Ford Figo is a feisty fighter

Although I liked the Figo from the time I drove it at the launch I thought it would be in for a rough ride against local favourites such as VW Polo Vivo, Toyota Aygo, Renault Sandero, Toyota Etios, Nissan Micra, Suzuki Swift, Mazda2, Honda Brio and even its larger Ford Fiesta sibling. Interestingly, Ford includes two diesel-engined variants in the nine model line-up and I recently used the 1.5TDCI Trend hatch for a week during which it saw service as commuter carrier, family shopping trolley and transporter of several cases of wine purchased on a tour of the Boland wineries.

Spacious living quarters

I was again impressed by the peppy 74Kw/215Nm the 1.5 diesel dishes out and even with four adults aboard plus a boot full of wine it remains willing to trot. Ford says it will do the 0-100km/h sprint in 11.37sec which is a fraction quicker than the zippy Mazda2, but a second or so slower than the VW Polo 1.2 TSI. Ford claims an average fuel consumption of 4.1L/100km. This diesel engine is undoubtedly the star of the Figo range.

The living quarters are spacious for such a little tyke and kit includes a four-speaker sound system with Bluetooth and USB port. The seats are also comfortable enough for a long journey and the steering is light. The cabin is fairly well insulated against outside- and engine noise and the visibility is good. Safety features include ABS brakes and two air bags.

Easy and pleasant

The little Figo provides an easy, pleasant ride. The car handles well and it zips into tight parking spaces with ease. It also feels confident on the road, even when being hustled along, although it does display some body roll through the corners, not that it has any hot hatch aspirations. The five-speed manual shift is slick and well-mated to the oil-burning power mill.

In summary, the biggest pat on the back for the Figo is the nod of approval that came, surprisingly, from Mrs Geyser who firmly believes that all automotive brands are inferior to the same boringly reliable and predictably bland Japanese brand which she has driven for the past 20 years.

The Figo diesel models are not automatic first choices in this segment, but if you do want a small oil-burner the R10,000 less expensive Ambiente variant might be worth considering and it is also wise to compare the Figo with what other brands offer in this segment. The price tag of the Trend variant we had on test is quite steep at R203,900 but that is the painful price we pay for the dwindling value of our Monopoly money rand.

Some of the price pain is eased by the Figo’s 4-year/120,000 warranty and 2-year/45,000km service plan.