[targaryen]

Originally Posted by vvijay

Believe the acceleration of this 1.2 unit would be far better compared to its outgoing 1.2 petrol from the Figo twins that's otherwise suited for only city rides.

Hi Vijay, the acceleration is indeed better than the 1.2 Ti-VCT but it is a marginal difference and I believe most buyers wouldn't notice it. Where the 1.2 Dragon really shines is post 2500 rpms. It feels eager to rev. Unfortunately I couldn't go for a longer test drive since it was a short "unofficial" test drive at night and I couldn't find a good stretch of road to push the engine. I have a feeling that this engine is better suited for highway mile munching compared to the Figo's 1.2 Ti-VCT. The difference in city driving is only marginal. Buyers for city use would be getting a slight improvement in power and efficiency at the cost of some 3 cylinder vibes and feel. Sales guy was also focused on how it is much more fuel efficient than the Figo.

[anumod]

FreeStyle The driving experience

I happened to drive both Petrol and Diesel.

Lets start with the common things first. The front is really appealing and have a good road presence where as side and back profile doesn't have much changes. When you get in to the car, it is a welcome move and the first attraction is the Touch screen. The clarity/brightness and responsiveness are as same as the big brothers' Ecosport and Endeavour. (This supports Andriod auto and Apple Car Play). The start stop button is also designed in a neat and clean way. The Brown and Black Dashboard looks good to me. For me this was better plastic than the plastic that is there in Ecosport. (But still I love the soft touch material which was there in the Second Generation Fiesta Classic). The A/C is fantastic. The day when I was test driving, the outside temperature was more than 40 degrees, the cabin got cooled down (The car was in the sun for quite a long time), within 5-7 minutes (Including the back). The new front seats are supportive, But the under thigh support is less for me. (It could be because of my height as well , for reference I am 6'3"). Now coming to the back side, the seat appeared to be wider than the sibling Figo. When I adjusted the driver seat to my height, I could easily sit in the rear. If I extend my legs beneath the front seat, then my shins were touching the scooping of the front seat. But I think that for a 6 feet taller person, this should not be a problem. The Headroom is also decent, but because of the fixed head rest, the head rest was touching my shoulders (Not even the neck). Coming to the other features, the sound system is ok, not that good of what is there in EcoSport. Passenger seatbelt reminder is there, which is a welcome move. Sync 3 is also another good point. The seating position is not as commanding as when you sit in an Ecosport, but much better than Figo.

(Drove for around 100 KM) But lets start with Petrol as it is the new Engine with the new Gearbox. We started the test drive from the packed city traffic of Hyderabad and I was pleasant to see the way the car was pulling in 10 KMPH in second gear. Without any knocking or vibration the car was moving smoothly in very slow speed in second gear. That means the frequent Gear shift is not needed at all for city drive. As an icing on the cake, the clutch is superb light. The second point to be noted is the NVH levels, I felt the NVH levels are better than Figo and Aspire. Being a 3 Cylinder engine I was expecting some clatter in idling, but it was not at all there. Only thing which may be evident because of the 3 pot engine is the idling RPM, it was hovering around 1000 compared to 4 pots where it would be around 750.

The other positive finding was the suspension. With 5 people on-board, the suspension was much better compared to the siblings Figo And Aspire. The small speed breakers and potholes were swallowed very easily compared to EcoSport. (Which throws you out from the rear seat ). If the vehicle is loaded only with Driver and / or passenger, then it becomes a little rubbery too. But when the car gets more speed, the ride becomes really great.

After almost a half an hour city drive, we took the car to the express way of Hyderabad, Outer Ring Road. We wanted to test the capability of the new engine. The Engine is very responsive, up to 3 digit speeds the engine pulls with lot of easiness and the power delivery is also linear. In second gear I could able to go up to 80KMPH without even reaching anywhere near the red line and in third gear three digit speeds achieved without any stress feeling on the engine. That means overtaking on highways will be an easy task. The power delivery is linear till 4500 RPM and after that it flattens out. The other good point for driving enthusiast is that in high speed the car gets planted very well and you will not feel uncomfortable or unsecured. The car handles very well. The steering is very light in slow speed and stationary, and it gets heavier as the speed takes up and the feedback is also good. The straight line stability of the car also was good. No complain. So I felt another good drivers car in the offering.

Coming to the Diesel, as it is the same old engine doing the duty in all the other Ford Cars, there is no special point to be mentioned, other than NVH levels, I think the NVH levels have improved to a great extent, compared to Figo and Aspire. In idling and city drive, the cabin was so silent for Diesel

To sum it up, Ford has a winner in the cards, if they price it well. And for driving enthusiast, we have a good drivers car in pipeline. Drivers will enjoy this car for sure.

[Dieselritzer]

any clue when is Ford going to declare the prices? I saw an Ad on amazon that from 14th April you can book the car online, so will the prices be announced tomorrow?

[TusharK]

Rumour: Ford Freestyle launch on April 18, 2018

According to a media report, Ford is set to launch the Freestyle on April 18, 2018. Meanwhile, Ford dealerships have already started taking bookings for the new model. It has also been reported that Ford will be offering the first 100 units of the Freestyle on Amazon India starting April 14. Customers will be able to place their orders online by paying a booking amount of Rs. 10,000 via Amazon's certified payment modes. Ford had employed a similar strategy to promote the EcoSport last year.



Last week, Ford launched the official website of the Freestyle. As per the website, the new model will be available in four variants - Ambiente, Trend, Titanium and Titanium+. Features like touchscreen infotainment system, automatic climate control, electric ORVMs, automatic headlamps and rain sensing wipers will be offered on select variants. However, safety features like ABS with EBD, front dual airbags, seat belt reminder, high-speed warning and reverse parking sensors are standard across all variants.

The Ford Freestyle will be offered with 2 engine options - the new 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder petrol engine with 95 BHP and 120 Nm of torque is derived from the 1.5-litre, 3-cylinder Dragon Series engine that powers the EcoSport. Additionally, the 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder diesel from the Figo hatchback will be carried over. This engine makes 99 BHP and 215 Nm of torque. Both engines will come paired with a 5-speed manual transmission.

Source: Autocar India

Link to Team-BHP News

[veedub89]

Moderators
There is an error in this article on the home page. It says "18 March" instead of "18 April" as the launch date.

Not sure if this is the right way to report this issue. Please delete this post if you deem fit.

[i74js]

Ford is missing a big opportunity here by not creating any product differentiation at the user interface point. a change in engine from newely developed three cylinder Dragon series is just under the hood !

The company should have considered plonking the TC Auto with both petrol and diesel options. Honda did this with WRV which is just another iteration of Jazz by introducing sunroof which was resulted in a big time segment differentiation.

The Figo twins are not doing well; Honda is planning Amaze Diesel with CVT; what has stopped Ford from upping the game / competition by offering automatic Freestyle?

[tharian]

Originally Posted by anumod

[b]. The other good point for driving enthusiast is that in high speed the car gets planted very well and you will not feel uncomfortable or unsecured. The car handles very well. ......... The straight line stability of the car also was good. No complain. So I felt another good drivers car in the offering.

This is good news since this will be the first model in the new gen Figo that has some traits of the old model.
I expected all this in the Sports edition, but seems it has come on Freestyle instead.

I am surprised too that with a raised stance it did not feel nervous.
How was it during turns or high speed curves?

On the Sports edition, with the 195 section tyres, as long as the road is straight and flat, it is stable. Even long sweepers can be taken confidently although there is bit more lean than expected.

It is when the road gets bumpy, speeds have to be reduced since the lightness can be easily felt and it gets nervous.

[ksgehlot]

Just an update. The launch date has been postponed to 26th April.

[anumod]

Originally Posted by tharian

I am surprised too that with a raised stance it did not feel nervous.
How was it during turns or high speed curves?.

I believe the complete suspension has been changed in the FreeStyle and owing to it, the cornering is very good with FreeStyle. You will not get nervous at all. Another positive is about the braking. The braking efficiency is also better in FreeStyle compared to Figo.

[dipen]

Originally Posted by anumod

The braking efficiency is also better in FreeStyle compared to Figo.

Isn't the braking in Figo already the best in sub 10 lakh category.

[PraNeel]

Here is the Autocar India review of Ford Freestyle Petrol. They have given the thumbs up to the engine and handling of the car. In fact they even call it next best to the famed Maruti K series 1.2 petrol mill.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M41cNAZdRQk

[Aaron:)]

I have a feeling the mass market might just think of the Freestyle as a souped up Figo, which is sad since it actually has significant differences under the skin. I wish they'd have differentiated the exterior a bit more, like the WR-V vs Jazz.

I hope Ford is able to convey the positives to the average buyer, and gives this car the marketing push it deserves.

[itsmb]

Originally Posted by Aaron:)

I have a feeling the mass market might just think of the Freestyle as a souped up Figo, which is sad since it actually has significant differences under the skin.

A very valid point highlighted by you, the common Indian buyer is not going to look at these differences and will surely consider Freestyle as souped-up Figo. We don't have a good history of souped-up cars doing well in our market; i20 Active, Avventura, Etios Cross, Cross Polo are just some examples. The onus lies on Ford to feed the market that Freestyle is a different product altogether, rest shall be history.
All the best to Ford.

[targaryen]

http://www.cartoq.com/ford-freestyle...d-to-the-figo/

Strange! Cartoq says the launch is postponed to 28th April. At the very same time, I get a call from the nearby Ford dealer informing me that Ford Freestyle will be launched on 18th April 2018. I got a call because I had taken a test drive.

[RavenAvi]

Originally Posted by Dieselritzer

any clue when is Ford going to declare the prices? I saw an Ad on amazon that from 14th April you can book the car online, so will the prices be announced tomorrow?

Originally Posted by TusharK

Ford is set to launch the Freestyle on April 18, 2018.

Originally Posted by ksgehlot

The launch date has been postponed to 26th April.

Originally Posted by targaryen

Strange! Cartoq says the launch is postponed to 28th April. At the very same time, I get a call from the nearby Ford dealer informing me that Ford Freestyle will be launched on 18th April 2018.

Confirmation - Ford will officially launch the Freestyle on April 26th, 2018.