2019 Ford Figo Test Drive Review – Best In Class!

2019 Ford Figo Review

Car Tested: 2019 Ford Figo; Road Test No. 1074; Test Location: Jodhpur

Price OTR Mumbai: Rs. 6.09 – 9.49 lakhs

With charming looks, feature-loaded interiors & punchy performance, the Ford Figo is the best hatchback in its segment

The current generation Ford Figo was launched in the Indian market in 2015 and it even spawned a compact sedan version called the Aspire. While the Figo came across as a fun to drive and value-for-money offering, what lead things against its favour was the laid back 1.2 petrol engine, lack of features, the rather basic appeal of the interiors and the simplistic looks at a time when rivals were coming up with flashy designs, loaded interiors and more oomph. Ford solved this issue with the Aspire a few months back by launching a mid-life update with significant enhancements, this time it is the Figo’s turn to get its fair share of make-up, more technology and better performing petrol engines.

Exteriors – At first glance itself, the Ford Figo looks so much more upmarket now. The Titanium+ trim has been replaced by the Titanium BLU trim which adds sporty bits to the body. While the Titanium gets chrome inserts on the bumper and grille, the Titanium BLU comes with blue/black inserts on the fog lamp housing. The BLU trim also comes with decals on the body. The Titanium comes with 14-inch alloys while the Titanium BLU gets 15-inch alloys in black colour along with a black roof, black grille and black ORVMs. The Figo looks sportier now and also gets a revamped colour line-up. Standard colours are Moondust Silver, Deep Impact Blue, Absolute Black, Smoke Grey, White Gold and Oxford White. In addition, the Titanium is also offered with Ruby Red. The Titanium BLU is available in only 3 colours – White, Silver and Grey.

Interiors – The layout of the cabin remains the same as before but what has changed is the colour scheme of the interior and the equipment list. The dashboard now gets an all-black colour theme, unlike the outgoing car which had grey interiors. With the black interior, there is some sort of differentiation between this and the Aspire because the latter gets dual tone black/beige interiors. The Titanium BLU variant also gets blue coloured inserts on the door pads and blue stitching on the upholstery.

The cabin gets an all-black colour scheme & is feature-equipped

The Ford Figo now comes with a touchscreen infotainment system but misses out on SYNC3 which is offered on the Freestyle and Aspire. It also doesn’t get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The UI is easy to navigate but the display doesn’t feel as rich or crisp as the one on the Figo’s siblings. The sound quality from the stock speakers is just about decent. The vehicle also comes with a push-start button, electrically adjustable and folding ORVMs, automatic day/night IRVM, rain-sensing wipers and auto headlamps. The AC cools the cabin in a jiffy and works well in India’s hot conditions. The Figo comes with 1 USB port and it even gets a reverse parking camera with parking sensors. The Figo misses out on keyless go and an electromagnetic boot opener, hence you either need to press the button on the dashboard or use the key/remote to open the boot.

The front seats offer decent comfort and support. Finding a good driving position is fairly easy but the steering misses out on telescopic adjustment. Space at the rear is also pretty good, both knee room and headroom. However, the width of the car doesn’t allow you to fit 3 passengers at the rear, it is at best a 4-seater and you can probably squeeze in a kid. The Figo comes with 2 adjustable headrests at the rear. Unlike the Aspire, the Figo misses out on a rear centre armrest. While storage spaces are available aplenty at the front, you get limited storage space at the rear. The rear doors don’t have bottle holders and rear passengers have to make do with only 1 cupholder which is placed between the front seats. The boot is quite compact at 257-litres.

Performance – We’ll start off with the 1.5-litre TDCI diesel engine because it is one explosive powerplant. The kind of performance this engine offers is unmatched and it is the best diesel engine in this segment. Producing 100 PS and 215 Nm, this engine delivers power in a very linear fashion. Turbo lag is very well-contained and the mid-range has a lusty surge that makes you want to push the car all the time. In 2nd and 3rd gear, the Figo pulls like crazy and 100 km/hr from standstill comes up in about 9.7 seconds! The diesel engine redlines at about 5000 RPM. While refinement levels are pretty good at idle and at low to medium revs, the engine tends to get noisy at higher RPMs. Vibrations are controlled nicely too. The diesel engine comes matched to a new 5-speed manual gearbox which offers slicker shifts than before. The clutch is fairly light too. On the fuel efficiency front, you can expect the TDCI mill to deliver 14-16 km/l in the city and 18 km/l out on the highways.

The diesel engine is a cracker while the petrol engines are high on performance

Both the petrol engines of the Ford Figo have been replaced by new 3-cylinder units. The 1.2-litre, 3-cyl Dragon series engine is the same one that made its debut on the Freestyle and is also available on the Aspire. This engine produces 96 PS and 120 Nm which are best-in-segment figures. Not just on paper, this engine delivers impressive performance out on the road too. It has a responsive low-end but power gets interrupted for a bit in the mid-range and then again starts offering good punch right from 4000 RPM to the 6800 RPM redline. The 1.2-litre engine is very refined and NVH levels are excellent. It gets vocal at higher RPMs and sounds really sweet. This engine also comes mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox and you can expect a fuel efficiency of 11-13 km/l in the city and about 14-15 km/l on the highways.

Now the third engine on the Ford Figo is the same 1.5-litre, 3-cyl engine which first came out with the EcoSport facelift. This engine pumps out 123 PS and 150 Nm and it’s available only with a 6-speed AT. While the older Figo had a 6-speed DCT on offer, the automatic unit on the Figo facelift is a torque converter. This engine is also very good on the refinement front and offers very good driveability. The torque converter is also smooth and quick enough in shifting cogs but not as quick as a dual-clutch. With the Figo 1.5 AT, expect fuel efficiency of about 10-13 km/l.

Driving Dynamics – The Ford Figo is an excellent handler and the steering complements it well. It is light enough at city speeds and starts weighing up properly as the speeds increase. The steering also provides good feel and is pretty direct. The Figo feels very composed at high speeds and remains stable on corners and even during sudden lane changes. The lower variants have a suspension setup similar to the Aspire while the BLU gets a sportier setup, similar to the older Figo S. The BLU offers a confident feel but at high speeds potholes tend to filter inside the cabin. The tyres have been upsized and these provide much better grip than the smaller tyres on the older car, however, there is still quite a bit of wheelspin in the diesel variant. The brakes do a good job of shedding speeds but the ABS has a tendency to kick in a bit too early.

Safety and After Sales Service – The 2019 Ford Figo comes with dual front airbags on the base and mid variants and 6 airbags on the top variant. It also gets standard ABS with EBD, high-speed alert, seatbelt reminder and reverse parking sensors with a camera. The automatic also comes with ESP, TCS and HLA. The Figo scored a crash test rating of 3 stars in Latin NCAP tests. In terms of service, while Ford’s service network isn’t as widespread as Maruti or Hyundai, the company does have good reach across the country. The automaker is also promising low maintenance costs and with their child parts policy, part replacements are also easy on the pocket. Ford is also offering a standard 5 year warranty now.

Verdict – The 2019 Ford Figo feels like a highly improved product over its predecessor. It has better styling elements, more features, better petrol engines and continues to retain the fun to drive factor. The diesel engine is also very impressive and the Figo is one such car where all 3 engines offer good performance. Just like the Aspire and Endeavour, Ford has reduced the prices of the Figo with the launch of the facelift and that makes it an even better value proposition. The Ford Figo is a very nice alternative to its rivals and there’s nothing major to dislike about this car.

What’s Cool

* Attractive looks, especially the Titanium BLU
* Feature-loaded interiors with comfortable seats
* All engines offer very good performance
* Great ride and handling dynamics
* 6 airbags on top variant

What’s Not So Cool

* No rear centre headrest or armrest
* Misses out on the crisp SYNC3 UI
* Lacks some equipment like projectors and passive entry

Alternatives: – Hyundai Grand i10, Maruti Swift, Tata Tiago

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