[praveear]

Although it might seem a bit off-topic but could anyone tell, what could they possibly do to bump up the power & torque figures by 10% and 5% respectively ? Did they use a bigger turbo or a higher injection pressure common rail?

[tjacob]

Autocar India has put the comparison figures of the Aspire and the segment rivals.







Source: Jaiveer Mehra - Autocar India

[arvi86]

In all probability, the Figo Aspire would be priced and positioned below Ford's current best-seller, the Ecosport. With the same 1.5-liter diesel engine claimed to be producing 100 PS in the Aspire, how can Ecosport live with 90 PS under its hood? Are we looking at an upgrade under the hood of Ecosport?

Coming back to the upcoming Aspire, I'm glad that Ford has gone all-out in equipping the car with all necessary features and then some more. Unlike some other cars in the segment like the Dzire and Xcent, safety has not taken a back seat here. Coupled with presumably safe body shells (if the existing Figo's crash test results are considered), the Aspire should be one safe option for buyers in this segment. The variants are neatly specced and spread out, the engines are amongst the most powerful in the segment, the Dual Clutch Automatic is the first in segment and the plush cabin looks premium too. I'm hoping Ford will get the pricing spot on so that this car doesn't go the 'New Fiesta' way. Of course, they can't afford to do that as well with all the investments and efforts that has gone into the Sanand facility.

[SoumenD]

Originally Posted by arvi86

...With the same 1.5-liter diesel engine claimed to be producing 100 PS in the Aspire, how can Ecosport live with 90 PS under its hood? Are we looking at an upgrade under the hood of Ecosport?
....

In all probablity 'yes'. Ecosport facelift is anyways round the corner. It should definitely get this 100PS version. Manufacturing the same engine with different states of tune for similar segment products wont make much of a business sense I guess. But I hope they don't increase the prices any further. As it has already seen pretty steep price-rise since its launch.

Coming back to the Aspire. Ford has done a wonderful job by keeping dual airbags standard across all variants but leaving out the ABS kinda dilutes the effort to some extent. Atleast should have been an option across all the variants for some premium(let the customers choose). Still that is their USP to bank upon compared to other manufacturers. I seriously hope they price it well and eat some chunk out of the BIG players so that they too start taking customer safety seriously

[hiren959]

Yesterday I have spotted these two cars in Ahmedabad, they both are Titanium + models.

[bansal1987]

Thanks for the Pictures of the New Figo. With the launch of Aspire scheduled in August, seems even the hatchback launch is not far away.
If Ford gives this hatch the 1.5 Ltr in same state of tune, it is going to be one hot hatch.

[klassics45]

The hatchback version looks proportionate and sporty from the side profile.

[RSR]

This shade of blue looks swell on the hatch! The shade is also being offered on the compact sedan version, and is called "Deep Impact Blue".

The new Figo would be a great addition to its segment. Folks were earlier asking Ford to introduce a Figo 1.6 with the (Fiesta) Classic's 101 PS petrol motor.

The genie may grant their wish soon (although not in petrol), in the form of a 100 PS new Figo 1.5 TDCi!

Originally Posted by hiren959

Yesterday I have spotted these two cars in Ahmedabad, they both are Titanium + models.

If the hatchback is also a Titanium+ variant, then most probably we will be getting 6 airbags even on the new Figo. Hooray!

This would be very, very welcome indeed! The previous generation Hyundai i20 did offer 6 airbags on the Asta(O), but sadly the new one doesn't get an Asta(O) variant equipped with 6 safety balloons. Now, the most we have on a hatchback (not including the 2 million rupee plus luxury hatchbacks) is 4 airbags on the Nissan Micra, and that too only on one variant (dCi's XV P). Every other hatchback gets a maximum of 2 only.

This could soon change for the good! It would be simply fantastic when a 7 lac rupee hatch gets 6 airbags, just like the 28 lac rupee ones.

I hope Ford do not disappoint us on this. Six airbags on the top Titanium+ and two as standard even on the base Ambiente is a must even on the Figo hatchback.

Such a move would shake up the segment and would force other manufacturers to offer more airbags across the range, which is exactly what we need!

[nsbhagwat]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

The front airbags are standard on all models while only the Titanium+ gets side airbags. ABS is available on top 2 variants.

Absolutely my bad there, no excuses for that.

Has anyone got hold of prices for all the models?

Nikhil

[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by arvi86

With the same 1.5-liter diesel engine claimed to be producing 100 PS in the Aspire, how can Ecosport live with 90 PS under its hood? Are we looking at an upgrade under the hood of Ecosport?

Originally Posted by SoumenD

n all probablity 'yes'. Ecosport facelift is anyways round the corner. It should definitely get this 100PS version. Manufacturing the same engine with different states of tune for similar segment products wont make much of a business sense I guess.

I am not quite sure if this has already been reported here, but Motorbeam has an article that suggests it's indeed going to happen.

Link



- This is probably the best time to be a "Car Hunter" in the Indian Market, what with 130 BHP Hot Hatches/cross overs, 100+ BHP Compact Sedans & 120+ BHP Compact SUV's becoming a reality !!

[supertinu]

Originally Posted by arvi86

The variants are neatly specced and spread out, the engines are amongst the most powerful in the segment, the Dual Clutch Automatic is the first in segment and the plush cabin looks premium too

In my view the cabin is far from plush. I did see a display car in a mall and unfortunately I was far from impressed with the look and feel in person. Biggest downer was the smallish speedometer console and grey plastic quality. i20, i10 grand, Polo would still hold benchmarks for interior quality, infact Dzire is also more premium looking in my view.

[RavenAvi]

Rush Lane has posted an extensive review of the Figo Aspire.

Excerpts:

Ford has now adopted RHD-spec indicator and wiper stalk configuration, highlighting the importance of our market. The multifunction switch on the right side of the dashboard for headlights, foglights and boot release is a nice touch. In general, the overall quality of the switch gears is impressive, certainly adding to the feel good factor of the interior. The material and built quality of at par with the best in the segment if not better.

The front seats are adequately comfortable for a person with thin frame but a heavily built person may feel it’s a tad too small. Cushioning is on the softer side and there is nothing to complain about thigh or lumbar support. Side bolstering too is adequate, again for a slim person. Sound driver ergonomics means you are less prone to fatigue even on a long journey.

The airy and roomy feel is carried forward to the rear seats too. The bench has good squab length so thigh support is decent. Seatback inclination is optimum and knee room is excellent owing to scooped front seats. However, you can’t really use the space underneath the front seats to keep your feet. Light color theme and large day light opening are added plus.

Coming back to the 1.2-litre mill, it settles into a very refined idle with hardly any vibration or noise creeping into the cabin. It remains smooth even under load and voices out a sporty note when the revs rise. As long as the progress is sedate, the power delivery and driveability are adequate but when additional power is summoned, the engine simply feels helpless, especially on highways. Kicking down a cog, or even two, doesn’t guarantee enough grunt to sail past the traffic. This can be frustrating during overtaking maneuvers which need some serious planning.

In a nutshell, the 1.2-litre petrol motor is underpowered for highway usage. That said, its reasonably responsive after 3,000 rpm and feels the best between 4,000 – 5,000 rpm. The car cruises at around 110-120 kmph with reasonable ease, without any engine noise in the cabin.

The 5-speed gearbox is very easy to use, thanks to short throws and light clutch. We think, a slightly shorter third and fourth gear ratios could have helped extract more from the engine in terms of in-gear acceleration but Ford’s engineers seem to have focused more on fuel economy. During our test run, we managed to extract a combined fuel efficiency of 11.2 kmpl with a heavy right foot all the time.

On the other hand, Aspire diesel variant left a lasting impression. You can feel the power and torque right from the start. The 1.5-litre TDCI motor puts out 100 PS at 3,750 rpm and 215 Nm of torque at 1,700 – 3,000 rpm. It is this this torque which plays a major role in the impressive performance dished out by the diesel Aspire. Acceleration is best-in-class (0-100 kmph in under 11 seconds), and you can feel the punch even in the fourth gear. But if you are not in the mood to drive enthusiastically, the car does not disappoint. For eg, in third gear, and at speeds of 20 kmph, the engine breathes without choking. This makes Aspire diesel effortless in traffic jams or slow moving city traffic. Though the torque peaks in the range of 1750-3000 rpm, the engine feels lively from 1250-4000 rpm (redlines just below 4500 rpm). This wide range allows overtaking without down-shifting most of the times.

Be it straight line stability or composure around long, winding, high speed corners, Figo Aspire will not disappoint. The beautifully tuned chassis is easily capable more performance than the petrol engine could offer. The electric power steering with Pull Drift Compensation technology (nullifies the kick backs due to road imperfections) is responsive, direct and has a good feel. A wee bit more weight at higher speeds would have been nice but mind you, the steering system would keep most of the driving enthusiasts happy.

Ford Figo Aspire is not only a good looking compact sedan inside out but it also has sound mechanical behavior and built quality. Space on offer is excellent, features are upmarket and practicality is satisfying. We were actually hard pressed to find fault with the overall package which is compelling and full of strong selling points.

Rush Lane

[kiku007]

0-100 kmpH timing less than 11 seconds?! Very impressive if true. Looking forward to the Figo hatch.

[aravind.anand]

Neat effort from Ford with their new sub 4m sedan

- Powerful Diesel & decent petrol ( unlike the old Figo )
- Good space on offer
- Decent boot space
- Impressive list of features
- Very good importance on Safety ( though I prefer ABS over airbags - when I have to choose just one )
- Very good efficiency - 25.83 kmpl is the segment highest now?
- Decent driving dynamics
- Good NVH and sound insulation
- Good build quality

They seem to have got the formula spot on once again - after the EcoSport. If priced on par with the Dezire, this should see a fair share of success.

For me, the only downside I can find in the car is - the puny 14 inch tyres and the very simple looking instrument console! that might sound like nit-picking, but what else can I do, when a car looks so right?

[avisidhu]

Very impressive. The 1.5 petrol is precisely the kind of engine many of us are waiting for, and if plonked in the Fiesta hatchback it could have a niche segment of buyers.

Wish the above review by Rush Lane had more details on the 1.5 one, since performance from 1.2 petrol and TDCI would anyway be along expected lines.

Punto abarth, Fiesta with a 1.5 petrol...the only thing left is for Honda to plonk that 1.5 Ivtec in the Jazz (or even better, the Brio) and we could have sleepless nights making decisions