Ford Figo Long Term Report: March 2020

Previously I wrote about how the wide powerband of the Figo’s 1.5-litre TDCI engine makes highway journeys effortless. This month, I am going to tell you a little bit about the joys of driving this car in the city. It’s common knowledge that the single biggest problem with diesel commuter cars is low-speed turbo lag, but not if you’re in the Figo diesel – its powertrain is just as well suited for the job. For even off boost, this engine has such linear throttle responses that you can chug along happily from 1,000rpm. In the process, reducing the number of gear changes – the bane of our erratic urban speeds! This is also a good thing because this car’s clutch pedal feels like that of a proper old school diesel car. It’s very heavy, which is bad as it is, but making things even worse is its long-travel that can make it achingly tiresome to drive this car in traffic. Thank God for that wide powerband then!

The positives don’t end there though, for once that turbo comes on song at 1,800rpm, there’s no looking back, as the Figo offers an addictive surge of 215Nm all the way to the meat of the powerband. This, in turn, allows you to simply leave the traffic behind when that perfect gap opens up. This perhaps is one of my favourite traits of this car, and I like to call it the Kill Shot – it totally annihilates pesky drivers on the road.