What is it?

The Ford Aspire sub-compact sedan has been well received by Indian car buyers and without a doubt it has aroused a positive response in the market. In an effort to follow-up on this good reaction, the American car maker has quickly launched the Figo, which is essentially the hatchback iteration of the Aspire. Like with the sedan, Ford has spared no effort in making the Figo as good as it can be. It’s spacious, well equipped, has strong engines and is quite nice to look at. Ford seems to have nailed it with the pricing too and this definitely puts the Figo in a good stead. However, price and equipment is not the only determining factor of a car’s success and the Figo has to deliver as an all-rounder.

Like with the Aspire, the huge grille dominates the face of the Figo. The four slim chrome bars add a bit of panache to this aggressive front. Lower down, there are slimmer air dams that extend a bit further, and the sporty look is accentuated by cutouts in which the fog lamps are housed. In profile, the Figo looks more balanced than its sedan brother and the character line running across the side gives it a good stance. At the rear, Ford has kept things simple and uncluttered. But the neat wrap-around tail-lamps and the creases running across the boot lid helps it look interesting.

What is it like inside?

Once you enter the Figo’s cabin, you are greeted by the familiar Ford dashboard. The protruding centre console with its myriad buttons laid out is a bit daunting to use, whilst the info screen is small and looks a bit outdated. In the lower Titanium variant, you miss the screen but instead you get the Ford Dock atop the centre console. It’s a rubberised phone holder which works really well and it’s a great feature for those who rely on their phones for GPS. Although it feels well put together the cabin quality feels a notch down on the Maruti Swift and Hyundai Grand i10. That apart, the dashboard looks stylish and we particularly liked the small-diameter sculpted steering wheel. At the front, there are plenty of storage spaces but strangely, there is only one cup holder and seatback pocket at the rear.

The front seats are well contoured and driving position is good. Even in the back, you’ll find no issue with the legroom on offer and headroom is decent as well. What you might not like is the narrow cabin. But the bench itself is supportive with a nice seatback angle. The boot, at 257 litres, is decent by segment standards and you can fold the rear seat flat for added luggage space.

The Titanium Optional variant is very well equipped. It gets features like Ford’s My Key, rear parking sensors, six airbags and Microsoft’s SYNC. The Figo automatic comes only in the lower Titanium variant and misses out on these unique features.

What is it like to drive?

We sampled the automatic version first and we came away mostly impressed. The big news is that Ford has managed to price it well which can be the biggest hurdle for any automatic. So, on paper, the Figo automatic is really quite attractive. But just how good is it?

The Figo uses the same 1.5-litre petrol and six-speed dual-clutch gearbox combination as the one found on the Aspire and the EcoSport. While driving in slow moving traffic in ‘D’ mode, the automatic gearbox upshifts early, maintaining a relatively low engine speed in a bid to improve fuel economy. A dab on the throttle gets it moving quite well, and when driven at moderate speeds, it is quite an ideal city car. But at part throttle the gearbox sometimes gets confused and this makes the power delivery quite jerky when you want to move quickly. You eventually learn to go flat on the throttle in order to get the box to downshift and the Figo now feels very peppy and properly quick. The engine does get a bit noisy when the car is driven in this manner. In sport mode, the gearbox holds on to gears for longer and the Figo feels peppier to drive. The ‘S’ mode also lets you manually select gears but the medium is a bit unusual. There is a small button that’s all but hidden from view on the side of the gear lever.

But it’s the diesel Figo which impresses the most. As soon as you start the engine you realise just how refined the Figo’s 1.5-litre diesel engine is. This common-rail diesel churns out a very impressive 98.6bhp and 21.9kgm of max pulling power. Power delivery is pretty seamless and you can barely feel the turbo kicking in. There’s a gentle surge at around 1700rpm, followed by a strong push till the 3800rpm past which it’s best to upshift. What’s also good is that the engine has a fairly strong push so you don’t have to constantly work the smooth-shifting gearbox to make quick progress. The powerful engine combined with its relatively low weight means without a doubt the Figo will be the fastest diesel hatch in the country.

Unlike most Fords, the ride is given precedence over handling. But even then the Figo feels agile and willing when you throw it into corners. There is loads of grip and the only deterrent is the steering which has a bit of slack and feels lifeless even when you are pushing hard. In terms of ride, the Figo feels just brilliant. Over any surface, at speed, the Figo remains unfazed and the refined suspension simply goes about its job, keeping you isolated from the biggest of potholes. It’s only at low speeds that you feel some stiffness but even there we are just trying hard to nit-pick.

Should I buy one?

So does the Figo have what it takes to go head-to-head against the best from Maruti and Hyundai? Yes, it does. It is spacious, comfortable, looks good, has strong engines and should deliver class-matching fuel economy too. The fact that it also gets a powerful automatic petrol option makes its portfolio even more impressive. Yes, a more upmarket dash and a little more boot space would have been welcome. But the best bit, though, like with the old car, Ford has managed to price the Figo really well, which makes it an irresistible proposition. Ford definitely has a winner on its hands.

Where does it fit in?

The Figo will rival the ever popular Maruti Swift and the Hyundai Grand i10. Prices for the Figo in the 1.2-litre petrol form starts at a very competitive Rs 4.29 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) while the diesel prices start from Rs 5.29 lakh ex-showroom Delhi. Although the top-of-the-line Titanium plus variants are expensive they get six airbags which is a class first.

Pics: Ameya Dandekar