Every time I think of the Ford Figo, I want to burst into song: ‘Figaro! Figaro!” Now that that’s going to be in your head for the rest of the day, let’s move on to the inspiration for the song…
We had a fine time driving the new Figo in and around Johannesburg, trying out the 1.4-litre petrol and the 1.4-litre turbo-diesel, both of which are quite capable and mated to an easy-shifting 5-speed manual transmission.
Ford Figo: relatively related
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But it looks just like the old Ford Fiesta? Yes, it does but, Ben Pillay, Marketing Manager for Ford SA says, “Ford didn’t just take the old Fiesta – they’ve done a lot of development.” The car has been built as an affordable, strong hatch, that is sold in India and now South Africa – two countries where a car needs to be tough to survive!
Most of the exterior has in fact been redesigned, if only slightly. The suspension has been tweaked, as have the steering, brakes and front structure of the Figo.
Nice standard feature list
Now for the good stuff: ABS and EBD and driver and passenger airbags are all standard on the Ford Figo, as are anti-sub front seats (so if you do have an accident, you don’t slide down into the footwell) and an anti-glare windscreen. There’s also the most useful distance to empty distance reader. Drive-away locking is standard too, as is a very effective air conditioner and hazard lights that start flashing if you step on the brakes sharply.
The Ford Figo is slightly shorter than the Fiesta but has the same wheel-base: it’s 3.795m long and has a wheel-base of 2.489m – which gives the car a sturdy stance on the corners.
I enjoyed the Figo for its big boot, nice steering feel and no-nonsense approach to the road. The entry level Ambiente is super value for money right now at R109 900 (if you’re umming and ahhing about buying it, remember the prices do tend to increase fairly soon after a launch). The diesel also has low emissions (soon to be penalised with the new emissions tax law coming into play in SA) of 139g/km. The petrol sits slightly higher at 156g/km.
Prices
1.4 Ambiente petrol – R109 900
1.4 Trend petrol – R125 000
1.4 Ambiented TDCi – R125 000
All Ford Figo’s come with a 4-year/120 000km warranty and service intervals are every 20 000km for the petrol and ever 15 000km for the diesel.
The Gautrain
Incidentally, we caught the Gautrain from OR Tambo to Sandton – and wow! what a great public transport system Joburgers have now. It’s R100 one way (a mini-bus shuttle or taxi would easily cost R250 one way) and takes 13 minutes from the airport to Sandton – a trip that usually takes much longer at eight in the morning. Well done Gautrain!
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