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Ford Figo Review , The Perfect VFM Enthusiast Choice!
Performance 5.0 of 5.0
Comfort 4.0 of 5.0
Interior 3.0 of 5.0
Exterior 3.0 of 5.0
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Ford Figo Review , The Perfect VFM Enthusiast Choice!


         Ford used to be a manufacturer of TOUGH and fun to drive cars with heritage. Ever since the debut of the Ikon, driving enthusiasts have always been impressed with the ride and handling of every Ford car including the Ikon, Fiesta, Figo, and Ecosport. Even the XXL sized Endeavour is great to drive while being tough as a nut.

         With the success of the Fiesta Sedan, Ford had introduced the Figo hatchback in India in 2010. It was a great success with the solid build quality, robust interior, and great dynamics with go-kart feel. However,  the petrol engines were a bit lackluster and didn't do justice to the brilliant chassis. Still, the car was a favorite among enthusiasts and family buyers alike. But everyone knew it was quite dated inside and out.

          In 2015, the new second-gen Figo was launched, claiming segment besting performance, safety and features, and an Aston Martin like fascia. With the increasing competition from the Maruti Swift and Hyundai's Grand i10, Ford was determined in grabbing a big share of sales in the mid-size B segment. Initially, the new Figo was available with 2 petrol engines, a 1.2L 4 cyl 87bhp motor with the manual transmission, and a 1.5L 4 cyl 110bhp motor with a DCT. However, while the 1.2L felt unimpressive, the 1.5 Auto was quite thirsty. The 1.5L diesel on the other hand was and is still the best in the segment till date. However, the new-gen Figo never was as successful as the original Figo. So in 2019, a facelift was launched with new variants, more features, and a better 1.2l 3 cyl Dragon series petrol engine, while also introducing the new 1.5L 3 cyl petrol for the Automatic. 

           In 2020, with the kick-in of the BS6 regulations, the 1.5L petrol automatic was discontinued thereby retaining only the 1.2 Petrol and 1.5 Diesel. Even with the introduction of more features and safety equipment, Figo along with the Aspire hasn't been exactly hugely successful, the main reason being the rather ordinary looks and public misconceptions on Ford service costs.

          The Figo is an impressive family car providing the following features on the top-spec Titanium Blu variant:

  • Front and rear fog lamps

  • Rear wiper, washer, and defogger

  • 15” Alloy wheels

  • Automatic climate control

  • Automatic Headlamps

  • Automatic wipers

  • Electrochromic IRVM

  • Auto folding electric ORVMs

  • 7” Touchscreen system with navigation

  • Reverse camera

  • Smart key with push-button start

  • Leather wrap steering wheel

  • 6 airbags

    All these features and characteristics make up the strengths of the Endeavour which are as follows:

POSITIVES :

  1. The Looks: The Ford Figo may look ordinary with the typical simplistic design elements, however, it is still a good looking hatchback with clean proportions. The Titanium Blu variant adds some black and blue detailing and a black roof, making it more interesting. If you are a fan of clean, no-nonsense, and functional design, then you'll love the Figo.

  2. Interior quality and ergonomics: The cabin of the Figo provides a simplistic but generic dashboard layout and hardy materials. All variants come with a grey and black theme interior with only the Blu variant receiving some Blue detailing. Almost all the Buttons and switchgear are located where you would expect them to be.

  3. Space and Comfort: The Figo is not a large car but it's decently spacious on the inside. The front seats are accommodating while the rear seats provide adequate knee and headroom. The height-adjustable driver seat is available as standard from the Trend variant itself.

  4. Safety and build quality: The Figo is the only hatchback that provides unique safety features in its category. The following are the standard safety features across all variants:

  • 2 airbags

  • Pretensioner seat belts for front passengers

  • ABS with EBD

  • Collapsible steering column

  • Central locking

  • Ford pass connectivity

  • Engine Immobilizer

  • Rear parking sensors

The Titanium Blu variant offers the following additional features over the standard features:

  • Side and curtain airbags

  • Front fog lamps

  • Electrochromic IRVM

  • Smart key access

  • Reverse camera

  • Rear wiper, washer, and defogger

  • Adjustable rear headrests (Titanium onwards)

 

  1. Ride & Handling: Figo, being a Ford is impressive in the Ride & handling department. The Suspension is very pliant and absorbent at low speeds and keeps the car planted with good stability at higher speeds. The Power steering even though being an electronic unit is incredibly easy at city speeds while being greatly confidence-inspiring at higher speeds. The speed is so well masked that you have to keep an eye on the Speedometer regularly. It is a perfect Enthusiast car.

  2. Rear seat comfort: The rear seat has enough legroom and thigh support and it will give you a comfortable ride.

  3. Powertrain: The BS6 Figo and Aspire come with a 1.2L Dragon series 3 cyl petrol engine and the famous 1.5L TDCi 4 cyl turbo diesel engine. The petrol engine produces 97PS Power and 119NM of torque. It is strong in the midrange and doesn't feel like a 3 cyl unit. It is an impressive motor when compared to the older lethargic unit. The 1.5L diesel produces a strong 100PS Power & punchy 215NM torque. It is a STRONG engine with a solid mid-range and can easily blow away the current crop of warm hatchbacks despite being a diesel. While the is a significant bit of engine noise, the driving experience of the diesel completely overshadows everything. The gearboxes are slick too, complementing the chassis and the engines.

  4. Maintenance: The new generation Ford cars have proven to be quite very affordable to service and maintain. The spares are cheaper than most Maruti Suzuki cars and new customer service programs to have been opened. We can clearly see Ford tightening up their sleeves when it comes to service by introducing Service Price Promise & Dial-A-Ford doorstep service.

While the Figo has its strong list of positives, it also has a few obvious weaknesses.

NEGATIVES:

  1. Simple looks: While the Figo and the Aspire look good at the front, the sides and rear are a bit too simple and ordinary compared to their interesting looking rivals. Ford definitely needs to up its game for the next generation Figo and Aspire. The interior too is quite dated now and is loaded with hard plastics. Rivals are focusing more on sharper looks and quality interior materials.

  2. Deleted features: Though the Figo offers almost all the features required by a mid-size hatchback buyer, few features have been deleted from the top-spec variants for optimizing costs.

The missing features on the Ford Figo Blu variant include:

  • Projector headlight 

  • LED day time running lights

  • Android Auto & Apple CarPlay 

  • Rear AC vents and armrests.

  • Front Armrest ( At least it could have been provided in accessories )

  • Rear door bottle holders 

          The deleted features on the Figo Titanium variant include:

  • Front fog lamps

  • Rear wiper, washer

  • Auto folding ORVMs

  • Touchscreen system

  • Reverse camera

  • Automatic climate control

 

  1. Practicality: The Figo is a spacious and practical family hatchback, its available in both petrol and diesel engine options, The 1.2 dragon petrol engine will deliver mileage around 19kmpl and the 1.5 TDCi diesel engine will deliver around 24kmpl and surprisingly maintenance will be cheaper than its rivals. 

Conclusion: The Figo is the only hatchback model for Ford India and is quite popular only among driving enthusiasts. Despite its decent list of features and solid engines, the Figo still is some way off the sales figures and popularity of its rivals. The main reason for this is the shoddy marketing and misconceptions on service costs. Prices for the Petrol range start from Rs.5.4L for the Ambient and goes up to Rs.6.97L for the Titanium Blu whereas the diesel range starts from Rs.6.87L for the Trend Variant and goes up to Rs.7.87L for the Titanium Blu. (All prices ex-showroom)

At this price, the Figo seems like the best value for money option among all Midsize hatchbacks with its great ride and handling balance, strong engines, and Good list of features.

When it comes to service, you can see more than a few dealerships improving drastically with stricter norms. Find a good dealer with good customer reviews and experienced personnel and you will be happy for years. As for the Figo, it is really underrated all-rounder in its category.




Category :
Hatchback

TAGS      :
Ford Figo
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