A complete value for money and great spacious car for a family of 5...

 

This car ended my brainstorming for about 2 months. I am recently married, have a younger brother and stay with parents. My dad owns an Estilo and it was definitely very difficult for the five of us to squeeze (and I mean it literally) into it. So, was looking for a more spacious car with good features within my budget of ~ 6 Lacs. I looked at 6 cars- Indica Vista, Polo, Fabia, Micra, i10 and i20. Though Indica fitted into my budget, opted out of it because from experience, I did not trust the after-sales service. Bought this car a week back from Fortune Ford, Hyderabad. Had no hassles at all. Sales reps are very good and courteous.

 

Exterior Not many people would like the exterior. To me, it did not matter much, although I must say that the car looks decent. Looks very similar to Fusion from the rear. Rest assured that nobody will hate the design.

 

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) Very nice features. Seats are very comfortable. The car is far more spacious that it seems from the outside. Ford SHOULD have given some more storage space in the back doors. Audio system with bluetooth is excellent. Little features like the lane change indication system, rapid deceleration warning, boot opening button all add to the wonderful driving experience.  A/C is very effective. Quite often, I do not even have to turn the cooler to maximum.

 

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox The engine is not too noisy. You dont feel any noise at all when you are inside the car. My car gives me around 11 in the city, yet to give it for 1st servicing. Would have liked it to give me about 2-3 kmpl more for my driving style. Fingers crossed.

Gears are butter smooth. The pick-up takes some time to get used to. It all depends on how much you rev the engine up. It is not bad by any standards, but I would say it is just average.

 

Ride Quality & Handling Excellent ride quality and handling. The car stamps its authority on the road, both on the highway and in the city. You dont feel bumps much when compared to most of the Maruti cars. I presume it is because of the better suspension system (independent suspension). Wider tyres means that at high speeds, the car is much more stable and grips the road better. The top speed I achieved (or so I thought) is 135 kmph.

 

Final Words I think Ford will hit it big with this car. A complete value for money and great spacious car for a family of 5. Since this car is a 'Made in India', I dont expect too much of maintenance costs as well. We find FIGO much more comfortable and it fitted well within my budget (as compared to other cars I already mentioned).

 

Areas of improvement The pick-up can definitely improve. For a 1200 cc engine, the car is slow in gaining momentum. Given that it is an american company, I would have loved to have rear power windows and steering controls, at least to answer calls and control volume. The seats are a bit low, which makes ingress a little bit tedious. Also, the bottom of the steering hits you in the knee every time you go in. Small things, but given Ford's diligence, I feel they should not have been overlooked.   

 

Space, handling, seating comfortPick-up, mileage (?)