[samaspire]

Were you on your regular tyres or something different?
The video shows the top speed at 172 kmph - was that the maximum it could reach on the BIC ?
May I ask your mileage on the BIC.


I assume you changed the speakers on the front doors too. Since you added spacers, keep a look out for water ingress into the cabin. I have aftermarket speakers and I faced this issue of my mat becoming wet during the rains - really wet.

We finally discovered that a plastic cap like fitting was diverting the water flow from the windows into a corner which opened into the cabin, instead of sending it to the outside. The fix was very simple - another plastic piece to alter the flow. So just watch out for wetness.

Sam

[bhuvan_prasad]

Originally Posted by samaspire

Were you on your regular tyres or something different?
The video shows the top speed at 172 kmph - was that the maximum it could reach on the BIC ?
May I ask your mileage on the BIC.


I assume you changed the speakers on the front doors too. Since you added spacers, keep a look out for water ingress into the cabin. I have aftermarket speakers and I faced this issue of my mat becoming wet during the rains - really wet.

We finally discovered that a plastic cap like fitting was diverting the water flow from the windows into a corner which opened into the cabin, instead of sending it to the outside. The fix was very simple - another plastic piece to alter the flow. So just watch out for wetness.

Sam

I was on my regular tyres only. I literally just sat in the car, drove to BIC, drove on the track, drove back home on both track days. Didn't change anything. Even my jopasu duster and microfiber cloth were in the boot(under the mat to prevent it from rolling around).

GPS shows around 172 Km/h at the end of the back straight, speedo showed around 180Km/h. This is the maximum I could reach on the Figo during my lap, and also overall. One has to then brake hard for C4 and the car more or less brakes in a straight line even from such high speeds. I have no clue about my track specific mileage, the track day did not adversely affect my overall mileage which is around 18Km/l for every tank full.

Yes, I changed all 4 speakers. Thanks for the tips, I took care to see I did not miss any plastic clip or retainers while installing the door pads back. My car is parked under covered parking at home and in office, and also it hardly rains here. The window rubber seals on the figo are not very good, and I can imagine lot of water going in, in areas where it rains a lot. Here, a lot of dust goes in.

[Senna4Ever]

Here is a useless fact-

If you put an extra 95kg of weight in this Figo and drive around the BIC, there will roughly be a 4 second disadvantage.

Thanks Bhuvan for the passenger ride in January!

Here the onboard:

https://youtu.be/bil2tSMPofA

[bhuvan_prasad]

Couple of updates to report with regards to the Figo :

1.) Nakamichi PA2004 Amplifier and Blaupunkt sub-woofer install -

I am not one of those guys who will go all out for his car's audio install, as it adds a lot of weight and is quite expensive. At home, and for my headphones I will gladly invest in audiophile grade equipment. However once I got my hands on this Nakamichi amp, I could not resist the temptation of installing it in the Figo. The amp was found in an old Honda City, that my friend Venkat had picked up for the engine. We thought the amp wouldn't work and hence was left behind, but wonders of wonder it worked flawlessly.

The Amp: The amp is VERY HEAVY, 11kgs +. Lot of configuration options. This was a $500+ amp back in the day.




The Figo was chosen over the Civic to install the amp, as the figo covers twice the mileage of the Civic, and with all the mods in the Civic(BOV whoosh, Turbo whistle, exhaust), I rarely turn on the audio system.

As I had already installed Rockford Fosgate Punch P1650 coaxials in the front and back, along-with comprehensive damping, the plan was to use the amp to drive the front two speakers, and a sub by bridging the rear channel output on the amp.

Got the install done at a friend's shop with me hovering around all the time and instructing the guy on what to put, how to put and where to put. I didn't want to go to any big audio installer as they would probably object to my constant interference. I picked up a Blaupunkt amp wiring kit for 3k and the sub for 7k to complete the setup. I obviously had to come home and redo the ground wiring properly to my satisfaction to prevent any interference. After 3-4 rounds of fiddling with the amp settings, my wife and I are finally extremely happy with the sound and the punch.



This amp is really powerful. It just brings so much clarity and power into the coaxials. I have a decent(~2Lakh) home theatre setup in my living room, and while this cannot match that, it is really really good for a car setup. I am not a bass-head, I like my bass to be tight. Fiddled around with the sub crossover settings and have configured it so that the woofer makes it presence felt without being overpowering at all. From the outside you just cannot hear the woofer, and there is zero booming. This amp can really overwhelm the sub. I actually tried out a pioneer sub before zeroing in on this Blaupunkt one, and would suggest anybody who is buying a sub, to resort to a similar practice. Rock, pop, electronic music all sound great. I actually look forward to stopping at signals now, so that I can listen to the whole setup.

2.) Front passenger tyre and tie-rod replacement :

In an unfortunate incident my wife, when parking the car, hit the tyre onto the pavement with the steering at full lock. I guess the speed and angle of the impact resulted in the steering tie-rod getting bent and tyre getting a deep gash. The tyre still held pressure absolutely fine and car was fully driveable, but a sidewall cut is the last thing I’d take a chance on, so I went immediately to star wheels, and got a replacement for INR 5.5k. Tread wear on my remaining tyres is not too much, hence just the one new tyre. The damage to the alloy wheel was purely cosmetic.



Also, went the next day to Harpreet ford at 9AM and was out by 10:45AM with my tie rod changed and alignment done. I noticed the bent rod when replacing the tyre, and knew it needed replacing immediately. I spoke to the mechanic and told him exactly what to replace and he did just that, and was very efficient in his job. He even got a torque wrench and tightened the wheel lug nuts, after first hand tightening them, I was impressed!! The tie-rod costed INR 1200.


The car has covered close to 27,000 Kms and I am loving owning this car. Easy availability combined with low prices of spares is a rare combination(for a car that is deemed to be a flop by many), and I am lucky in that aspect. Fuel efficiency in the summer is around 17.5-18.5Km/l, around 1km/l less than winter fuel efficiency.

A parting shot of the Figo in my office parking space.

[bhuvan_prasad]

The Figo crossed 29,200 Km when I took her in for the 30,000km service. I wanted to get the service done earlier as I am going to goto Nainital in the car this weekend, plus the oil had seen 2 track days as well, so better to change it a tad earlier. The oil level was still good though even after 9200km.

I reached Harpreet Ford at 9:25AM and was out by 12 Noon. I requested them to change all the wiper blades, AC filter in addition to the usual 30k Km service stuff. Diesel filter is replaced in this service and the part is around Rs. 1100. As usual I asked for an extra air filter which I will change myself after 5000km. Total bill was around 7k, would have been around 5k if not for the things I requested be done, which were not necessary. Parts are cheap(2 front and 1 rear wiper were Rs.800 totally), and a 5K annual running cost is nothing for the amount of fun and efficiency this car has to offer.

What surprised me more is that the front brake pads still have more than enough thickness left in them, this after 29,000Km and two proper track days. All the other checks also were perfect, and the I left a happy man.

It's been 2.5 years of fabulous service from this car. I got this carguys hybrid wax sealant from the U.S(https://www.amazon.com/CarGuys-Hybri...dp/B06Y5KQSKF/) and applied it to the Figo after my usual Proklear waterless wash session. The results are quite nice, below are a few pics for your viewing pleasure.

Nice Shine to the paint


Gives off a wet look in direct sunlight


Paint looks fresh and contaminant/swirl free for its age. No fancy ceramic coating/PPF ever applied to the car


The sealant has a decent water beading effect, and when there is dirt on the car and it rains, once the water dries, just a wipe with a microfiber is enough to get the dirt off. If rain falls on a spotless car, there is no need to wipe it at all. Make no mistake, this is nowhere near as slick as a ceramic coat, but then those things are very expensive, and tricky to apply. I am happy with this sealant for now.

[Samfromindia]

Originally Posted by bhuvan_prasad

GPS shows around 172 Km/h at the end of the back straight, speedo showed around 180Km/h. This is the maximum I could reach on the Figo during my lap, and also overall.

Well this number is same as what i get on my 2014 90Bhp Ecosport. Though figo is faster in acceleration, top speed for both the cars seem to be same.

[bhuvan_prasad]

Originally Posted by Samfromindia

Well this number is same as what i get on my 2014 90Bhp Ecosport. Though figo is faster in acceleration, top speed for both the cars seem to be same.

Hi Sam. The GPS figure of 172Km/H was at the end of the back straight at the Buddh International Circuit, and one has to brake hard for T4. Given a longer stretch the Figo feels like it will cross 180Km/H and probably top out around 185Km/h. I have no intention of trying this out on a public road, and there is no other track with a longer straight than BIC in India, so I cannot test this out anywhere. I am more than happy with the speed this car has. Simple laws of physics will point to the fact that the lighter, lower car will have better acceleration and a higher top speed also.

In other news the Figo completed another successful trip to the hills - Nainital, Ramgarh, Mukteshwar and back. Around 800-850Km in total, the car gave an average of 19.5km/l using the tankful method.

[reignofchaos]

Originally Posted by Senna4Ever

Here is a useless fact-

If you put an extra 95kg of weight in this Figo and drive around the BIC, there will roughly be a 4 second disadvantage.

Thanks Bhuvan for the passenger ride in January!

Here the onboard:

The way that polestar disappeared was ridiculous . Wonder what speeds it was doing!

[snaseer]

Awesome Ownership review Bhuvan and very informative as well. Those looking for a remap don't need to look for tips elsewhere.

[bking]

I am looking to get a tuning box for my car, should I go with the RD dual channel or a remap? I was thinking of getting a used tuning box. What do you suggest? I have a 2018 Figo which is run about 28k kms. I also wanted to know if I will have to reduce my oil change interval?

[bhuvan_prasad]

Originally Posted by bking

I am looking to get a tuning box for my car, should I go with the RD dual channel or a remap? I was thinking of getting a used tuning box. What do you suggest? I have a 2018 Figo which is run about 28k kms. I also wanted to know if I will have to reduce my oil change interval?

My personal recommendation would be to go for a remap, rather than a tuning box. You can read more about this in the threads below and make an informed choice -
1.) https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modif...el-tuning.html (Tuning Box versus Remaps (Diesel tuning))
2.) https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techn...dvantages.html (Petes box - Disadvantages?)

If you drive aggressively often, then yes, you should change your oil/oil filter and air filter at the 5-6K km interval. Ford oil and filters are cheap, so this should not add much to your ownership cost.

[bhuvan_prasad]

The Figo will turn 4 this April. Time sure does fly! Since we now have 3 cars between the 2 of us, the Figo is now driven by my wife 90% of the time. The running has come down a fair bit, but it's the choice of car for our trips to the hills, and has visited the hills thrice in 2019. The car was averaging around 13,000Km per year for the first two years, but once the civic and 530d joined the garage, the running has fallen to about 8000km per year. Still a decent amount, and the car recently crossed the 40,000km mark.




There are zero issues and complaints to report. The car averages between 17-19Km/L in NCR depending on the season and around 20km/L on outstation trips. I got the battery changed in July, the battery had gone flat after a week-long outstation trip, and as the car was manufactured in 2015, I figured it has been 4 years and I'd might as well change it, as I don't want my wife stranded somewhere because of a weak battery. Got an Amaron replacement of the same capacity - 55Ah(stock OEM was 52AH and I did not want to go lower).



I got the annual servicing done in September 2019, and they changed the front brake pads and brake fluid, parts were very cheap - sub 2k. The braking has become much better and there is now so much control and modulation possible even when slamming the brakes at 100km/h to slow down quickly for a speed breaker you forgot to spot on the highway.



Car is still cleaned only by me, and even after 4 years the shine and lack of swirls on the car makes it well worth my time and effort.

[Sreesh1009]

Hey man,
You seem to have some reliable machines at your hand with mind boggling performance. Would love to check out your beasts someday.
Hope you have many more such miles full of thrill!
Cheers

[bhuvan_prasad]

The Figo completed 2020 without any issues or niggles! Running was hit due to the pandemic, and the car barely did around 4000Km. One scheduled service in September cost me around 5k with pickup and drop facility(did not use the car for 3 days after the service to be on the safe side).

Paint still looks fresh after 5 years and does not have any swirls


The cabin is a really nice place to be in. No gadgets and gizmos, but very pleasing.


Alignment every 5k Km is a must on our Indian roads





FE has been over 23Kmpl in the winters. All NCR driving. Resulting in over 1000km DTE for this 40L tank!