A few years
ago, Ford gave us a small hatch back based on the Fiesta Classic platform and I
thought it was brilliant. So much that my family and I actually bought one.
Having some of its roots from America, it likes to binge on fuel, even Ford
admits the fuel economy of the petrol or the diesel wasn’t the best and after a
while, with the competition introducing newer cars over the course with updated
engines, it was down on power as well.
Now however,
there is a new Mr. Cool. Ford has launched an all new Figo hatchback in India.
While the previous one was only manufactured in India and exported to South
Africa and Mexico, the New Figo is actually all new from the ground up.
Internationally it’s called the Ford Ka. But in India, Ford decided to go with
a much loved and well established name plate.
Designers at
Ford need to be applauded for the job they did with the styling of the car.
Some might say that the grille is a lot like an Aston Martin, and I’m sure they
are tired of hearing about it. But compared to the Cygnet small car Aston
Martin came out with, the Figo is gold. I think it’s the best looking hatchback
money can buy right now in the Indian market, but I also feel the rear is a bit
under styled. They could have gone a bit more aggressive with the chisel at the
back.
The interior
has been changed completely from the old one as well. The cabin is laid out
identical to the Figo Aspire. While the Aspire gets a dual back and beige
interior, the hatchback gets a more laid back all black interior. But instead
of the dust attractive piano black finish accents, the hatch back gets, an OCD
friendly, grey coloured plastic accents on the dash and steering wheel. The
door handles and gear stick console get the same treatment. While leather
upholstery is available on the Aspire, the new Figo settles for beautifully
stitched soft fabric upholstery over the supportive seats. At the rear, it’s
much of the same story, you get pretty comfortable rear seats with ample head
room, and knee room where three regular people can easily fit. hile the old
Figo lacked interior storage space, the new one has so much of it that you
might just run out of things to put in them. There is ample room in the door
pockets, under the climate control system, and cup holders and cubby holes
along the centre console between the front seats. Apart from the top Titanium+
variants, all other variants get a MyDock mobile phone cradle on top of the
centre console that can charge and house a Smartphone and act as a semi sat-nav
/ infotainment system connected by Bluetooth, USB or an Auxiliary cable. While
the Titanium + variant don’t get the MyDock, you do get Ford SYNC with AppLink.

For safety
measures, Ford took a bold step with the Aspire by providing front dual airbags
as standard and 6 airbags in the top variants, the hatch back does get the same
treatment of 6 airbags in total on top trim but as standard only a driver
airbag is available. Across the chassis and the structure of the car, Ford says
most of it is high strength steel and opening and closing the door you do feel
they didn’t take any shortcuts as the door feels thick and chunky.
Just like the
Aspire, the Figo aslo gets the same powertrain family. A 1.2 litre petrol
engine, a 1.5 litre diesel both mated to 5 speed manual gear boxes and a 1.5
litre petrol engine with a dual clutch automatic transmission. For this drive,
we drove the 1.5 litre petrol automatic and the 1.5 litre diesel powered cars.
1.5L Ti-VCT (Automatic)
We drove the automatic petrol version first. The
1.5 litre 4 cylinder turbo charged engine produces 110bhp and 136Nm of torque.
Mated to the 6-speed DCT gearbox the engine is extremely smooth and so are the
gear changes. In ‘D’ the car is ideal for city conditions while keeping a check
on fuel consumption. But with 110bhp on board, it’s not as fast as it sounds. Set the
gearbox in ‘S’ and everything livens up, shifts are quicker, acceleration is
improved. You can also shift gears yourself with the
help of a +/- buttons on the gear lever. The regular sequential system would have
been better and a lot more satisfying, but it’s more focused on city conditions
than winning races. Ford has other cars to do that. And hence with the
automatic gearbox, the Figo has a certified 17kmpl fuel economy.
1.5L TDCI
Replacing the
1.4L duratorq engine from the old Figo, the new 1.5L TDCI engine is a peach.
With almost a 100bhp at its disposal and 215Nm of torque, this engine inches
this little ford into semi hot hatch territory, just 4bhp less than the Polo GT
TDI and it does one better by being a full lakh cheaper than the German.
To drive, we
found the diesel the best option in the Aspire, and the same with the
hatchback. With the turbo kicking in at just 1500rpm, you get instant
acceleration in any gear, at any time, at any rpm. There is no sluggishness in
the power delivery. The 5 speed manual gearbox is a bit clunky at first but
over time you get accustomed to its nature. I can recall my gear box was just
like that when it was new in the old one and now I think it’s one of the best
gearboxes with its short shift throws. It’s not clunky, nor is it just buttery
making it less responsive to the tough and feel. It’s in the middle between
clunky and perfection, just where it’s supposed to be. The clutch seems to be
really well weighted.

One of the
best characteristics of Ford is their stability. We found a good stretch of
empty road in a controlled environment for the test and were able to max out
both cars and test them right on the limit. While the Automatic Petrol managed
to clock around 190kmph, the diesel maxed out at 180kmph. Both cars just sat on
the limit with no hesitation, glitch, or anything falling apart. The Figo’s
stability on the limit is staggering. Even the engine felt comfortable sitting
at the top.
The ride is
good, the steering is well balanced, the top variant gets lots of safety
features, it looks good and the standard petrol version is the most powerful
engine in its segment and the diesel too has more power that you would know
what to do with. So from my evaluation, the Figo is a proper contender in the competition
and with such competitive pricing and Ford completely rectifying their after
sales service and bringing down the costs, it is definitely worth the offer…
and then some.
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
|
Petrol Automatic
|
Engine
|
1.5L TI-VCT
4 cylinder
|
Transmission
|
6-speed
Dual Clutch Transmission
|
Power
|
110bhp
|
Torque
|
136Nm
|
Fuel Economy
|
17kmpl
|
Diesel
|
Engine
|
1.5L TDCI 4
cylinder
|
Transmisson
|
5-speed
Manual
|
Power
|
99bhp
|
Torque
|
215Nm
|
Fuel Economy
|
25.83kmpl
|
Suspension
|
Front
|
Independent
MacPherson Strut with coil spring & anti-roll bar
|
Rear
|
Semi
Independent twist beam with twin gas & oil filled shock
|
Brakes
|
Front
|
Ventilated Disc
|
Rear
|
Drum
|
Dimensions
|
L x W x H
|
3886 X 1695
x 1525mm
|
Tyre
|
175/65 R14
|
Wheelbase
|
2491mm
|
Ground Clearence
|
174mm
|
Drive
|
Front Wheel
Drive
|
Petrol AT Price (ex-showroom Delhi)
|
Rs.
6,91,000/-
|
Diesel Price (ex-showroom Delhi)
|
Rs.
7,40,000/-
|
