Picasa Web Albums – Shubhodeep – Travelogue of….
A compilation from all road trips so far on Picassa on a Map. Looks like the central and northern parts need to be travelled. It’s good that Picassa allows you to upload photos and assign approximate locations for them as well if some of them are not geo tagged. Works well to give a complete picture.
Screen Grab from google showing places visited so far.
Part # F5C412au140W from Belkin - Another thing for those long drives.
Belkin : AC Anywhere DC – AC Inverter.
Running out of power is a thing of the past with the AC Anywhere. Simply plug the unit into any 12-volt DC vehicle cigarette lighter socket and the AC Anywhere converts your vehicle’s battery power to 230 volts AC (common household current.) The AC Anywhere is perfect for charging batteries for your mobile phone, portable computer, electric shaver, TV/VCR, or virtually any device while travelling. The AC Anywhere inverter features a convenient On/Off switch and fuse protection along with an audible alarm that sounds if the vehicle battery voltage drops to 10.6 volts DC.
This sure would be a great product to have on long roadtrips where your camera keeps running out of battery.
When Ford originally announced the Figo, many thought it’s a face-lifted fusion keeping in line with their other face lift products like the Fiesta, Ikon and more recently the Endeavor. It’s not. I would say it’s a custom designed machine to kill the competition in the entry level B segment hatch market. Drove the car back to back with Fabia, Punto, Polo, Vista and it clearly comes up as the winner.
This is for everyone who thinks or thought, Figo is a replacement of the Fusion. A more detailed ownership report of the Fusion is here
Looks
Barring the nose, the rest looks an awful lot similar to the Fiesta MK5, hugely popular as also what the Fusion and Fiesta Sedans in India are based on
Keeping in mind that both are based on the Fiesta MK5 platform, looks are pretty similar, except that the Fusion is about 15% larger in almost all dimensions. But that apart the Figo warms up when you step inside. The clay console is a little strange at first (tested the Titanium) but it grows fast on you specially with the matching Coral displays on the ICE and the DTE. Seating position is low and seats are a lot smaller if compared to Fusion. They are a lot firmer as well.
The usual Ford bits are expected, headlamp control, switches and knobs are borrowed from Fusion and Fiesta and that’s clearly visible. The cubby holes placed strategically are also welcome. It probably has one hole for every possible electronic gadget that you may wish to carry.
Space
The general footprint of the car from outside is small, but its not. It definitely has better space for front passengers as compared to Punto and a much larger boot only comparable to Jazz. We are not talking Fusion here, and I don’t think anyone wants to carry Futons and Cots in their Figo’s either. Headroom felt a little short for tall fellows. I am 5′7″ and it had scope for 3″ more in my opinion.
With front seats going all the way back, you can easily fit 2 and a 1/2 children at the back (Clarkson lingo)
Boot
One word sums that up. Gigantic for the price you pay to buy this car.
From the side and back, it has a strong resemblance to the Fusion and Fiesta MK5 as well
Ride
Here it completely shows its colors, compared to the Fusion (first gen 1.6 +) the ride is very soft and the engine noise is well contained within the cabin. The engine racket that comes into the Fusion cabin has been eliminated from this one and things feel a lot more quieter unless you start revving the motor. But that happens in a City as well so we are not going into that.
Handling
The plasticy steering wheel is not great to hold, but it’s direct for sure. The car turns and moves like a Ford, just with a flick of a finger. The steering weight was neither Honda – Video gamish nor Fusion – Truckish. Adequate would be the ideal word. Putting two hands on that small thing felt like a waste. Gear shift placement and operation is a breeze. There is one gripe though, the softer suspension and the Apollo Accelere standard on the Figo makes it a little too soft for enthusiastic inputs, in this department the Punto scores better with its harder suspension, but then that chap lacks the motivation in the motor itself.
Gear Knob
The aluminum wrapped gear shift is a usual Ford. Just hard enough to assure you and soft enough not to annoy you. Shifts very well. In comparison to the Punto, it’s a delight to drive with this.
Power 1.2
Neat is best described. If you plot it on a graph it probably would be a straight line going up just like any other petrol. There are no surprises. Compared to the 1.6 in Fusion, its boringly sluggish but drop a gear and it gets moving (with AC all the time). Having driven the Punto 1.4 petrol, I would say this one is miles ahead. Press the pedal a few times and you know that you Can take that turn in second or climb that slope in 3rd. Engine noise is smooth and only gets annoying when you cross the 4000 RPM mark. Shoots well after crossing 3000 RPM just like the Fusion 1.6 but the lack of Torque is evident in low RPMs. Dances very well after that, rock and roll style. But I am pretty sure it wont do that with a full load.
Power 1.4 Diesel
This starts off much more sluggish than the petrol. Takes time to move and the car feels a lot heavier (well it is heavier by a 100 odd Kgs). The AC in the Diesel works a lot better and faster, same as the Fusion. Given a smaller volume in the Figo, it’s more efficient in cooling as well. Get moving and the usual diesel lag is evident (though not as much as other cars but compared to the petrol). You will need to change into first for the both the version to take a nice slow U turn. Punch the pedal and things slowly warm up and as soon as it crosses 2000 RPM, it’s full on Disco time. The car shoots off like a rocket only to die out of steam soon after, there was no redline on the Tacho so I refrained from pushing it like the petrol, but at 4000 things got really noisy. It still lacked the “I want more” of the Fusion 1.6 (unfair comparison, I know)
Verdict
I would take the diesel since it can dance so well after hitting the 2000 RPM mark. Though its not as fast as the 1.6 but nearly there and the lesser weight surely does help. Overall, way ahead of its competition, the car has just the right amount of power, handling and gizmo for the Indian Road.
The Ford Fusion merges well with India.
Strategy 1
This was prevalent a few years back in and around Bangalore but not so much now. The strategy involved in more than one biker crowding around a car boxing it in and forcing it to stop. In most cases the bikers started up with a petty fight on how badly the driver was driving and how they were almost hit by the car. In truth, it’s just a delay tactic to buy time and get their associated to gather.
Once the whole team is assembled they move into action by taking money, credit and debit cards and the car itself with all belongings like laptops and bags in it.
How to avoid?
- Well there is no set practice to avoid such a thing but it is best to avoid getting boxed in by bikers or cars on empty roads. How you do it is completely up to you.
Strategy 2
In a dark alley you may find a person lying on the road with a cycle and another asking for help claiming that they were hit. In most cases the person lying down will be moaning and shouting as if injured. If you do happen to stop, there is a chance that you would be sprung on by their accomplices and robbed of your car and another valuables.
How to avoid?
- Do not stop, just slow down enough to judge the situation up close and then move forward. Set enough distance between yourself and the scene and then look back to confirm.
What if they are genuine?
It is possible that you land up neglecting a genuine victim in the process of saving your own skin. If you wait at a distance and look back, and the streets are empty, the fake fellows will regroup and re-strategize after you have passed them. If they are still down, then they are probably genuine.
No need to take a chance, you can be a good samaritan when you see someone in broad daylight. This time, just drive on and report to the nearest traffic constable.
Strategy 1:
If you are reversing out of a parking lot and suddenly see a paper stuck to your rear windscreen, chances are there are car jackers lurking around. You will probably notice the paper after starting the car and then looking in the mirror. In a hurry you would get out of the car to remove that paper as it’s obstructing your view. This would be the moment they car jackers would pounce and take your car away.
In all probability you would have left your wallet, purse, cellphone etc. in the car and by now they will all be with the car jackers leaving you completely stranded.
How to avoid?
- If possible, park reversed so that you do not need to reverse out when leaving the lot. It will cost a lot of time but will help in the longer run.
- If at all you have to reverse and there is a paper at the back obstructing your view, lock the doors and do not get out. Reverse and drive away and stop somewhere else to get rid of the paper.
Strategy 2:
People may throw eggs on your windshield when you are driving by. In a hurry you many want to use the wiper water spray to get rid of it. But, the warm water and egg white will invariably create a paste that would completely obstruct your vision and force you to stop and clean the mess. This is the time the car jackers can attack and take control of your vehicle.
How to avoid?
- Do not use the wiper spray until you are certain that you are in a safe area to get down and clean the mess.
(Via Security in Wipro)
The problem would look like this