[S2K]

Hello everyone,
I will be in a position in few months where I will have to decide which one car, from the two we have in the family, should I keep and let the other one go.
The choice is between a 2017 MS Baleno RS and 2020 BS6 Ford FreeStyle Titanium+ Petrol. We will have to let one of these cars go as we get a new one in the latter half of the year.

Background on the cars

Baleno RS

• The car was bought in Diwali of 2017 and later this year will complete 5 years. There is no extended warranty coverage on the car at this point of time.
• The Baleno RS was my dad's daily use car and for a few years, was also the only car in the house, which meant it was also used for periodic highway trips mostly between Mumbai, Pune, Nasik and Raigad.
• With this kind of running, we have already put up about 40k KM on the odometer.
• The car has been maintained well wrt all the prescribed servicing being done from MASS on time.
• There have been some minor but multiple accidents like an auto bashing against the door and fender, or a cow jumping in front of the car on highway and damaging the bumper, etc. All of this has however been rectified by bringing the sheet metal in shape and have not replaced any sheet metal.
• Mostly used by my dad, and while he is a smooth driver, he does get impatient at times and does end up driving aggressively for a couple of minutes or so, and so the car has seen its fair share of high speed bumps over potholes or speed-breakers, roadside driving and also some aggressive braking.

Ford FreeStyle

• The car was bought in December 2020 during the pandemic as I needed to start working from office on daily basis.
• Primary reasons for buying Freestyle over other cars were the good driving dynamics, better build quality than other cars in the same segment, better pricing, sort of novelty factor(since not many other Freestyle are visible on roads), and the increased ground clearance as well since I had to frequently travel to a couple of places with not so good road conditions.
• The car that I bought was the demo unit for the BS6 launch that was manufactured in March 2020 but since the showrooms were closed for quite long time due to lockdown, it was not that used. However, the car still had 5k KMs on the odometer already. I decided to get it because I got discounts to the tune of 1.25L on the car and despite all the run, neither the dealer tried to hide it or tamper with the odometer nor did the car seemed damaged or worked on. Got it checked by multiple independent mechanics and also used some trusted insider sources at the dealer and they assured that car had been treated fairly.
• In a span of one and half years, the car has clocked in more than 11k KMs since the purchase and the odometer reading stands at 16k+ KMs as of now.
• The car is being used as my daily drive within city as well as for frequent intercity trips (between Mumbai-Nashik-Pune). It has also been on a couple of road trips, to the Konkan region and to Goa as well. The car easily tackled the bad roads, handled some off-road situations (where the road was completely washed away, higher GC helped), cruised quite effortlessly on the smooth roads and kept everyone cool and comfortable even on hot days with 5 adults on board.

Pros and Cons for each car

Baleno - Pros:

• The car is spacious. Very much so when compared to FS. Sitting 5 adults is a normal affair in Baleno with all 5 being comfortable on a long ride. With Freestyle, 4 adults can seat comfortably but getting in the 5th one will affect the rear sit comfort. In any case, Baleno has a clear advantage here.
• The comfort that the MS badge provides in terms of service options, parts and accessories availability and a not very high pricing on them
• The infotainment system supports Apple Carplay, which is of high use when going to new places within city or in new cities.
• The ride comfort of the car is good, when compared to FS since on FS, the suspension can sometimes feel a tad stiffer for the Indian city roads.

Baleno - Cons:

• Baleno is very common on the road. The minor visible differentiation and badging the car RS does not help at all. A fish in the sea.
• Despite being badged the RS, the handling is nowhere close to how the FS drives. Neither is the engine sporty, despite being turbo-charged, nor is the steering feel and cornering as enjoyable. (I still have limited driving experience on RS and going to try it out more in next few weeks)
• The interior feels dated, with the build, look and feel of all components inside seeming to be of lesser quality when compared to FS.
• Even though its an MS machine, the 1L Booster Jet didn't sell much, and repairs and maintenance can prove to be expensive if any need arises.
• On the safety front, the Baleno lacks totally with just 2 airbags, not a very strong build, and no active safety features as well.
• The music system is not at all impressive and if I have to use it as my primary car, I will have to upgrade at least the speaker system to something that has enough balance and loudness.
• With the recent intercity drives and the advent of speed cams, I've come to realize the use of cruise control and it is sorely missing in this vehicle. There are external mods available, but not sure of compatibility and reliability of those.
• There is no warranty coverage for the car and the car being 5 years old entails some extra maintenance and replacement, that might lead to higher ownership costs.

FreeStyle - Pros

• The ride and handling of the car is just great and gives a driving pleasure that Baleno is not even remotely able to.
• The build quality of the vehicle, both exterior and interior, is definitely better and confidence inspiring.
• The active and passive safety kit on the car is good with traction control, corner stability control, anti rollover protection hill-start assist, and 6 airbags.
• The car stands out the in the crowd and is an underrated beauty. She looks cute when you want her to be cute, she looks hot when you want her to be hot. The silhouette of the car is one of the best looking ones in the market I feel. Just looking at her puts a smile on my face, sometimes a huge grin. (Yes, I'm definitely in love with her!)
• Ford's servicing till now (1 before and 1 after Ford's exit) has been reliable, inexpensive and assuring. The best service experience I've had with any brand.
• The car has be handled, maintained and treated very well and no stones have been left upturned whenever something has felt off.
• The audio system in the car satisfies my car audio needs for now and I don't feel like it needs to be upgraded.
• The car is under extended warranty for next 3 years, though I have some doubts about it due to Ford's exit.

FreeStyle - Cons:

• The largest disadvantage that FS has is the interior space. When compared to Baleno, FS lacks considerably. Be it the read seats, the headroom or even the boot space. The Baleno has a very clear advantage in this department. FS works well with 4, not so well with 5, but just barely manageable.
• Ford's exit has put some pressure on the service experience and from the instances I've come across from people online, the service experience has become slightly slower and slightly expensive than before though the service quality has not been affected. This might lead to expensive repair or maintenance work ahead with the risk of car being at SC for longer than expected durations.
• The infotainment on the FS does not support Android Auto/Apple CarPlay and my current work around is sticking my phone on dashboard, but sometimes, it does seem to be a little cumbersome.
• Cruise control is missing in FS too. Again mods are available but not sure of the reliability and its effect on warranty/insurance.
• Ford's exit. Mentioning second time, because while everything has been good and great till now, I am worried if it still stays the same afterwards as well.

Some other factors

• FS is my first personal vehicle that I bought with my own money and I've grown more attached to it than anything else (my girlfriend even jokes on how I care more about the car than about her). So emotions are high and I will need some hard convincing of myself if I have to let her go.
• The girlfriend mentioned above is soon going to be my wife and we have a travel list which, if its only both of us, will be easily traveled in the FS. If either set of parents get involved in any plan, Baleno will offer more comfort, for sure.
• Whichever car I decide to keep, it has to serve us for atleast next 3 years by which time I'm assuming there will be multiple viable EV options to chose from. There's a very high chance that my next car will be an EV and I might even delay that purchase if there are no good options available in the market.
• The daily running costs for both the vehicles are almost same with both offering about 13kmpl mileage in the city and 19-20kmpl mileage on the highways. So none of them have any advantage with respect to the running costs.
• While running costs are not a major concern right now (I am somehow managing the dent of increased fuel prices on my finances), if the fuel costs get high enough that it becomes a no-brainer to use an EV, I will jump to the EV sooner than I mentioned.

I would request the more experienced and knowledgeable forum members to share some advice and guide me on which vehicle to keep based on the above points and also some other points I should think about but haven't.

Thanks,
Sanket

Note for Mods : Please delete the earlier post which was incomplete. I tried to figure out a way to edit/delete it but not able to. Please direct me to it, if it is possible. I have now posted the full matter, including the previous one in this post.

[nitkel]

Keep the one which you/your dad enjoy driving the most! Service costs and reliability would be similar as long as Ford honors their promise to keep the service centers functioning.

[GTO]

Both cars are good and have a lot of life left in them. First things first, you are selling & changing cars too early. Two threads you just have to read:

5 year old car: Keep, sell, swap?

How a more expensive car can work out cheaper

To answer the thread question, between the two, I would keep the car that makes me smile more. In your case, it is clearly the Freestyle, so retain that. You'll get good money for the Baleno as there is a used car supply crunch currently. On the other hand, your Freestyle will suffer a major depreciation hit today...and so will it 4 years from now (because of the Ford exit). Your warranty will ensure a fuss-free ownership.

Ford will continue to support your car. And there are enough Figos, Freestyles & Aspires on the road for the after-market to as well.

[S2K]

Originally Posted by GTO

Both cars are good and have a lot of life left in them. First things first, you are selling & changing cars too early.

To answer the thread question, between the two, I would keep the car that makes me smile more. In your case, it is clearly the Freestyle, so retain that.

Ford will continue to support your car. And there are enough Figos, Freestyles & Aspires on the road for the after-market to as well.

Thanks for the advice.

The reason for changing too early is that the car that my dad drives is provided by his workplace where he can use it for personal purposes as well without any major limitations and the workplace has the norm of replacing the vehicle every 5 years. So we have to do it one way or the other.

Also, yes, the Freestyle does bring me more joy, but I'm planning some long drives with Baleno as well to see if I feel the same excitement with it as well.
But, mostly it seems that I'll end up sticking with my Freestyle

[Newtown]

The Ford would have greatly depreciated in value by now.

Since it is the newer of your cars, makes you happy when you drive it and has plenty years left in it, I would suggest keeping the Ford. The Baleno will also get you better resale.

[nvldvr]

For me, it's a no brainer.

I will any day keep the much safer / better built freestyle with 6 air bags, over the Baleno any day. I will not look beyond this, if I were to decide which car to keep.

[AnAntinspired]

Just the adjectives you have used to describe one over the other give away the decision you wish to take - to say baleNO to one and continuing to drive FREE and in STYLE!
Go with your heart, there are plenty of years ahead in the future stages and ages you are entering, that will demand the head to over rule it! The 5th person inside the freestyle may not effusively compliment your decision, but even the 50th person you discuss this with, especially on a forum like this, will!

[jkrishnakj]

Evident from your post that you incline more to the Ford and love it more than the Baleno. That’s exactly it then!

Secondly, easier to sell the Baleno. It does fetch a very decent price.

[livetodrive]

Hi S2K, your concern regarding Fords exit is valid. In 2020, I booked FS along with my friend and in June Ford bumped the price up by 50K which my friend was ready to absorb but not me. During same time I persuaded another friend to buy EcoSport Diesel over Brezza and he listened to me.

After Fords exit, I felt sorry for both of them and I keep checking on them if they have any trouble with service. I know hardly I can contribute if they are dissatisfied customers. Still I feel if I had not persuaded them so much to buy Ford , they would be in much mental peace.

However I can see they are very happy Ford owners till date. Both of them keep appreciating great diesel mileage, strong build and comfort of co-passengers in long drives.

It's hard to say if Fords service quality will deteriorate in future. But considering your current observations and the inputs from my friends I feel keeping the Ford will be a good decision.

Thanks.

[batladanny]

I'm the owner of a 2018 Freestyle and still think that keeping the Baleno is the more practical option — significantly more luggage room, bit more rear seat space, Android Auto.

Now whether you want to go with the practical option or heart option is upto you. A bit more info about your next car and use case for both cars would also help others give better advice

[Voodooblaster]

Why selling the Freestyle is a bad idea :

*Cars take a massive depreciation hit in the first year (after road tax and the 3 year insurance is factored in)
*Since you had purchased a demo car, i am assuming that RTO records will show you as the 2nd owner. Higher the no of owners, lower the resale value
*Compared to Ecosport, Freestyle was less popular and sales numbers were poor. Again, lower resale value
*The elephant in the room: Ford's exit has dampened the resale value
*You enjoy driving Freestyle more than Baleno
*Safer Car
*Most Important: It tugs at your heart

Why selling the Baleno is a good idea :

* Has a higher resale value (MSIL+Baleno combination)
* Since you mentioned some aggressive driving, it'll not age very well. (May need early suspension and related parts)
*Has lesser safety features than the Freestyle

Taking a bigger rental car(Innova , Marazzo, Ertiga etc) for your combined family trips is a better option. You can enjoy a different car

Finally, i would advise against installation of cruise control from 3rd party vendors. It may void warranty, and there are safety risks involved

[Pratiksm]

Keep the Freestyle.

It is more safer with 6 airbags and a ford is any day better built compare to a maruti. Better ride and handling is another advantage of freestyle. Besides you don't get such cars in hatchback segment now a days. Ford service will not be an issue atleast for next few years.

[rajk15]

Freestyle is a safer car than the Baleno, that alone would have worked in my case. However to add, for starters, you love the car- keep it. Secondly, even looking practically/financially, the Baleno is clearly older (and you never know when renewing 15 year old petrols becomes nearly impossible- so you can retain Freestyle longer). Also, while the resale of the Ford will take a hit today (Maruti in comparison, will sell at a higher price) 10 years down the line, I doubt that there will be much of a difference in the brand name.
Have voted for the same. Keep the Freestyle, let the Baleno make way for the new one.

[shibujp]

From your initial post i think you are trying to find a rational reasoning for something that your emotions have already decided on. And that is the Freestyle.

Now I am an RS owner and happy with it after some 80k kms. However let me assure you that the out of the box handling is never going to match the Ford's and the Ford's engine is never going to match the Boosterjet. However and engine is only enjoyable when the suspension tune allows you to utilise it's full potential. Which is where Ford has done great work. This is where Maruti made a major misstep.

I was also not at all happy with the stock tune and progressively worked on it till i got it to where I was satisfied with it. Started off with RogerAb buffers, onto Cobra lowering springs and finally a fully customisable Blitz suspension which cost a pretty penny around 1 lakh including customs. That has got the RS to just where i want it. It's lowered though but okay for the most part. Everything else works fine for me.

Just sharing this in case this is a road you want to go down further.

Drive on,
Shibu.

[COMMUTER]

As a happy owner of Figo 1.5D which has clocked 1.32L on the odo, I would suggest you to keep the Freestyle without any hesitation. Regarding the Baleno, I would like to point out that you will be spending a lot more to buy another car when you are needed to do so.

So, if you are planning to buy another car within the next 5 years, you must retain the Baleno too.