FIGURING THE FIGO WHILE RIDING WITH ELEPHANTS

+ Click to Enlarge ON ITS WAY TO SA: The Ford Figo is based on the previous generation of Ford Fiesta - but with a whole new face, never mind a nip-and-tuck.

March 4, 2010
By Denis Droppa

You haven't lived until you've driven in Jaipur, India. It's chaos. You're playing dodgems with people who firmly believe their lives are ordained so needn't worry about checking for oncoming traffic when they shoot through unguarded intersections without slowing.

Karma will take care of everything and, if it's your time, then it's your time. There are more than 300-million gods in the Hindu religion and India's drivers ensure they're all kept very busy.

The only assistance the gods receive from their earthly charges is that every driver is constantly hooting to warn the zig-zagging traffic of their approach, because nobody checks their mirrors.

Apart from the endless stream of cars, trucks, tuktuks and motorcycles all trying to take the same gap at the same time there are cows, elephants and other livestock milling through the traffic to make things more interesting.

Why was I there? Well, to drive Ford's reincarnated previous-generation Fiesta – now built in India and called the Figo. Extended-lifespan vehicles such as the VW Citi Golf, Toyota Tazz and Ford Tracer have been strong sellers in South Africa's budget-conscious small-car market so we will be the Figo's first export destination.

The Figo uses the platform of the previous-generation Fiesta but wears a fresh set of clothes and will be released in South Africa in July 2010 to compete for first-time buyers with cars such as Renault's Sandero and VW's imminent Citi Golf replacement.

Local buyers will be able to choose between 1.4-litre Duratec petrol units costing less than R110 000 and a 1.4-litre Duratorq turbodiesel for about R130 000.

Figo is a colloquial Italian expression for "cool" and the styling is suitably fresh and youthful to attract image-conscious young buyers. The prominent wheel arches and long vertical tail lights are almost pure previous-generation Fiesta but has a new nose with reshaped headlights and a fresh interpretation of Ford's familiar trapezoid "mouth".

The spec sheet doesn't read as impressively as the current Fiesta but the Figo isn't stripped bare either. Even the base model will have aircon, tilt-adjustable steering wheel and a remote release for the tail door. The Ambiente and Trend versions will add alloy rims, central locking, power windows, a radio/CD with iPod jack, anti-lock brakes and two front crash bags

The Indian locals told us you need three things to survive Indian roads: good brakes, a good hooter and good luck. The Ford Figo's horn and brakes were put to extreme use and stood up valiantly; good luck favoured us too as the only damage sustained by our convoy of six Figos was one broken wing mirror (and only because the driver forgot to hoot that time).

KEEN PRICING

The Figo's only 3.8m long, compact enough to manoeuvre nimbly through India's terrifying traffic, but roomy enough to take four adults in reasonable comfort.

It's an impressive little car with a quality feel that doesn't reek of "low budget". There seemed to be fewer potholes in this part of India than in South Africa but the Figo handled with grace the bumps and speed humps we did encounter.

The supple suspension and longer-than-usual wheelbase gave a smooth ride that ensured our spinal cartilage survived and there were no perceivable rattles from the cabin. The little Ford seemed well welded together.

Any signs of cost-cutting? The front seats lacked height adjustment and the fascia was made of hard plastic rather than the new Fiesta's fancier soft-touch surfaces but those are minor against its keen pricing.

The fascia in the car I drove was a bright coral, which won't be offered in SA (we'll get plain black) as Ford believes it won't appeal to conservative South Africans. A mistake - I reckon twentysomethings would find it funky.

VERY AGILE INDEED

The only Figo available to drive was the 50kW/160Nm, 1.4-litre turbodiesel that was pleasantly gutsy, needed minimal revving to deliver lag-free motivation and had a slick gearshifter that played its part in making the driving experience pleasant rather than a chore.

The 1.4-litre petrol destined for SA makes 62kW/127Nm.

Ford's work on noise/vibration/harshness showed up in the Figo's quiet ride; there was no unruly wind or road noise - although sometimes it was difficult to tell because of the cacophony of hooters.

No twisty mountain passes presented themselves to test the Figo's handling but, if agility is to be measured by ability to swerve to avoid countless kamikaze drivers, then it's very agile indeed.

No doubt that will serve it well with South Africa's kamikaze minibus taxis too.

Is a bright coral fascia too much for SA buyers? And just how cool is the Ford Figo? Tell us in the Readers' Comments section below.