Early this week, we announced the Ford Figo Bloggers Drive, where we gave away 3 Figos to 3 bloggers for this whole week. The bloggers were informed that they could drive the cars wherever they wished, make interesting videos, take pictures, write poetry, review their Figo cars, etc, basically anything that caught their fancy. At the end of this week, the blogger who gets the maximum number of comments on his posts will be declared the winner and he can then select 10 of his lucky commentors and present them iPods worth Rs. 50,000, courtesy Ford India.

Our bloggers seemed to have been having a wonderful time.

Javeid from Motorbeam announced the contest right away to his readers and then went on to talk about Figo’s smart & smarter features. He asked the readers certain fun questions at the end of every post, which the readers can respond to as comments. He also took the car for a ride on some great winding roads and sweeping corners with breathtaking views – a must read. Then he gave us a bit of a shock by writing that his Figo got stolen. Thank goodness, we saw the creative spark in time . He seems to be still searching for the car, which was the diesel variant and is enjoying driving the petrol Figo now on the Mumbai roads at night.

This is one of the many great videos Javeid has put up on Motorbeam:

Dance with Shadows kicked off their series with greetings from the Figo. We love the ‘Oh Hai, I’m Figo’ headline. And when Ajit wrote ‘the roomy cabin space can make even the Hyundai i20 and Skoda Fabia feel threatened’, we couldn’t agree more. Day Two followed with a light-painted picture of the Figo, which took a whooping 3 hours to create. Wow, the picture is so stunning, we have provided it below for you guys to check out. Ajit went on to discovering a bird sanctuary on the outskirts of Delhi in the Figo. The car looked stunning in the backdrop of Lutyens’ Delhi and in the sunset. Today, he wrote ‘the Oscar goes to …Figo’. Need we say more?

Image courtesy: Dance with Shadows.com

Meanwhile at Carwale, there is a series of metamorphosis diaries to read, which in their own words, tells you a story about a car that helps transform mundane lives for the average young Indian who is today fast becoming a global citizen. Rachit and Ameya who are taking the Figo out to the Mumbai streets have some great storytelling and good pictures that you can check out. Check this out: ‘He takes the change and honks as he passes the bikes around me. The hulks suddenly changed to a more docile creature it looks like. Let me adjust the volume for him. When he goes faster I increase the volume automatically and when he slows down, the volume gets adjusted accordingly.’ You actually feel like sipping a cup of coffee and reading this like a novel.

Carwale also just a posted a list all the Figo stories it has done for all you Figohites.

Image courtesy: Carwale.com

So which one is your favourite? We leave it up to you to decide the winner. Check out all these posts and comment on them. Remember, the blogger with the maximum number of comments wins. And ultimately you can win a brand new iPod by participating in the threads.

Remember Bloggers Figo Drive ends tomorrow, July 31, 2010.

Leave a comment

This post is Part 5 of our ongoing Ford Car Lovers Series. After Anish Iyer, Manishi Dutt, the Quadros family, and Rohan Charles have shared their experiences with Ford, Mr. Kumar from Chennai too has some anecdotes to add.

Kumar’s first encounter with Ford was about five years ago, when he had rented a Ford car in the UK. He was so pleased with the driving experience, that he promised himself to buy and own a Ford car back in India. He has been owning a Ford Ikon since then and refuses to think of any other brand. “I didn’t even have a second thought about going for another car,” he passionately says.

Mr. Kumar’s trust in the Ford brand started building up with his service experiences through his years of owning the Ikon. The service engineer who attended him the first time he visited that Ford service station, still keeps his Ikon Ship-shape. “The first time I got my car serviced, the engineer even gave me his number. During the service, I was kept updated on what’s happening on the car, and what is expected. I felt I was safe. Since then, the same engineer he has been attending my car. For the past four-and-a-half years…”

Mr. Kumar feels that if a car owner loves his car and is responsible enough to maintain his car periodically, costs remain in check. “I spend only Rs.4000-5000 a year for my car’s service.” he says.

Mr. Kumar is emphatic about the easy availability and accessibility of Ford customer service and assistance. Recalling an accident in 2006, Mr. Kumar says, “I was on the way down south of India when we had an accident and the whole bumper crashed. But I had to travel, and called Ford for help. They assured me they’d pick up the car. And when I came back two days later, my car was back home!”

Today, Mr. Kumar is eager to try out the new Ford Figo. “Although I always wanted a small car, I never thought of buying a car other than Ford. Now that Ford’s come out with the Figo, I might just try it out!”

Here is what Mr. Kumar has to say:

Leave a comment

Hey Figo lovers, we have been doing a number of activities with bloggers over the last couple of months. This time we thought, why not do an activity where Figo fans can also take part in. So starting today till the end of the week (July 31), we will have 3 key bloggers get behind the wheels of the Figo. They will publish their experiences, upload videos and pictures on their blogs and social media networks. You are invited to leave your feedback and comments to their postings and take the conversation forward.

At the end of the week, the blogger with the maximum number of comments on all the posts together will get to select 10 of his readers (based on quality and quantity of comments – we have left this to the bloggers on how they want to choose their winner commentors) and present them attractive Ford Souvenirs. So are you game?

So head off to the blogs and let’s have a good conversation going around our favourite Figo. Here are the three bloggers and blogs that you need to check out, in alphabetical order:

1. Ajit, Dance with Shadows
2. Dr. Javeid A. Khan, Motorbeam
3. Kartik Ganesh, Carwale

1 Comment

Today we opened a new Brand@Retail showroom, Orchid Ford, in Partapur on the Meerut Bye Pass Road. It’s a large 17,000 feet 3S (showroom, sales and service) facility with a large product display area, multiple sales counters, customer lounge, and a play area for children. The service centre has 8 mechanical bays and 5 body bays and is run by a team of 30 people trained by Ford personnel. We will soon be introducing two dedicated Quick Service bays providing an express 90-minute scheduled servicing option.

Orchid Ford will be Ford India’s 8th dealership in Uttar Pradesh and will serve sales and service needs of customers in Meerut and the neighboring towns of Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Baghpat and Bulandshahar. With Orchid Ford, our dealer networks nationally has reached 167 locations across 97 cities.

One more place to check out the new Figo. What say?

1 Comment

Rohan Charles has been driving the Ford Fiesta 1.4 TDCi over the last 4 and half years and is proud to own it. He has used his Fiesta for the smallest of errands in his hometown besides travelling long distances into other states.

Swearing by the handling and driveability of the Fiesta he says, “I was going to Pune once and was on the Bombay-Pune Express Highway when I had gone off to sleep. When I got up, I realised my wife was actually zipping at around 150-160kmph. I did not feel anything at all. The vehicle is very sturdy and the road grip is excellent. It’s a powerful vehicle and you know the great part is that it gives you a manly feeling”, he says.

Rohan feels that the Fiesta complements his macho demeanour as the car is sturdy and at the same time very agile and great to handle on-road. He adds, “This car gives you that power and that macho feeling. That’s very personal. It’s more like a guy car.”

Well, initially Rohan didn’t quite realise that the Fiesta would be a good purchase decision and so consulted many people he knew. Most warned him that a diesel car will be satisfying on fuel efficiency but might prove to be expensive to maintain. Rohan still bought the Fiesta and today when he looks back, he smiles, patting himself on the back to having made this wise decision of buying the Fiesta 1.4 TDCi. The car delivers an average of 17 kmpl in the city and 23/24 kmpl on the highway, which gives him peace of mind. So in a nutshell, he’s enjoying the fuel efficiency of a diesel car and the performance of a petrol in his Ford Fiesta 1.4 TDCi.

Rohan likes making friends and did so with one of the Ford service technicians. The technician now services Rohan by providing him with a temporary car until his car is readied at the service centre. Rohan was not only impressed with this treatment but also when he discovered that Ford has a uniform service approach at other dealerships and service stations as well. He has been to 6 service centers across 3 cities and found the service quality uniform across the board.

Here’s what he has to say:

Today Rohan is one of many Fiesta owners who would refer the car to his friends. Check out what he has to say about that:

This is Part 4 of the Ford Car Lovers Speak where we are highlighting first-hand accounts from just some of the many proud Ford owners in India. To get these stories, a special Ford team travelled across the country, listening to and recording Ford owners’ stories and experiences. And, after hearing what they had to say about their ownership experience, we were inspired to put it up on Driving Ford. Check out Part 1, 2, and 3.

1 Comment

This post is Part 3 of our ongoing Ford Car Lovers Series. After Anish Iyer (Part 1) and Manishi Dutt’s stories (Part 2), let’s hear it from Pune’s Veronica and Gilbert Quadros.

Veronica and her son Gilbert Quadros have had a Ford Fiesta for many years, and she sums up her experience in a single sentence, “I am in love with the car.”

The Quadros family’s journey with the car started when Veronica and her son Gilbert were trying to decide the right car to own from the multiple choices available. They visited Planet Ford in Pune in addition to other brand dealerships. Describing their experience at the Ford dealership Gilbert mentioned, “We got a good welcome there and the staff was very cooperative. We did not know anything technical about cars, but they explained the car’s features to us, and took us to the workshop. I was quite convinced that if something would go wrong with the car, the service would be excellent.” The car, too, drove beautifully. The choice was final – the Ford Fiesta. Veronica and Gilbert booked the car right away.

The post-purchase experience has been delightful and equally rewarding for the Quadros family. Gilbert is thrilled with the dynamics of his Fiesta and thinks the car’s handling is “awesome”. He says, “I have driven many other cars, but the Fiesta is seriously awesome. I really like the clutch, and the power of the car is just amazing.” Veronica adds, “It’s a pleasure to be driven in the car, I feel comfortable and relaxed as it’s quite spacious.”

As a normal practice, when we sought their feedback on the Ford experience, Gilbert reminisced. “I once went to Mumbai during the Ganpati festival. There is heavy traffic at that time, and driving in that traffic is usually very tiring. But I didn’t get tired at all, because the car’s handling and the power is good, and the car is very smooth. Also, the air conditioner cools very quickly, you don’t feel the heat at all!”

Gilbert says he hasn’t had to change any part in the Fiesta so far and Veronica has been really satisfied with the service by Ford dealers, “I have no complaints about the service. They make you feel at home,” she reiterates.

Gilbert rates Ford’s quality of service as high as 4.8 out 5, adding, “These guys are brilliant.”

Here’s what Gilbert has to say about his Ford experience:

1 Comment

DRIVOBLOG has come out with a Ford Figo Initial Ownership Review report and man, we must say it was a good read. Tirthankar Basu of DRIVOBLOG, an erstwhile SUV owner who bought the Figo in May and has driven the car for around 3200 kms so far, writes he gets around 10-15kmpl in city driving and 20-30kmpl on the highways.

‘Every Vehicle Brand has its own merits but what matters us how much engineering and detailing effort that has gone to it. And FORD struck the right chords at the opportune phase when what most hatchbacks aggressively pitch on Fit & Finish, Fuel Efficiency and Resale but compromising on engineering, performance and perfection. FIGO is the best hatchback available in India as of 2010,’ he adds.

These are some more excerpts from the report:

On engine, performance, & handling: At 150 kmph the NVH is still bearable and the car does not feel ‘running out of breath’. Even with 5 people the vehicle propels up a Fly-Over/uphill in-hesitantly, something which I have not found most of the vehicles I have driven before.

On comfort & ergonomics: As regards the front seats, I am 5’11” and seat myself 6 hours every-day on an average on a sustained basis devoid of any discomfort. The front seats are actually engineered to grip the body during C-Curve maneuvers and prevent one from swaying by perfectly contacting the shoulder-plate(s).

On service: I believe an ‘informed owner’ need not face issues with Ford Service if he communicates accurately with the Authorized Service Centre. Recently my vehicle’s Radiator Fan failed prematurely and it was promptly replaced on priority basis under warranty. No questions asked and minimal paperwork.

Without taking away much from the report here, we would like to urge our readers to head to DRIVOBLOG to check out the report for themselves. Thanks Tirthankar for such a detailed feedback. We love it and we are looking into your suggestions too. Keep writing.

Also don’t forget to check out the video:

4 Comments