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

Quote:

Originally Posted by jayded (Post 2986325)

4K is the least price you should expect with normal prices ranging from 3,900-4,300. All brands will cost almost the same here, give or take a couple of hundreds, except Michelin XM2, which might range from 4,500-5000 depending on the dealer. You can also try to get XM1+ which will be cheaper compared to the XM2.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vnabhi (Post 2986365)

I would suggest you go for Michelin XM2s. You can go for a slightly bigger profile too. I went in for 185/65/14 the day I bought the Figo and my experience has been very good so far. In fact it is many notches above my Fiesta that still runs on stock MRFs.

I paid Rs 4700 per tyre, and got back Rs 3000 per tyre for the stock Appollo Acceleres.

Unlike what someone has said, the Michelin XM2s have a harder compound on the side walls compared to XM1s. It is the Yoko S Drives that have the softest side walls and they are the ones that wear out the fastest.

Thanks guys!! My knowledge was too outdated w.r.t. tyres it seems. I was expecting normal tyres to be in the range of 3k. While coming back home from office just went to the only tyre shop around my house and that guy recommonded GoodYear which was again in the range of 4k+. If all are in the same range then Michelin makes sense. I do not intend to go for S-drive, A-drive would be a good option for me in case I go for Yoko.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Figopian (Post 2986431)

I do not intend to go for S-drive, A-drive would be a good option for me in case I go for Yoko.

Yes, A-drives are good on reducing road noise with better handling and braking compared to MRF, apollo or Good Year. It will also lasts longer, but not as much as MRFs.

But XM2 are better than Yoko A-drives.

Experienced Fords tough build first hand.. Had parked my car under some coconut trees when a big leaf fell right on the hood with the heavier end making a direct impact. There was a large thud and I ran to the car anticipating a dent. Surprisingly there was none. Not even a scratch on paint.
A similar case had happened with my friends Swift and it fared very badly with one large dent. Mighty impressed! :thumbs up

Quote:

Originally Posted by akshay380 (Post 2986740)

Tell me about it. A biker lost balance and fell on the rear quarter panel of my Figo. I was sure there would be a dent. Got out to see and could not find a single mark. The sheet metal quality is really something.

It's even better than my Altis which got a dent when a Santro parked next to me and the passenger opened his door without being careful right on my fender.

While the sheet metal might be tough, I find the paint coat to be very thin, much lesser than usual. I can definitely say that it's much thinner compared to our Santro, where a scratch would expose an inner coat which is kind of brownish/copper colour while in the Figo, a slight scratch and the paint just chips off and exposes the metal underneath. It's that thin.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jayded (Post 2986753)

I agree with you. Even though sheet metal is not very thin but the paint layers are not very thick. Even compared to my Ikon there is a big difference. On my Ikon a strong side scratch from a biker on the side didnt reveal the metal below, where recently on the Figo a minor scrape resulted in metal sheet showing up.

A question for Figo diesel experts:-

If I need to drive around slowly in mild city traffic, is it better to do so in 2nd gear or 3rd for better F.E? It pulls in both gears, but the response is better in 2nd gear.

Let me rephrase the question. Is it better to drive above 1400 rpm, which I believe is the turbo zone, or at 1200 to 1300 rpm? I have the flexibility to do both, but which one yields better F.E? And does driving at lower rpms tantamount to lugging the engine?

Quote:

Originally Posted by vnabhi (Post 2987971)

Turbo kicks somewhere around 1700 rpm and not 1400 as you mentioned. Personally, I am not a great admirer of Figos second gear. It just acts as step through to go to higher gears. In city traffic, mostly I am in first, if it is bumper to bumper, or in third if I am cruising at 30/40. The only time I find second handy is when I am coming downhill. I use it for engine braking. FE could not be explained since rarely we stay in the same gear for longer durations.

I would suggest sticking to anything above 1400-1500 RPM, because below that, I feel that the engine rattles like crazy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vnabhi (Post 2987971)

Thanks guys.

I feel there is a slight surge post 1400 rpm, and that is more pronounced after 1700 rpm. So I feel staying in 2nd above 1400 is better than in 3rd at 1100 rpm because I get immediate throttle response, when needed. But I am not sure if I am compromising on FE while doing so. But on the other hand, driving at low revvs like 1100 rpm might cause lugging of the engine,which is more harmful. I'm new to diesels, and hence this debate.

I don't get rattles below 1400 rpm, at least, not yet. The car has seen 2580 kms so far.

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackfire_9 (Post 2988420)

I would suggest sticking to anything above 1400-1500 RPM, because below that, I feel that the engine rattles like crazy.

My car is 22K+ old and I never felt any rattles below 1400 rpm. My car is mostly happy on straight stretches above 1000 rpm. At or below that, the car starts to complain. I checked this on my way to office today, so that I can reply to the query. This was with three medium built adults on-board.
But due to the characteristics of the engine, the peak torque is available somewhere between 1800-3000 rpm (http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...ml#post1432802). So, if you need instant response, it's better to keep the engine in this range.

Thanks guys. I did read the pamphlet given with the car manual today on tips for better FE, and it advises driving between 1500 to 1800 rpm. It also warns users from driving at low revvs on higher gears, as it causes drive train noise and premature clutch wear and tear.

This being the case, I guess it is better to drive in lower gear in the example I quoted above as it not only gives better FE but also better throttle response.

Drove a friend's Figo Titanium TDCI and found the gearbox to be very notchy and vague - wouldn't slot into the right gear at times. I don't know how to describe this feeling, but you don't get that satisfying shift or click when you change gears. Also, on the otherwise very punchy engine, I thought the turbo lag was highly evident. Beats the fun out of calculated overtaking!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vid6639 (Post 2986744)

Tell me about it. A biker lost balance and fell on the rear quarter panel of my Figo. I was sure there would be a dent. Got out to see and could not find a single mark.

Lucky you.
Biker skidded and bumped into the rear right panel of my car. 3-4 big dents. However, almost negligible paint damage, hence it's not visible at a glance. Thinking of getting in dented/painted at a FNG.

How much does Ford approx charge for painting per panel?

Quote:

Originally Posted by vnabhi (Post 2987971)

Let me rephrase the question. Is it better to drive above 1400 rpm, which I believe is the turbo zone, or at 1200 to 1300 rpm? I have the flexibility to do both, but which one yields better F.E? And does driving at lower rpms tantamount to lugging the engine?

I tend to hover around 14-1500 revs in 2nd and 3rd.