Fresh after a facelift, theFord Figo displays its new traits during an intriguing after-hours drive in Mumbai
It’s amazing to see Mumbai transform into a different city at night. Like the sun, urban proles take rest, giving way to the night revellers. Shops roll up and pavements reappear, this time to shelter many for a good night’s sleep. Chock-a-block roads become desolate, exhibiting the glorious past and the architectural splendour left behind. Every day the city changes unrecognisably from night to day. Change, they say, is the only constant.
So when Ford announced that Figo is changing in many ways, we couldn’t think of a better backdrop than this ever transforming, night-life capital of India. Like the two shades of Mumbai, the new Figo now comes in two new colour options: Bright Yellow and Kinetic Blue. Driving around the deserted streets and alleys we made full use of the new headlights that also have a larger reflective surface for better illumination and the re-profiled, sleek tail-lamps. It even comes with a new front fascia with revised fog-lamp housing and a new hexagonal grille. New 14-inch alloy wheels complete the refreshed look.
The interior of the Figo has also been brushed up and now the seats have a new blue fabric featuring colour blocking technique and they offer good overall support. The instrument console panel is in ‘Riviera Blue’, which shimmered in the moonlight. Ford claim to have added additional damping on the doors to make the cabin quieter, like the calm night. The dashboard layout has also been changed and it now is equipped with a music system with Bluetooth and AUX input. They also have included audio controls mounted on the steering column, positioned awkwardly, and we would have preferred conventional steering-mounted ones. Surprisingly, even the top-of-the-line Titanium variant doesn’t have rear power-windows. However, it retains the other good qualities associated with Ford’s hatchback, such as strong air-conditioning and 284-litre luggage space.
From the suburbs we headed for south Mumbai, driving on the customary route over the Bandra-Worli sea-link, via Haji Ali to Bori Bunder and stopped near the Gateway of India at a tiny roadside shop that has been the saviour for night crawlers by serving delicious kebabs. After clearing the plates from the bonnet of the car, we popped it open to find the same 1.2-litre Duratec refined petrol motor under it. The diesel option also remains unchanged with a 1.4-litre Duratorq, though the company has tweaked their calibration to improve low and mid-range.
The Figo has made a reputation for being one of the better handling cars in its segment, with an equally impressive ride quality and, thankfully, these haven’t been altered. The car is easy to manoeuvre and light to drive, making it quite a nifty city use car. However, the 1.2-litre Duratec is not very peppy and one really has to spur it to get the best performance out of it. The 1.4-litre Duratorq is better to drive, but was ‘loud and clear’ even within the cabin with the windows rolled up. Apart from offering better performance, the oil-burner would also be more fuel-efficient, which makes it a better option.
The car doesn’t look drastically different from the outgoing one, but is an improvement none the less. The best part is that the Figo with a facelift costs just Rs 3,000-5,000 more than the older version. The base 1.2-litre petrol begins at Rs 3.85 lakh and the top model Titanium diesel costs Rs 6 lakh, making it a practical family car.
Story: Sarmad Kadiri
Photography: Rommel Albuquerque
