New Ford Ikon: What you need to Know?

Posted by Mehdi Hassan on November 7th, 2008 in Cars, India | 1 Comment

On September 5, 2008, famous American auto maker, Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F), announced the launching of the diesel version of its popular small car, Ford Ikon, in India. The company will also launch a petrol variant. The patrol version is priced at Rs. 4,59,000 and the diesel version Rs. 5,19,000. In the launching ceremony, Ford India President, Michael Boneham, told the reporters that the current global financial crisis is giving automobile producers a tough time. In January 2008, Ford announced to invest $500 million dollars in India in the next few years. In the next two years, the company will set up a manufacturing unit, a power train unit and develop a small car model for the Indian market. By 2010, the company is also going to produce petrol engines from its Chennai power train units. Fords current Chennai facility became operational in April 2008. The plant can produce 2,40,000 units and manufactures 60,000 units of diesel engines per year. At present, the company is sourcing petrol engines from South Africa. From April-September 2008, Ford sold Ford sold 14,062 cars and SUVs in India. Compared to 2007, there was a decline of 22.5%.

Ford Ikon:

The Ford Ikon is a sedan version of the Ford Fiesta Mark V on the Ford B3 platform. Currently manufactured and sold in India, the car used to be manufactured and sold in South Africa, Mexico and China. The Ford Ikon is going to have two versions for the Indian market. Currently, the major Indian competitors of Ford Ikon are: Mahindra Renault Logan, Tata indigo and Maruti Swift Dzire. infibeam says:

The new Ikon also boasts a freshened exterior design with distinct European cues. From the sharper new hood design and striking new headlamps to the all-new front bumper with its larger lower grille and European design cues, the new Ikon presents a fresh face but one that is instantly recognisable.

In keeping with the new Ikon’s bold and confident exterior design, Ford India has added a punchy new colour to the exterior palette – Morello – to existing Diamond White, Panther Black, Moondust Silver, Paprika Red, Platinum and Brush Steel.

Dimension:

(Exterior)

Overall Length- 4140 millimeters
Overall Width- 1634 millimeters
Overall Height- 1379 millimeters
Wheel Base- 2486 millimeters

(Interior)

Front Headroom- 982 millimeters
Rear Headroom- 968 millimeters
Legroom- 1036 millimeters
Shoulder room- 1325 millimeters

Other specifications:

Tyres- 175/70 R13
Wheels-Steel
Fuel consumption (city) – 9.3 km/liter
Fuel consumption (highway)- 14.8 km/liter
Acceleration (0-100 kmph)- 14.9 seconds
Top Speed-160 Km/hour
Braking (100kmph-0)- 57.2 meters
Kerb weight-978 kg
Ground clearance- 165 millimeters
Turning radius- 4.9 meter
Seating capacity- 5 person
Cylinder- 4 cylinder

About the engines:

The Ford Ikon diesel version runs on 1.4 litre DuraTorq TDCi engine and the petrol version runs on 1.3 litre RoCam engine.

In these days, high price of fuel is a major concern among auto owners. For this reason, they want fuel efficient cars and that is what the DuraTorq TDCi engine is all about. The 1.4 litre DuraTorq TDCi engine delivers 68PS and 160 NM of peak torque. Recently, this engine set national records for real-world fuel efficiency in the Ford Fiesta. It is the same type of advanced common-rail diesel engine used by Ford in Europe. Regarding the engine, John Lonsdale, Vice Preisdent, Product Development, said:

“When you experience the new Ikon first-hand with the DuraTorq TDCi engine, that’s when you’ll realize the improvements we’ve made have transformed the way the new Ikon responds to your driving demands…The refined TDCi engine delivers 160Nm of peak torque at a low 2000rpm. The wide torque band minimizes the need for gear changes, making the Ikon fun and easy to drive,…And it’s very kind to your wallet, due to its class-leading* fuel economy on both city and highway cycles.”

On the otherhand, the 1.3 RoCam petrol engine generates 70PS at 5500rpm and 105Nm at 2500rpm.

Other features:

The Ford Ikon comes with air conditioner.
The Ford Ikon has heater.
The Ford Ikon has power steering.
The Ford Ikon comes with adjustable steering.
The Ford Ikon has adjustable seats.
The Ford Ikon has front and rear power windows.
The Ford Ikon comes with fixed ratio rack and pinion with power assistance (PAS) steering.
The Ford Ikon comes with Bharat Stage III emission level.

Safety and security features:

The new Ford Ikon employs Ford’s European antitheft protection strategy, which utilizes a multi-faceted approach to vehicle security. Here are some of the safety features:

The Ford Ikon has high strength tubular door beams.
The Ford Ikon has steering column lock.
The Ford Ikon has soft-feel steering wheel rim to reduce head injuries.
The Ford Ikon comes with crash absorbing zones.
The Ford Ikon has collapsible steering column.
The Ford Ikon has front seatbelt load limiters.
The Ford Ikon comes with front seat belt “grabbers” to prevent uncontrolled movement.
The Ford Ikon has anti submarine seats.
The Ford Ikon has laminated glazed windscreen.
The Ford Ikon comes with child safety rear door locks.
The Ford Ikon has front fog lamps.
The Ford Ikon has day/night rear view mirror.
The Ford Ikon comes with central locking system.
The Ford Ikon has remote locking fuel filler cap.
The Ford Ikon has sparkling clear headlamps.