering the large difference in initial cost (and interest on that), i think for my driving (8-10K kms/yr), petrol figo is okay. Btw, that's some detailed calculation, upto decimal points and all. How do you do that - excel or some app on the phone ?

I intend to keep it below 100 kph. Reading the 'accidents in pics' thread is enough motivation for that, we come across some really unfortunate incidents :( Am more worried about damage in any accident due to weak bumpers. That's a matter of bad luck.

Agree with the front visibility, much better than most other cars i drove. These days the dash is set much higher, and i cannot see the bonnet at all. With figo, i can atleast partially see it, but not where it curves down. Maybe due to my height (5'6''). Rear visibility is also better, one reason being lack of rear seat head restraints. I don't know if that increases chance of whiplash injuries though. Will try to read more of this thread (have read parts, but at 380 pages, it's tough).

Will TD figo once more and come to final decision, hopefully soon. Thanks for your inputs.

Originally Posted by akshay380

Spot on! I am a new driver but the car is so much confidence inspiring and joy to drive. I have 1.2 petrol ZXi and feel it is more than enough for the kind of drives I plan.
I am yet to check the FE as I got her on Nov 7th and will check after next tankful.

Congrats on your purchase and hope you have many enjoyable years with it. I think the low slung nature and build of the car helps with the stability and gives drivers good confidence.

[Parthasarathig]

Originally Posted by akj123

Thanks. I expected it to be in 11 kmpl range, given ARAI figure of 15.6. I guess mileage is 1-2 kmpl lower than the other engines, which comes to about Re 1/km at today's petrol prices. So considering the large difference in initial cost (and interest on that), i think for my driving (8-10K kms/yr), petrol figo is okay. Btw, that's some detailed calculation, upto decimal points and all. How do you do that - excel or some app on the phone ?

I intend to keep it below 100 kph. Reading the 'accidents in pics' thread is enough motivation for that, we come across some really unfortunate incidents :( Am more worried about damage in any accident due to weak bumpers. That's a matter of bad luck.

Will TD figo once more and come to final decision, hopefully soon. Thanks for your inputs.

However do not expect the mileage figures to be always the same. And yes I calculate my mileage using phone's calculator I have the habit of calculating everytime I fill up petrol be it for 500, 1000 or a full tank. Mostly I keep my tank half full or half empty. However I mostly fill fuel that I calculate to be required in the Journey.

For example Rs 750 fuel or 10litres gives me 183km range on the highway with sedate driving according to the DTE. So I fill up that much and try to adapt my driving style to atleast reach within 20km +/- over the DTE reading.

That way I end up getting a good mileage at the end of every drive on the highway. So my DTE would have shown 183kms and my Tripmeter at the end of the trip will either show 168 or 190 km sometimes, if i drive totally in the economic fashion, like below 2500 rpm, then coasting, and other methods. In the city i never reached above 12kmpl .

Agree with the front visibility, much better than most other cars i drove. These days the dash is set much higher, and i cannot see the bonnet at all. With figo, i can atleast partially see it, but not where it curves down. Maybe due to my height (5'6''). Rear visibility is also better, one reason being lack of rear seat head restraints. I don't know if that increases chance of whiplash injuries though. Will try to read more of this thread (have read parts, but at 380 pages, it's tough).

You seem to be more worried about accidents than the driving, all the stuff you wrote about whiplash injuries and all that. Relax and enjoy your drive. I mostly enjoy driving at 80-90kph. Helps me take in the scenery and keeps me less fatigued. Yes if you increase speeds you need to be more alert. And hence more stressed.

The comfort level in Figo is so much that I once drove 15 hours in the car from Madikeri - Talacavery - Madikeri - Mysore - Bangalore at a stretch. Did have low back and thigh ache the next 3 days though

Figo's comfort is not just for the driver but also for all the passengers. Good car for the family trips.

Are the bumpers really weak? A scooter had bumped into me near the Manipal Hospital signal. However I suffered only a scratch on the rear bumper. Always felt they were sturdy. Now would have to be more careful. But then I think no car has bumpers more sturdier than any other car. Unless a sports or a luxury car I guess all bumpers are prone.


My car had broken down once in its 10k kms life. We had stopped on the highway and relaxing and had been listening to music for almost 2 hours. My battery was drained. The car failed to start. Stranded on the Highway had to wait for the Ford guys to drive 80 from Bangalore with a new battery, restart my car and then was able to continue on the journey. The thing is only few Ford dealerships are in the state and the services seem to be provided by the closest one to your location of breakdown. So you are pretty much stranded in case of a breakdown.

A popular directory service was of no help that day in helping us find alternative tow truck services or mechanics around us.

And Metro Ford was our saviour that time. Even though the customer service helpline referred us to other dealer it wasnt much help. I called up the Metro Ford toll line and the service guy immediately assissted me over the phone. But it didnt help as battery was down. So they came and stayed in touch over the phone till they reached our location. Metro Ford experience has been pretty good so far. Except they dinged my car during service. They however gave it in writing to pay for the bodywork without any arguements. Never leave your car at the service station overnight.

[wildsdi5530]

@akj123; How did you arrive at a figure of Re.1/- per km? It would be more like - 72/11= ~6.54 Rs. per km and that's excluding maintainence costs.

[akj123]

Originally Posted by wildsdi5530

@akj123; How did you arrive at a figure of Re.1/- per km? It would be more like - 72/11= ~6.54 Rs. per km and that's excluding maintainence costs.

I was referring to the difference in petrol cost between figo and swift. So, for example, if we assume mileage of 11 in figo and 13 in swift, the difference at today's petrol prices (~75 in bangalore), will be (75/11) - (75/13) = ~ Rs 1.

[raju2512]

Figo petrol gives me 10.5 - 11.5 km with 100% AC in city. I have driven both Ritz and Figo extensively. Ritz just can't match the driving characterstics of Figo. Power is adequate and I have never felt is gasping for breath in highways or in city. Ritz with its 90 hp engine is more peppy but Figo serves you adequately in normal driving conditions. Ritz gives 1 kmpl more in terms of mileage, but driving experience is no where near that of Figo. You can read my comparison with Ritz in my ownership thread http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...paro-ritz.html

[Twiny]

Originally Posted by Parthasarathig

I called up the Metro Ford toll line and the service guy immediately assissted me over the phone. But it didnt help as battery was down. So they came and stayed in touch over the phone till they reached our location. Metro Ford experience has been pretty good so far.

Had Ford-RSA to avail this service? or was it on a chargeable basis(how much?)