Customer benefits
Furthermore, customers can benefit from special business hours from Monday to Thursday where the business operates from 8am to 7pm (and 8pm in summer). An in-house F&I Business Manager offers convenient finance options with all major banks and Pupkewitz Auto can supply a comprehensive line-up of vehicle accessories, safety and convenience features, as well as insurance and financial policies.
What you need to know: We somehow haven’t had much exposure to the Ford Figo except for a tired specimen we picked up from a rental company.
This was our first proper test of this little budget car and presented itself in the newgeneration sedan with 1.5litre petrol engine and the range-topping Titanium trim.
Also part of the whole parcel was something Ford calls the “Powershift” automatic, some new dual- clutch automated gearbox of sorts. But more of that later.
Leaning on its brand design – as everyone does – the Figo sedan won’t stop traffic with its looks nor will it cause projectile vomiting. Decent proportions, clean lines, cool alloys. It’s ok.
Some more facts: Opting for this Titanium version will give you full climate control, a cool multi- function steering wheel, a highly adjustable driver’s chair, four additional airbags, electronic stability program, hill start assist and the very talented Ford SYNC multimedia system over and above the normal Figo sedan standard features.
Its instrumentation is basic, the messy Ford dashboard isn’t.
All seats are comfortable and support four adults on long distances, five will be a push. Figo sedan’s boot takes up to 445L, a VW Polo Vivo sedan capitulates at 432L but an Etios sedan swallows 562L (Also see page 5). The Toyota is not available as an auto, though.
Where we went: To work, home, work, home, etc. A small stint on the highway proved that this new Figo sedan happily cruises along with traffic and, like all 1.5litre mills, its 82kw/136nm engine is quite eager and revhappy. Our GPS performance testing revealed a mild launch mode and 0-100km/h time of 10.02 seconds. Ford claims 12!
What to watch out for: That automated box of gears. Like the early DSG attempts from Hyundai and Mercedes, this unit is very jerky and feels indecisive... especially when going from coasting to half or full throttle. One tester came back from their first Figo drive and thought it was broken...
A little button on the lever gives you a degree of gear control but left to its own devices, it’s pretty awful.
Why you’ll want one: The space of a small sedan at a reasonable price, mixed with modern technology and the convenience of an automatic. We would only advocate this budget sedan to people who can’t - or don’t want to - pilot a manual because the Titanium trim and modern gadgets are only available in this model with this gearbox.