Team-BHP (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)

-   The Indian Car Scene (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/)

-   -   The Ford Figo & Aspire Facelifts. EDIT: Aspire launched at Rs 5.55 lakhs (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/189117-ford-figo-aspire-facelifts-edit-aspire-launched-rs-5-55-lakhs-3.html)

Ford KA+ at the Geneva Motor show,









Link

NEW FORD ASPIRE SEDAN TO GET A SIGNIFICANT UPDATE, INDIA LAUNCH IN JUNE 2018.

http://overdrive.in/news-cars-auto/b...-in-june-2018/

Ford has three new products currently in the pipeline. These include the Ford Freestyle and facelift versions of the Figo and Aspire. While, the Freestyle will debut in Q2 of 2018, Ford hasn't announced a specific timeframe for the launch of the Figo and Aspire facelifts. However, a recent media report suggests that the Aspire facelift is likely to debut sometime in June 2018.



Spy images suggest that the new Aspire is likely to receive a redesigned front grille and bumpers. It might also get a set of revised headlights and reverse parking sensors. Further, the compact sedan is expected to get a new dashboard with a floating touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support.

Under the bonnet, the Aspire will get a new 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder Dragon Series petrol engine. It produces 95 BHP and 120 Nm of torque and will be paired with a 5-speed manual gearbox. It is a derivative of the 1.5-litre Dragon Series engine that was launched on the EcoSport last year. The same engine is offered on the Freestyle as well. Also, reports suggest that the Aspire might get the 1.5-litre engine from the EcoSport on select variants, while the 1.5-litre diesel will be carried over from the outgoing model.

Source: Overdrive

Link to Team-BHP News

This is good news. Hope more manufacturers give the 'higher state of tune' engines in the top variants of their sub 4m sedans and compact suvs, even if the cost goes up. Someone buying a petrol aspire might not be considering an Ecosport anyway, so it may not lead to cannibalisation.

I'll miss the grill. I hope they don't have same grill on all the three.
There are couple of pictures floating on internet, that production has ended.

Image source: Facebook

As a current owner of Ford Aspire, I can very well say the fate of Figo twins is sealed, whatever Ford does. The twins don't offer anything that will make prospective customers to even try a test drive. Maruti has hit it out of the park with Dzire and Swift. Ford should have stuck to their DNA of good build quality and handling, instead of trying to imitate Maruti.

With their foolishness, Ford lost their loyal customers of previous Figo and Fiesta. Now Ford is left in the lurch. I hope sense prevails and they bring in a proper Sedan and a premium hatch to fight the City, CIaz, Verna, gang and i20, Baleno. There is still space for that. Even though the SUV craze is there, the fact remains that Sedan and premium hatchbacks still generate close to half a million sales a year. There isn't any problem that a well sorted out product can't solve.

For people like me there is no place to look to upgrade. other than to look at the usual suspects. Looks like our decade old love hate relationship with Ford have to end. Even with the below average customer service, Ford cars were better when it comes to handling and steering feel.

You can upgrade with a Suzuki- Corolla/ Kizashi ?:)

Toyota -Suzuki JV will make the auto segment interesting in 2021, and the fringe players will be blown away. Will further see consolidation of the industry and in this context we will need to await what is coming out of the partnership between Ford and Mahindra.

Link

If this pic is true, then it's too early for June launch of the facelift. The facelift should come sooner - may be even April end, or lastest May. And there will be a overlap when both versions will be available.

Looks like you totally missed the point of his post. :D

A Corolla is the absolute opposite of what he would want in a car. The boringly safe formula of a Corolla with the build quality of a Suzuki - now that would be like the end of the world combination for a Ford (of the good old days) lover. :uncontrol

True.

Not even the new hyped Aspire S comes close to the fun offered by their old Fiestas and Ikons, even though the older ones had weaker engines.

Agreed. I see absolutely no reason or logic behind why Ford cannot bring in their fully specced Fiesta hatch that has and continues to be one of their best sellling products across countries. Yes, I can understand that it was perhaps premature to bring in the premium hatch 5-7 years back, when the Indian market was not ready to pay bigger bucks for a better built product. But now? the market has, in my opinion ,matured well enough and customers are much more discerning, aware and ready to shell out the moolah for products which are built well, have quality equipment and good engines.

Given this, Ford has no reason to keep shying away from bringing in their truly stellar products rather than sticking to weedily built made for India products like the Aspire. I mean, come on- bring the Fiesta in as a premium product and see how the market takes it, rather than playing the wait and watch game waiting for others to make a move, literally for years on end!

This is good news as the 1.2L is weak & lame. While Ford's 1.5L doesn't set any benchmarks, it is decent for a triple-cylinder and offers good driveability & revv-happiness.

:thumbs up I like it when they provide bigger engines on the higher variants. That said, I hate it when manufacturers use the same engine across the range, but detune it for the lower variants (e.g. Jaguar-Land Rover cars).

Ford can't hope to compete with the Fiesta against the Baleno, there is a market for premium hatches, unfortunately the top trims of the Baleno and i20 occupy that space in the Indian market.

The Fiesta is a good car, but not cheap enough for India, Ford needs a Creta competitor, the market is moving to SUVs and Ford is not short of good products. The problem is that the Indian market is not profitable for such products when the rest of the world will pay better.

Are you referring to the 1.2 Dragon engine? I was under the impression Ford will phase out the 1.2 Ti-VCT with the refresh (plus the Freestyle), and the smaller Dragon 3-pot will replace it across the range.

I'd think they'll continue their current variant spread: 1.2 for all MT variants and 1.5 for AT only, though I'd love a 1.5P MT Figo Sports Titanium+ fully loaded variant.

It is about time that the Aspire is given a facelift as that car is not selling too well, maybe a facelift with some more equipment (mainly the inclusion of a touchscreen) would increase the sales. The outgoing 1.2L petrol is a really mediocre engine, the low end torque is very poor & this problem is amplified by the relatively tall gearing. Recently I got to drive both the old Figo 1.2 & Aspire 1.2 together, even though the Figo engine had a lower power rating, it felt better to drive in city conditions due to its better low end torque & shorter gearing.

I haven't yet driven the new 1.5L dragon engine, though the reviews suggest that this engine is better than the old 1.5L with improved low end torque. Hopefully, the small 1.2L dragon engine would also be an improvement over the outgoing 1.2L.

It is quite funny that even after all these years Ford aren't able to make an engine as good as the old 1.6 Duratec petrol. That engine was brilliant, had lots of low end torque & was fun too at high revs. Even the gearing was spot on, not too tall nor too short. Even the likes of Polo 1.6 mpi are no match for the old Fiesta with the 1.6 Duratec engine.

The Aspire needs a quality boost, more than a "visual tweak".. without the former the same sales trends will continue.

Some things I've found wrong in the Aspire after a test-drive and in 2-3 Uber rides subsequently :

1) Seats are a bit thin and flat.. need that hugging contours more.

2) The steering is very dualistic, very very light at zero speed and heavier post 60.. the feel just goes for a toss, I want consistent feel and not sudden changes.

3) The door panels flex a bit.. all Ford needs to do is up the quality in the composition of plastics and make them a bit more stiffer.

4) Everything from the key-set to the tactile feel reeks of 'restricted' quality i.e built to a cost.

5) Ride is a bit choppy in bad roads, i.e it doesn't feel like a big-ger car.. this may be a problem both with tyres and of build.

6) Sound insulation not upto the mark.

With respect to space, ingress, egress and back-seat comfort its quite fine. The auto-box must be re-tweaked like anything though.. it really doesn't translate power smoothly even with a big engine.