Ford Figo Diesel Long Term Review
The Ford Figo diesel is a splendid blend of fun and practicality, it’s fast yet frugal
The Indian market loves hatchbacks and that’s because they are cheap to buy and run but that thinking is slowly changing. It all started in 2001 with the Fiat Palio GTX, India’s first hot hatch and while that car was way ahead of its time, Volkswagen was next to capture the hot hatch demand of enthusiasts by launching the Polo 1.6, followed by the GT twins (the GT TSI and GT TDI). The aforementioned cars did not bring the best of both worlds, that’s fun of driving with the practicality of day to day driving but Ford has managed to kill both birds with one stone with the second generation Ford Figo diesel.
The Figo makes for an excellent highway machine
Now how is that many would ask? The Ford Figo is a practical car, it’s loaded with features, has good interior room, rides well and is cheap to maintain too. With the diesel model, you also get 100 BHP of power and 215 Nm of torque in a car which doesn’t weigh much, add to that the able chassis and feedback rich steering and you got yourself a hot hatch which is both fun to drive and easy to live with. We have the Ford Figo in our long term fleet and are supremely happy with the car for multiple reasons. So if the Figo the best hatchback to buy in the Indian market?
Yet it excels in the city with its lag free engine performance and manoeuvrability
It has just been a month since the Ford Figo was inducted in our long term fleet and our tester is closing in on 3000 kms, that’s a decent amount of running considering we have been busy with shoots of other vehicles and the car has been parked idle for a few days in the interim. But whenever we drive it, there is this huge grin on our faces, because the performance of the oil burner is so engaging, it thrusts you back in the seat and wheel spins like there is no tomorrow. A traction control system on the Ford Figo diesel a must!
The Figo is the fastest manufactured in India diesel car in 0-100 km/hr acceleration
To put it into perspective, the Figo diesel takes under 10 seconds to do the ton and that makes it the fastest diesel car under Rs. 20 lakhs. But it’s not how fast you go, it’s how you go fast that matters. There is no lag lower down and the turbo spools fast and hard that you get pushed back in the seat. It pulls so fast that even when driving in fifth gear, you are dumbfounded to feel you are in third. The car will accelerate relentlessly to 180 km/hr with no signs of bogging down, that in a hatchback that costs under Rs. 10 lakhs makes me wonder why Ford hasn’t put a RS badge on this car.
One of the few cars that does so well on the highway as it does in the city
The Figo chucks into corners with eagerness and the motor pulls it through quick
Performance aside, which without a doubt is the best thing about the Ford Figo diesel, there are other things to appreciate too. Like the handling, the steering has good feel but I do miss the old Figo whose hydraulic steering offered much better feel and feedback. In order to give the stonking performance while not compromising on efficiency, Ford had to go electric with the steering while also keeping the weight to a minimum and that has robbed the tank like feel of the old car. Still fit-finish is very good and quality levels are excellent.
Stability over bad roads could have been better as the Figo is light
The light weight has resulted in the Ford Figo being a bit bouncy on bad roads. The suspension has a good balance of ride and handling but when you drive fast over expansion joints on a bridge, the vehicle does go air borne at times which in our case is fun but non-enthusiasts won’t like it. This brings me to the biggest issue in the car, the tyres. Accelerate hard and the tyres screech, corner hard and the tyres screech, brake hard and the tyres screech, the rubber on the Figo diesel is just inadequate to deal with the performance and cornering capabilities it has. But this isn’t a sign of worry for most buyers who take it easy but if you are an enthusiast, swap your rubber with immediate effect, this car needs wider shoes.
If you love exploring, the Ford Figo will turn out to be a good companion
The plus point of those thin tyres is of course the mileage. As soon as the car arrived, we took it through some highways and got a mileage of 24 km/l. Then getting back to Mumbai’s stop-go traffic resulted in the efficiency numbers dropping to 19 km/l. This is proof that you can have your cake and eat it too because no other car with so much performance, manages to offer such kind of efficiency numbers. The other icing on the cake is of course Ford’s competitively priced spare parts thanks to its child parts strategy, the Figo is cheaper to upkeep than its rivals.
The interior is loaded with features, including six airbags
In that excitement of performance and dynamics, I might have forgotten entirely to talk about the design and interiors, well a lot has been said about it already but a few things I would like to highlight, the storage space near the handbrake is plenty, can keep phone, coins, charger, bottles, etc. The SYNC system works well and connects flawlessly although it takes at least a second or two for it to respond when you want to pick a phone call using the steering mounted controls. And yes, that keypad in the centre of the dashboard seems unnecessary, a touch-screen (which Ford is already working on) would clear up the aesthetics to a great extent. One flaw we spotted was the tailgate closes on its own due to vibrations if you press the boot release button and shut any door. I can go on and on about the Ford Figo but will reserve that to our next report as we pile on the miles of this pocket rocket American hatch.
The Ford Figo is easily one of the best hatchbacks in the Indian market
Further Reading –
Ford Figo Review
Ford Figo vs Maruti Swift vs Hyundai Grand i10 vs Tata Bolt – Comparison Video
Ford Figo vs Maruti Swift vs Hyundai Grand i10 vs Tata Bolt – Shootout
Ford Figo DCT vs Honda Jazz CVT vs Volkswagen Polo GT TSI – Shootout