फ़ोर्ड आइकॉन यूज़र रिव्यूज़

I was looking for a decent sedan within range of 5.5 lakhs with practicality, fuel efficiency, sturdiness, running and repair costs and looks.

The options i had in mind were dzire ldi/vxi, Hyundai accent, and ford ikon 1.4 tdci. Fiat linea, Skoda fabia, ford fusion were all pricey and short on features given the ex-showroom prices.

Now i went to maruti showroom and test drove ritz vdi, dzire vdi and could not resist the temptation of driving sx4 zxi.

Since i am from Australia and used to of driving 4litre and 5.7 liter cars (Ford Falcon XR6 and XR8) so i knew from the beginning that the power and performance mental block would have to be put aside since in India we have completely different perspective of power and performance.

I was completely disappointed with the turbo lag of ritz vdi and dzire vdi as both the cars share the same engine. My personal opinion is that the turbo lag in this engine could prove disastrous while overtaking on highways due to the way power is generated when you press the throttle hard. In nut shell  the engagement and disengagement of turbo is not up to the mark and is fairly evident.

Now Sxi being the best of Maruti’s stable is all right given the price and inclusions and features.

But again the engine was not that responsive as I had expected it to be especially in comparison to Honda City 2008. But it beats Honda in terms of price, features, braking, spares and repairs. Honda comes thumbs up in running costs, comfort, steering sharpness. But enough of Maruti now…

Ford Ikon 1.4 diesel engine is a gem of an engine and so is the car

 Reasons:

It is fairly quiet (I don’t know how can people say that the engine is noisy)

It is responsive

Ride comfort and handling is better than most of the cars in its league.

Boot space

Rear room leg space is just acceptable (I am 6ft 2inches tall and still managed to sit straight at the back seat which was surprising for me). Also, the rear seats can accommodate only 2 persons of my size and built (I am muscular not Fat mind itJ!!!)

The only flaw I could detect in the car while I was test driving was that the engine died going uphill with 5 people in the car, AC on, in the second gear. which was a shock for me b’cos this engine delivers its peak torque 160 at 2000 rpm (QUITE ATTAINABLE)  and peak power 68 ps at4000 rpm   

But overall I liked the car and undoubtedly it is the best option available in 5.5 lakhs price range. I would say an overall complete package.

 

Looks are very striking and its bottle green colour is very classy. It comes with a lot of equipment like CD player, AM-FM, Rain Sensing Wipers, Automatic Headlamps, Leather Upholstry, power windows and Alloy Wheels (optional). These gizmos were missing in other cars in its time. The interiors are very functional and simple, the controls are easy to use and the seats are extremely comfortable. It has a 1.3 Endura engine that is very powerful. It makes a 75 BHP power and 100N metres of torque. The cabin is very spacious and the boot is very big (500L luggage space).You can throw it round corners fearlessly because the tires have a superior grip and the ride quality is just perfect- no bumps filter through the cabin. It has a great pickup and still is very swift. The AC is very chilling and Ford after sails is very good.

However, there are hardly any storage spaces for the driver and passenger to keep nic-nacs and spare parts for our 2000 model are unavailable and Ford shouldn't try to sell Fiesta over Ikon because it is awesome.

I being a 6th grader have written my views and though I have never driven a car (which is obvios!) and was not born till the first 2 years of my car, I still love it! Jai Hind!

EvrythingNothing

Exterior

Look wise its totally sporty sedan like racing car having small steering wheel makes you feel that you driving sports car.

lights - front lights looks smarter but you need to switch on fog lights while driving on dark roads, highway.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort)

steering wheel - power

doors- power windows controls

seats are comfortable.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox

Mileage is a very important factor that everybody rely on while purchasing car, I am getting good response when you will talk about average mileage of FORD IKON 1.4 Dura Torque i.e. 21+ Km per Litres.

Ride Quality & Handling

Handling good on high speed, suspension - good for 5 peoples.  when you are using tubeless tyres then suspension is extremely good

AC and Heater - extremely good in performance.

Final Words

Price wise its a value to Money.

rear boot is having a big space that can accommodate 2 big briefcases and other small bags too.

Areas of improvement  

Suspension need to be improved,

rear boot space door should be a button operated by default it should be provided by company itself.

Sometimes while driving is an extreme fog situation fog moist sticks to the front glass then we need to switch on Heater and AC sometimes to give up from this situation

Overall its good to have a sporty car in an extremely reasonable price pack.

Good = Mileage, Interior luxary segment, Exterior sporty looksDriving when there is a Fog or during rain situation become front glass fogi

After finding so much review about other cars i decided to share some of my experience,it may help others.My car came out of showroom with 14"ALLOY(ford)fitted with 185/60 GOODYEAR alongwith Ford's STABILITY IN HIGH SPEED CORNERING.It had returned me the benefit saving my family FROM SURE ACCIDENTS.I usually drive at 110kmph streching to 140+ depending on road condition.I must thank it's RESPONSIVE STEERING.However racently I was driving an INDIGO CS and when asked by TATA DEALER to compare mine with them I answered Indigo is like soft cute young lady while JOSH is like a masculine fighter. So FORD's steering clutch brake etc. are not that free.But again amazingly in my small crowded town i have never felt that I am with a sedan.Even for me it is easy to drive than my colleague's ALTO. With 14' wheel i don't have problem in touching ground or bumps. CONS:High ROAD NOISE even after I switched to 170/65 R13 1 year back.ONCE I DISCOVERED REAR WHEEL BEARING NOISE WHEN I WAS AT DEALER POINT WHO REFUSED TO REPLACE IT AS I WAS HAVING NO PRE APPOINTMENT FOR SERVICE,NEITHER THEY SOLD ME THE SPARE BEARING WHICH I COULD HAVE FITTED AT MY HOME TOWN.SO ULTIMATELY I TOOK 1 DAY LEAVE FROM OFFICE SPEND 15LTRS PETROL TO GET IT DONE(THEY SAY IT IS FORD POLICY NOT TO SELL SPARES).So for people who stay far away from dealer point should not go for any FORD vehicle.I also share the same crisis with all my colleagues in L.I.C.of India where I am an employee.However it is a good car more lucrative after price has gone down below 5 lakhs.AND IS THE SAME 1.3 NOW SOLD BY FORD.For 1 yr I was maintaining a dairy for fuel,hgway-13,twn-9,mix-11.6 with AC with wider tyres ofcoursInterior getup : I have always felt poor when I see my colleagues 1.8 ZXI

ford tried to sell the ikon duratorq. by showing the loolypop of Fiesta but actually the thing is not like that. lack of securties features no provision for ABS,EBS ETC. No body color handles,side mirriors, no remote button for boot space opener.
good fuel economylight interior, too much vibration not exactly fiesta engine they change some piping system which in

I am a doctor at chandigarh with around 1500 km driving daily. I had spent nearly a month to decide which car-- SWIFT DZIRE, IKON DUROTORQ or HONDA JAZZ. I booked Dzire-- waiting period was verbally 2 months and officially 6 months. Then a few drawbacks were told-- Fiat is stopping collaboration for diesel engines, so te technical superiority will no longer be there. Tyres are thin to improve mileage, but bubbles at 80-90 speed. If you watch carefully, if three people sit at rear, you will see that rear nearly touches the ground-- so not a good suspension. When I cancelled the booking, I was offered a new car for 30000 premium. So just a hype. Ford is a decent vehicle with minimum problems till now at 400km in 6 days. Dealer(SALUJA, Chandigarh) was good, got an MP3 palyer, extended warranty and ready to go. MAsculine, Good pickup, stability, speed, sturdy(Really heavy iron sheets used)and very effective AC. People say chepest sedan----- OK but really value for money. Also perhaps resale is less--- but first enjoy the vehicle. Jazz is marvellous, but costly for me. If anyone sees the car-- even that is value for money. Shorter than IKON by 2 cm But as far I am concerned, I think it was a right decision. Moreover company offers 1.5 lakh km warranty as extended platform-- how much more anyone will drive I will update fuel economy. I think it will be 18-20+ with AC in cityGood fuel economyAC very chilling

I purchased a Ford Ikon Diesel, recently and I was thrilled with the performance of this car. Very good milage ( 25 km per ltr. of diesel) with AC on and no pricautions on average. Very good pick-up. Good leg room & boot space. Very good A/c cooling. Engine sound - quite perfect.

BUT, very bad pre sales after you have paid advance, and still worse after sales service.

This car is great but the pre & post sales is bad.

Answering on the guidelines parameters :

1. Only about tis car - I feel great owning this car as this gives me a great milage & excellent speed. good leg room & v.good AC cooling

2. The car fully met my expectations.

3. I like the speed, pick-up, cooling, controlled engine sound, space, design, v. good running cost.

very good fuel economy, safe, sporty, good pick-up, very good price, spacious, good leg roomvery bad pre sales after paying advance, horrible after sales, worst customer treatment

I owned this car (new) for 5 years and I really liked it. I sold it only since I had to go abroad. Has driven 68000Kms in this car.` Just after purchasing I went for a long drive (it covered 1500kms) in 3 to 4 days and it was nice dirving it.

Exterior It has a very good looks. Would suggest don't add anything exterior to it like rear spoiler or other gadgets as it looks good as it is.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) The interiors are good but would say the quality of plastics used, could have been better. Has good leg room. It becomes a bit cramped at the back for 3 people. The quality of the seat is extermely good and you like the overall looks.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox The engine is quite powerfull for the 1.3 range. Has got good pickup and the gearbox is smooth. I driver quite nice (with proper gear shift, don't use clutches during idling etc) and it used to give me around 13 to 14 in city. Believe me. I used qood quality pertrol. and on highways it gave me around 17-18.

Ride Quality & Handling It is a divers car.  Two things I liked most  is ground clearance and turning radiu and the one I hated the most is its poor shock absorber. It gives that 'THUD' noise while jumping over the gutters.

Final Words At 5K range, I would say this is one of the best car and real value for money.

Areas of improvement Shock absorber!

Looks, Comfort in driving, Pickup, Ground clearance, turning radiusno abs, shock absorber not efficient

I was happy with my hatchback, but lately for sometime I was getting a feeling of complete satisfaction of owning this vehicle, therefore developed a craving for a better sedan with good diesel engine. Tried different brands of cars including hatchbacks and sedans After giving lots of sweat and energy in the test drive, nothing really finalised.

One fine day saw the launch ad of Ford Ikon TDCI, got excited to give it a try and went to this showroom and tried this maroon Ikon TDCI.

The sheer pleasure of starting the engine and accelerating it, to a speed defying state. It was really smooth and gliding experience with the kind of raw power getting tamed. The test drive was truly awe-inspiring and henceforth I finally took the decision of booking this cult machine.

The final test of owning and driving is still to come, so I will keep updating whether the test drive was a flash in the pan or Ikon TDCI is worth its salt.

 

Solid Construction, Awesome Diesel Power, Superb Pickup and StylishThe Derier is outdated, thats it!