I just spent a week driving the baby of the Ford Family, the Figo. At first glance the Figo looks like a fun and sporty vehicle to drive. After spending some time driving around the Mother City, is this the case? Let’s find out.
Exterior:
I am sure you remember when the Figo first came out. You probably thought, hey this Figo looks familiar. That is because the first generation Figo received its looks from the older 5th generation Fiesta. Now in its 2nd generation, the Figo now has its own style and personality.
The Figo is now much sportier and bolder with a more refined appearance. At the front there is a new bumper design with a restyled honeycomb grille, giving the Figo a more modern and refined appearance. I really like the large grille on the front which reminds me somewhat of the Ford Mustang. There is also chrome detailing adding to the sporty look. At the rear, you get a new bumper design with sharp lines, giving the rear a real sporty look. The tail lights have also been given minor changes to jazz things up a bit.
The Figo’s sporty stance is further enhanced with either 14 inch alloy wheels for the trend models or wheel covers for the ambiente models.
The Figo comes in two trends, an Ambiente and a Trend available in either a 4 door sedan or 5 door hatchback and comes in a range of colours with a new ‘White Gold” colour available only on the Trend models.
While you mostly don’t need anything else to look at when driving a beauty such as the Figo, I do love my sunsets. I think the Figo loved them as well 😉
Interior:
Climbing inside the Figo, you are greeted by a simple yet practical dashboard with a centre console and clean instrument panel.
The standard radio is pretty simple and straightforward but the Figo has a feature called MyFord Dock that I have never seen before. The MyFord Dock allows you to dock your phone on the dashboard where your infotainment system would normally be. There is also a place to charge your phone. If you are using your phone as a GPS, this is a great place to place your phone, and you don’t have to bother with buying docks. This MyFord Dock setup actually works really well and comes standard on all models.
The interior has fabric inserts in the door panels with modern fabric for the seats insuring comfort all around. You can fit 5 adults comfortably, even with tall front passengers. The boot can hold around 284 litres which is not bad for a vehicle in the segment but there is a bit of a lip which makes getting bigger items in a bit on the tricky side.
Engine, Performance and Fuel Efficiency:
The Figo comes with a new 1.5 litre three cylinder petrol engine. With a maximum power output of 88kW and a peak torque of 150Nm, the Figo delivers a fun and nippy drive.
The Figo comes with either a 5 speed manual gearbox or a 6 speed automatic gearbox with PowerShift. The manual gearbox has an EcoMode with a shift indicator to let you know when to shift up or down, to help reduce fuel consumption. The model that I had on test had the automatic gearbox which I found to be really smooth with ample power delivery in low and high gears. I enjoyed the PowerShift function which allows you to change gears manually, which I found really useful when I needed to overtake trucks on long drives.
With the price of fuel on the rise, it is important to drive a car that consumes as little fuel as possible. With a low fuel consumption of 5.7L per 100km, the Figo is light on the pocket!
The Drive:
Behind the wheel, the Figo is a fun, practical and a reliable car to drive. The engine delivers nippy performance while the Figo handles the road really well. Going for long drives is very pleasant as the Figo has very little road noise. Thanks to great visibility and its compact size, the Figo is really easy to park when things get tight. The Figo also looks really good on the road or parked while you enjoy an iced tea 😉
Features:
The Figo comes with a range of features as standard. The entry level model, the Ambiente, comes with electric front windows with one-touch operation on the driver’s side, a factory-fitted immobiliser, electric power-assisted steering, tilt adjustment for the steering column and headlight level adjustment as standard. A built-in Ford Audio unit is standard with an integrated display and four speakers, offering Bluetooth connectivity, a USB slot, as well as Ford’s unique Device Dock in the upper section of the centre console for connecting and powering smart phone devices.
Driver and passenger airbags are standard, with ABS brakes with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) providing sure-footed stopping performance.
The Trend model comes with additional features such as remote central locking, electric rear windows, rear window defroster, anti theft alarm, powered side mirrors, front fog lamps and hill launch assist on automatic models.
Pricing:
Figo 1.5 TiVCT Ambiente Hatch 5MT R181 300
Figo 1.5 TiVCT Trend Hatch 5MT R190 600
Figo 1.5 TiVCT Trend Hatch 6AT R205 700
Figo 1.5 TiVCT Ambiente Sedan 5MT R187 200
Figo 1.5 TiVCT Trend Sedan 5MT R196 000
All models come standard with Ford Protect, comprising a four-year/120 000km comprehensive warranty, three-year/unlimited distance roadside assistance and five-year/unlimited km corrosion warranty. A four-year/60 000km service plan is included, with 15 000km service intervals.
Verdict:
The Figo is Ford’s latest addition to the budget car segment. Competing with the likes of the popular VW Polo Vivo or the Suzuki Swift is no easy task but Ford have improved the Figo, which now stands a chance.
The Figo is super pleasant to drive. On the outside it looks bold and sporty. While on the inside, the interior is simple yet practical. The Figo is well priced for its segment and with cars becoming expensive to buy and maintain, the Figo is definitely an option for those looking to keep costs down yet have something fun!
