My Diamond White Darling!

My Diamond White Darling!

It was while test driving Chevrolet Spark and Beat on NH5 Vizag, I saw the banner of Figo at Tristar Ford. Went into the showroom casually and asked for a test drive of the Petrol Figo. A few minutes later, a white Figo was waiting before the show room for me. The A/c was chilling inside and sat in the driver's seat with my brother and other two show room personnel. Pumped up the accelerator and felt a strong surge that I felt like very familiar. I asked immediately, is it a diesel or a petrol?? Diesel sir, they said. It was just like the fiesta diesel that I drove earlier and in fact with the same engine. After 5 km drive on the highway, I took a sharp U-turn and then did a quick 100kmph. I just fell in love with it. The main attractions for me are the 1.4 Fiesta engine, big space and mini Innova type looks. That night I left to Haldia (West bengal) back to my office and registered on the Ford website for a test drive of Figo petrol. A week later Ganges Ford from Kolkata contacted me and came Haldia (135 kms away from Kolkata) to offer me a test drive. Again it was a diesel. This time I tested it to limits. Touched 160kmph on the VIP road and almost decided upon it. Still thought of the petrol Figo as it too has 70 bhp and costs 1 lakh less. finally, after two more weeks, they came back to my office with a petrol one. The petrol one is silk smooth and with 4 members on board and A/c at 2 it can reach 110 kmph like any other car. The engine has good punch up to 120 kmph. But gets lazy afterward. The maximum speed I could make on the VIP road is a lazy 130 kmph. It can go still further but the road ended. That's final I booked Figo Diesel ZXi instantaneously. Torque and Fuel Efficiency that's what struck me at that moment. Look and Style Though swift has good looks, Figo has nothing to complain. Particularly the white one looks like a mini Innova. The black strip between doors makes you feel that Figo has only a single large door. Comfort and Space Figo has a lower stance for high-speed stability. I am 5' 6 and obviously I don't have any problems in ingress and egress. Taller ones may have problems with ingress but you will get accustomed very easily. The suspension is far better than my Santro and Maruti Swift. Body roll is minor and could be felt only by rear passengers. Suspension makes thud noise when you cross over a bump or pothole at a faster speed but will not make the occupants very uncomfortable. Small bumps and rough roads doesn't disturb the ride. The rear seat is as comfortable as an Indica and a Getz. But, I consider Getz has the best rear seat (my opinion) among all. Engine noise is loud during idle. but there will be no vibrations. Engine noise diminishes after a couple of kilometers and also when you cross 2000 rpm. Coming to space, it's everywhere you must drive other Maruti and Hyundai hatchbacks to appreciate Figo's space. Boot space!!! I brought washing machine in my boot with my rear seats folded. The music system is awesome with its punchy sound and Bluetooth feature. I am enjoying my Nokia 5235 comes with music like anything in my Figo. If you are using Nokia phones to stream music via Bluetooth, I suggest to switch off the stereo widening and equalizer settings. These settings mess up the sound. Engine Performance and Handling Turbo lag can be felt if you are a late shifter, particularly with A/c and full load. If you have the habit of shifting gears fastly, you will not notice any turbo lag, the acceleration is addictive in the First three gears, and linear in the 4th and 5th gears. If you need a sudden surge of acceleration for a fast overtaking, shift to third or fourth and floor the accelerator. Figo diesel takes off. You can reach 80kmph in 5th gear at 2000 rpm and the maximum speed I did was 160kmph on the Kolaghat to Kolkata highway. Up to 3500rpm the acceleration makes you crazy.  Impressive thing is that, if you close the doors and drive, noise is not that audible even at 120kmph, noise increases from 140kmph but still there will be no vibration at all. You will feel earthquakes in Swift at those speeds though it is a powerful diesel than Figo. The engine will become smooth once you cross the 3000km and gearbox gets smooth after 1000km. coming to handling and stability, you will definitely feel this car is rock stable. It creates an impression that the car is getting more and more heavier as you gain speed. Steering gets heavier at high speeds only to give outstanding feedback. Take your figo to a few fast corners to know its cornering ability. The best i managed was a 70 kmph turn at a right angled bend. The speed reduces drastically after you corner because of the grip Figo has, but it will not skid. It was like playing NFS when you drive Figo on twisties. Mileage I completed 3500km. the worst FE i got was 16.5 kmpl before 1st service and now I am getting 19kmpl consistently on my regular driving in Haldia. The DTE which used to show 560km on tank full before 1st service is showing 774km after 1st service. I had not done any long drive yet to know its highway mileage. I suggest strictly to follow the tank full to tank full method to calculate Fuel Efficiency and consider DTE as a mere warning lamp to go to a nearby fuel pump. Best Features Awesome ride and comfort, Good music system with Bluetooth facility, Great driveability and in gear acceleration, rock stable at high speeds & sharp at cornering, Very good steering feedback, Big space in both the passenger compartment and boot, Remote boot lock and finally at an awesome price. I got mine @ 5.4 lakhs on the road Kolkata. You know you can lock any ford car with any Ford key. But you cannot unlock. Remember, someday this might be useful for us. Needs to improve-Few rattlings from doors and rear hatch (fixed by showroom). plastic parts of seat belts and rear parcel tray if not fitted correctly make irritating noise. Bottom insulation is poor - road noise, sand and stones hitting the bottom can be clearly heard, even the suspension noise can be heard on bad roads sometimes. I had the ground clearance issue once, with 5 members on board, my rear mud flaps scraped a speed breaker. Chassis touched a large bump once with 4 members on board. Later on, I observed that it is recommended in the manual to keep the tire pressures at 36-41 if you drive with a full load. Now I keep 33psi at the front and 36 psi at the rear. No GC issues yet with these tire pressures. Earlier I used to keep 28 at the front and 30 at the rear. I check tire pressure every week. Service has been a pain for me as I have to drive 300km to and fro to Kolkata just for the sake of service. Wrote a letter to Ford customer care to provide fortnightly or monthly service camps in remote areas like Haldia. Overall Experience-I am still in love with my Diamond White Darling. For its price, Figo 1.4 TDCi ZXi is a substantial package and a great value for money. Like every other car, it has its own pros and cons but you will never regret buying it. Except for some minor issues, there are no major flaws as such in Figo. I would have gone for the Titanium model, but I don't have enough dough for it. My suggestion: Have a comprehensive test drive along with your family before you decide upon Figo. Drive in all types of roads with a full load and full A/c. check its performance and all of its features. This will ensure you that you love your car always and complain never. Regards, TVS Kumar