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-   -   Ford Figo-based compact sedan - The Aspire (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/144066-ford-figo-based-compact-sedan-aspire-53.html)

Nope, I was waiting for the prices to be announced and now that it is here, I'm expecting a call from the dealer in a day or two. I will surely try to take a test drive.

I received quote from Elite Ford, Marthahalli.

I think it's a very clever pricing strategy by Ford.

The base variant below 5 lakhs with 2 airbags is very attractively priced. But, Ford knows very well that not many would be buying the base variant which doesn't have basic features like rear power windows etc. (some safety conscious people might buy but they will be relatively small in number).

Now, when you move to the next variant Trend which has the basic creature comforts, the price goes up 86000 (1L or more on road). Now, this takes the Aspire right at par with the competition. While the base variant is screaming VFM, the Trend is fairly priced. Same applies for the Titanium variant which is again 1 lakh costlier than the Trend. Also, do note that the ABS is only available on the Titanium variant and upwards. So, safety conscious buyer should look at these variants.The Titanium+ variant is again superbly priced for me with 6 airbags and leather seats at an incremental cost of 50-60K.

The real ace in the pack for me is the 1.5L DCT AT. Giving a dual clutch auto transmission along with a 1.5L under 8L with good creature comfort is worthy of applause. clap:

So, to summarize the pricing -

• The 1.5L DCT AT Titanium screams value - the pick of the lot. :thumbs up
• The base Ambiente and the top Titamium+ variants offer great value as well.
• The middle Trend and Titanium variants are fairly priced and at par with the competition. Clever strategy by Ford as these are the variants that will have maximum sales.

I don't know about the build quality, interior quality, ride and handling of this car. The looks are okay to me and is a neutral for the car - it is neither a USP nor a negative with respect to the competition. If I were to guess, I would say 3-4K sales is what this car will settle down.

Edit - anyone knows the ARAI mileage for the AT?

Also, I am wondering why Ford is not giving basic safety measures like rear defogger and a driver seat belt reminder when they are offering dual airbags in the base variant. You need to move up to the Titanium variant to get rear defogger and a driver seat belt reminder (along with ABS)

Ford Figo Aspire Mileage :

1.2-litre petrol - 18.2 km/l
1.5-litre petrol - 17.2 km/l
1.5-litre diesel - 25.8 km/l

Source : NDTV Auto

Will need to do a test drive to really compare with the TSI. The key advantage of the TSI is that it is a turbo petrol with a peak torque of 176. Most importantly, the peak torque is available over a wide RPM Range (1400-4100) which along with the 7 speed DSG, gives it that Fun to Drive Element.

Having said that, the Aspire Kerb weight is just around 1040KG, the Polo TSI is 1100+ and the Vento TSI is 50 kg heavier than the Polo. All this translates into a better power to weight and torque to weight ratio. In addition the Aspire is slightly cheaper than the Polo TSI and is way more cheaper than the Vento TSI. So may be a slight compromise in performance will be acceptable.
Till now there are no reviews of the AT online. Hope the Team-Bhp Review covers it.

I had seen both of them back to back a few days back. I personally liked the Aspire's interiors better, but the Jazz was good as well. The Jazz felt more solidly built.

Not yet. Hoping to do it in the next couple of days.

Well, the Zest definitely deserves to sell well too!
The build quality is top notch, which does not seem to be in the case of Aspire.
Zest has a VFM pricing, strong built, top quality interiors and great gadgetry.

The Titanium is still 40K more than Zest XT.
Zest XT uniquely offers 5" Harman Kardan touch screen music system with reverse parking sensors, CSC (corner stability control)

I sincerely hope Aspire affects DZire and not XCent and Zest.
It's time people get better product! ;)

Excellent pricing for what seems a really well-designed and engineered product. Comes across as a 'no/minimal compromise' product in the sub-4m sedan category.

Ford in India has consistently produced good, solid well-engineered cars that excel in driving dynamics. I do wish the Aspire commercial success !

Disclaimer : I own a Fiesta and we have a few other Fords in the extended family. All extremely happy to drive a Ford. clap:

This is one of the better looking sub 4 meters sedan, has good pricing, a dual clutch 6 speed auto, connectivity options, but most importantly front airbags are standard which is a first in the segment. Other manufacturers need to learn from this that a low priced car doesn't have to be an unsafe car. We badly need small but safe cars on our roads. Well done Ford.

Waiting for tbhp review to know how the car actually fares in the drive, build and safety department.

Good pricing from Ford. All they now need is some proper advertising, with a little focus on service / maintenance costs to convert footfall into sales.

Let's hope that the Aspire sells well - not just for Ford's sake, but also for the change it can bring to the market in terms of safety features etc.

Ford is only the second manufacturer among the top 5 (the other being Hyundai), which is going toe to toe against Maruti/Suzuki. GM, VW and Toyota have steered clear of challenging Maruti for their own reasons, allowing them to pretty much dictate terms, right from products, product configurations, safety features and price.

If the Aspire succeeds, hopefully it'll be a wake up call for the other big 3 to revamp their efforts in India, benefiting the consumer.

Well, I saw them back to back, and came to the exact opposite conclusion viz. Aspire felt more solidly built. I suppose that is why all brands sell nevertheless, and a personal "dekko" and long test drives are the best way to get convinced before plonking hard earned money in the dealer's account :-)

Tata cars are well specified and laden with features. My painful experience is that the problems start after you buy it. 'nuff said- this is OT for this forum.

Having experienced Ford's AT, I would any day recommend the Aspire AT over the Zest AMT.

now a car lower in herarichy having dual airbag as standard, its need of hour to introduce ecosport also with dual airbag as standard fitment. And what about upcoming figo hatchback? I expect atleast driver side airbag from base variant. Just do it ford, then your whole range in India will ooze style, premium, pleasure, safe, reliable and value. Am I dreaming?

What is the waiting time that they quoted for the AT? My uncle had pre-booked the Titanium+ (P) and delivery is scheduled for August end. However, he's now thinking of going in for the AT, considering the 60K odd difference, but the dealer is unwilling to give a delivery date. Even the availability of a test AT vehicle is unknown.

On a related note, looks like Maruti has started feeling the heat. My uncle is planning on swapping his DZire Zxi 2009 for a new car. Just yesterday, the dealership called offering free 1st year insurance, free 4 years extended warranty & loyalty bonus - all worth around 50K together. This is a stark contrast from last week when they were unwilling to bundle any freebies and even laughed at the idea of Ford pricing the Aspire competitively :)

How atrocious that Ford omitted such basic features like rear power windows (is there a manual lever or have they omitted that as well?), and provided useless stuff like airbags, used by only very few people like the safety concous ones? :Shockked:

Well, lemme think when I last opened the rear windows? Oh no, people like me, who ride with just two people in the car, are extremely rare. Most of the cars which I saw on my way to office had at least 2 people in the rear, and most don't know how to operate a lever or they have their fingers busy clutching their morning newspapers.

Basic features!

I can confidently say an Automatic Test vehicle is impossible (To be honest that's the case with most manufactures where AT is a small % of sales). That is precisely what Ford dealers would say - Its tuff to give dates for Automatic, Minimum 6 months and there is a huge demand for Diesel first which is priority. Slowly but surely they will tell you to buy the diesel instead which is much better and has better resale value than Petrol (But its true, all the more so for Ford Petrols) and make you buy the Diesel. Its basically to say we have an automatic on paper but its to get the people to walk into the showrooms and nothing more than that.

Having said that if your uncle is looking at Maruti ZXI Manual, the Ford Aspire seems to be a much better package in terms of goodies, Looks, comfort and I can bet it must be better to drive as well.

You just gave the exact sentiment of the people on the street. Because of this thinking only the manufacturers keep giving bare bones versions without worrying about safety of the people. In your books the power windows are far more important than the life saving airbags.:Frustrati