"Chill" on a rainy stormy day (My Figo and a comparo with the Ritz)

raju2512 · 24th May 2010, 14:45

There was chill in the air. On a day of rain and storm , I took delivery of my Figo 1.2 Zxi Chill. The forum is literally flooded with Figo ownership threads and I did hesitate before posting one more but I will try to make it slightly different by a feature by feature comparison with Ritz.

After having driven exclusively Maruthi vehicles (mostly M800/Wagon R) for the last 8 years and clocking around 1,25,000 kms of trouble free driving , I took a plunge in to unknown territory by buying the Figo. Ritz was in the race till the last moment. My cousin was also looking for a hatch and being a back seat driver, he thrust the responsibility of finding a suitable car to me. Thus started the search for 2 hatch backs in the 4.5 - 5.0 lac range in April'10.

The first show room visited was Concorde (only because it was the nearest to my office). Got totally put off by the attitude and out went Vista from the list . Also my cousin owns an Indica and didn't want to buy it again and the his running in Chennai could be pretty low. I run around 1300 kms a month but I was not very keen on diesel. I didn't like the rolly polly look of punto and hence didn't give it a serious thought.

The next pit stop was at Popular Vehicles show room of Maruthi. Being a maruthi user, I had asked my regular service advisor to inform he show room and a sales executive was waiting for me. I had good look at the Ritz and was really impressed. The SE asked me 30 mins time for arranging a TD. Since I wanted to have a look at the Figo on the same day, I decided to take the TD another day.

Went to Chennai Ford next and was impressed by the features of the car.But again no TD since CF doesn't allow TD after 6.30 pm.

Took a TD of both the cars (short ones for around 2 kms) a few days later and the dilemma started.

Ritz Vxi costs 4.70 lacs OTR after a 15K discount, with sun film and under body painting thrown in a free. Figo Exi was Rs. 4.4 lacs OTR but had an inbuilt music player. So with the player the diff between prices is around 40K.

But are these cars comparable was the mute question. Ford has very successfully positioned the car in a very crowded segment, in such a way it is very difficult to pin point a comparable car from others.

Even though powered by 1.2L engine, Figo @71hp is no match to 85 hp of Ritz. It more comparable to A star or i10 1.1 in terms of power. The prices are also comparable with these cars. But Ford has given such a big car with so many features , it gets invariably compared to Ritz/swift. One thing that can't be denied is that Figo is VFM.

I decided on Ritz Vxi for my cousin due to easy ingress/exit thanks to the tall boy design and power windows in the rear.

My heart was pushing me towards Figo but my head was posing a few tough questions.

1. You could well become guinea pig as the new car could have teething problems ?
2. What about FE? (now turning out be a very hot issue in the forum)
3. What if the car fails. You could be left with a car with no re sale value ?

After a lot of confusion decided to buy the Figo and booked the car with MPL Ford.

I will post my dealership experience, initial experience of the car and comparisions with Maruthi shortly.

raju2512 · 24th May 2010, 15:49

Enough has been written about features of Figo and and I am not going to repeat. What I am giving below is a comparison of Figo zxi with Ritz Vxi.

Before I start I wish to make it clear that I have driven Figo for just 250 kms and Ritz for around 70 kms. I have not driven and tried the cars in various conditions. The views are purely personal and sometimes subjective.

I have rated the cars by giving the better of the two a value of 10 and the ranking of the other car w.r.t to the better car.

Dealership / pre-purchase/ documentation / delivery:

Maruthi (Popular services) 10, Ford (MPL) 4 -

Ford has miles to go before it can catch up Maruthi. Just too much gap. But I must mention that the SE of MPL Mr R Vignesh was very resourceful and helpful

Engine / performance:

Ritz 10 , Figo 7

The extra 14 horses in Ritz clearly make Ritz a better car in this aspect. Figo is more noisy compared to the K series engine. In all aspects Ritz comes out better. But don't mistake me, Figo's petrol engine does perform very well but only pales in comaprion with Ritz.

Gear Box/Clutch

Both 10

Both the cars are very good and nothing to differentiate.

Driving experience / steering / stability

Figo 10, Ritz 8

Figo scores over Ritz here. The steering feel is just perfect and the car gives you extreme confidence. The visibility with the 2 small but very effective ORVM is just about perfect. Ritz has a lot of blind spots and despite the higher seating, the overall visibility is not good. The small rear glasses coupled with thick C pillars and rear head rest obstruct the rear view and reversing can be tricky.

Added advantage is that the bonnet is visible in Figo and quite useful when taking tight turns in crowded roads.

Controls / dash

Ritz 10 , Figo 9

The big speedo with unconventionally mounted taco make Ritz's less cluttered and easy to read. Ritz has a much bigger dash and the small closed storage area in the center and the storage area above glove box are useful.

Figo's dash with factory fitted audio is also very good and there are quite a few storage areas. The positions of the gear shift is comfortable in both the cars. If only Ford had given the indicator control on the right and wipers on the left it would have been perfect.

Features

Figo 10, Ritz 7

Factory fitted ICE, blue tooth connectivity, electrically operated ORVMs, rear wipers, day/night IRVM, location of boot release button, 360 deg adjustable AC vents, keyless entry, programmable remote,boot open with remote, programmable wipers, rapid deceleration warning ... Figo just rocks. The only draw back is the absence of rear power windows.

Space / comfort / AC / boot

Figo 10 Ritz 8

Sit in the drivers seat, you don't feel like driving a hatch back. Figo quite spacious and the boot can challenge the sedans. The aircon is very good and throw is excellent. Ritz with higher seating makes ingress/exit a bit easier.

Looks

Highly subjective and hence I am comparing the two

A.S.S and cost of ownership

Too early to compare but keeping fingers crossed.

F.E

Ritz owners report around 12-14 kmpl in city driving. Figo - waiting with anxiety.

Daewood · 24th May 2010, 16:00

Congrats..and yours is the first "Chill" in Tbhp.
do post pics.

Is the Figo 'Chill' colour and Fiesta 'Chill' same?

Schoudhury · 24th May 2010, 16:25

Grt Sir.
I always feel you should go with your heart, and i guess thats what you did.
Rest of the details along with pictures are eagerly awaited .
Cheers

gemithomas · 24th May 2010, 16:53

Wow! I was looking out for something like this. A point to point comparison with Ritz rom an actual Buyer.

Congrats.

nkrishnap · 24th May 2010, 17:24

Congrats on the Figo. Now this thread will be interesting to get feed back as compared to the Ritz.

Do post the pictures of the car

Schoudhury · 24th May 2010, 18:02

Congrats Raju.
Looks like rest of the posts will be interesting with some more details/comparisons.
Cheers
Keep us posted .

xingamazon · 24th May 2010, 18:21

Congrats Raju, on your new buy,
Expecting lots of pics of the car.
And sure your review is different from others I did go thro all part of the review.

raju2512 · 25th May 2010, 13:26

Thanks for all your wishes. I have taken a few photos of both the cars and will post them here . I will be out of Chennai for 10 days and will post more photos/ experiences after that.

Now the not so good news. I refilled the tank after 215 kms and the consumption was 23.4 lit , a mileage of around 9.1 kmpl. I am a bit disappointed and hope that it will settle around 12 kmpl after some time.

raju2512 · 25th May 2010, 13:59

"Chill" on a rainy stormy day (My Figo and a comparo with the Ritz)-img_0121.jpg

"Chill" on a rainy stormy day (My Figo and a comparo with the Ritz)-img_0124.jpg

A comparison of the dash boards

"Chill" on a rainy stormy day (My Figo and a comparo with the Ritz)-dash.jpg

Rear Visibility

Rear view

"Chill" on a rainy stormy day (My Figo and a comparo with the Ritz)-back.jpg

Height

"Chill" on a rainy stormy day (My Figo and a comparo with the Ritz)-img_0137.jpg

KiloAlpha · 25th May 2010, 14:54

Great post man! And congrats on your new "chill" petrol Figo.

As a Figo 1.2 owner myself, so far I haven't felt that the engine is inadequate in any way in the city.

Keep us posted on FE!

Utopian · 26th May 2010, 00:59

Congrtas raju for the Figo. Only grouse being the motor, the Figo has done really good in all the other departments. The Ritz-Figo comparison has been done quite well, especially the snaps part.
How would you rate the air conditioner performance of the duo?

raju2512 · 26th May 2010, 09:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by Utopian

How would you rate the air conditioner performance of the duo?

Figo is better. With 360 deg adjustable vents, the effect is even more pronounced.

Even the engine is excellent but in comparison with K series of Ritz, it comes out second.

The biggest worry is FE. It can make or break the car in the next few months.

raju2512 · 16th June 2010, 15:59

Couldn't keep the thread updated since I was away for 10 days.The car has done 1025 kms so far.

The recent re-fueling was for 33.8 lit and the distance covered was 415 kms giving a mileage of 12.3 kmpl. Of the 415 kms around 200 kms was in highways. The previous refill was 28.1 lits for 255 kms @ 9 kmpl in all city run. The AC is always on.

THE FE fig is bit disappointing but I will wait for around 3-4k km before a judgement can be passed on FE

The car is fun to drive and feels very secure in highways. The steering feed back is great and body roll is virtually not there.

In mean while Ritz is on ling ride and will update FE after it returns home.

vigneshA · 16th June 2010, 17:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by raju2512

The biggest worry is FE. It can make or break the car in the next few months.

+1 . However the question that i had was : Will the FE of this BS -IV compliant engine improve if the BS IV fuel starts to flow in.
Cant believe that Ford can be so naive to have rid of both power and FE for the engine of size 1.2

24th May 2010, 14:45	#1
raju2512 BHPian Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 325 Thanked: 144 Times	"Chill" on a rainy stormy day (My Figo and a comparo with the Ritz) There was chill in the air. On a day of rain and storm , I took delivery of my Figo 1.2 Zxi Chill. The forum is literally flooded with Figo ownership threads and I did hesitate before posting one more but I will try to make it slightly different by a feature by feature comparison with Ritz. After having driven exclusively Maruthi vehicles (mostly M800/Wagon R) for the last 8 years and clocking around 1,25,000 kms of trouble free driving , I took a plunge in to unknown territory by buying the Figo. Ritz was in the race till the last moment. My cousin was also looking for a hatch and being a back seat driver, he thrust the responsibility of finding a suitable car to me. Thus started the search for 2 hatch backs in the 4.5 - 5.0 lac range in April'10. The first show room visited was Concorde (only because it was the nearest to my office). Got totally put off by the attitude and out went Vista from the list . Also my cousin owns an Indica and didn't want to buy it again and the his running in Chennai could be pretty low. I run around 1300 kms a month but I was not very keen on diesel. I didn't like the rolly polly look of punto and hence didn't give it a serious thought. The next pit stop was at Popular Vehicles show room of Maruthi. Being a maruthi user, I had asked my regular service advisor to inform he show room and a sales executive was waiting for me. I had good look at the Ritz and was really impressed. The SE asked me 30 mins time for arranging a TD. Since I wanted to have a look at the Figo on the same day, I decided to take the TD another day. Went to Chennai Ford next and was impressed by the features of the car.But again no TD since CF doesn't allow TD after 6.30 pm. Took a TD of both the cars (short ones for around 2 kms) a few days later and the dilemma started. Ritz Vxi costs 4.70 lacs OTR after a 15K discount, with sun film and under body painting thrown in a free. Figo Exi was Rs. 4.4 lacs OTR but had an inbuilt music player. So with the player the diff between prices is around 40K. But are these cars comparable was the mute question. Ford has very successfully positioned the car in a very crowded segment, in such a way it is very difficult to pin point a comparable car from others. Even though powered by 1.2L engine, Figo @71hp is no match to 85 hp of Ritz. It more comparable to A star or i10 1.1 in terms of power. The prices are also comparable with these cars. But Ford has given such a big car with so many features , it gets invariably compared to Ritz/swift. One thing that can't be denied is that Figo is VFM. I decided on Ritz Vxi for my cousin due to easy ingress/exit thanks to the tall boy design and power windows in the rear. My heart was pushing me towards Figo but my head was posing a few tough questions. 1. You could well become guinea pig as the new car could have teething problems ? 2. What about FE? (now turning out be a very hot issue in the forum) 3. What if the car fails. You could be left with a car with no re sale value ? After a lot of confusion decided to buy the Figo and booked the car with MPL Ford. I will post my dealership experience, initial experience of the car and comparisions with Maruthi shortly.
	() Thanks

24th May 2010, 15:49	#2
raju2512 BHPian Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 325 Thanked: 144 Times	Enough has been written about features of Figo and and I am not going to repeat. What I am giving below is a comparison of Figo zxi with Ritz Vxi. Before I start I wish to make it clear that I have driven Figo for just 250 kms and Ritz for around 70 kms. I have not driven and tried the cars in various conditions. The views are purely personal and sometimes subjective. I have rated the cars by giving the better of the two a value of 10 and the ranking of the other car w.r.t to the better car. Dealership / pre-purchase/ documentation / delivery: Maruthi (Popular services) 10, Ford (MPL) 4 - Ford has miles to go before it can catch up Maruthi. Just too much gap. But I must mention that the SE of MPL Mr R Vignesh was very resourceful and helpful Engine / performance: Ritz 10 , Figo 7 The extra 14 horses in Ritz clearly make Ritz a better car in this aspect. Figo is more noisy compared to the K series engine. In all aspects Ritz comes out better. But don't mistake me, Figo's petrol engine does perform very well but only pales in comaprion with Ritz. Gear Box/Clutch Both 10 Both the cars are very good and nothing to differentiate. Driving experience / steering / stability Figo 10, Ritz 8 Figo scores over Ritz here. The steering feel is just perfect and the car gives you extreme confidence. The visibility with the 2 small but very effective ORVM is just about perfect. Ritz has a lot of blind spots and despite the higher seating, the overall visibility is not good. The small rear glasses coupled with thick C pillars and rear head rest obstruct the rear view and reversing can be tricky. Added advantage is that the bonnet is visible in Figo and quite useful when taking tight turns in crowded roads. Controls / dash Ritz 10 , Figo 9 The big speedo with unconventionally mounted taco make Ritz's less cluttered and easy to read. Ritz has a much bigger dash and the small closed storage area in the center and the storage area above glove box are useful. Figo's dash with factory fitted audio is also very good and there are quite a few storage areas. The positions of the gear shift is comfortable in both the cars. If only Ford had given the indicator control on the right and wipers on the left it would have been perfect. Features Figo 10, Ritz 7 Factory fitted ICE, blue tooth connectivity, electrically operated ORVMs, rear wipers, day/night IRVM, location of boot release button, 360 deg adjustable AC vents, keyless entry, programmable remote,boot open with remote, programmable wipers, rapid deceleration warning ... Figo just rocks. The only draw back is the absence of rear power windows. Space / comfort / AC / boot Figo 10 Ritz 8 Sit in the drivers seat, you don't feel like driving a hatch back. Figo quite spacious and the boot can challenge the sedans. The aircon is very good and throw is excellent. Ritz with higher seating makes ingress/exit a bit easier. Looks Highly subjective and hence I am comparing the two A.S.S and cost of ownership Too early to compare but keeping fingers crossed. F.E Ritz owners report around 12-14 kmpl in city driving. Figo - waiting with anxiety.
	(2) Thanks

24th May 2010, 16:00	#3
Daewood BHPian Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 942 Thanked: 234 Times	Congrats..and yours is the first "Chill" in Tbhp. do post pics. Is the Figo 'Chill' colour and Fiesta 'Chill' same?
	() Thanks

24th May 2010, 16:25	#4
Schoudhury Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Blore/Dallas-TX Posts: 1,066 Thanked: 482 Times View My Garage	Grt Sir. I always feel you should go with your heart, and i guess thats what you did. Rest of the details along with pictures are eagerly awaited . Cheers
	() Thanks

24th May 2010, 16:53	#5
gemithomas Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Trivandrum Posts: 2,366 Thanked: 143 Times View My Garage	Wow! I was looking out for something like this. A point to point comparison with Ritz rom an actual Buyer. Congrats.
	() Thanks

24th May 2010, 17:24	#6
nkrishnap Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 3,983 Thanked: 7,425 Times View My Garage	Congrats on the Figo. Now this thread will be interesting to get feed back as compared to the Ritz. Do post the pictures of the car
	() Thanks

24th May 2010, 18:02	#7
Schoudhury Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Blore/Dallas-TX Posts: 1,066 Thanked: 482 Times View My Garage	Congrats Raju. Looks like rest of the posts will be interesting with some more details/comparisons. Cheers Keep us posted .
	() Thanks

24th May 2010, 18:21	#8
xingamazon Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 1,400 Thanked: 122 Times	Congrats Raju, on your new buy, Expecting lots of pics of the car. And sure your review is different from others I did go thro all part of the review.
	() Thanks

25th May 2010, 13:26	#9
raju2512 BHPian Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 325 Thanked: 144 Times	Thanks for all your wishes. I have taken a few photos of both the cars and will post them here . I will be out of Chennai for 10 days and will post more photos/ experiences after that. Now the not so good news. I refilled the tank after 215 kms and the consumption was 23.4 lit , a mileage of around 9.1 kmpl. I am a bit disappointed and hope that it will settle around 12 kmpl after some time.
	() Thanks

25th May 2010, 13:59	#10
raju2512 BHPian Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 325 Thanked: 144 Times	A comparison of the dash boards Rear Visibility Rear view Height
	(1) Thanks

25th May 2010, 14:54	#11
KiloAlpha Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Cubicle Posts: 1,616 Thanked: 3,070 Times	Great post man! And congrats on your new "chill" petrol Figo. As a Figo 1.2 owner myself, so far I haven't felt that the engine is inadequate in any way in the city. Keep us posted on FE!
	() Thanks

26th May 2010, 00:59	#12
Utopian BHPian Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: New Delhi Posts: 605 Thanked: 129 Times	Congrtas raju for the Figo. Only grouse being the motor, the Figo has done really good in all the other departments. The Ritz-Figo comparison has been done quite well, especially the snaps part. How would you rate the air conditioner performance of the duo?
	() Thanks

16th June 2010, 15:59	#14
raju2512 BHPian Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 325 Thanked: 144 Times	Couldn't keep the thread updated since I was away for 10 days.The car has done 1025 kms so far. The recent re-fueling was for 33.8 lit and the distance covered was 415 kms giving a mileage of 12.3 kmpl. Of the 415 kms around 200 kms was in highways. The previous refill was 28.1 lits for 255 kms @ 9 kmpl in all city run. The AC is always on. THE FE fig is bit disappointing but I will wait for around 3-4k km before a judgement can be passed on FE The car is fun to drive and feels very secure in highways. The steering feed back is great and body roll is virtually not there. In mean while Ritz is on ling ride and will update FE after it returns home.
	() Thanks