Proud that the wagon r owner had made a sensible decision , and hope you also understood my view , Ford petrol engines are powerful , but the segment they are in , has better petrol rivals , thats what one should realise.
The difference between petrol and diesel models (A sale analysis, i will brief)
Maruti Suzuki Swift when i bought the prices where ZXI(full opt petrol)-6.9L , ZDI(Full opt diesel)- 7.8L
Ford Figo (2014 model , prefacelift model)- Petrol full option - 6.7L , diesel full option - 7.3L
All prices ex showroom
See for me what was more attractive was diesel full option , because i get comparitively cheaply.
Cons then - Rear legroom , features (Even celerio at that time had better features than that model figo)
Being a hardcore ford fan , even i was ready to take Ford Fiesta(Classic)- Even though its features were less , it was comparable to Swift , just it misses new gen features like smart key etc.
The story was in 2015 , but now also the thing is only gaining slight pace , Ford has provided features , but the market changing features aren't there .
Eg- Take case of Honda City V/s Hyundai Verna - By advantages of Diesel Auto as well as Ventilated seats , they are pinning on City ( Even Verna , is now made available in full option diesel auto variant ).
Ford needs to evaluate market well .
Note- 1.Enthusiasts generally don't expect bells and whistles , they just need great ride . But when an enthusiast sells his ride , to fetch price , the bells and whistles do count.
2.For one who's upgrading from one segment to another , he should feel an upgrade in all terms .
Agree that features were missing, but to be fair price too was lower, see Fords logic was one pays less and gets whats it worth for, hence the name , VALUE FOR MONEY.
I agree that back then the delta between petrol and diesel was not that huge, but post 2015 facelift Figo/Aspire the price difference is big
https://www.carwale.com/comparecars...re/?c1=5943&c2=5948&c3=5292&c4=5296&source=26
Also I feel I ve told this before as well, back seat legroom of MK I Figo is any day better than what SWift/Dzire offers, and even boot space is better, one big reason I chose Figo MK I petrol over SWift was the lack of back seat space in SWift and the cramped boot, so I dont think even back then I made a bad choice picking MK I Figo over SWift, sure I miss the peppy petrol motor,but what I gained is, far better built quality, arguably better ride and handling and dynamics, more space, far far better stock audio system , and finally nearly 25k Rs in cash as the ZXI SWift was about 25k Rs dearer than Figo ZXi back in 2010.
Sure the Figo diesel might have been a better choice, but considering my low running ie just around 7500 kms a year , I still dont feel the heft of buying the Figo petrol despite it being just 11/17 kmpl car whereas SWifts being a low sipper.
I agree with the upgrade front and features fetching more resale front, what I feel is, Ford could add one more variant to Figo/Aspire line up, with some fancy name say, "Platinum" variant which gets all the fancy stuff of competition . But they are not into that as well
![[frustration]](https://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/images/smilies/Frustration.gif "Frustration [frustration]")
Also there are some basic issues, like, the placement of radio antenna up front, this means, even if Shark Fin antenna is added it will only sit on front which is awkward
A better designed dash board and Instrument Cluster
Finally the biggest con I felt is how Ford has skimped on built quality in 2015-17 Figo and Aspire
When we look at Ecosport however it has almost all things done right, looks, quality, built quality, good engines, lots of features and some fancy, so the sales do reflect, despite intense competition from Nexon and Brezza it still holds its ground after being the most expensive compact SUV. The only area Ford misses out in Ecosport is diesel Automatic, rest is is done very well.
So its sad to see Ford is not learning from one of their own products.
![[roll]](https://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/images/smilies/Roll.gif "Roll Eyes [roll]")
All this said do you still feel Aspire/Figo/freestyle are bad choice and deserves only so and so numbers because of lack of DRLs and Rear AC vents and Projector headlamps etc ? I dont, I still feel its in most cases better buy than market leaders Dzire/Swift/Ignis
I agree with you that the change in the Petrol engine is huge. I have mentioned the same in my post too. However, do you think most people are aware of this change? The Figo had a reputation to have a lack luster petrol engine since the first edition. Even in the second edition(2015), though there were improvements it still was not on par with the competitors. When Ford launched the Aspire, they did not stress enough on the new engine, as it was already showcased on the Freestyle. Due to this, a common buyer would not be aware of the engine change in the new Aspire. Other than enthusiasts, most are not much aware of the Figo facelift, and the only thing they would talk about in the facelift would be the floating touch screen.
I feel that Ford should have taken more effort to showcase the 1.2 Dragon, and show its figures as compared to the Maruti engines. The strengthened body is again not a thing most Indian buyers care about. You could see the figures for the earlier Swift remained unchanged despite its failing the crash tests badly. Ford does make great cars, and earlier they had made the mistake of incorrect pricing. Recently they have started getting the pricing right, but they have not been able to get to the buyer's with enough things that attract them.
If you are running a salad bar in a Kid's school, you may not succeed even though your product is more healthy and nutritious, as it does not attract the customer. However, an unhealthy candy shop may flourish. The same is the situation with most Indian buyers.
Completely agree with this, but with Ecosport they did this, their advert itself stresses on the Dragon Petrol Automatic , I feel Ford should do the same with Aspire/Freestyle/up coming Figo to boost numbers and to make that logical thought, is diesel a MUST ? I see a lot of people buying diesels paying extra hefty interests just because they feel its more efficient but still rarely cross 10k kms a year
Even Ford dealerships dont promote petrol's that much, they just push people for diesel rather than explaining the logic.
