Chill Ford Figo 1.4 Titanium

[JammyD]

Finally its time for me to post my ownership experience of my Ford Figo 1.4 Diesel Chill Metallic.

Just before that, what were my considerations while buying a car?

1. Fuel Efficiency - I would run the car a lot.
2. Good ride quality - Suspension, steering, brakes.
3. Decent pickup.
4. Safety features (ABS, Airbags).
5. Good leg space in front and rear.
6. Boot space should be considerable (Ex: not like Chevy Beat).
7. VFM, with a budget of around 5.5L (slightly stretchable) for a petrol car.

Cars looked at:

• i10
• i20
• Beat
• Ritz

NOTE: I had not test driven the Ford Figo till then, Heck, never knew about it.

Out of the above cars, I had decided on i10 based on the car and the dealer (I had bought a Santro from Advaith before) and just about to book it when I came across the Ford figo. It was literally on the day I was going to book i10.

I have described my test drive and dealership experience in the respective threads, so please refer those posts for more information.

The main reasons to go for Ford Figo Diesel (not necessarily in order):

• Looks. Just loved it the day I saw it for the first time.
• Pickup - Just awesome, immense torq yet so controllable.
• Space - Lots of space inside - Leg room, Head room, boot.
• Ride quality - Too good. - Great suspension, Responsive steering.
• Price - Higher end Diesel was 6.43L on road and it comes with ABS and Airbags!
• FE - Was expected to be around 17Kmpl in City since it shares the engine
  with Fiesta.

Booked the car on 7th Feb, TD the car on 11th Feb and got the car on 16th Apr! Not too surprising for a newly launched car, heh? Well the delay was mainly because my choice was a Diesel Titanium (higher end) which actually started to come to life only in April second week.

So, jumping stratight to 14th April, I got this call from Lathangi ford that my car is physically with them in their yard.:-). Had a chance to go to their yard, after they readily agreed me to do a PDI. Below are a few snaps of their yard and my car before delivery.

After I was satisfied with the car, I started to settle the financial part. Since 14th April was a bank holiday, the car went for registration only on 16th.

Delivery experience to Follow in the next post.....

 

[JammyD]

My first choice of color was Moon dust silver but during my visits to the showroom noticed that the Chill metallic was actually good and so different from the other colors. So, gave the guys a choice of Chill Metallic and that is what I got.

I did not opt for any mods as I feel the OE tyres are pretty good (Goodyear not Apollo) and no need, what so ever, to change the music system since it is absolutely a gem of a device. Sound quality is pretty good and the bluetooth feature is just awesome. Its a great way to handle calls handsfree with superior in and out sound quality.

On the day of Delivery, got a confirmation from Lathangi Ford that the car was indeed going for registration and that I could collect the car in the evening after 6 PM.
The day was pretty hectic for me and I had informed them that I could get as late as 8:30 PM. As expected, I could make it to the showroom only around 8:15 PM. My car was standing alone waiting to be delivered.. The Sales person was also waiting promptly for me to arrive. Once I was in the showroom, finished all the remaining paper work and headed to the car. The Delivery manager explained all the features of the car, majority of which I already knew as

I owned a Ford Fiesta in UK. The process went on till 8:45 PM. Thanked the guys and slowly moved out of the premises in our new beauty. The plan was to go directly to a Temple. For guys who live in Bangalore and around this place, you might know Raagigudda temple. Got the traditional pooja done there and headed home.

Ok, apart from the next day's "out of diesel" experience, the car is just fantasitic. I travel by it to my office after dropping my wife at her office. This covers a minimum of 50 Kms per day but can get late due to horrendous traffic. We will feel every other road has been destroyed to make our life miserable. Since it is still in its Run in period, I try to keep it below 60 Kmph though it is tough sometimes, especially when on open roads, though seldom in Bangalore. With a tank full, I get it to run around 600 Kms, which translates to a FE of around 13.5 but in reality might be slightly more than that say around 14. This is quite less considering it to be a diesel engine but I am not worrying too much about FE as of now. More important is to tune the car under running conditions. I try to keep the Revs around the 1800 - 2000 mark whenever possible and follow this till atleast the first service. With AC on, it is better to get the car to first gear at humps and as such we need to take the humps at lower speeds. I have mentioned the reasons here in TD post http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/test-drive-reports/1613-ford-figo-test-drive-review.html

With AC off, we can easily pick up from second gear. The engine is very responsive and for a person like me who comes from Petrol background, the pickup and pull is just amazing. Yet to go on a longer trip but I prefer to do it after the first service for one reason, cannot go above 60 kmph till then

 

[blackbeauty]

Nice review Jammy. BTW, does the Titanium has height adjustable driver seat?

 

[JammyD]

Nice review Jammy. BTW, does the Titanium has height adjustable driver seat?

Yes, it does. But is more like a see saw type. So, lower position means you slide down and back, front part of the seat will be high point. Higher position is when the back side of the seat gets lifted to a high point.

 

[RSM]

Great to read your ownership experience.
And when is the first service schedule? Count FE after that only. By the time the vehicle will settle down and so as you and your driving style with Diesel. Most important thing i felt that you don't need to rev your diesel engine, like petrol. I also read somewhere that Ford has suggested that to rev at-least once to 3K in a week to keep exhaust clean. Do follow the manuals.

So you have chosed red dash, somehow its not my taste. But it might change once i see physically.

Whats the tyre OE size? Yes Goodyear is good tyre, but noisy on higher speed.

 

[JammyD]

Great to read your ownership experience.
And when is the first service schedule? Count FE after that only. By the time the vehicle will settle down and so as you and your driving style with Diesel. Most important thing i felt that you don't need to rev your diesel engine, like petrol. I also read somewhere that Ford has suggested that to rev at-least once to 3K in a week to keep exhaust clean. Do follow the manuals.

So you have chosed red dash, somehow its not my taste. But it might change once i see physically.

Whats the tyre OE size? Yes Goodyear is good tyre, but noisy on higher speed.

Thanks a lot RSM. Was reading your Punto ownership experience, a good one to read. I think you have kept that thread well updated and I will be following that for my Figo. Currently my ODO says 720 Kms.
Really nice to have another Diesel car owner since I can get so much information. I have never owned a Diesel car and am sure that the driving styles might have to be different for a petrol and diesel car. I will probably be bugging you a lot now and then.

First service is 2500 Kms or 3 months, which ever earlier. The tyre size is 175/65 R14. The only choices available from Ford are Goodyear, Apollo and MRF. Heard a lot of complaints about Apollo. Ford had also recalled a few cars with, probably, a batch of Apollo tyres and replaced them with Goodyear or MRF. The problem was that the car was getting dragged to left side when the steering was left unattended on a flat road.

I really hope the mileage increases. There is a 40 kg difference between the titanium and the lower end LXI which, I guess, also has an effect on the FE.

Hey, I am searching for a thread "What is a special feature in your car" or something similar. Could you please let me know if you have an idea about it. I plan to post a few things new in Figo like Anti drip wipers.

Thanks for the suggestion about revving it to keep the exhaust clean. Need to go through the manual again and throughly. I agree with you, it is better to do what they suggest since they will know what to do to keep it good.

But, I guess, your punto has given 17+ Kmpl from day one, hasn't it?

-----

@350Z Can you please help me in erasing the registration number in the snaps. Completely slipped off my mind while posting.

 

[JammyD]

Vibhor - Thanks a Zillion for helping out in erasing the registration number. Cheers.

 

[RSM]

Really nice to have another Diesel car owner since I can get so much information. I have never owned a Diesel car and am sure that the driving styles might have to be different for a petrol and diesel car. I will probably be bugging you a lot now and then.

Even i never driven any other Diesel, but i am completely satisfied with it.
Mostly you will adjust your driving automatically. If i could be of any help, I will be more than happy.

The tyre size is 175/65 R14. The only choices available from Ford are Goodyear, Apollo and MRF. Heard a lot of complaints about Apollo. Ford had also recalled a few cars with, probably, a batch of Apollo tyres and replaced them with Goodyear or MRF.

Decent size, same as mine.
And yes, given the choice, Goodyear is better choice.

There is a 40 kg difference between the titanium and the lower end LXI which, I guess, also has an effect on the FE.

Why is so much difference in weight? In Punto only difference is between Petrol and Diesel, i think, not on different variants. FE will increase a bit, after engine and more because your driving will adjust.

Hey, I am searching for a thread "What is a special feature in your car" or something similar. Could you please let me know if you have an idea about it. I plan to post a few things new in Figo like Anti drip wipers.

Check this out - http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...-what-special-feature-does-your-car-have.html

But, I guess, your punto has given 17+ Kmpl from day one, hasn't it?

Not 17+ but yes in that range only.
My FE was almost same, but after 1000 and again after 3K KM, i felt the engine was much smoother and peppy.

Do check this also - http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/general-auto-talks/1005-mileage-our-cars.html

 

[cooldhaya]

Hey great report Jammy your car is looking cool!! Yeah FE will increase after the first service. And i like the way Ford has placed the switch for the electric ORVM'S!!

But yeah goodyear tyres are noisy above 100kmph!! And hey me too a diesel engined car lover with a Safari and Verna , we can share many issues here!!

 

[ilango[speed thirst]]

That was a nice brief report ,

i may join with figo soon ,

 

[Umang]

A very nice car and a very nice color Jammy, though i have still not got used to maroon dashboard. it looks like a bit of leather to me. and any special reasons for going for Figo over Beat? I like stylish looks of that car.

 

[JammyD]

A very nice car and a very nice color Jammy, though i have still not got used to maroon dashboard. it looks like a bit of leather to me. and any special reasons for going for Figo over Beat? I like stylish looks of that car.

It was different in my case. I liked the coral dash since it was different and does blend well with the music system. Another difference, though may not be significant, is that it stays cooler than the black one.

Well, stylish look was not at all on the cards for me. There were lot of other parameters that beat did not satisfy.
First and foremost was space where beat has very less back seat leg space and a horrible boot (if we can call it a boot). I also felt the engine was not great with 2nd gear sluggish with AC on. It has a kind of elevated view which might not help in bumper to bumper traffic. It definitely has stylish looks though. If you can forget these things, beat is a pretty good car but not sure about A.S.S.

I actually choose Figo over i10, so stylish looks cannot be a parameter (i10 owners, no hard feelings please) since both have decent but not stylish looks.
I loved the looks of Figo since I always liked it when I was in UK. As I mentioned, it resembles the UK's Ford Fiesta 2003 - 2007 model which I used to adore a lot.
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That was a nice brief report ,

i may join with figo soon ,

Wow, will be waiting for that.. It is definitely a VFM, especially the diesel one. Do let us know if you do a TD.
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Hey great report Jammy your car is looking cool!! Yeah FE will increase after the first service. And i like the way Ford has placed the switch for the electric ORVM'S!!

But yeah goodyear tyres are noisy above 100kmph!! And hey me too a diesel engined car lover with a Safari and Verna , we can share many issues here!!

Sorry to have missed that Dhaya. Hey, you have a lot of experience in driving diesel cars. Why don't you start a thread providing some tips on efficient driving of diesel cars? That would definitely help people like me.

I have not had an opportunity to drive over 100 Kmph but even if I do it won't be for too long. I might probably limit my self around the 90 mark. Though I should admit that I have not driven on Indian Highways for the past 3.5 years and I am positive that it has improved a lot since then. Still, I would not speed over 100.
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@RSM - The weight difference could be because of the ABS - EBD unit. Probably that might make a big difference.

Thanks for the links

You have driven a diesel car for over 5000 kms. That sums up into quite an experience which people like me can benefit from.

Cheers

 

[RSM]

Do Figo Diesel manual say to keep the speed in limit or anything mentioned about run-in period?
Because in Punto's manual, Fiat has not mentioned anywhere about this and i think modern diesel engine doesn't need any run-in.

 

[anuprav]

Now Figo is coming with goodyear tyres and MRF only. First batch was of appollo.

 

[ilango[speed thirst]]

Yes modern engines do not need the run in period ,
we can try some max speed after a few hundred kms
But to be in safer side , i suggest not to do acceleration test , and there is another theory of driving hard in run in period make the engine better .