Why the Figo?
The main factors that I was looking for in a car were
* Diesel - My daily commute is 50+ KM
* Price - 5 Lacs
* Hatchback - We are a family of 3, going to become 4 soon.
* Solid Build - My last car was 5 year old used Ford Ikon 1.6 ZXi, but still felt quiet solid without any rattles.
* Fun to Drive - Again, thanks to my previous car, this was a must.
* Built in Music system, Central/Remote Locking, etc
* Should be available in Black Color
The options that I had apart from the Figo
* Fiat Grande Punto - Punto is a fantastic car and met my criteria except for the price factor and the active model which was in my budget was lacking in features.
* Maruti Swift - Did not consider it as I find it quiet common.
* Maruti Ritz - Did not consider it as I hate the looks.
* VW Polo - Way above my budget and currently not available
* Indica Vista - Did not consider as I don't like the build quality or driving experience of Tata Cars
Last year when the Figo was announced, I sort of made up my mind to go for it. The pricing announced in March was perfect and had decided to go in for it after the test drive.
The Buying Experience
I decided on the EXi model as it had everything that I was expecting as far as features is concerned and did not want to stretch myself for the Titanium.
In Navi Mumbai there is only 1 Ford dealer - Bhavna Ford, so did not have much choice as far as picking up the dealer is concerned. I had second thoughts after I read the review of Iceman and his experience of dealing with Bhavna and thought I would also approach Wasan. However, the SP at Bhavna, Swapnil Sawant was very helpful and hence did not face any issues with the overall buying process.
I was pleasantly surprised when I went to Bhavna to see the there were 4 Panther Black 1.4 EXi models readily available with them in stock. I wanted to check out the color as I had not seen any black color cars in the showroom. The SP obliged and asked me to goto the stockyard and check the cars out. I went to the stockyard and choose the car that I wanted after a brief PDI and noted down the VIN number. Gave the same to the SP and made some payment to block it. I had to wait for 1 week for my bank loan to get processed. On 16th I got the balance payment from the Bank and went to Bhavna and paid them the complete amount to start the registeration process. The SP was suggesting me to pick up the car only after full registeration was complete and they were facing some issues getting cars registered in Pen RTO for folks who were living in rental accomodations. But I was adamant, I wanted to take the car as I could not wait anymore. On 17th, I was in Powai with my clients and got a call from the SP at 3PM, he was ready to deliver the car on a temp registration as my docs were OK and he felt there will be no issues with the registeration process.
It took me 3 hrs to come back home, pick up my family and goto the dealer to pick up the car. I arrived at 6PM and saw my black beauty all clean and shinny waiting for me. Met the SP, he gave me the user manuals, invoices, Temp reg doc, etc. He mentiond that the mud flaps would be given later as they were out of stock. Went down immediately and was ready to leave the place when a person gave me a brief demo of all the features and a 5 lt slip to get fuel from the nearest pump. Drove straight to the pump, got the tank filled and had a pleasant drive back home.
The Cost
Ford Figo 1.4 TDCi EXi - 4,72,900
Depo Charges - 2,000
Insurance - 13,500 (Got a 20% discount on the dealer pricelist)
RTO - 38,603
Temp Reg Charges - 1,000
Accessories - 6,168 (4.5K for the fog lamps and the rest for the essential kit)
Extended Warranty - Free (Corporate Discount)
The Car
There is a lot said about the car already on the forum so I'll stick to things I like/Dislike.
Positives
- Well proportionate design, I especially like the (mini CRVish) back design.
- All black interiors with decent plastics and upholstery used. I hate Beige or Gray interiors.
- Fantastic diesel engine with almost no turbo lag
- Spacious interiors and the fantastic boot
- Big car like ride quality and fantastic driveability
- Tacho available, even though it's a EXi model
- Sound Quality of the OEM music system
- Small things like Vanity mirror, small storage bin below the steering for my Ciggis, boot opening capability on the remote, electric boot open right on the dashboard, air vents design.
Negatives
- Ride quality especially at low speeds is very bumpy. Thought it might be for the Tyre pressure, but even at 30PSI, it is quiet bumpy at low speeds especially on concrete roads
- Rear power windows absent. usually not a problem, but sometimes my 6 yr old son plays with the lever and I have to stop to close them again
- Accessing the toggle switch on the speedo while driving is quiet a challenge
- Bonet release switch is on the passenger side
Finally some pics of my Panther..
