[karthik008]

Originally Posted by AKTRACK

Also, Pls keep sharing about your experiences with the dealership. I am not too happy with mine and intend to change.

So I went back to the dealership yesterday to get the number plates fitted. I was expecting them to take their own sweet time and not really give me the kind of attention that they would give a new walk-in. I was floored when the SA - Prince - came running and enquired if I was happy with the car and if there was anything I was not happy with, they will take care of it right away. There is no doubt that I am being surprised with my experience with Ford and this particular dealer - Delhi Ford (Bhikaji Cama Place) - in a good way every time.

When I had gotten the reverse camera fitted, they fixed the aural warning speaker inside the cabin on the C-pillar and I wasn't sure if I was happy with its placement there. When I asked about this, the Accessories Manager (Mr. Deepak Rawat) was there within a couple of minutes and answered all my question on its placement, volume, etc. As of now, I'm continuing to keep it there. If I get bugged with the warnings, I'll get the speaker moved below the seat and concealed.

I am definitely happy with this dealer and their staff. AKTRAK, I highly recommend these guys after what my experience with them.

Originally Posted by AKTRACK

Ford Figo Aspire bags 'Sedan of the Year 2015' by Times Auto Awards 2015 in Partnership with ZigWheels.

It has already won the Compact Car of the Year award by CNBC-TV18 OVERDRIVE.

Historically, awards haven't done much for Ford in terms of sales.

I was at the Auto Expo 2016 Delhi yesterday - and saw the Mustang. I'm sure it will lap up an award or two here. The expo was a nightmare! I haven't seen such crowds ever. I had taken my DSLR and seeing the crowd, I was cursing myself for carrying a big camera as I would not be able to get the photos that I wanted. The crowd was so unbearable that we left in 45 min. Definitely not the way to enjoy cars and bikes. Will see if I can get an invite on the opening day next year, which is basically for auto mfrs, media, etc. and the general public is not there. The Ford stall was also insanely crowded. Here are a couple of pics. Dont miss the guy standing on an Endeavour to get a better view


Anyway, So I'm planning to get a 3M paint protection done today. Will keep everyone posted.

[C'estlavie]

Originally Posted by karthik008

A small world it is! I can understand your confusion. However, we were quite set on the Aspire as this was the best option for automatic, safety, space, and budget. We wanted a sedan and not an suv-like vehicle. The vehicle is primarily for my parents with occasional use by my wife and I when we go up to our place in the hills, which is around once a month. Also, Ecosport is not in the same budget. The SA who helped us was Prince Jain. He is great to deal with.

Karthik, how do you find it as a highway cruiser and up in the hills? I anticipate a 60:40 in the city and the highway, plus will use it to drive in the Uttarakhand hills. Since you seem to be using to for all three, does it meet all those criteria? Another important factor for me is that 'safe'/ 'protected' feeling while driving on the highways- you probably know how chaotic the highways around Delhi get, especially the Delhi- Uttarakhand runs. Finally, how does your FE change in the city and the highways/ hills?

[KreativeGeek]

Finally a TVC from Ford that makes some sense for the Aspire

https://youtu.be/jLYQdxoRZh4

[karthik008]

Originally Posted by C'estlavie

Karthik, how do you find it as a highway cruiser and up in the hills?

Hi C'estlavie, It's now been a week since we got the car, so can't really say about the hills. Will take it up to there after the first service - probably March end. Btw...our place is in Uttarakhand too...17kms beyond Bhimtal on the Mukteshwar route in a place called Jilling Estate. So if you're familiar with the place, you'll know the kind of roads I will be driving on. So I'll be able to talk about it there only then. As for highways, when I went to the Auto Expo yesterday on the Agra Expressway, it was brilliant. The average fuel efficiency jumped to 10.1kmpl from around 9kmpl (city/B2B traffic). The current FE on the higway was varying between 13-16kmpl (flat surface) to 99.9kmpl (downward slope). So this basically means that on the highway, it should give around 15-18kmpl if one drives wisely. Secondly, I hit around 90kmph for around 5 mins as I don't want to exceed 70-80kmpl until the first service, and the vehicle seemed absolutely planted and great to handle. Extremely satisfying ride quality and control. Will keep you posted on the hill run when I get there.

Originally Posted by KreativeGeek

Finally a TVC from Ford that makes some sense for the Aspire

Thanks for sharing KreativeGeek. I think its high time Ford got its act together on product positioning. I somehow feel this TVC also lacks the punch, though better than the earlier ones - which I have only seen on youtube. Don't remember ever seeing one on TV.

I think Indians are now at a point where everyone realizes the difference in hardware - its plainly visible when you go see the vehicles in the showrooms.

What really gets the point home is focus on the following:
1. FE (remember the Maurti ad with the Sardarji kid vrooming his toy car until the dad gets bugged and asks the kid to stop and the kid simply retorts saying: "kya karoon? Petrol khatam hi nahin honda!" - translated - "What can I do, the petrol just doesn't get over!");
2. after sales service (with a focus on service network across India) - again - remember the Maruti ad where two guys are looking for food and stay at a hill top in a Gypsy and nothing is available - but a Maruti service station is? Nailed it,
3. maintenance cost - Whoever I have spoken to has the impression that a Ford is expensive to maintain. This myth (if it is one) needs to be broken.

I hope Ford sees this and comes up with something soon.

Unfortunately in India, I feel safety still comes in last, though the consumer is waking up to it. Also if you see the statistics, the number of fatal accidents in Delhi has drastically fallen over the last decade - because average speeds have fallen. More B2B traffic means slower speeds - which further means accidents at lower speeds thereby reducing fatalities. Though on the highways, it may be a different story. Also with law enforcement being better, drunk driving has reduced too.

So these are the pics from today when the car underwent the essential treatment at the 3M store. Got the Beige 3M nomad mats as well. The treatment was for 4k and mats for 5.3k. I honestly feel the mats are overpriced. When its time to change the mats, I will get the noodle mats from a hardware store and cut them myself. Definitely not paying 5.3k for the mats the next time.

[SJN]

Originally Posted by karthik008

So finally got all formalities completed and took delivery today. What a great day! :-)

Hey karthik008 congrats on the new car and welcome to the AT family!
The car looks nice in white.
Here's wishing you miles and miles of fun and safe driving

[SJN]

Originally Posted by karthik008

Yes. It's a good offer. We got our 1.5 DCT from the same showroom for the same price point. I think it's a great deal. Took delivery last Sunday. See if you can negotiate it a little more since we're now officially in February. I'm guessing he would have told you that ghost applies for the White, Silver or Grey only.

8 lakhs OTR is certainly a very tempting offer considering that ex-showroom price in Delhi is around 7.83 lakhs. Is this because of dealer discounts?

[karthik008]

Originally Posted by SJN

Hey karthik008 congrats on the new car and welcome to the AT family!
The car looks nice in white.
Here's wishing you miles and miles of fun and safe driving

Thanks SJN! Wish you safe driving too.

Originally Posted by SJN

8 lakhs OTR is certainly a very tempting offer considering that ex-showroom price in Delhi is around 7.83 lakhs. Is this because of dealer discounts?

The on-road will actually be around 8.5. Yes...these are Ford and Dealer discounts, since Form 22 for the car was issued in Dec 2015 and not 2016..31 Dec 2015 to be precise Honestly, I think if I had not been too busy with work, I could have managed to squeeze in more discounts....but overall I'm happy with a price of around 8.57L on road with a 5 year warranty, top of the line SBI insurance with all add-ons (including engine guard..which protects against engine flooding, all accessories, etc.).

[AKTRACK]

January 2016 Sales figures -

Figo - 1770
Aspire - 1748

Ford must not be very happy.

[ramharis]

Originally Posted by AKTRACK

January 2016 Sales figures -

Figo - 1770
Aspire - 1748

Ford must not be very happy.

Well, they should expect that since their only customers were those who liked the driving feel and dynamics of Ford cars. I personally am a Ford fan (first the Ikon and now Figo), I wouldn't buy either of those new cars. They feel flimsy and not very enthusiastic to drive either.

Their best car in the lineup was All New Fiesta, which they don't wish to sell. Since the premium hatchback is growing, Ford should consider bringing the Fiesta hatchback.

[KreativeGeek]

Originally Posted by AKTRACK

January 2016 Sales figures -

Figo - 1770
Aspire - 1748

Ford must not be very happy.

They lost momentum from the 2nd month itself due to lack of promotional firepower that was needed very badly, even today they are shying away from actively promoting Figo twins. With new launches from recent Auto Expo in the pipeline Ford is going to be left clueless on what to do in order to push sales.

While I keep reading Ford enthusiasts wishing if the Ford from 'Good old Days' was still around they would have preferred to give a thought about the new offerings, There is a point when a company has to move on and their product profile changes with times and so do the consumers. Point is you either love it or you don't.

[jetti]

2nd month push was very crucial to counter the aggressive Baleno push by Maruti Suzuki. And then so many other launches followed. They missed the critical window. Even now, so few people know about this car. I told my friend to just have one look at this car and he took a test drive and immediately booked one. Ford is missing out on a lot of customers in this way, those who never even enter the showroom.

I do see ads for Ecosport quite regularly on TV. Don't know why they can't do the same for the Figo twins as well. I hate to see such good cars struggling.

Originally Posted by KreativeGeek

They lost momentum from the 2nd month itself due to lack of promotional firepower that was needed very badly, even today they are shying away from actively promoting Figo twins. With new launches from recent Auto Expo in the pipeline Ford is going to be left clueless on what to do in order to push sales.

[karthik008]

Originally Posted by AKTRACK

January 2016 Sales figures -

Figo - 1770
Aspire - 1748

Ford must not be very happy.

Thanks AKTRACK. I don't see a reason why Ford should be unhappy. They don't advertise or market their mass products the way they should. The Mustangs and Endeavors are not what's going to ring their cash registers really hard. It's the Figos and the Aspires that will. I hope they realize what they're upto.

Can YOU also please share the source of this info?

Originally Posted by KreativeGeek

They lost momentum from the 2nd month itself due to lack of promotional firepower that was needed very badly, even today they are shying away from actively promoting Figo twins. With new launches from recent Auto Expo in the pipeline Ford is going to be left clueless on what to do in order to push sales.

Well said KreativeGeek. I wonder why Ford doesn't wake up and smell the 'ad /marketing/promo' coffee.

Had it not been for TBHP reviews, I would have probably gotten sucked in by another brand in the CS segment. Ford really needs to get its act together on promoting it's hatch and CS and sedan segment cars.

I truly believe hardware is what everyone has to offer and is easy to compete on. A brand can highlight specific advantages that it's hardware has over another brand, but it's really the software (after sales service, spare pricing and other soft experiences) that need to be highlighted. It was great dealing with the dealer and Ford during my pre-delivery interactions. Ford needs to start telling people that they do these 'soft' things well. In the average consumer's head, Ford service network is nothing great and spares are expensive. This impression needs to be changed.

[samaspire]

Originally Posted by karthik008

So these are the pics from today when the car underwent the essential treatment at the 3M store.

Your 2nd pic shows white reverse sensors. Did the dealer paint these or are they after market. If it was painted then how is the performance?

[karthik008]

Originally Posted by samaspire

Your 2nd pic shows white reverse sensors. Did the dealer paint these or are they after market. If it was painted then how is the performance?

The sensors and cam were fitted by dealer. No idea if they were painted over or are available in white.

[motorlover]

My friend purchased a FORD Aspire 1.5 months back.When he was returning back from the office the car wasn't starting.He called the ROAD assistance and towed the vehicle.Its been 3 days they haven't found what is the fault and the new car is lying at the service station Caculo Ford Goa.Its surprising they haven't found the fault yet. Any help or feedback on this would be great.