Engine – gearbox
The Micra is propelled by a 1198cc, 12 valve, 3-cylinder engine putting out 76PS of power at 6000rpm and 104Nm of torque a 4000 rpm. These figures match (even outclass) some other similar capacity four-cylinder engines (except, of course the class leading K-series 1.2 petrol on the Swift), and the surprising thing is that even after being a three-pot mill, this engine doesn’t create any disturbing noise. We have earlier seen how some three-cylinder engines like the one on the A-star can create excess noise which beyond a point hampers comfort. No such issues with the Micra’s engine though. Silent and refined, this Japanese mill is creamy smooth and doesn’t emanate any sound or vibes to disturb the cabin’s tranquillity.
As we realised after a short drive, however, the Micra’s engine doesn’t really have the low-end grunt which is the biggest virtue of a good city car. The rev needle of the Micra moves quite lethargically till the time it reaches 3000 counts, after which it shows some intent to climb up. Surprisingly, the car doesn’t splutter either at low revs. It doesn’t mind rolling on in low revs, but doesn’t exhibit any peppiness when given the shove lower down the rev range either. We have observed this characteristic in most of these small cars powered by 1.2-litre petrol engines. We can’t blame the manufactures for this, as they’ll always make an effort to avail the duty cut offered by the government, but these cars could definitely do with slightly bigger engines. The gearbox is slick, and at par with the class in terms of slick operation and smooth shift action. No complaints there.
Just like the Micra, the Figo too is powered by an all new 1.2-litre DuraTec engine that produces 72 horses at a slightly higher 6250 rpm and 102Nm of turning force at 4000 rpm. Just like the Micra, the Figo too starts getting into its element only after 3000 rpm, however, it feels very marginally peppier than its Japanese counterpart. Although the difference is minor, it is still perceptible which gives the Figo’s engine a slight advantage in terms of responsiveness when we compare the two.
The slight difference in performance of the two engines is evident in the test figures of the two cars. The Figo is a little less than a second quicker than the Micra in its sprint to 100km/h from a standstill, while it’s also marginally quicker in its in-gear acceleration timings in 3rd and 4th gears in a benchmark run of 40 – 80km/h. Ford has always delighted users with its super slick gearboxes, and the Figo is no exception with a precise and fluid gearshift and absolutely no traces of notchiness.
So then, having compared the two engines, and their character on the paper as well as on the road, we realised that the Figo’s mill has its nose slightly ahead – at least in terms of outright performance and driveability. Another very important aspect of engine performance, that’s fuel efficiency, remains to be tested though – and it can just be the decider, so don’t draw any conclusions just yet!
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