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Posted on: Jun 08 2007

Ford-Ikon NXT

The Ikon's success shows how important it is to tailor a car to Indian tastes: the Ikon, based on the last-generation Fiesta but heavily modified for India, is one of the big names in its class. The Ikon has been criticised for quality and refinement issues, but Ford says it is constantly improving its most popular saloon.

Design, Engineering and Interiors:
The Ikon, based on a car that has been around since the late 1980s, is not the most modern car in its segment, but uses this to its advantage, because uncomplicated, rugged cars often work best in our conditions.It's mechanically fairly simple, with a tough, rigid bodyshell, decent ground clearance and semi-independent rear suspension. Its wheelbase has been stretched over that of the donor hatch, to increase interior space, and the nose brought in line with the last of the Fiestas.

This makes it a handsome car, with its cat's-eye headlamps and stubby, lopped-off rear. It looks feline and racy, and most would agree it's the best looker in its class. The new front bumper, introduced on the SXi, looks nice, especially when mated with the alloys (standard on the 1.6). The Ikon's interior both impresses and lets one down: it is spacious, practical, comfortable and well built, but doesn't have the upmarket feel of rivals like the Corsa or Accent. The dash, in true sports-sedan style, wraps around the driver, and the fat steering wheel and aluminium-look plastics add to the sporty theme, as do the white-faced dials. These lift the interior of the 1.6, but the 1.3's cabin, denied these add-ons, feels decidedly built to a price.

The plastics feel hard-wearing but are shiny and hard, even though the introduction of the face-lifted NXT versions was supposed to improve this. To compensate, the Ikon has excellent comfort both front and rear; in fact, the Ikon has one of the best rear seats in the business. The front seats get height-adjusters on the SXi, but they're set too high; besides, ergonomics aren't very good, with the power-window switches being badly placed, and adjustment for the steering wheel and power-adjust mirrors missing. The boot is adequate for the class and reasonably well shaped as well. A problem is that the Ikon lacks refinement: there is excessive road noise, in particular a drumming sound from the suspension.

Performance, Fuel Economy and Handling: 
The Ikon uses a trio of engines: a 1.3 ROCAM (now built in India, not South Africa), a 1.6 ROCAM and a 1.8 diesel that last used in the Escort.The 1597cc, 91bhp 1.6 is the star of the range, and one of the most exciting engines in any Indian car. It is powerful, responsive and eager to play at all times, despite being a simple, eight-valve unit. Part-throttle responses are especially sharp, so the Ikon has the necessary shove to make overtaking easy.

Although the gearbox has slightly too-short ratios, it works very well, and encourages you to keep downshifting to hear the engine snarl. Thankfully, it doesn't penalise you too much for sporty driving, returning a respectable 8.4kpl in the city and 13.4kpl on the highway.

The 70bhp 1.3 ROCAM is a miniature 1.6, with the same eager responses and sporty, gravely note, lacking only some of the larger engine's torque. It scores over its larger sibling in fuel economy, returning 8.9 and 14.4kpl. A good compromise as a family saloon for city use.

The 1.8, however, is quite disappointing: in an era of responsive and refined common-rail diesels, this antiquated motor is sluggardly, and not particularly efficient with it. Ford urgently needs to replace this engine — with only 60bhp, and returning only 11.0 and 16.0kpl, it can't hold a candle to the best. This is still a class where fuel economy matters, and it needs a replacement.

To go with the exciting petrol engines, the Ikon has a superb chassis, which turns a fairly humble car into an exciting driver's car. It rides a touch firmly, but attacks the bends with gusto, the pin-sharp steering rack communicating constantly with the driver. There's plenty of grip, and decent composure at high speeds, which add immeasurably to the Ikon's charms.

Verdict:
With great engines, sharp looks and a superb chassis, the Ikon is a great enthusiast’s car. The comfy rear seat and highly reasonable prices make it a sensible purchase as well, so the Ikon comes off as a great all-rounder, especially in petrol form. The problem is that the Ikon isn’t as plush as many upwardly-mobile owners may want – its interior, though improved, still feel cheap, and far too much noise is allowed into the cabin. Ford has only a middling record when it comes to service, and spare parts tend to be fairly expensive. If you can get your head around these failings however, the Ikon is a very entertaining and useable family saloon. The Ikon is a high-value offering in the class, with frequent special editions to sweeten the deal.

Keep an eye on the number of variants, which keeps changing, and of course on the discounts offered. The company has slashed out the discounts ever since it had announced a price decrease in 2004. But, an across-the-table deal could fetch you some goodies or even a chunk off the sticker price.

Ford’s service is not quite widespread and the Ikon is not an inexpensive car to maintain. Resale too is affected due to these reasons, especially of the 1.6. But if your 1.3-litre Ikon is well kept, you could ask for a good price.
Source: autocarindia.com