2010
13
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.