Ford Figo

Based on Ford's Global B platform, the Figo gets its name from the colloquial Italian expression Figo which is similar to the colloquial English expression 'cool'. This new car with its chic looks has been brought to India keeping the young minds in mind. The Figo looks small, but nevertheless, has a lot of space in its four-metre length. The car does bear a tall, purposeful look. In this article let's have a look at the Ford Figo in detail.

While speed breakers on the Indian roads pose as problems for almost every other vehicle, the Ford Figo will not face anything of that sort. The ride quality is outstanding and there is nothing that disturbs the peaceful ride of the occupants. The Figo leverages Ford's small-car platform architecture with solid proportions. Ford has been intelligent enough to incorporate the already familiar Fiesta technology in this new car.


The Figo is available in 8 variants in India. A 1.2 Duratec motor powers the petrol variants while the diesel variants derive their power from 1.4 Duratorq engines. The petrol engine is further powered with SEFI technology that enables it to give an output of 70 bhp at 6,250 rpm and a maximum torque of 102 Nm at 4000 rpm. Meanwhile the CRDi diesel engines are capable of stirring up 68 bhp at 4,000 rpm and maximum torque of 160 Nm at 2000 rpm.

Both engines are mated with a 5-speed automatic transmission that makes sure the car runs smoothly, no matter what the road conditions are. Both engines delivery exceptional fuel economy figures too and the car has been priced aggressively, thus attracting more sales.

The well-engineered steering and suspension system add to the comfort levels. One can simply sit behind the wheels of the Figo to know what is called stupendous performance. The hydraulic power assisted steering gives sheer driving pleasure.


The Figo also takes cues from the company's Kinetic Design. The Ford Figo flaunts a classy design with a lower grille, sloping roofline and edgy side panels. The chic and stylish headlamps, well-designed bonnet, an integrated spoiler and the chamfered shape of the window at the rear accentuate the car's youthful appeal. Body-coloured door handles and side mirrors add to this appeal.

The Ford Figo has a 2498 mm long wheelbase and the car's interiors put on show a unique blend of quality, substance and generous proportions. 5 adults can easily fit in the cosy inner space of the Figo. The leg and head space is mind blowing and the rear boot space can hold anything from light shopping bags to big heavy luggage. On the whole, the Figo can be considered to be one of the most spacious cars in its segment.

The Figo comes in two interior finishes, a cool Coral IP theme and an Ebony Black one with matt finish. The two finishes are sure going to take care of everybody's tastes, be it the urban youth or that of people looking for class and aesthetics. The car is a winner in its segment even when it comes to safety. Airbags, ABS with EBD and more take care of driver and occupant safety.

A Guide to Hybrids Cars

Alongside its conventional combustion engine - usually a petrol or diesel unit - the hybrid car has electric motors and batteries that help power the vehicle. The hybrid system helps the combustion engine by maximising its efficiency rating. When the car is at a standstill, idling is avoided, thus cutting fuel consumption. The energy that is available when the car is moving can be partly recovered during braking. The electric motor serves as a generator, creating electric energy that is stored in the battery for later use when accelerating.

Battery technology is undergoing extremely swift development. Previously, the batteries used were of the nickel-metal hydride type but in the most recent hybrid cars and also in the forthcoming models, lithium-ion batteries are fitted, giving longer range and better driving properties. Thus far, hybrid technology incurs considerable extra costs. Just how much depends on the variant chosen - the further you want to be able to drive on electric power, the more battery power is needed, which affects the car's cost.


At present there are five different hybrid car variants. They are listed below from the lowest degree of electrification to the highest (battery sizes are examples and can vary).

1. Micro hybrid Often called a Micro HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle). A start/stop function means the engine switches off when the car is at a standstill and restarts when the driver presses the accelerator. This is possible owing to the installation of a more powerful starter motor (4 kilowatts) compared with the normal 1.4 kW. The battery is a regular 12 volt starter battery. According to NEDC (New European Driving Cycle - the European driving cycle used by all car manufacturers for calculating fuel consumption) carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are reduced by 4-5 percent compared with a corresponding car without the start/stop function.


2. Medium hybrid (Medium HEV). This variant has a 10-15 kilowatt electric motor and a more powerful battery compared with the micro-hybrid, with an output of about one kilowatt-hour (kWh). Thanks to a generator located by the rear axle, the medium hybrid generates energy when the car brakes, energy that can be subsequently used for acceleration. CO2 reduction according to NEDC is about 10 percent.

3. Full hybrid (Parallel Powersplit HEV). Has an even more powerful electric motor of about 35 kW and a more powerful two kWh battery that allows the energy generated during braking to be stored and utilised even more efficiently. With a full hybrid, it is possible to drive about one kilometre on the electricity that is generated. This variant offers approximately 20 percent carbon dioxide reduction.

4. Plug-in hybrid (PHEV, Parallel Powersplit Plug-in HEV). Same principle as the full hybrid, but with an even more powerful electric motor (50-100 kilowatts) and even more battery power, up to 15 kWh. It can be recharged via a regular wall socket and can be driven for about 50 kilometres on electricity, after which the combustion engine automatically takes over. Here it is possible to achieve a CO2 reduction of around 70 percent. For e.g. Volvo ReCharge Concept.

5. Series hybrid SHEV (Series Hybrid Electric Vehicle). It has more powerful electric motor (100 kW) with a 50 kW generator and more powerful battery (15-20 kWh) than in the plug-in hybrid. Recharged from a regular wall socket and can be driven up to 60 kilometres on electric power. Here it is the electric motor that propels the car while the combustion engine is used only to produce electricity for the batteries when they need to be recharged. The powerful electric motor means it is possible to use a smaller combustion engine, such as a three-cylinder petrol or diesel engine. This hybrid variant too can achieve about 70 percent lower CO2 emissions.

All five variants thus include a conventional combustion engine, so there is never any risk of coming to a standstill at the roadside because battery power has run out.

The step beyond hybrid cars is the dedicated electric car without any combustion engine, the BEV, (Battery Electric Vehicle). This is recharged via a wall socket and runs solely on electricity. With today's technology the range would be 150-200 kilometres (depending on battery size). Carbon dioxide reduction is 100 percent - the car produces no carbon dioxide emissions at all.

Learn how to become debt free for good

Credit Card debt consolidation is becoming a big headache for many people around us and among us. Buy credit card because we think that these electronic cards, our life will be easier because we have to keep any unnecessary cash in our pocket. Credit card is also becoming a Magic card for you if you’d have enough money to buy the product or spend if in an emergency. People use different cards for different purposes at once, so finally when they go into debt to pay money to more than one creditor, which actually creates problems for them. It’s time to get out of debt and start living a debt free life.

When someone feels that he must pay that amount of money that he has no right then he should think about solutions, solutions that we have with us right now is credit card debt consolidation. When you pay different amounts to different creditors, why not borrow a single amount from one company and pay off all your debts and you'll eventually have to pay the company form, which borrowed money to pay its debts. This is how credit card debt consolidation works.

This way you can pay all your debts at the same time increasing the amount of your loan. But the good thing is that now you have to pay that amount by only one company in monthly installments. So this way, credit card debt consolidation seems to be okay. But, of course, everything has some side effects, so the consolidation process.

Actually, if you pay credit card debt loan debt consolidation plan, you actually increase your stress, because now with this new loan you long to get paid. We also look at some other alternatives, such as debt settlement. The debt settlement you can remove 40-50% of its original debt immediately pay the remaining amount. This process is quite beneficial for the ordinary consumer, so if someone asks the question: Is it better than consolidation debt settlement? The answer should be no, because there is no saving credit card debt consolidation process.

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