SA Road Tests

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This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. I drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under real-world South African conditions. Most, but not all, the vehicles driven are world cars as well, so what you read here possibly applies to the models you get where you live.

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Hit the BRICS running: 2016 Ford Figo 1.5 Titanium Powershift sedan

Not a rebadged Fiesta

Posted: 24 May 2016

The numbers
Price: R209 900
Engine: 1498 cc, DOHC, 16-valve, four-cylinder, naturally aspirated petrol
Power: 82 kW at 6300 rpm
Torque: 136 Nm at 4250 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 12.0 seconds
Maximum: 175 km/h
Real life fuel consumption: About 6.8 l/100 km
Tank: 42 litres
Luggage volume: 445 litres
Warranty: 4 years / 120 000 km; with 3 years roadside assistance
Service plan: 2 years / 40 000 km; at 20 000 km intervals

Unlike its predecessor, this is not a rebadged version of an earlier Fiesta. Although noticeably bigger than the previous Figo it remains a touch smaller than, say, a 2010 Fiesta while owing more in looks to current F-cars.

This new Figo is also made in India but you don’t need to be told that. The high boot line gives it away immediately. Ikon started the look, others followed and today you can detect the ancestry almost instinctively.

It’s simple; Indian owners demand big boots, enough inner space for growing families and decent ground clearance for their generically rough roads, a hazard shared by other BRICSers - Brazilians, Russians, Chinese and South Africans. New Figo delivers, with 174 mm of clearance, up from 168 in the old car.

Countering any tendency toward resulting top-heaviness, its suspension is firmer than might be expected of a car made for rough roads. It’s almost choppy over speed humps for example, although rumble strips and rough surfaces are handled more discreetly and dirt road performance is good without rattling either your fillings or its bodywork.

The car feels solid, grounded and well-made while in motion but when stationary its doors and boot lid smudge the image a bit. They close with a soft clang rather than a solid thud, which is disappointing. But one can’t really expect luxury build quality at budget car prices can one?

It handles very well on asphalt and along winding country roads thanks to competent suspension and that stiffish ride mentioned earlier. We wouldn’t challenge prowling Quattros, mind you, but for day-to-day family use and within its power capabilities it’s certainly acceptable.

Power for the nine models in the Figo range is provided by a pair of 1500 cc engines. There’s a 1499 cc turbodiesel developing 74 kW/215 Nm and our test car’s 1498 cc Sigma petrol engine that, since its launch in 1995, has been uprated and renamed a couple of times and now boasts twin independent variable camshaft timing, or TiVCT for short. That little acronym means the engine pulls strongly and evenly, while providing good fuel economy, throughout the rev range. It develops 82 kW and 136 Nm; enough to get it up to 100 km/h in 12 seconds and on to a top velocity of 175.

The widest choice of engines and transmissions is among the six hatchbacks. Although the three sedans cover all trim levels (Ambiente, Trend and Titanium) the only way to get Titanium is to buy the six-speed automatic or, if you prefer, the only way to get automatic is to buy Titanium.

It’s also the only way to graduate from two airbags to six and to gain ESP, Ford Sync® connectivity rather than a basic music centre, MyKey® for junior driver supervision, electronic air temperature control, audio controls on the steering wheel, height adjustment for the driver’s chair and hill start assistance.

In keeping with the car’s family-utility image, its six-speed Powershift gearbox is competent rather than exhilarating. Polite and gentle inputs are rewarded with easy kickdowns and pleasant behaviour, but urgent demands for action are met with whining and vacillation. A further quirk is that Sport mode doesn’t provide quickened responses for either engine or transmission; it’s simply another name for the manual override facility. Up- and down-shifts are controlled by a button marked “+” and “-“ on the side of the gear knob. Thankfully this works well and holds selected ratios for as long as common sense and the electronics allow.

That high-profile boot mentioned above has a sill height of 73 centimetres and is 23 cm. deep. It’s nicely shaped and quite practical although the front-most area would best be kept for soft luggage because wheel arches and covered hardware steal space. There’s a light inside, but that’s it for luxury touches.

On the positive side, the lid lifts easily on gas struts and its mechanism is outside the cavity. That means there’s nothing to snag your suitcases or impede easy closing. It’s also huge by comparison with the little box provided on Hatchback models – 445 litres vs. 256 - and, like the hatches, its rear seatback folds down for additional capacity.

What the Figo gives away in length and width to new Fiestas it gains in height, about 30 mm, and that is used to maximise people space. Back seat head-, leg- and foot room is plentiful for taller passengers although the space is utilitarian rather than luxurious. There are neither cup holders nor door bins, for example. Nor are there grab handles or a central armrest. Two head restraints and a pair of inertia reel belts look after outer passengers but the one in the middle gets only a static lap strap.

Seat material is in serviceable cloth throughout, with leather not being an option, and shaping is plain rather than sporty. There is a good selection of minor storage spaces throughout the cabin, the forward door bins accommodate two bottles each and the glove box is reasonably big. Ford claims you could get a laptop in there, but we have doubts. An old 12” iBook went in, sort of, but there was no way the lid would be able to close afterward.

On a more positive note, controls are nicely laid out, the parking brake is properly sited for RHD and has a smooth and progressive action, steering has some weight rather than being soft and the seating position is pleasantly commanding. We could have done with a resting pad for the mostly idle left foot however.

Summing up, this new Figo works well, has plenty of space for passengers and luggage, handles decently, is at home on rough roads and feels solid. Some cost-cutting is evident, but for just a shade over R200 000 you cannot expect ultimate luxury.

Test car from FMCSA press fleet


Our review of a 2010 Figo 1.4 TDI is here

What We Do

This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.
Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.

I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material. If I ever place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with that vehicle at least once already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the left.

Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. As quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so you can see I do actually exist.

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