The Ford Figo is a great hatchback with a lot of versatility. It has a pretty sweet 1.2L 95 HP / 120 Nm petrol engine – the highest for a non-turbo petrol engine in the segment and the very popular 1.5L diesel 100 HP / 215 Nm diesel engine.
Coming specifically to the question about the fuel choice, there are a few factors that make a very big difference here:
1. DAILY RUNNING
Your daily running of 50 km, to be honest, is quite a bit. But having said that, where you drive the 50 km matters a lot. Usually, if you have to just look at the number alone and make a call, most people would go for the diesel for the fuel economy factor.
If you are mostly driving it on the highway because you have to commute to work that’s quite far away – the petrol could make sense as the fuel economy impact won’t be as high. I think it’s safe to expect around 15 kmpl on consistent highway driving.
If it’s going to be a 50% split on city and highway driving, the diesel might make sense.
2. FUEL ECONOMY v. CAR PRICE DIFFERENCE
Ford’s 1.5L diesel engine is a very frugal one and can give you the fuel economy of around 15 kmpl within city driving. On the highways, as the RPM is more or less consistent, it could give you close to 19 kmpl.
If you make an equation with the difference in fuel economy, fuel price and the car’s price difference, you can arrive at a break-even point where going for the diesel is likely paying off. That brings us to the next item.
3. OWNERSHIP PERIOD
The fact of the matter is that, when it comes to Ford Figo/Aspire/Freestyle, the petrol doesn’t get as much resale value because of the sheer popularity of the diesel engine options.
If you’re looking at an ownership period that’s around 5–7 years, the petrol would do just fine as the car would have depreciated in value significantly. But if you’re looking for a < 5 years of ownership, opting for diesel could be a little more rewarding when it comes to resale value.
