The ups and downs of owning a Figo

In the Figo, Ford has found real success, crossing 2 lakh units sold in August. Priced in Rs. 3.9-6 lakh range, the feature-rich, spacious hatchback provides excellent value for money, with plenty of safety equipment and low running costs.

In CarToq.com reviews, Ford Figo owners rated the car highly, but also spoke of some common problems with it.

Features

The car’s music system and air conditioning won high praise from almost all owners. “The Figo’s music system is the best sounding system in small hatchbacks,” says Gaganpreet Singh Bhatt.

Apart from the music system, owner Ravi Mallelli praises the car’s “intelligent features like distance to empty (DTE), head light reminder, speed sensing volume controls.”

Other owners have their own favorite features: “The best features are Bluetooth connectivity and electronically adjustable mirrors,” says Pankaj Vinayak, while Gaganpreet liked the height adjustable seats and automatic hazard warning system.

But Ford also seems to have missed out some very basic items. Nearly every reviewer complains that the Figo does not have rear power windows, even in the top-end variant. Some also complained that the rear window of their car does not roll down completely.

Individual owners point out other features they would have liked to see: rear head rests, ashtrays, cupholders and steering-mounted controls.

Performance and Handling

In a CarToq poll, the Figo was voted the best handling diesel hatchback under Rs. 5 lakh. Most owners confirm that view.

“Its high speed stability is a real boon,” says Ravi. “I drove it at 140 kmph and my Figo was rock steady at that high speed.”

Gaganpreet agrees. “Handling is better than other cars under 6 lakh, and it’s stable at high speeds.”

But Ravi also feels his car has a hard clutch and a heavy steering, and a noisy engine.

Several users also feel the car’s ground clearance is too low. However, Gaganpreet found his own jugaad to fix that problem: “Change the stock tires to 15″ alloy wheels, this will help in increasing the GC which means minimum underbody touching the road surface.”

NOTE: CarToq expert Babychen Mathew advises against this. “The car’s gearing is calibrated to the standard tire size. Increasing it will make the car feel underpowered [a problem Gaganpreet says he’s facing]. It will also skew odometer readings. Better to wait for the new Figo, in which the ground clearance problem has been fixed. They might also issue a kit to improve clearance in the older models.”

Some owners feel the car is underpowered.

Hitesh Chanda ran into similar problems. “My car has nice space and nice pick up, but has a problem in hilly areas because of low torque and bad ground clearance.”

“It lacks power when car is fully seated with 5 passengers,” says Thomas. “One has to push the throttle to the end to get the car moving. I would say there is power lag under 1500rpm. In short I feel it has an underpowered engine.”

Babychen thinks there’s a simple reason. “Ford’s recommended tire pressure when there are 5 passengers is about 10 psi higher than most cars. If the tires are inflated to the standard 32 psi, the car will feel underpowered.”

Thomas was the owner to say he was disappointed with the car’s mileage. “Though I don’t drive fast, I’m shocked at the mileage figures I get. It should have yield better mileage like the Swift and its other competitors.”

Owners’ Tips

So what inside advice do the owners have for prospective Figo buyers?

“Always ask the dealer for Ford’s Total Maintenance Plan, in which you will be given full free services any time at just Rs 11,000 for 30,000 Kms or 3 years,” suggests Tushar Bhatia. “You don’t even need to spend money for alignment and wheel balancing; everything is included.”

“If you are searching for a spacious VFM car the Figo and Vista are two of the best options for you,” says Ravi. “If you don’t mind buying a Tata vehicle the Vista is the best option and Figo the second best.”

“I would suggest one should go for diesel variant which I later realized after buying Figo petrol,” says Thomas.

“Buy the Figo,” says Pankaj Vinayak. “It has quality engineering and is better than the Swift.”