2019 Ford Figo: Pros, Cons & Should You Buy One?

Here’s what is good and what can be better on the facelifted Ford Figo

Ford has introduced the facelifted Figo nearly four years after the launch of the second-gen model. While the Figo has always scored high on safety and the value for money quotient, there’s always room for improvement. So, if you have shortlisted or are looking at the updated Figo, let us help you in understanding what’s good and what could have been better in Ford’s refreshed hatchback.

Pros  

Safest car on the block!

The Ford Figo is the safest hatchback in its segment. In fact, it is easily among the safest cars on sale today in the sub-10 lakh bracket, with six airbags as well as electronic stability control and traction control on offer. As per safety norms, it gets dual-front airbags, ABS with EBD, rear parking sensors and front seatbelt reminder as standard.

Punchy and efficient engines

Ford has introduced the facelifted Figo nearly four years after the launch of the second-gen model. While the Figo has always scored high on safety and the value for money quotient, there’s always room for improvement. So, if you have shortlisted or are looking at the updated Figo, let us help you in understanding what’s good and what could have been better in Ford’s refreshed hatchback.

A proper automatic

As you can see in the table above, the Figo comes with a conventional 6-speed torque converter automatic in a pool of AMTs. The transmission also comes only with the more powerful 1.5-litre petrol engine. The Figo is easily among the most affordable cars in the country to come with a conventional automatic transmission. With 123PS, it is the most powerful option in its segment by a wide margin.  

A sporty-looking variant

To complement the Figo’s go-fast nature, Ford has introduced a sportier-looking top-spec Titanium Blu variant. There are gloss black elements in place of chrome ones and even the wheels, roof and outside rearview mirrors are finished in gloss black.  There are decals to complete the look and blue accents inside out for a racy vibe. This top-spec variant gets 195/55 cross-section wheels, the fattest in the segment, for that near-perfect stance. Apart from the Oxford White that you see in the pictures, the Titanium Blu variant is also available in Moondust Silver and Smoke Grey.

• 2019 Ford Figo Variants Explained: Ambiente, Titanium, Titanium Blu

Cons

No fancy things

While the Figo scores high on safety and features like auto headlamps, rain-sensing wipers and auto-dimming IRVMs, it misses out on a few that people have begun to fancy nowadays. It doesn’t get daytime running LEDs or LED head or tail lamps. Moreover, machine-finished or diamond-cut alloy wheels are also given a miss on the India-spec model, unlike in Europe.

No Apple CarPlay or Android Auto

It doesn’t get Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, at least for now. Unlike the Ford Aspire and Freestyle (cross-hatch based on the Figo), the Figo doesn’t come with the carmaker’s SYNC3 infotainment system. The SYNC 3 features both CarPlay and Android Auto along with Ford’s emergency assistance, which calls emergency services automatically in a mishap if airbags are deployed. Instead of SYNC 3, it features a 7-inch touchscreen with built-in navigation and Bluetooth phone integration. While it might not be a miss for many, but Apple CarPlay and Android Auto have started to become hygiene now.

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Room for improvement inside

While the second-gen Figo is a pretty sorted car, there’s room for improvement, especially on the inside. The rear headroom, for instance, is limited and taller passengers would definitely be asking for more. The rear doors don’t offer a bottle holder or any kind of storage space at all. There’s also no reach adjustment for the steering wheel and we would have liked an armrest for the driver, at least in the automatic variant. It has engine push button start-stop, but there’s no access switch on the door handles outside so that you don’t have to take out the heavy key fob.

No top-spec petrol automatic on offer

Buyers looking for the Figo petrol automatic will miss out on the side and curtain airbags along with some niceties like auto headlamps and rain-sensing wipers as well auto-dimming inside rearview mirror. Though the Titanium model, which offers a petrol automatic, is decently loaded, but you’ll miss the convenience features. The Titanium model also rides on smaller 14-inch wheels compared to 15-inchers in the Titanium Blu.  

Also Read: Cars In Demand: Maruti Swift, Hyundai Grand i10 Top Segment Sales In February 2019

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