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My 2020 Ford Figo diesel: Purchase, ownership & remap experience

26th March 2022, 08:03 by Rahul Nagaraj

I was also considering the Tata Tiago JTP and the Volkswagen Polo 1.0L TSI at the time of purchase.

BHPian jecenth recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello BHPians,

After being a member and regular reader of Team-bhp for close to 2 years, I gathered the courage to add a thread on this forum about my ownership experience of Figo 1.5 TDCi. I believe this thread will be valuable for existing Ford owners and someone considering a Pre-worshipped Ford. Here it goes:

The Decision

I have completed my studies; Got a job offer in my hand and as a family, we were moving into the next phase of life. I always dreamt of having a car of my own at this point in life and went ahead with the decision by February 2020.

Why Figo?

Due to the fact this is our first car and our budget, we decided to go for a hatchback. Since I will be driving this car extensively, I wanted it to be a bit on the sportier side.

I considered Tiago JTP due to its powertrain and being a special car but it was discontinued at that point and searching for the left-over stock would be a pain as they were only retailed through limited dealerships.

Maruti Swift was not considered as they have terrible safety records. Also, they are ubiquitous on-road and lacks exclusivity.

Figo was an easy decision as it offered good value for money while also having a sporty quotient. I bizarrely liked the fact that Figo is rare on roads. Initially, petrol was considered but after going through almost all Figo ownership threads in Team-BHP and praises for the 1.5TDCi motor finalized our First Car ever was going to be a Ford Figo Titanium 1.5TDCi and booked it by end of February 2020.

Buying Experience:

The time I decided to buy my car was a tumultuous period for both the Indian auto industry and the entire Planet. The switch from BS4 to BS6 mandated by the Regulatory body and the Covid-19 pandemic substantially extended my waiting period from the initial 1 month to 4 months. Also, Ford when launching BS6 variants decided to cut a lot of features from the Figo Titanium variant and hiked the price by Rs 30k throughout the range. This pushed me to go for the higher Titanium Blu variant by extending our budget. I liked the Blu variant due to its resemblance with the Sports variant except for the excessive usage of decals.

In the meantime, while I was waiting and writing emails to Ford India to get an idea of when they will be able to deliver my car, VW Polo 1.0 TSI was launched. I almost cancelled my booking to go for it, but the higher driving cost for petrol and infamous service bills kept me from it.

The experience was pretty rough, but can't blame it on anyone due to the change in the world order. The car was finally delivered on June 24, 2020. I was smiling ear to ear when I first saw the car in night lights coming to me.

Somewhere near Shivmogga

What I like:

The Steering; Though on the lighter side, it has a good amount of feel
The 1.5TDCi motor; Linear and punchy
The Handling
Decent brakes
Trouble-free ownership and low running costs

What I don't like:

No Sync 3; Big miss
Below average infotainment system
Not-so-rev-happy engine post 3k rpm
Poor headlights
DPF issues in BS6 diesel.

Driving experience:

The big point to talk about Figo has to be its driving experience. The car is mostly unexciting in other aspects. The hero of the show has to be the 1.5 TDCi motor. A capable motor with a healthy amount of torque in the lower rev-band. It responds strongly from 1,200rpm all the way to 4000rpm. The torque delivery is very linear and peak torque is achieved at 2000rpm which is good enough to pin you to the seat in lower gears. The motor is not so revving happy post 2500rpm with a boomy sound. But I have been using Cetane X (diesel additive) which counters those characteristics. The 5-speed transmission is a bit clunky but gets the job done. The gear shift quality and feedback are not the best. The gear ratios are on the shorter side which also compliments the overall driveability. It has enough pull even in 5th gear at triple digits which comes very handy in highways.

The clutch is on the heavier side but one will easily get used to it. I personally appreciate the heaviness after experiencing ultra-soft clutches in TATAs and Hyundais which I find tough to modulate. The NVH levels are average inside the cabin. The brake though good is not good enough at triple-digit speeds. Also, the ABS is too intrusive, gets triggered easily. The suspension setup is on the stiffer side, the ride on the pothole-filled roads will be harsh and uncomfortable especially when the car is fully loaded. The steering has a good amount of feel. It is feather-light at parking speeds and weighs up linearly. Though it weighs up adequately, at high speeds I would prefer a little more heft in steering. I thoroughly enjoyed and exploited its handling ability in Ghat roads to Kodaikanal which remains my favourite drive to date. However, at high-speed cornering in highways, the body roll will be evident enough to make you lift off.

Overall, it's a great car to drive even in stock form.

Post a spirited drive in Kodai Ghats

The remap itch:

I got the itch mostly from reading Team-BHP forums. I decided to get the car remapped after running 10k on odo. The hunt for tuner was finalized after extensively reading some Team-BHP forums and online research. It was Wolf-performance. But they don't have a dealership in Chennai. They travel to Chennai but not frequently.

I went on a road trip with friends to Karnataka for New year 2022 and decided to get remapped from Engineering Exponent (Wolf Performance Bangalore dealer). I was late by 3 hours to the venue due to Bangalore traffic but they were kind enough to work late at night. A big thumbs-up to the team.

Post remap experience:

I have driven 2000kms post to remap. I find the engine note is changed. It sounds a bit coarse and dry compared to stock. I can hear the turbo spool post 2000rpm. The low end is improved than stock but not up to what I imagined in my head after reading in forums (My bad). It can be felt when pulling comfortably from 40kmph in 5th gear. I was told the map was a bit aggressive and linear. The significant difference of the remap can be felt post 1800rpm with a deep surge of torque. It feels brutal in lower gears, pins you into the seat. I find myself often revving the car to feel this push. It turned lively in every gear. The fuel efficiency has improved considerably. When driving within speed limits on highways, I can easily extract 22+ km/l which is another good side but can go as low as 14kmpl when driven aggressively. This remap have unleashed the hooligan in this motor. The push even at triple digits in 5th gear was significant.

At Engineering Exponent, Bangalore.

Ford's DPF complaints:

BS6 1.5TDCi owners have experienced problems with DPFs when driven to city extents. But I haven't experienced any such in my car so far. Mostly due to the fact I drive it in highways often. I have received a recall letter from Ford for a software fix for DPF issues but I'm going to skip this as this will erase my remapped file. Also planning for a stage 2 setup later this year.

Ford's service has been prompt and easy on pocket even post Ford's exit. The second service costs INR 6000. I had to change my front brake pads at 17,000kms as they were finished mostly due to my driving style. No unwarranted hassles with the car so far. Hope it stays this way.

Addio!