[puchoo]

Sure and thats fine , my point only that it will add to the cost or there could have possibly been a trade off for some other feature. There could be a strong point that picking up the auto + the features might be cheaper than trying to do something with it, we might not know. It gets them to boast of segment first features and good for marketing but a bit of an overkill in my opinion.

Originally Posted by raghav135

I believe ford gets many goodies like Electronic stability, traction control and hill assist along with the automatic gearbox.

[raghav135]

Originally Posted by JD1

Is it confirmed that Automatic variant is coming with 1.5L? That would increase the cost as it would move into the higher 24% excise slab.

According to VP of customer service operations of Ford, Mr. P.K. Umashankar, it comes with 1.5 L petrol engine for automatic variant.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lsSTQxIlOxU

[supertinu]

Folks, I managed to check out the car today on display at Phoenix Market City Mall in Whitefield. Spent about few mins on the front and back seat as i was short on time and there was ofcourse lots of weekend crowd checking the car out. My observation based purely my perspective of things are listed below. Keep in mind that I have owned a Ford Ikon and currently also own a Figo, so direct comparison is present. I didnt take any pics, will try again tomm

Likes

• Front grill looks pretty slick. Makes the car look posher and attractive

• Decent interior space. Kind of at par with current Figo with some more leg room. Width is certainly limited compared to i20 or Vista. At best for 4 people

• Decent boot for a 4m sedan

• Same ICE display screen as Fiesta and Ecosport

Dislikes

• Steering wheel is tad too low even at the highest position

• Quality of the grey plastic on the dash is strictly avg. I actually feel that my Figo's black interior quality is better. Ford should have stuck with black or gotten better quality. Its certainly not at par with i20, Xcent or even swift to some extent in my view

• Instrument console is tad small and hardly premium looking. Infact looks very rudimentary design

• Tires are a tad small for the body size, side view panel look over powering

[amartyasg]

Saw a red Aspire on Bannerghatta Road (Bangalore.) It looked quite good in person, the profile is much better than a Dzire or Zest. Hopefully the new Figo and Aspire will sell as well and better than the old Figo and Classic. Ford really need a success now, after the new Fiesta's sales fail.

[arunphilip]

Originally Posted by arunphilip

Poor Ford. They used this marketing model for the EcoSport, of having a contest, and displaying the EcoSport at various cities to create buzz. And that car was wildly successful. Someone in Ford seems to have thought that it was this marketing model that triggered the EcoSport's success, and are repeating it for the Figo Aspire.

Boy, are they wrong.

The Figo Aspire enters an existing segment, and while it might be a compelling package it is not a game-changer. And this lethargic marketing approach might just end up falling flat.

I hope Ford are monitoring the activity (rather, inactivity) on this thread.

If they can't get the buzz going on an Indian auto forum that has generally been favourable (in opinion if not sales ) towards Ford's offerings, then they have failed quite badly. And then, what hope would they have of making a splash upon the actual launch.

[The Observer]

Originally Posted by arunphilip

I hope Ford are monitoring the activity (rather, inactivity) on this thread.

If they can't get the buzz going on an Indian auto forum that has generally been favourable (in opinion if not sales ) towards Ford's offerings, then they have failed quite badly. And then, what hope would they have of making a splash upon the actual launch.

Good point, I think they are busy monitoring the activity on the Jazz , Creta and the S-Cross threads and still deciding on their menu for their own hatch. May be they will spew info when the excitement around Jazz and Creta stabilizes and i think in any case the hatch might come only a good six months post the sedan, so they are waiting before they jump in.

[tanwaramit]

When is the launch? I have been seeing lots of reports of these cars on the road. Even saw it on news channel which was showing flooded Mumbai with normal white number plates. Don't know whats happening, car is everywhere but not yet launched.

[Tushar]

Sobered down from the concept, but still a good car to look at:


Hexagonal grille gets a mild dose of chrome:


Headlamp cluster has a busy internal design:


Fog lamps could have been integrated more tastefully:


Beefed up bonnet to add some aggression. Note how oddly far ahead the windshield washers have been placed:


As with most compact sedans, the rear looks awkwardly pushed in:


Turn signal integrated wing mirrors:


Front fenders sport faux air vents:


175/65 section tyres wrap around 14-inch alloy wheels:


Drum brakes at the rear:


Door handles feel solid to use:


Radio aerial is rather long:


Chrome strip on the boot isn't flattering. Number plate sits in the bumper, as opposed to the boot-lid:


Compared to the headlamps, Ford has taken a more subtle approach for the tail-light styling:

[Tushar]

Dashboard design is similar to that of the EcoSport or Fiesta:


Steering wheel gets a piano black finish. Same buttons for audio and telephony control as the EcoSport, but the phone controls get white markings, instead of green / red ones:


Headlamp controls, boot-lid release button are placed near the driver's right knee:


Instrument cluster is easy on the eyes. Diesel tops out at 6,000 rpm. Note how the fuel gauge is the same size as the tachometer:


Driver gets a seat height adjuster:


Wing mirrors are power adjustable and fold-able:


A "secret" storage area between the dashboard and door:


Door panel is a mix of beige and piano black:


Reasonable storage space in the door pockets:


Piano black finish for the centre console as well. As you can see, there's a wide range of multimedia options available:


You either get this infotainment screen or a phone dock:


All new buttons and dials for the climate control:


Higher variants will come equipped with the SYNC system for telephony, text-to-speech, audio streaming via voice commands:


5-speed manual transmission comes as standard for the 1.2L Ti-VCT petrol and 1.5L TDCi diesel. A dual-clutch "PowerShift" automatic will be offered as well:


Good amount of storage space in between the front seats:


The Figo Aspire can be equipped with as many as 6 airbags. A segment first!


Glovebox has enough storage space for the vehicle's manuals, documents etc...:


..speaking of which, here's the insured value of the top end diesel:


Flippy-key with a button for the boot release as well:


No dead pedal, but the foot-well isn't very wide anyway:

2nd Row of seats

No door pockets at the rear, so the speaker sits lower:


Seat-backs have been mildly scooped for better knee-room:


Two adjustable head-rests at the back. Rear seat doesn't fold down:


Rear passengers get an arm-rest, but no cup-holders:


Leg-room will be good for people who are less than 6ft tall. Three passengers at the back will be a squeeze, especially with the floor hump:


Boot-space is adequate for 2-3 medium sized bags. Laptop bag for scale:


No hydraulic struts for the boot like we saw in the official image:


Exposed wiring near the boot-release:


Crude material / paint finish, inside the boot:


Spare tyre gets a steel wheel:

[/left]

[Rajeevraj]

A very desirable product. But what is Ford doing? No info on the launch/media drives and no attempt to create any more buzz around it.

Or considering we have the big launches of the S Cross, Creta and Jazz in July, have they decided to keep a low profile and let these launches finish before promoting/launching the Aspire. If so, does make sense as Ford can get lost among the big guns like Maruti, Hyundai and Honda.

[itsashishsharma]

For somebody looking for an automatic in this range, IMO, the Aspire makes a hell lot of sense, more than the Jazz.
Aspire has got a DCT 6 speed automatic that Ford is so proud of that they offer 1L km warranty? Heard so many praises for this gearbox, the Fiesta 1.5L petrol was faster in auto guise than the usual 5 speed manual.
Also, Jazz auto will have the same 1.2L iVtech whereas Aspire will get Fiesta and Ecosport's bigger 1.5L that will boast more lower end tourque and power, aiding to excellent drivability in city and punchier performance on highways. 1.2L iVtech is good, but Maruti's K series 1.2 beats it in low end drivability easily, point being that if somebody is looking for an automatic, which believe me, many are, and waiting for the Jazz to be launched, rather than going by brand's perception, if they drive Aspire back to back after they drove the Jazz, or any other Auto in this segment, except the Polo TSi that is costlier too, I think they will like the blue oval more, some of them will fall for it.

[batterylow]

Originally Posted by Tushar

..speaking of which, here's the insured value of the top end diesel:

Brilliant!

So can we assume that the OTR would be in the vicinity of 8L?

[JonSnow]

Originally Posted by batterylow

Brilliant!

So can we assume that the OTR would be in the vicinity of 8L?

I seriously doubt it. Current Figo (Diesel Titanium) has an OTR of around 7.87 L in mumbai as per carwale.com. Figo Aspire, with a better engine and all the extra safety features at 8L seems unlikely. Of course I will be very happy if they do manage to price it at that level for the top end version.

[batterylow]

Originally Posted by JonSnow

I seriously doubt it. Current Figo (Diesel Titanium) has an OTR of around 7.87 L in mumbai as per carwale.com. Figo Aspire, with a better engine and all the extra safety features at 8L seems unlikely. Of course I will be very happy if they do manage to price it at that level for the top end version.

Wistful thinking indeed

Would be nice to have it for atmost 8.5 OTR

[bansal1987]

Originally Posted by JonSnow

I seriously doubt it. Current Figo (Diesel Titanium) has an OTR of around 7.87 L in mumbai as per carwale.com. Figo Aspire, with a better engine and all the extra safety features at 8L seems unlikely. Of course I will be very happy if they do manage to price it at that level for the top end version.

Exactly my thoughts! The Figo Titanium Diesel itself close to 7.5 L in Pune, Aspire should cost much more. However, lets see if Ford surprises us with a shock launch Price like the Ecosport and then follow their usual pattern of price hikes