Ford Figo Test Drive – Performance and Value for Money
Ford Figo Test Drive
Lets possibly be frank here – the Figo needs to make a meal of the volume generating small car segment succeed if Ford’s Indian outpost has any hope of cracking it in one of the world’s strongest growing (and by extension most critical) market. Ford was one of the first to enter India when markets opened on the decade ago but, and lets be blunt again, they’re nowhere near claiming top-of-mind recall among car buyers while some, notably fellow Chennai-ites Hyundai, have steamed ahead. The Figo then aims to bring Ford back into mass consciousness. Will it deliver?
It isn’t particularly flamboyant, is it?
I’d my doubts when I first saw the Figo in pictures; actually if you know your cars you’ll immediately draw parallels with the Fusion. Glad to report that within the metal, as well as in environmental surroundings it was built for, the Figo does look the business. It isn’t as flamboyant nor does it draw the emotional response that the Swift did (and that the Beat will) but it’s a well-designed car which places practicality over style. During the period of our drive in Goa I had been stuck to the tail of the Figo and grew to appreciate its planted stance; the way it sits on its wheels. In my wing mirror however was framed another Figo and, apart from the striking color, I struggled to identify any feature to make me go wow. Kinetic design is Ford’s family styling language by far and away this is the most conservative of the dozen-odd kinetic design cars. It is a safe design that’s meant to appeal to 70 per cent from the buying public. Please all, offend none.
So how practical is it?
Step inside and immediately it’s apparent that on interior space the Figo stands proudly using the likes from the i20 and Fabia (while on price it’ll sit below the Swift). It’s got the biggest boot in its class and incredibly generous head, leg, knee and shoulder room. In fact this is among its key selling attributes. The dash uses a mix of Fusion and Fiesta inspired architecture but is handsome and good looking, particularly since Ford have eschewed going the all-beige route and opted instead for black with contrasting aluminium-effects for the central console and air-con vents. The top end variant has a coral-hued top-half from the dash which is a polarizing shade as you would expect.
This isn’t a brand new platform then, could it be?
No it isn’t. It’s the same (Indian) Fiesta platform (McPherson struts up front, twist beam at rear) with changes to changes to springs, dampers and roll-bar settings. But it’s also a great base by which to start – the Fiesta 1.6S is the greatest handling car in the segment and the Figo benefits massively from Ford’s dynamic expertise.
Our test route, in Goa, was short, narrow, traffic-infested and well surfaced but there were several speedbreakers along with a small rough patch which the Figo handled superbly. We are able to only make sure following a full road test but initial impressions are this will be one of the finest riding cars in its segment – well damped without being squishy or wallowy whilst not compromising in the least on dynamics. The steering is precise, communicative and responsive and whatever little cornering I could do reminded me of the Fiesta. Meaning the Figo will be very good. And a lot of fun too.
Performance?
It’s the standard small-car template here. 1.2-litre petrol and sub-1.5-litre diesel to take benefit of small car excise duty breaks. The 1.4 diesel is the familiar TDCi DURATORQ four-cylinder unit that’s strong on performance and efficiency. It develops 69PS of power and 160Nm of torque which gives the vehicle performance par for that course for this segment. There’s good driveability and less turbo lag compared to Maruti and Fiat diesels. I would have preferred better refinement though and that’s despite Ford using double door seals on diesel cars.
The 1.2 DURATEC petrol is derived from the Sigma family which means it is really an all-aluminium unit with four valves per cylinder and twin overhead cams. It develops 71.35PS of power and 102Nm of torque and is both torquey whilst revving extremely eagerly all the way to 6600rpm. It takes a claimed 15.5seconds to get at 100kmph as the diesel takes 15.8seconds. Both engines meet BS IV emission norms and both of them are mated to a 5-speed manual that is slick, has short throws and is absolutely brilliant to operate. Braking is via discs at the front and drums in the rear. ABS is available on the top end variants and those cars gets bigger discs in front (258mm) and drums in the rear (203mm). All cars run on 175/65 R14 tyres, Goodyears about the test cars, Apollo Acelere’s on the display cars.
It could be your kind of a car, so make sure you book a ford figo test drive and decide how the performance and handling is.
Does it crack the marketplace?
The Figo isn’t the most stylish small car around and I think not bringing the full-on kinetic design language is really a missed opportunity; Indians after all are demanding style and just how! Nevertheless the Figo, in the metal and on the street, isn’t boring and also the design is very practical. There’s plenty of interior room and thanks to its excellent ride and handling she’s a very comfortable car to be doing distances in (you may also pack in a great deal for the reason that boot). There’s also good engines which, you are able to bet, will deliver very well on efficiency.In a nut shell then Ford have the fundamentals right; hit the bulls-eye actually. What are the Figo’s success, or otherwise, depends on is pricing. What should Ford be looking at? Our suggestion is a price nearer to the Santro compared to Swift can make this one of the cars to watch out for when it’s launched by April 2010.
Before you zero in on the Ford Figo, make sure you book a ford figo test drive and decide how it suits you. Some would love it, other not much. But it’s a fine car in its own right.
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