Previously I wrote about how the wide powerband of the Figo’s 1.5-litre TDCI engine makes highway journeys effortless. This month, I am going to tell you a little bit about the joys of driving this car in the city. It’s common knowledge that the single biggest problem with diesel commuter cars is low-speed turbo lag, but not if you’re in the Figo diesel – its powertrain is just as well suited for the job. For even off boost, this engine has such linear throttle responses that you can chug along happily from 1,000rpm. In the process, reducing the number of gear changes – the bane of our erratic urban speeds! This is also a good thing because this car’s clutch pedal feels like that of a proper old school diesel car. It’s very heavy, which is bad as it is, but making things even worse is its long-travel that can make it achingly tiresome to drive this car in traffic. Thank God for that wide powerband then!
The positives don’t end there though, for once that turbo comes on song at 1,800rpm, there’s no looking back, as the Figo offers an addictive surge of 215Nm all the way to the meat of the powerband. This, in turn, allows you to simply leave the traffic behind when that perfect gap opens up. This perhaps is one of my favourite traits of this car, and I like to call it the Kill Shot – it totally annihilates pesky drivers on the road.
- LOGBOOK
When it came: December 2019
Current Odo reading: 8,617kms
Mileage this month: 1,132kms
Fuel efficiency: 20.87km/l
What’s good: Off-boost throttle response, light steering
What’s not: Heavy & long-travel clutch
Also read - Ford Figo Long Term Report: February 2020
1 Comment
Have owned one for the past 3 years. And done about 60000 km. Bought it used. Runs beautifully. The biggest problem is very low ground clearance
Hi Jyoti, thanks for writing in. Yes, the first-gen model was notorious for its low ground clearance and the front mud flaps do come in contact with speed breakers and the like prematurely. This model that we are running though has more than adequate ground clearance.
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