New Ford Ikon

The ageing Ikon is due for its second face-lift since it was launched in 1999. In 2003 Ford had revamped the interiors, with better trim and more equipment, while the exterior got a new grille and bumpers. This time around, the external changes are more substantial with new lights, a reshaped bonnet and a more aggressive-looking bumper that has completely transformed the front of the car.

The car is still distinctly a Ford with styling cues taken from the European Fiesta. The Ikon’s rear is untouched except for a mild redesign of the tail-lamps. The interiors as well are largely unchanged except for the instrument cluster which gets new dials. The big news is that after a gap of three years the Ikon gets diesel power again. But unlike the wheezy, old naturally aspirated 1.8 diesel that powered the Ikon until 2005, the new Ikon will get the state-of-the-art 1.4 diesel that has made a name for itself in the Fiesta. Ford obviously has no plans to discontinue the Ikon and the new model in diesel form could well be the renaissance of a car that is well past its sell-by date. The new Ikon is expected to be competitively keenly priced and the diesel version with a price tag from around Rs 5 lakh will undercut both the Logan and DZire. But Ford first needs to slash the price of its spares to rid the Ikon of its reputation as a car with high maintenance costs.