Figo ZXI TDCI - The Best drivers hatch in the segment/VFM

My Decision on FIGO:

When I was seaching for new hatchback. I had only 4 vehicles in my mind 1.Swift 2.Vista 3. Ritz 4. Figo

My requirement was:

1. Most fun to drive and better hadling

2. Better build quality

3. Most featuers

4. Good road visibility and easy to drive.

5. rear seat space and leg room.

6. Vehicle should be durable in long run.

7. Should be convinient for long drives.

My usage when i started seach was predicted to around 650 Kms. So I was looking for petrol models. I started my search by test driving Swift VXi. I like it a lot.But there are some negaive that I dont like. Rear seat is really really cramped. Not so good for long drive. Boot space is very less. I carry luggages often. So its a major issue for me. Ride quality is not to my liking tat too for the price I pay is not acceptable. Also its skinny typres need an upgrade not as good as in figo/vista. Have to spend more for tat too.

Then after discussing with my brother who owns Vista. I came to know around 650kms its not a bad decision to opt for diesel since My usage may increase in time. But my budget was restricted to 6 Lakhs. Then there were only 2 vehicles under my budget and the features that I was looking for

1.Vista Quadrajet terra.

2. Ford figo zxi TDCI.

3. Ritz LDI.

I have driven Vista a lot in my brothers and very well know about its pros and cons. Vista is a nice vehicle when it was new.But the rattles inside and the ASS of TATA kept me off. Whenever we went to service vista we never had any single satisfied experience. Also one of my friend had a figo EXI TDCI gave a very good feedback on his vehicle. I tried to test drive his vehicle and was simply blow away by the way it handles and the inital pull it had. I could not beleive if it was diesel. Being a diesel and the amount of negiligile lag it had i was astonished. I have driven Vista/swift VDI earlier but never felt so.

I tried driving it for around 15 kms both in higway and city and was thrilled by the way it handled corner and the ride/handling trade off was good. Though at slow speed the suspension was not as good as vista, It was really really good as the speed increases. The thing i liked the most is that it never let off even after the vehilce reached 150+ kmph. Very stable. Whereas in Vista i never dare to take it beyond 110kms hours. Vista is safe and good until 90kmph after that its risky. Even in the great Swift that many claim is not as good as Figo. I personally felt nervous after 120kmph and was not comfortable beyond that. The most important factor is the steering or body never felt any vibration wat so ever even if its revved really hard like a petrol. I have tried 125kmph in 4th gear still no vibrations. Due to this rev friendly nature none of the hatches even with FIAT MJD dare to overtake in highway especially. Power though low on papers its defenitly more usable than the Fiat MJDs on road.

After a extensive test drives of my friends Ritz LDI/figo exi tdci I like figo for its space./comfort/handling/rev happy engine tat too from the hood of the Fiestas [old]. Then I went straight to MPL ford chennai SRP tools. The show room was new and they as many told that Ford customer service was bad, my experience was quite opposite. I was welcomed by show room receptionist Mrs Renuka and the others. They explained all the features and benefits of each and every version and offered for test drive. I did another round of test drive and came back in 2 days to book the ZXi version for 5.89 lakhs onroad including seat cover/mudflaps/floormats included. I did not go for the loan which is in tie up with the dealers. I tried hard manually in each and every banks available around my locality in velachery and found a good deal in Unon bank of 5 Lakhs 11% interest . Though the interest is little on the higher side the thing i like is that its fixed for all 5 years. No part payement or closure charged and less processing fee too. The vehicle was delivered in flat 7 days.

When I think About Pros of this car, The first thing to come to my mind is its handling, Space/ FELittle low on GC when fully loaded - Its not a deal breaker Maintain air recomnded pressure