[anachronix]

Great review GTO!

I have spoke to a known dealer of mine and the bookings are already open for the Figo. They have around 80 bookings made so far for the Figo. He also hinted at the price for the top end Figo to be around 4.75 which is sweet.

I will be booking the car in 2 weeks time! A Black Figo is defenietly on the list.

[benbsb29]

I dont reckon the Figo will do too well with the petrol mill. Most buyers would rather go in for the Ritz or the tried and tested Swift. Also, word-of-mouth would surely recommend the Swift.

Where the success mantra for the Figo lies is with the diesel mill, the 1.4 TDCi which has been reporting really good mileage figures as can be confirmed from the various ownership reviews on the forum. It certainly is not the first-one-off-the-line kinds, but for relaxed highway drives along the GQ roads, this one surely takes the vote. Relaxed and placid it'll keep you happy when you go in to refuel, and not to forget the bank balance which wont complain too much either. All this, knowing that you have safety features to keep those unfortunate incidents in check.

Alloys can be excused for the segment this aims at, since majority would anyway prefer to get the alloys from an aftermarket shop. Omitting power windows at the rear may prove to be a costly omission as far as Ford is concerned.

Taking a lesson from the master of recycling ie Maruti, Ford has also done well in reusing available components from their bin thereby giving it the mass player advantage targetting volumes, keeping the price in check.

The red tone on the dashboard is certainly a dampener, and it was smart thinking to offer the customer a choice to opt for the black.

Ford India certainly need to increase their dealership presence since the current ones are way too overloaded on weekends.

Hope this launch does well for Ford, and wishing them all the best.

[anekho]

Excellent review GTO, incredibly detailed!

My first impressions of the Figo are really great and I think this car will be a hit!
It has all the right elements to be a success!

The 1.6L version will be a real stonker in this car if it comes.

To all people cribbing about the rear windows - I don't really think it matters much. I mean when driving in the city most people with AC equipped cars have all the windows shut anyways to keep out sound, pollution, heat and humidity! To me non-power windows are certainly not a deal breaker!

Good to know it has ABS and Arbags, at least in the top end version. The steering wheel looks nice and large too, will be a boon in traffic.

Did I mention I love black interiors? Good to know Ford have them. And yes those seats look really sporty and nice.

I'm kind of in a situation of getting a new car soon, and between the hatches I'm looking at the Polo and now the Figo. I hope both launch 1.6L versions by July so I can check out those versions and get somewhat of a HOT hatch - FE be damned!

Nice of Ford to recognize t-bhp and invite (and pay) for the whole trip!

@GTO: did you see the lower end versions? If you did photos of them would be appreciated. Also photos of other colours on offer if you have them!

[hydswift]

Great review GTO . I hope the Ford will consider an alternative interior colors (It looks awful :-( ). Also, upsizing the tyre for higher variants. Regards, Hydswift

[GTO]

Firstly, I see this thread has been 5 star rated. Appreciate it, guys.

Originally Posted by mac187

Its good to see small improvements/ innovations in the new launchs.

Beat: Rear door design
Figo: Parking lights turning on in event of hard braking is definately a plus.
Starter crank protection - a plus
Dash colour - not so sure.

So true and all the better for customers. As the competition / choices increase, so will the li'l innovations.

Originally Posted by recshenoy

excellent stuff GTO. loved reading through the thread. For me, the front looks just OKAY. i liked the rear looks a lot.

I prefer the front, and am an open fan of clean understated designs. Even the Fiesta / OHC / Lancer, as old as they are, appeal to me.

which all colors the Figo would be available? Any idea of launch date?

Originally Posted by tht'snotME

any updates about the launch dates??

Originally Posted by bharanidharang

Any idea on the launch date ?

Colours have been listed on the 1st page. Please search.

Ford says the car will be launched in the 1st quarter (latest by March). I say, February.

Originally Posted by phamilyman

What's the kerb weight?

No mention of kerb weight in the specs given to media

Originally Posted by vid6639

GTO, you compared the 1.2L engine to the i10 Kappa, the K series but why not the Beat?

Just did. Look up previous post.

I found the Beat engine to be a little more torquey compared to the Kappa although the Kappa was more refined.

Absolutely agreed. Both, the Beat and the Figo's low end response is better than the Kappas.

Originally Posted by throttleman

How were the NVH levels? Especially for diesel during city driving?

Vibrations are exceedingly well controlled. The diesel is refined. Noise however is on the higher side compared to say, a Ritz or Swift.

Originally Posted by xingamazon

Good job to Ford on giving a preference to safety than to have a good to have feature, (I would personally prefer spending extra bucks for ABS and Airbag than for rear- powered window)

Well said. Also, full marks to Ford for giving all variants an adequate 175 patch tyre size. An under-tyred car is an unsafe car.

Originally Posted by BUSA

Apparently they were not ready with the Figo according to Ford India officials and they did not have anything much to show as they had already unveiled the Figo last year.

Well, only a 10 day difference between the Auto Expo and the press drive event. I don't buy their statement that the cars weren't ready.

Originally Posted by amtak

GTO,

I you had 4 lakh (So petrol only) to spare and given the choice between Figo and Beat, which one would you pick?

Neither. I like the Figo diesel, not so much the petrol.

[bullboy]

Rear power should atleast be given as an option.
TDCi will make good volumes i suppose. As GTO said the driveability is good in city but will be strained on highways. I normally use 3 gears in my ikon. 2nd pulls right from stand still without pressing the gas pedal.
The positioning of fuel guage might be because of the mileage of diesel .Once it is tanked up it really lasts more than half of the month thus once might not notice the fuel guage if it were on left . LOL.

[nkrishnap]

Excellent Review there GTO. This seems a good effort from FORD. Its now how they price it and market it and sustain the sales without releasing the special editions one after the other.

Few observations.

The red colored dashboard is out of place for me.

I somehow felt the front wheels are bigger than the rear. Wierd though.

The LHS verison of the controls in the steering wheel.

No rear power windows seems to tick the box which might go against the car when an owner is shortlisting the car just based on features.

The car resembles the fusion quite a bit. Also quite a bit of parts sharing from Fiesta. Hope they have the costs under control to price in the i10, swift/ritz, beat segment.

As always great work GTO

[keshav1426]

@anachronix

you seem to be a ford fan. Take a look at the dark grey color as well. The titanium version in that color looks really nice.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by 11mahesh11

one of the pic showing fiesta and figo, figo seems to have a larger frame and presence than fiesta. Is that true in flesh.

Low as the Figo is, it seems taller than the Fiesta, doesn't it?

I am from Goa, will try and meet

Hey thanks, maybe next time. I am already back on my work desk.

Originally Posted by shantyrocks

Howz the performance of the petrol compared to the Punto 1.2 ?

Not driven the Punto 1.2 as extensively as I have the 1.4 P and the 1.3 D. In fact, at the Punto press drive event, 1.2's were not even offered to the press. Thus, I cannot make a comment on that.

2)Does the dash board reflect on the wind shield while in the sun?

Nope. If you read my review, I've mentioned that the only positive of this red dashboard is the lack of reflection.

Originally Posted by mvaidy

Hoping someone to come up with Ownership Review of Figo..

Only a matter of time, I assure you!

Originally Posted by keshav1426

From Gto's highly detailed report,it doesnt look like the FIgo 1.4 Diesel has any flaws.

True. IMHO, the 1.4 diesel Figo has no real flaw. It does most things that you'd expect of a B segment diesel hatchback correctly.

As for the 1.2 petrol, even though the engine might have below average performance,we can probably expect good mileage figures.

European petrol hatch matching Jap petrol hatch on mileage? Fat chance.

Originally Posted by anachronix

He also hinted at the price for the top end Figo to be around 4.75 which is sweet.

I know that Ford is going to price this car with an absolute VFM tag. It's also Ford's first attempt at frugal engineering. Older platform, existing engine (diesel), part sharing with the Fiesta and some goodies missing. All of them hint toward a great price.

I will be booking the car in 2 weeks time! A Black Figo is defenietly on the list.

Congrats. I look forward to your review.

Originally Posted by benbsb29

Where the success mantra for the Figo lies is with the diesel mill, the 1.4 TDCi which has been reporting really good mileage figures as can be confirmed from the various ownership reviews on the forum. It certainly is not the first-one-off-the-line kinds, but for relaxed highway drives along the GQ roads, this one surely takes the vote. Relaxed and placid it'll keep you happy when you go in to refuel, and not to forget the bank balance which wont complain too much either. All this, knowing that you have safety features to keep those unfortunate incidents in check.

I agree. The Figo diesel is the superior. And the mass market doesn't care about top-end performance. What they want is fuel efficiency, followed by refinement....both of which the Figo delivers.

Originally Posted by hydswift

I hope the Ford will consider an alternative interior colors (It looks awful

Hey, the red is optional. You can choose full black.

Also, upsizing the tyre for higher variants. Regards, Hydswift

I disagree. For a 68 - 70 BHP engine power range, the 175 mm width of stock tyres is more than enough. Anything over will be overkill. Of course, the 1.6 petrol ought to come with 195

[Matt]

GTO, Wonderful review yet again.

Figo is indeed a good car with couple of short comings. Now I don't count the reddish dashboard as a negative thing, as it is optional. The seats, especially the front ones look uber cool. But ford should have the PW option for the rear windows. Another issue I see is the lack of adjustable/proper head rest for the rear bench. In future i would like to see Ford adding a 1.6 Petrol option rather than the 1.4 Petrol option for the obvious reasons .

I am a person who will choose a car with ABS+Airbags but no luxury features over the car which has no ABS+Airbags but all the hashpoosh. But I am afraid that the general public will count the lack of PW, no audio ctrl on steering as big negative points.
How many times we have seen people going for Swift VXI over ZXI and spend the saved money on Alloy wheels, adding boomboxes a, blue LEDs, racing stripes, leather seatsand the BIG aero-spoiler .

[harryskt]

Hi GTO,

Least to say, once again a wonderful review. It cant be better.

I had seen Figo's photos in internet before, but now that I've seen your photos, I am very disappointed with the looks. It is so dull and lifeless, when compared to the superb modern sporty and funky looking Beat, or even the Ritz, which looks far better, especially the rear (I liked the rear). Also the build quality & interiors of the recently launched hatchbacks (Beat, Figo, etc) show us what we can get in 4 to 5 lakhs rupees, and it makes me feel that Maruti has been ripping us apart in those terms (though their reliability & service is unmatchable).

Beat looks like the best deal in the 4 to 5 lakhs hatch segment (ofcourse there is a compromise on the after sales service of GM). Swift's K series is another front runner, probably leader.

And I think the reason why Ford didnt choose the name "Splash" for this car is that even they felt that this car is not as Splashy and fresh, as the original Splash (Ritz in India), atleast when it comes to looks!

[Vid6639]

In this segment, most of the buyers are self drive. Only when family is there will there be people sitting in the back. Moreover the front windows are more useful as you need to roll them down for tolls, parking, talking to someone. The rears are used very rarely. If they go down only 50% due to design of door not due to cost cutting, then it does not make sense to have an expensive and complicated power window option.

For the rear power windows, you need the window winder motor, the 2 switches at the rear, 2 in front and full wiring.

I would say this is a very intelligent cost cutting measure and I don't mind loosing them for a lower cost and more safety features like ABS and airbags.

[Rudra Sen]

Great review and sharp clean photos to support with. That pink dashboard top is kinda funky but may look dashing on a black car

Originally Posted by GTO

Rear windows roll down to only about the 60% level

This looks like less than that. Did you ask them (not that Ford team there will have the answer) why this awkward neither here nor there kind of position?

Originally Posted by GTO

These type of soft-plastic buttons break after 2+ years of use (based on my experience of using a similar key in the Benz). Dedicated hard plastic buttons are better on durability

Not true always. My car key is the same kind and working flawlessly.

[hiren959]

Great review GTO!! and feel proud that you are also a "gujju".

Talking about the Figo, diesel variant will be a great competitor for Swift and upcoming Polo. Though Swift will be the peppier one amongst them all IMO.

Front seats have no bolstering or the curves that hold your body tight, as they look simple flat out, rear seats have no adjustable head rests which are necessary for the sure.

No steering adjustment!! what a shame for Ford??

The much discussed - color of the dash red is good thing if there is no reflection on the windshield compare to the black dash. As I am facing a huge problem in my ANHC where there is a lot of reflection from the black dash hence a good pair of Polarized sunglasses is must for day light driving.

[anu21v]

wow a great review again, though I am touch disappointed by the colour on dash but seems a good car to fight Vista or Indica particularly diesel segment. This surely is not a i10/Beat/Astar fighter due to its sheer size.