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We had carried an article earlier about Ford launching the facelifted Ikon and now we have fresh pictures of the car. The vehicle you see above is named Bantam, a pickup truck based on the Ikon which will not make it to India for obvious reasons. However, as the frontal dimensions are same, looking head on at the new Bantam is as good as looking at the refreshed Ford Ikon which is expected to make its debut before the end of this year in the country.
For many reasons, the opinion on the facelift might be divided as the car has lost the cheekiness of the earlier Ikon but what might just pull in buyers might be the brilliant 1.4 TDCi from the Fiesta coupled with a reduction in maintenance costs. Also in line is the 1.4 petrol, also from the fiesta with 84bhp (which defies its power figures) as it is much more powerful and responsive than its power figures suggest. The car's trademark handling and responsiveness stay undiluted and the first class rear seat comfort is likely to remain unchanged as well. Anticipate changes to the dashboard, interiors and a new instrument cluster cannot be ruled out either.
When launched, the car slots in as direct competition to the Dzire, Indigo and the Logan and we think this is a good car that still has many talents to keep it in contention before Ford's new hatchback slots in the premier hatchback segment. Expect it to cost around 5.5-6 lakhs when it goes on sale later this year.
2008 Ford Ikon Picture Gallery
