I drove the Ford Figo TDCi Diesel yesterday for a test.
Colour Dark Grey: Top end Diesel Titanium Variant with ABS, Airbags and so on.
Since it was a holiday here the roads were absolutely empty and it was a nice experience. Here goes; 1. Engine/Performance/ Turbo/Noise-level/ Torque etc: Quite punchy once it gets going. Initial movement a bit sluggish. Once Turbo kicks in around 1500-1800 Rpm, it surges forward powerfully.
Noise levels from the Diesel are really pretty high. can clearly hear the chug chug in the cabin - unlike the Fusion and Fiesta.
Torque levels are pretty good especially on the flat surfaces - foot off the accelerator in second and third gear still chugs one happily around light corners and in a heavy traffic situation this can be a boon. 2. Handling/ Steering/ Tyres/ wheels etc: Nice and crisp. Good steering - very light and very easy in the city. Takes curves etc very well, but I did feel the lack of gutsiness around corners on account of the absence of alloys and slimmer tyres/ smaller rim size (175 - R14) as compared to the Fusion with its 185 tyres, 15 inchers and alloys. 3.Clutch & Gears: clutch very soft indeed. really very close to the "petrol" driven car feel in that sense. Not heavy and irritating. gears are nice, click well and have a good short throw. (However, it is slightly funny when putting into reverse gear since there is NO reassuring click to psychologically reassure one that it is indeed in Reverse). overall nice gear feel. But one needs to downshift to second especially when going slow when one approaches a sharp-ish corner or when going on an 25 degree + incline. 4.Comfort levels/ Quality levels/ AC etc: with the seats pushed entirely back, the driving position and leg room are excellent for a city hatch back car. However, with me sitting in front with the seats pushed back, it will really be a killer squeeze for anyone sitting behind me.
Rear Seat comfort is ok, but lack of rear headrests is irritating. Severe lack of under-thigh support for a chap like me with long legs - driving seat, passenger seat and all rear seats- this is a big disadvantage.
Headroom is pretty good both in front and rear despite the sloping roofline at rear-side, but the rear sitting position is quite upright and therefore can be a pain for long journeys.
Plastics and other bits and pieces- quality levels are very good indeed. Feels like one is getting decent value with no fiddly cheap bits and pieces lying around. enough cubbyholes by and large and a pretty nice size glove compartment/storage area in front.
AC is very comfortable. Yesterday morning around 11am was reasonably warm in Bangalore. AC blower on Position 1 and on cool, I felt nice sitting in the Figo. The AC is pretty powerful, comfortable and doesnt really cause any havoc on the car's performance at all. Would have been nice if they could have had the option of Climate Control. 5.Accessibility to controls/ readability of the gauges etc: all well on this front for the most part. Helped along no doubt by my long arms. It is irritating that they still havent changed over the indicator stalks and wiper stalks - these are still designed for LHD countries and can be a pain. If India indeed is so important to them then why cant they make this small change? The electric mirrors etc are a great help. 6.Braking effect: ABS kicks in quite well when one treads hard on the brakes. Pretty clear feedback on the foot from the ABS system. Very nice secure feeling to brake in a dead straight line. Took no more than a couple of seconds to reach dead halt from a standard speed of 50Kmph. 7.Load/Luggage: They dont have a split foldable rear seat which is very sad. Rear luggage space is quite limited at 284 litres - but enough for a small family to go on a trip. Rear parcel shelf is a bit irritating. Couldnt fit a golf bag into this car at all. Would have either irritated one rear passenger because the top of the bag would have stuck in his ear OR would have had to put the entire rear seat down and of course remove the parcel shelf completely. Thats sad. (Indeed I noted a similar problem in putting in my golf bag and trolley in the Fusion (despite its foldable rear seat), which is one of the main reasons I didnt buy it 2 years back in preference to the Scorpio.) 8. Pricing/Value: at 6.37 lacs on road bangalore for the top end Titanium Diesel, its not at all bad value for a next-level roomy-ish, family hatch (in comparison with many other offerings in the market.) Add another 17000 Rs for 4 nice alloys and possibly another 20000 Rs for a nice tyre upgrade/upsize and there you are. at 6.7 ish on road, it comes a bit expensive, but still worth-while. Frankly the Titanium Diesel version is the only one of the variants worth considering, in my opinion. Its got a nice driving position view, a pretty commanding stance and a nice "big car" feel about it, which adds to the feel good factor. 9. Overall: I think it is a very good effort by Ford all things considered. Quality aspects inside and outside are very good indeed, in comparison with Maruti and Hyundai's tin box impressions. The looks- especially from the front, take a bit of getting used to- looks a bit like the International Fiesta Hatch and has shades of the Ford Ka visible in its front end. Personally I prefer the Fusion's looks and the similarities between the Figo and Fusion are quite visibly marked.
This is a nice, middle-of-the-road, predominantly city-use family hatch, which frankly offers a very good value option for consumers. Not a performance super car, nor a stunning head turner, but more than adequate for the purpose/utility it was built for. Occasional highway rides in it also will not come amiss because of its bigger car feel and the safety/ security features.
Essentially, ideal for a young couple with one or two small kids and their luggage.
A cheerful car and a great effort by Ford and I really quite like it!
Last edited by shankar.balan : 17th March 2010 at 10:17.
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