Thread Starter
#1
Prologue
It's been really long since I decided to pay tribute to my beloved Ikon, which is now more than 8 years old and still holding strong.
Few adjectives which I would use to describe it are brilliant steering, gem of an engine (this is built for enthusiasts, not for any fuel-efficiency tests), chassis (strong enough to withstand that power) and the overall Ford dynamics that make it a perfect machine for any racer-boy.
Note : This post could be a long one, as the title suggests and hence buckle-up for the ride.
The buying decision : may-2004
Hmmm...At that time we were having a Corsa Sail (bought just an year ago after parting with the Cielo) and our very familiar Zen, which has done around 30k and was around 5 yrs. old.
Let me tell you, that mine is a joint family and hence the car buying ( or for that matter , any major buying decision) has to go through many phases and approvals (those living in joint families will concur with me on this).
Although Zen was doing a pretty clean job of ferrying our house job-earning brigade to and fro from home to office and back home, but still, as all Maruti's have it pretty early, "RATTLES" have crept in from last two years and it was up for some replacements, as suspension parts like bush and shockers have started giving-up, brake overhaul was much-needed and likewise some other nick-nacks.
July 2004
So, it was decided to do-away with it and let Corsa handle those duties. Meanwhile, till the replacement options of Zen are considered, it will carry on with it's current work.Now, speculations started. The requirements are as follows:
1.) It has to be petrol, as running would be minimum as most of the duty will be done by the Corsa now. This will be primarily used as a vehicle to go outdoors and such trips.
2.) It has to be comfortable enough to ferry five people.
3.) Good ride/handling combination, as both my dad and his brother enjoys driving. I have not started driving at that time.
4.) Fuel-efficiency is also not of major concern, due to limited usage.
Circa September-November 2004
Test- drives and showroom visits started. The options considered were Hyundai Accent, Ford Ikon and Honda City.
First to go was the Accent. We took the test -drive. I at that time, sat in the back and enjoyed the ride. I found it good and comfy, so do my other brothers. But, my dad wasn't impressed, as also his brother wasn't. The car was not out of list , but was at the bottom now.
Reason :
Next one was Ikon. It was same for us, though back-seat was more comfy and seat inclination more suited for long-highway runs, than the Accent. But, to our surprise, both my dad and my uncle had a grin on their faces after the test-drive, Ford driving DNA has started growing-all over them. I guessed, and apparently, I was right.![[:D]](https://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/images/smilies/Big%20Smile.gif "Big Smile [:D]")
Third turn came of the city. We test-drove the v-tec version. Interiors had more colors and looked good. The drive, as it would be, great, with the v-tec powering the Honda. The only soar point was the price tag.
We came home after the test-drives. It was decision-making time.
1.) Accent was comfy and a good family car. It was within budget , has good after sales-support and a decent enough resale value. Somehow, it didn't manage to appeal to my dad and his bro.
2.) Honda city was even more nicer. It had a great fun-to-drive V-tec, fine interiors and Honda's reliability going for-it. Then again, a hurdle came, and this time it was the price of City, and the fact that our usage is very limited ( till now our Ikon has done only 37,000 kms), has made us turn away from Honda.
3.) The only left option was Ford. It ticked all our requirements. It had a superb steering (pure-hydraulic unit), "1.6l ROCAM engine good for 91 American horses" and was comfortable enough. Moreover, the car was within our budget. It was year ending and got top-of-the-line Zxi varient loaded with features like leather-vinyl seats, leather wrapped steering wheel, cd-player and a rear-spoiler at a good price.
Delivery period was 5 days. Our Ikon arrived on 19th Dec, 2004 and from then till now, the car still casts a spell whenever, it is driven.![[clap]](https://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/images/smilies/Clap.gif "Clap [clap]")
"Some pics of my beauty"
It's been really long since I decided to pay tribute to my beloved Ikon, which is now more than 8 years old and still holding strong.
Few adjectives which I would use to describe it are brilliant steering, gem of an engine (this is built for enthusiasts, not for any fuel-efficiency tests), chassis (strong enough to withstand that power) and the overall Ford dynamics that make it a perfect machine for any racer-boy.
Note : This post could be a long one, as the title suggests and hence buckle-up for the ride.
The buying decision : may-2004
Hmmm...At that time we were having a Corsa Sail (bought just an year ago after parting with the Cielo) and our very familiar Zen, which has done around 30k and was around 5 yrs. old.
Let me tell you, that mine is a joint family and hence the car buying ( or for that matter , any major buying decision) has to go through many phases and approvals (those living in joint families will concur with me on this).
Although Zen was doing a pretty clean job of ferrying our house job-earning brigade to and fro from home to office and back home, but still, as all Maruti's have it pretty early, "RATTLES" have crept in from last two years and it was up for some replacements, as suspension parts like bush and shockers have started giving-up, brake overhaul was much-needed and likewise some other nick-nacks.
July 2004
So, it was decided to do-away with it and let Corsa handle those duties. Meanwhile, till the replacement options of Zen are considered, it will carry on with it's current work.Now, speculations started. The requirements are as follows:
1.) It has to be petrol, as running would be minimum as most of the duty will be done by the Corsa now. This will be primarily used as a vehicle to go outdoors and such trips.
2.) It has to be comfortable enough to ferry five people.
3.) Good ride/handling combination, as both my dad and his brother enjoys driving. I have not started driving at that time.
4.) Fuel-efficiency is also not of major concern, due to limited usage.
Circa September-November 2004
Test- drives and showroom visits started. The options considered were Hyundai Accent, Ford Ikon and Honda City.
First to go was the Accent. We took the test -drive. I at that time, sat in the back and enjoyed the ride. I found it good and comfy, so do my other brothers. But, my dad wasn't impressed, as also his brother wasn't. The car was not out of list , but was at the bottom now.
Reason :
Next one was Ikon. It was same for us, though back-seat was more comfy and seat inclination more suited for long-highway runs, than the Accent. But, to our surprise, both my dad and my uncle had a grin on their faces after the test-drive, Ford driving DNA has started growing-all over them. I guessed, and apparently, I was right.
Third turn came of the city. We test-drove the v-tec version. Interiors had more colors and looked good. The drive, as it would be, great, with the v-tec powering the Honda. The only soar point was the price tag.
We came home after the test-drives. It was decision-making time.
1.) Accent was comfy and a good family car. It was within budget , has good after sales-support and a decent enough resale value. Somehow, it didn't manage to appeal to my dad and his bro.
2.) Honda city was even more nicer. It had a great fun-to-drive V-tec, fine interiors and Honda's reliability going for-it. Then again, a hurdle came, and this time it was the price of City, and the fact that our usage is very limited ( till now our Ikon has done only 37,000 kms), has made us turn away from Honda.
3.) The only left option was Ford. It ticked all our requirements. It had a superb steering (pure-hydraulic unit), "1.6l ROCAM engine good for 91 American horses" and was comfortable enough. Moreover, the car was within our budget. It was year ending and got top-of-the-line Zxi varient loaded with features like leather-vinyl seats, leather wrapped steering wheel, cd-player and a rear-spoiler at a good price.
Delivery period was 5 days. Our Ikon arrived on 19th Dec, 2004 and from then till now, the car still casts a spell whenever, it is driven.
"Some pics of my beauty"
![[cry]](https://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/images/smilies/Cry.gif "Cry [cry]")
It was not coarse, but still it was not the same.Anyways, the issue at hand was solved.
