[AKTRACK]

The last iteration did not use boron steel. I researched it enough and could not find any evidence of boron steel being used. Yes they used high strength steel. There were conclusive reports of boron steel being used in the Ecosport though. Now with a heavier car and boron steel being used, can we expect a 5 star Ncap rating.

[2cents]

Somebody tell me this is wrong

[arunphilip]

Originally Posted by 2cents

Somebody tell me this is wrong
Attachment 1805329

Appears to be an error on the website, the PDF brochure (samaspire posted this 2 pages ago, and it's on the Ford site) has the 15" alloys standard on the Titanium and +, irrespective of engine.

Originally Posted by Debajyoti

Can it be that the new 1.2L 3-cylinder Dragon series petrol engine is much more sensitive to weight and tyre size changes than the older 1.5L 4-cylinder diesel engine?

Good question, and yes. Diesels put out more torque, and across a wider band than petrol, so they can cope with load better. There will still be a mileage difference in the different diesel variants, just that it's a couple of digits to the right of the decimal point.

Same reason why diesel finds applications in heavy load applications - shipping, railways, trucks, carrying me

[Debajyoti]

Originally Posted by AYP

Actually, the same is stated in the brochure as well. Maybe it is due to the added weight of the higher trims. Though I don't see the same with the diesel.

The difference in weight of base and top-end model is 27kgs for both petrol (1016-1043kg) and diesel (1053-1080kg), yet petrol has different mileage (20.4kmpl & 19.4kmpl) depending on the trim, unlike diesel where it's same across all trims (26.1kmpl)
Ambiente, Trend & Trend+ trims with higher mileage have R14 steel wheels with 175/65 section tyres and Titanium, Titanium+ with lower mileage have R15 alloys with 195/55 section tyres.
Can it be that the new 1.2L 3-cylinder Dragon series petrol engine is much more sensitive to weight and tyre size changes than the older 1.5L 4-cylinder diesel engine?

[nikipedia87]

Originally Posted by Debajyoti

Attachment 1805330

The difference in weight of base and top-end model is 27kgs for both petrol (1016-1043kg) and diesel (1053-1080kg), yet petrol has different mileage (20.4kmpl & 19.4kmpl) depending on the trim, unlike diesel where it's same across all trims (26.1kmpl)

Going by the stats given in this image, the power-to-weight and torque-to-weight ratios of the Aspire petrol automatic are in the same league as that of the Honda City . Hope there's enough low end punch to achieve even 70% of the claimed ARAI figures.

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by vikramvicky1984

... Hoping 1.5 AT comes soon with 6 airbags which will make a perfect safe fun small footprint car which can be used by all in the family...

The word is this will be introduced if there are enough enquiries for the AT in Titanium+ trim.

Originally Posted by PrideRed

Model based ARAI ratings or a typo? Ambiente has rating of 20.4 where as for Titanium+ it is 19.4...

The top end version usually are heavier for all vehicles due to additional features (better audio system / speaker, more airbags etc).

[anumod]

See how receptive Ford for taking feed backs .. And if that is from a T-BHP'ian , they will take it damn seriously. Look at this Video http://www.zeebiz.com/video-gallery-...rd-india-66056. Specifically look for the audio from 1:47 on wards.

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by anumod

See how receptive Ford for taking feed backs .. And if that is from a T-BHP'ian , they will take it damn seriously. Look at this Video http://www.zeebiz.com/video-gallery-...rd-india-66056. Specifically look for the audio from 1:47 on wards.

Wow!!! Mr. Anurag gladly mentions your name for the suggestion of the warranty! He seem quite open to ideas - am very happy he's spending some time out of his busy schedule with customers and enthusiasts.

[arunphilip]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

The word is this will be introduced if there are enough enquiries for the AT in Titanium+ trim.

I'm curious how this works? Is it based on enquiries to Ford Customer Care? Do they survey the sales manager/lead at each dealer? And the people making those enquiries, what becomes of them - they are potential sales leads, who either settle for the Titanium, or move on to other brands. (Not criticising your post, swiftnfurious, just wondering why Ford are a bit hesitant on this).

If Ford had done a bit of homework, they will have seen the demand for top-end automatics - not just in their offerings, but also other cars like the i20, and so on.

More importantly, is this why Ford keeps fiddling with their variants? Somebody and his chacha asked about some feature, so bang, next month a new variant is introduced. Somebody else doesn't ask about that feature for a while, and zip, that variant is discontinued. Ad nauseum. (Endeavour, I'm looking at you).

[anumod]

Originally Posted by arunphilip

I'm curious how this works? Is it based on enquiries to Ford Customer Care? Do they survey the sales manager/lead at each dealer? And the people making those enquiries, what becomes of them - they are potential sales leads, who either settle for the Titanium, or move on to other brands. (Not criticising your post, swiftnfurious, just wondering why Ford are a bit hesitant on this).

If Ford had done a bit of homework, they will have seen the demand for top-end automatics - not just in their offerings, but also other cars like the i20, and so on.

Completely with you. They should have learned from Petrol Titanium+ introduction in Ecosport. But there is something which we are not understanding in this segment. Even Creta doesn't give you an automatic in top spec.

[arunphilip]

Originally Posted by anumod

Completely (agree?) with you. They should have learned from Petrol Titanium+ introduction in Ecosport. But there is something which we are not understanding in this segment. Even Creta doesn't give you an automatic in top spec.

To be fair, I think we both know they're worried about sticker shock. The Titanium+ is 45k above the Titanium, so that would make the AT Titanium+ 8.94 lakh, with OTR probably breaching the 10L mark.

Then again, there are customers who want the top-end stuff, or who see that they're anyway paying 8.5, and why not throw in another 0.5 for a bit of additional safety and polish.

I would like TBHP to hear (off the record and anonymously) from someone in the auto sector who's involved in product positioning what are the factors that go into this, and what are the constraints that hold them back.

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by arunphilip

I'm curious how this works? Is it based on enquiries to Ford Customer Care? Do they survey the sales manager/lead at each dealer? And the people making those enquiries, what becomes of them - they are potential sales leads, who either settle for the Titanium, or move on to other brands. (Not criticising your post, swiftnfurious, just wondering why Ford are a bit hesitant on this)....

I completely get your spirit and am aligned. I have the same questions you asked and trying to get some answers.

Originally Posted by arunphilip

...More importantly, is this why Ford keeps fiddling with their variants? ...

A feedback has been passed, hopefully will be taken seriously.

Originally Posted by arunphilip

To be fair, I think we both know they're worried about sticker shock...

Yes, this is the reason as I am told. The product needs to remain in certain price bracket and hence they haven't launched the AT in top most variant. I think market perceptions are hard to change and Ford needs to play along a bit. Also, the Ford management is still not convinced that Indian juntaa is a very safety conscious crowd (which is true), though we know things are changing.

[nikipedia87]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

The product needs to remain in certain price bracket and hence they haven't launched the AT in top most variant. I think market perceptions are hard to change and Ford needs to play along a bit.

Sticker shock and market perceptions are the biggest factors here. Anything above 10.5 lakh goes into C2 segment for a typical end user, and most car manufacturers try not to breach that.

Having said that, Ford might still come out with a top end automatic if there's good enough demand/enquiries at the dealer level, or directly at the Ford level. That's what they did with the Ecosport, and going by the looks of it, the Aspire could be their No. 2 car in India.

[samaspire]

Checked out the car in person yesterday. It was the diesel Titanium+.

On first impression, the new colour looks really nice. The new bumper is a little overdone, but not overwhelming. The 2 chrome strips on the sides could have been DRLs (which I think is a big miss in this facelift). The sheet metal overall feels the same.



This beading on the rear doors is new. Should help in reducing outside noise.



The exposed wires that were mentioned in the official review are nowhere to be seen. The OBD port has been moved more towards the centre. I think there's something different about the steering shaft as well.



The 2 USB ports and the rectangular holding plate is new. (there was only 1 USB + AUX port here before, inset in a trapezoidal plate). Sync loses the Aux port. Instead gets 2 lit USB ports. This 12V socket looks really rich. The cap is spring loaded and has a nice action.



The glove box now has a light, but this push button mechanism looks ancient. Notice the black round socket above it. A 12V socket can be installed here, but I'm not sure if the glovebox lid will close when the socket is being used.

[skanchan95]

Cauvery Ford, Mangalore had invited me to the launch of the Aspire facelift at Hotel Ocean Pearl, Mangalore yesterday(05/10/2018) . Two gentlemen from Ford, Chennai and come over for the launch. One of them gave a presentation about the new Aspire - about the changes in the car, the car being the first in class to provide 5 years/1 lakhs kms standard warranty. He seemed to stressing on the fact that Ford has listened to and takes customer feedback very seriously and that they have implemented some of those suggestions in the new Aspire. He was also stating how Ford's service costs and running costs per km are the cheapest among its competitors. Having another Hyundai in our garage,I fully agree with him.









I really liked this beige colour on the Freestyle an it looks great on the Aspire. I felt that it makes the car look bigger than it actually is. It was good to see some very welcome changes , I really liked the new alloys and the front bumper design. The Sync 3 supported touchscreen is very responsive and a joy to use. Disappointed by the deletion of the leather seats. maintaining beige fabric seats is gong to be a night mare. I hope they atleast give an option for a airbag compatible seat covers. No leather wrapped steering in the Titanium/Titanium+ trims was another disappointment. Seeing the "Figo" emblem on the boot was bit puzzling as well, since they now market the car as "Aspire" rather than "Figo Aspire". They should get rid of the Figo emblem and redesign the Aspire emblem.

http://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsD...?newsID=531596