My Ford Ikon 1.6 NXT ZXi: Long Term Ownership Experience


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Prologue

It's been really long since I decided to pay tribute to my beloved Ikon, which is now more than 8 years old and still holding strong.

Few adjectives which I would use to describe it are brilliant steering, gem of an engine (this is built for enthusiasts, not for any fuel-efficiency tests), chassis (strong enough to withstand that power) and the overall Ford dynamics that make it a perfect machine for any racer-boy.

Note : This post could be a long one, as the title suggests and hence buckle-up for the ride.

The buying decision : may-2004

Hmmm...At that time we were having a Corsa Sail (bought just an year ago after parting with the Cielo) and our very familiar Zen, which has done around 30k and was around 5 yrs. old.

Let me tell you, that mine is a joint family and hence the car buying ( or for that matter , any major buying decision) has to go through many phases and approvals (those living in joint families will concur with me on this).

Although Zen was doing a pretty clean job of ferrying our house job-earning brigade to and fro from home to office and back home, but still, as all Maruti's have it pretty early, "RATTLES" have crept in from last two years and it was up for some replacements, as suspension parts like bush and shockers have started giving-up, brake overhaul was much-needed and likewise some other nick-nacks.

July 2004

So, it was decided to do-away with it and let Corsa handle those duties. Meanwhile, till the replacement options of Zen are considered, it will carry on with it's current work.Now, speculations started. The requirements are as follows:

1.) It has to be petrol, as running would be minimum as most of the duty will be done by the Corsa now. This will be primarily used as a vehicle to go outdoors and such trips.

2.) It has to be comfortable enough to ferry five people.

3.) Good ride/handling combination, as both my dad and his brother enjoys driving. I have not started driving at that time.

4.) Fuel-efficiency is also not of major concern, due to limited usage.

Circa September-November 2004

Test- drives and showroom visits started. The options considered were Hyundai Accent, Ford Ikon and Honda City.

First to go was the Accent. We took the test -drive. I at that time, sat in the back and enjoyed the ride. I found it good and comfy, so do my other brothers. But, my dad wasn't impressed, as also his brother wasn't. The car was not out of list , but was at the bottom now.

Reason :

Next one was Ikon. It was same for us, though back-seat was more comfy and seat inclination more suited for long-highway runs, than the Accent. But, to our surprise, both my dad and my uncle had a grin on their faces after the test-drive, Ford driving DNA has started growing-all over them. I guessed, and apparently, I was right. [:D]

Third turn came of the city. We test-drove the v-tec version. Interiors had more colors and looked good. The drive, as it would be, great, with the v-tec powering the Honda. The only soar point was the price tag.

We came home after the test-drives. It was decision-making time.

1.) Accent was comfy and a good family car. It was within budget , has good after sales-support and a decent enough resale value. Somehow, it didn't manage to appeal to my dad and his bro.

2.) Honda city was even more nicer. It had a great fun-to-drive V-tec, fine interiors and Honda's reliability going for-it. Then again, a hurdle came, and this time it was the price of City, and the fact that our usage is very limited ( till now our Ikon has done only 37,000 kms), has made us turn away from Honda.

3.) The only left option was Ford. It ticked all our requirements. It had a superb steering (pure-hydraulic unit), "1.6l ROCAM engine good for 91 American horses" and was comfortable enough. Moreover, the car was within our budget. It was year ending and got top-of-the-line Zxi varient loaded with features like leather-vinyl seats, leather wrapped steering wheel, cd-player and a rear-spoiler at a good price.

Delivery period was 5 days. Our Ikon arrived on 19th Dec, 2004 and from then till now, the car still casts a spell whenever, it is driven.[clap]

"Some pics of my beauty"
 

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Rahul, thats one nice crisp report of your ikon, and yes can surely understand that grin on your dad and your uncle's face after the test drive of this machine.Thats Ford.
Ikon was the car which turn the tables for ford for indian market which was the right blend of all along with the pricing it was offered, with nice build quality.
That shade is one of the best running shades this car was sold along with off white and beige/light brown one.
 
Thread Starter #4
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Yes Vijay, very true.

The car has never gave up on us or left stranded, and after so many years too, it is a "hoot" to drive.Man, it really makes me admire this machine more.[clap]

Now, since my brother has also started driving, we do friendly drags on some empty roads near our house, and our alomst 9 year old Fordy "smokes out" less than an year old Swift everytime.
 
Thread Starter #5
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Some Updates on the Old Lady:

Completed 37000 kms. Yes, I know the mileage is pretty low for a car nearing her 9th birthday!!Alas, it is all destiny that it had to spend more time sitting pretty and low in our garage rather than burn some rubber on asphalt!!

Going a little backwards in time, I would like to list down the issues faced :

Dec-2010

The exhaust started emitting weird sounds. Upon checking, it was found out that the middle section of the exhaust system (muffler and end-can region) have started to give away because of rust formation. Now, from where does that rust came from,even after the complete under-body being protected from anti-rust coat.

Our FNG told that since the car is used for short stints and the water gets logged in that section, it slowly causes rust formation.It was later verified by Ford service center. Now, the complete assembly costs around 20K and hence it was decided to replace it with an aftermarket one.

It was sourced from Kashmere Gate market( the De Facto market in Delhi for automobile spares).

The 1.6L heart started sounding a little different from it's original note after the fitment. [cry]It was not coarse, but still it was not the same.Anyways, the issue at hand was solved.

Another issue in the next edition.Stay tuned fellas!!

Now, some more pics : -[:D]
 

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