- Figo 1.2 to get a 6-speed torque-converter automatic gearbox
- Will be the same automatic gearbox from the EcoSport SUV
- Expected to launch by end-August 2020
Ford will soon launch a new automatic version of its 1.2-litre Figo hatchback. The automatic gearbox used will be the same 6-speed torque-convertor unit seen on the Ford EcoSport.
Displacing 1,194cc and putting out 96hp at 6,500rpm, the 1.2 Dragon engine makes a good amount of power, especially for a car of the Figo's size. Performance is healthy at high engine speeds, and the 1.2 Dragon has a relatively strong mid-range. Where there is a bit of a power deficit is at low engine speeds. Here, throttle responses are lazy and the engine takes its time to respond.
The good bit here is that a torque-convertor automatic gearbox firms up throttle response at low engine speeds (by multiplying torque), and this should help the Figo feel more responsive to a tap on the throttle. As the 6-speed automatic gearbox is also the same as the one used on the EcoSport, the Figo could also get paddleshifters, which could help keen drivers extract the maximum power from the fun-to-drive Figo. Expected to hit showrooms towards the end of August, the Ford Figo automatic is likely to be priced somewhere between Rs 8-8.3 lakh (ex-showroom).
Ford’s Figo facelift was launched in March 2019 and got a redone grille and an attractive new chin with C-shaped fog lamps. Ford calls this its ‘cellular’ design look; at the time, the Figo also got a redesigned rear bumper.
This, incidentally, will also be the third version of the Figo to go on sale with an automatic gearbox. Ford earlier had a Figo auto powered by the larger 123hp, 1,497cc Dragon petrol engine, and before that there was a twin-clutch auto-equipped 110hp, 1,499cc four-cylinder petrol unit.
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