| Ford Figo White TDCi Titanium - Initial Ownership Report
Mods: I have written my entire experience here than directly jumping to driving impressions. I just felt that it made my post more complete. Let me know if it is an issue.
Finally my Diamond White Figo TDCi Titanium is here! I am kind of nervous and eager at the same time because I have gone against my entire family's advice and even my own past experiences. The only places which support my Figo buying decision are T-Bhp and my wife. So I keeping my fingers crossed and praying that nothing goes terribly wrong.
INDEX:
1. Brief Introduction
2. Selection Process
3. Dealership Review
4. Driving Impressions & Observations
4.a. Things I love about the car
4.b. The Not so good things
4.c. Questions that still remain
5. Photographic review
1.Brief Introduction
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I moved from Los Angeles back to India about 4 months back. I (sadly) sold off my friends - 2001 Camry and a 2000 Mustang who were there with me through my entire time in the US for the last 9 yrs. All ready to make a fresh start back in India, I started scouting for cars. And that's when the family swooped in and the advice started pouring in -
- My dad & mom were totally against me buying a small car
- My uncles & cousins said buy Maruti or Hyundai, everything else is crap or too expensive
- Many of them advised me against buying diesel as diesels are high maintainence
- My cousin (the automobile engineer in my family) advised me to buy logan or Innova
- Every other neighbor advised me to go for swift
- Finally, everyone said NO FORD. I had bought a escort during college and suffered through a maintainence nightmare
You get the idea...
To me buying a car is like getting married. The prettiest girlfriend dosn't make the best wife neither does the smartest one! One has to make compromises whichever way you go and moreover you have to live with it (happily!). You have to work with both the head and the heart and sometimes things just click.
2.Selection Process:
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I drive a lot in general. Love to drive, irrespective of the car, road or the country. So diesel it was. I drove a couple of modern day Turbo diesels and loved their feel and torque. Also, this car was going to be for my wife once I buy my SUV (maybe in a year). So it had to be small. However, I am 6 feet tall and we have a small baby and pack in quite a lot when we travel. So boot space was must and so was ABS and Airbags. Loved to have a blue tooth feature as my work involves lot of long conference calls. I don't drive very aggressively but would like to maintain 100-120 on the new double lane highways.
To sum it up, I wanted a diesel small car with Airbags, ABS, decent boot space, decent handling and orthodox looks. (Thinking back, I think I just described a Figo, did'nt I?). Selection wise, I went through the usual suspects -
Vista: Great car, interior sucks...the steering wheel ..ahhgg!
Punto: I am 183 cms, and there was just no space in the rear after I sat
Swift: Space issues, too long a delivery time
Ritz: Surprisingly (shockingly to others) - I liked the outside, hated the inside
I like our national diesel engine (Fiat 1.3 MJD) but thought the Turbolag would prove a challenge to my wife. Loved its smoothness and the power delivery at higher RPM's.
Manza: Loved it, too big for my wife to drive
Fiesta: Not much space inside for a sedan given a bigger price tag
Oh wait, did'nt I say small car in my selection criteria...my wife reminded me of that before I got too far along TD'ing the sedans. This car is meant for her and I will get myself a SUV next year. Till then...
Figo: Drove it, Loved it. That sums it up.
Except for the absence of rear power windows and that it is a Ford!! Moreover, my wife loved it. It ticked all the right boxes and we booked a White TDCi Titanium. I had promised myself never to buy a Ford in India after my escort experience and never from Rajshree Ford (the only showroom in Coimbatore). To the great disdain of my big family, I did just that!!! Everyone was like, what is wrong with this guy? Maybe he has too much money to spare coming from the USA! Another point was, how I could pay 6.5L for a small car? They wanted me to get a good petrol sedan at that price or a lakh more (spending that extra L is well worth in their mind). Anyways, this is what we have always done...Honda City, Baleno etc. etc. Nobody understood the importance/meaning of ABS/Airbags either...
A big thanks to the T-bhpians who helped me along.
- TBHP convinced me not to write off a entire brand due to one bad model
- My wife convinced me not to write off a good car due to a bad dealer
Well after going to a B-School, I figured I should take decisions with the head and not the heart. Easier said than done.
3.Dealership Review:
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I was hoping things would be different at Rajshree this time around. I was wrong!! But to be fair, here is an objective good/bad analysis:
The Good:
- Delivery process was smooth
- Got the car in promised time
- The car was in good condition and survived a thorough PDI
The Bad:
- Attitude, Attitude, Attitude: "If you want to buy, pay the money else get out of here" - kind of attitude.
- No follow up whatsoever, pre-sale or after-sale or after-delivery. Had to keep calling them for everything.
- Trying to rip the customer of in accessories. I will cite couple of glaring examples: The new 2011 Figo comes with all the wiring, switches for the Fogs. So the new Fogs cost only 2900 + labor. The RJ Ford Sales (2 reps + Team lead) argued with me for 0.5 hrs that it was no the case. They said it costed 4500 + labor and that I was misinformed and misdirected by the internet (T-bhp). Finally, I told them "lets call Ford and verify". All of a sudden, they wanted to check with their SE and suddenly they came back (without even making a phone call) with an answer that they did not have this new kit and that ford has not sent this new kit to them in 2011. Hard to believe but what could one do? Also, they totally did not tell me about the anniversary discount at all.
If you have a choice don't buy here!
4. Driving Impressions & Observations
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Took delivery of the car. Nice! A sense of relief flooded through me as started driving the car from the showroom. Love the car and how it feels.
Accessories bought at Ford:
- Just the boot mat.
Took the car to a accessories shop and added the following:
- Reverse Sensors
- Full carpeting + Mats
- Front windshield film (3M) and Sunfilm (Raybarrier). Very effective yet high visibility. Quite expensive though!
4.a.What I love about the car:
1. The Steering:
Everything about the steering is great and infact this what sold me the car. The look, the feel, the size, the color, the shape and last but not the least - how it responds. It is not too hard, not too loose. It is everything that a Vista steering was not. The Figo handles like a gem.
2. The Tuning:
The turbo lag is not very obvious at all and this makes driving in the city very easy. Also, if one is new to diesels then it makes the transition that much easier. The power delivery is linear to the most part (you still feel the turbo pull at around 2.5k RPM but nothing like the 1.3MJD).
3. Third Gear:
The gearing also is quite nice for the city with the third gear being very versatile. I still feel it could have been a tad bit lower.
4. Boot Space:
After all, selecting a hatch does not mean one does not carry luggage at all. Most available hatches have pathetic luggage space and the Figo was breath of fresh air. Love the boot!
5. Interiors:
Nothing special about it but it does not look bad!! I feel that car makers nowdays go out of their way to screw up the looks of a dashboard. No offense here, but I hate the way the stereo system has been integrated into the Dzire/Swift family. Ford has done a decent job at it. Take the black dash and you get a clean nice well-layed out dash. The seat covers on Titanium are pretty good looking. The only downsides are the AC knobs and the plastic on the doors.
6. Features:
Bluetooth, rear wipers, auto locking doors, ABS, Airbags, MP3 Player, height adjustable seats, remote locking etc. The only two things I miss - rear power windows and steering controls. Come on Ford! I also like that Ford did not totally undertyre the Figo. 175/65/R14 seem like a pretty decent fit both in terms of performance and looks.
7. Seating Position: I am 183 cm tall. Figo is one of the few car where I did not bump my leg against the steering. This is true even in bigger sedans. Especially in long rides when you want to move your left leg around, this can get annoying. Suprisingly, Figo has a nice seating that liberates a lot of room for the knees. Also the seating position is not too high or too low (Baleno). I am impressed.
I think many in T-BHP have said it many times and I will say it again. Figo is above average in most ways and exceptional in none. And that is why I bought a Figo and that is all I expect from it!
Smaller Things
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- The remote key can be programmed to open one door or all four doors
- The doors lock automatically when you move
- If you unlock the door through remote and don't open the door for 45s it locks back. Nice!
- There is a empty slot in the tail light cluster for a rear fog. Wonder how to fix it...I would really want to put a good bulb in there and connect it to my reverse lights to light up better when I reverse? Is this possible?
- 2011 Figo's come with the headlight switch that accommodate the Fogs. And buying the Fogs should cost only 2900 + Labor and not 4500.
- Seat height adjustment is nice feature
- AC vent design is nice. Much better than the ones in City/Baleno.
- Put the car in 1st or 2nd gear and let go of the clutch and accel and the car will move along at a slow pace. Nice feature for city driving!
4.b.The not so good things
1. Customer Service!!!!!!!!!Nothing left to say here...I think Tata's customer service was at least 2X better.
2. Rear Power Windows: Ford, Why?. The top end should have Fog lamps, Power windows, Steering Controls at least even if it costed 20K more.
3. Engine can be better. The car outside sounds like a old diesel. I think the MJD is much more refined engine. The engine is noisy and has more vibration than the MJD. While it does its job well, it could be much more refined.
4. Controls layout: Indicators on the left hand is a pain to get adjusted to..especially if one has multiple cars. Again, I scratch my head and ask Why Ford, Why? Is it that difficult or that expensive? Its a pain when you turn as you might want to change gears that the very same time you want to signal!
5. Fuel lid: The Fuel lid opens through the remote key or a button in the dash. However, Ford has given a small hole (like the ones which have to be opened with hand). I am sure someone is going to tug it open one day or an another.
6. Seats: Seats are OK by themselves but unable to find a good position for my neck and it is a pain (real pain in my neck). I don't face this problem in the city or the baleno. Not sure how to sort this out. Overall, I think the seating is not very comfortable for bigger/taller passenger for long trips.
7. Plastics: The door plastics and the AC knobs are the two places which lack quality. Else overall the quality is decent.
8. Cheapo packs: I think Ford's essential pack is a rip off. Those things need to be in a car. Come on, should'nt a mud flap be part of a brand new car? Also the quality of the mats look suspect.
Smaller Things
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- Miss a Tiltable steering
- Need more light in the cabin and in the boot
- 60:40 foldable seats would have been nice
- Heat rests/Arm rest for the back passengers
- More cubby holes, an underseat tray?
- Little more insulation in the doors/bonnet.
4.c. Questions that still remain
1. My family tells me that I am like a guy who dresses up in a suit while wearing canvas shoes i.e. due my disinclination to upgrade the MRF's. They say I am making a stupid mistake to save a few bucks! From my brief discussion on the Figo tyres thread, I thought the MRF's were a great all-rounders (bad roads, highways, rains) as long as one did not drive like Schumi? Am I being stupid here by not upgrading? I will be commuting Bangalore-Coimbatore quite a bit, travel on bad roads from time to time.
2. I am unable to find a good position with the head rest. They don't back and getting a neck strain because of this. Hoping there is some way to adjust it or get a pillow or something.
3. The ride has been quite bouncy so far. I need to check the air pressure on the tyres (have not done so after delivery). I drive with 0-4 passengers depending on time of day and purpose of the trip. If this is the case what should be tyre pressure? Should it be a value inbetween minimum and max loads? For eg: 34 front and 38 back?
4. I opted on not buying mudflaps at numerous T-BHP members mentioned that they scrape and break off. Is there any issues in not having a mudflap?
5. Does the sound system play MP3's on DVD's?
6. Can the steering made tiltable? The Figo to SA has a tiltable steering and so does that the fiesta? Wonder if it is just missing the lever? Auto Engineers in T-BHP help!
7. Is a under body rubber (anti-corrosion) coating a must? Can I get it done at the 1st service?
8. At low speeds, suddenly the car loses power and one has to downshift rapidly to get it moving. I was turning a sharp corner in 2nd, when I had to break for a cyclist. The car suddenly lost power in 2nd power and felt dead. I had to quickly move into 1st to get it moving again. Have not noticed this in MJD.
5. Photographic Review
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The Figo has been photographed extensively and there are several threads here (GTO's, Gemi's etc) which have covered it in every possible angle. I do not think that my photographic skills will do justice to the car. But each car is unique...so here are some random shots of my TDCi.
Last edited by rohing : 28th March 2011 at 13:49.
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26th March 2011, 22:45
. Anyways, I filled the tank today for the first time and the number I got was 572. I think this is in range with what most Figo owner got for their first tank full.