As the mentors of Ford’s Discover Smart Drive 2 , (see http://drives.gaadi.com) , Team Gaadi , comprising of Bobby Roy and Bunny Punia , drove a diesel Ford Figo across five cities and 1800km in the first week of December 2011. The team’s route was from Jammu to Pokaran with stop overs at cities like Amritsar , Chandigarh , Delhi , Jaipur , Pushkar , Osian and Jodhpur. Here is a break-up of the week long road trip that the team took and how the car fared all through the 1800km drive.

Leg 1 : Jammu to Amitsar : 205km

The first day of the event saw the team leaving Jammu by evening for their first destination , Amritsar. The Figo wasn’t brand new and had 23 , 000km under the belt already. The highway to start with wasn’t really very encouraging. However , once past the small towns and villages , it was a four lane affair but only till the outskirts of Pathankot where the team took NH-15 to Amritsar. Road work and diversions combined with darkness meant that the duo had to resort to numerous slow speed stints and gear shifts. The potholes in the meantime were dispatched off with ease , thanks to the Figo’s fabulous suspension set-up.

Leg 2: Amritsar to Chandigarh: 267km



We left Amritsar after a quick check-up at a Ford workshop only to find NH-1 blocked 50km down the highway. This was due a huge protest put up by the local farmers (this lasted three days!) and after wasting 3 hours , decided to stay at the nearest highway motel. The next day saw us leaving early morning via back roads and hitting Hoshiarpur and finally continuing towards Chandigarh. State highways in Punjab turned out to be fantastic and at various points , the Figo was easily cruising at high triple digit speeds without an issue. The 1.4-litre diesel mill showed its strengths and overtaking slow moving commercial traffic rapidly turned out to be an easy affair.

Leg 3: Chandigarh to Delhi: 255km

This was a familiar route for us , having done numerous trips to north India. However , once again , due to shoots and breaks , we left Chandigarh by evening. The good part was that the complete stretch is a 4-lane affair which meant the Figo loved sitting around the three digit mark and swallowed distances with ease. The Bluetooth enabled system came in handy which belted out songs via our mobile phones! By the time the team reached Delhi , the Figo had run 780km on a single tank (including drives inside cities)! After filling up , the average fuel economy came out to be 19kmpl which included highway stints , City traffic and catching a wink in the car with the air-con working!

Leg 4: Delhi – Jaipur : 265km

After spending a complete day in Delhi for the various tasks , Figo’s another strength came in handy – the 1.4-litre diesel engine has minimal turbo lag and a decent low end punch which means closing in on gaps in traffic doesn’t always require a down-shift. The team left for Jaipur by evening. The Delhi – Jaipur stretch is now much better thanks to new flyovers and wider roads. However , trucks traffic meant that the gearbox was made full use of. Infact , the 1.4-litre diesel motor is very punchy and the Figo made good use of the torque , leaving behind the commercial vehicle traffic before hitting the open stretches of NH-8. Even after 1000km behind the wheel , the duo , Bunny and Bobby were fairly relaxed without any fatigue at all. The huge boot swallowed their luggage with essentials and clothing for a week easily.

Leg 5: Jaipur – Pushkar : 150km

After visiting the Jantar Mantar and Hawa Mahal , the team left for the 150km drive to Pushkar after a heavy lunch. The highway till Kishangarh is superlative. This 90km stretch was dismissed off in under an hour thanks to the Figo’s ability to cruise at high speeds without any drama. This is a little car but can behave like a grown up sedan on the highways. A long wheelbase adds to the stability factor which the team experienced on various accounts. At sun-set , the team also witnessed the marvelous full moon – it was partial lunar eclipse today and Bobby made full use of his talent , his cameras and the full moon for an astonishing picture! The stretch from Kishangarh to Pushkar bypass isn’t the best – lot of diversions and potholes. Infact , the glaring lights from oncoming traffic meant that the Figo hit bad stretches at high speeds numerous times but on all occasions , the suspension swallowed it all!

Leg 6: Pushkar to Jodhpur to Osian: 250km

After visiting the local temples , the team headed to Jodhpur via Merta town. This 185km stretch was a combination of good and bad roads with diversions resulting in heavy braking , down-shifting and clever overtaking stints. The highway was broken at stretches and though the Figo’s easily rode though , One shortcoming did crop up – there is a particular resonance created in the cabin when the car drives though little undulations. This can be an irritant on long drives. Apart from this , the Figo has no issues and helped the team reach the Umaid Palace by 5pm for their task. After shooting the city and having late evening snacks , the team headed to Osiyan (Osian) town for the night , a 65km night drive. Once again , the highway turned out to be a nightmare at places and at the same time , surprised the Figo with flat and smooth stretches in between. The night was spent by the team under the stars , in the open desert with the Figo parked a good 5km away!

Leg 7: Osian to Pokaran to Jodhpur: 300km

The part was to reach Pokaran for planting ‘neem’ saplings. After a heavy local breakfast , the duo left Osian for a fantastic drive to Pokaran. The road after Phalodi was a dream run – single lane but very wide and with no traffic. Infact , on roads like these , cars can easily be maxed out without any danger or cattle or traffic. Bunny did the same and the Figo surprised the team with a top speed of 170km/h on the speedometer. It carried this speed for miles and miles , helping the team reach Pokaran by lunch time.
After planting a few saplings , the guys left for Jodhpur for the night. Once again , NH114 came in handy with sparse traffic and mostly smooth roads. Leg 7’s drive was definitely one of the best for the team due to the desert landscape and open roads.

The Figo was returned to a local Ford dealer and had been a perfect four-wheel companion for the duo. Long trips like these show the real strength and weaknesses of a car and to summarize , here is what we think about the Figo diesel.
Pros:
1. Fuel efficient – 19kmpl with a mix of national and state highways , city usage and high speed stints is brilliant
2. Space – For a car of this price , the Figo excels on both cabin and boot space
3. Engine punch – It has a very minimal turbo lag and decent low end punch which is a boon for city usage
4. Suspension – combines the best of both the worlds by providing stability as well as a good ride over bad roads

Cons:
1. No rear power windows. And the rear windows don’t roll down completely either.
2. Suspension noise – the typical resonance that is generated over bad roads can be an irritant
3. Low seating can be an issue for the elderly

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