[VWAllstar]

Audio Upgrade

Recently a friend purchased a 2018 Ford Aspire Titanium Diesel in Mumbai. The car was sparingly used (37K KMs) and was available with Ola Pre-owned. The purchase process and delivery was seamless.

My friend is an audiophile and though the car is fun to drive, he wishes to upgrade the audio system.

Requirements:
1. A good center console with Android Connectivity
2. Reverse Camera & sensors
3. Speaker upgrades

We dont wish to go all at once however the 1st and 2nd are an immediate requirement. Like always, I approached Amol from Reliable Radio (Chembur) and he has suggested few as below:

8000 9" android
1250 stereo frame
1050 bumper IR camera
1000 installation
1250 sensor
=====
Total: Rs.12550

Any good 9" android system brand below 10K? (Amol suggested the one shown in the pic below)
Any good component speakers? The stock speakers are good enough and we cannot have a sub in the boot as we need that space. May be a good underseat sub?

[aadi2700]

Hi, I had this error code (picture attached) on my Aspire which was cleared and the same has again propped up. The SA had adviced for changing of the O2 sensor this time around.

Now what I wanted to ask is (given I'm a novice on these matters) whether delaying this replacement and driving the car as it is can lead to any damage in the long term or otherwise as well as I had an urgent outstation trip lined up and the part would take 4-5 days to arrive, thus my question.

[mindhunter]

Originally Posted by VWAllstar

Audio Upgrade

The stock speakers are good enough and we cannot have a sub in the boot as we need that space. May be a good underseat sub?

I have zoook branded under seat subwoofer in my Ford Figo 2019 titanium tdci under the passenger seat and trust me it's more than enough to complete the sound stage at a budget. No loss of boot space also. The subwoofer is powerful enough because I keep it at only 15 to 20% of its peak power.The stock speakers are good enough, if you are not a serious audiophile and you don't want to spend too much money.
I bought it at the time on Amazon for 5000 rupees and another two thousand for wiring and installation.

[tharian]

Originally Posted by aadi2700

Hi, I had this error code (picture attached) on my Aspire which was cleared and the same has again propped up. The SA had adviced for changing of the O2 sensor this time around.

Now what I wanted to ask is (given I'm a novice on these matters) whether delaying this replacement and driving the car as it is can lead to any damage in the long term or otherwise as well as I had an urgent outstation trip lined up and the part would take 4-5 days to arrive, thus my question.

It is better to fix it before the trip than be stuck on the roadside. The engine may run rich and ruin other parts.
Also, the sensor may have failed or it can be due to some other issue causing the sensor to give out abnormal readings. Hopefully the A.S.S has confirmed that before replacing it.

[maheshm619]

Originally Posted by mindhunter

I bought it at the time on Amazon for 5000 rupees and another two thousand for wiring and installation.

Does it require splicing of any wires or does it come with a dedicated connector ? Mine is 2018 titanium model with FlyAudio.

[SaiSW]

Hi, can anyone confirm if the pre facelift Aspire had height adjustable seatbelts on both Titanium and Titanium Plus models?

I have a 2018 MY pre-facelift Titanium Diesel and I do not have height adjustable seatbelts.

Or was it a victim of feature deletion before the facelift?

[CARDEEP]

I have a 2015 Titanium Diesel (Non plus one) & it has height adjustable seat belts.

[AYP]

Originally Posted by SaiSW

Hi, can anyone confirm if the pre facelift Aspire had height adjustable seatbelts on both Titanium and Titanium Plus models?

I have a 2018 MY pre-facelift Titanium Diesel and I do not have height adjustable seatbelts.

Or was it a victim of feature deletion before the facelift?

Ford had done a variant rejig in early 2017 and the Aspire Titanium lost height adjustable seatbelts, driver side vanity mirror and a few other minor things.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...oss-range.html (Scoop! Ford Figo & Aspire lose features across the range)

[r24x7]

On a recent highway drive , all of a sudden our vehicle started to make metal rattle although there was no loss in power. It was still drivable. Not wanting to take any risks of subsequent damage by driving to closest service center , we decided to get it on a flatbed. The nearest service center was 55 KMs.

The diagnosis revealed that the Engine Bed Mounting bracket has snapped. The car is under 5th year extended warranty and the service advisor says it may not be covered under warranty.

Damage to pocket could be A-Mount , A-Mount Bracket , few studs , unfortunately the alternator belt has taken a beating subsequently as well.

Can someone help me understand how does a Mounting bracket break? There is very less possibility that something from outside caused an impact here. Engine Mounts can be understood as a wear and tear part , but what about the bracket itself?

Sharing few pics sent by the SA.

[Blow Horn Ok]

Recently added the MGA branded footwell lights to my 2017 Aspire. Have tapped the wire from the dome lights and it glows whenever the door the opened, irrespective of the dome light switch position. A nice and warm feature to have. Ironically I have also installed MGA branded reverse parking sensors and they are flawless since 3 years of installation.

[VWAllstar]

Originally Posted by Blow Horn Ok

Recently added the MGA branded footwell lights to my 2017 Aspire

Looks good. I got one from Ford during delivery. It is managed by an App which connects via BT. It costed me Rs.5000 and used it for max 1 week. After looking at this post, I realized that I have a similar one in my Figo. What you did by connecting to an action (opening of door) makes it more usable and desirable now.

[Blow Horn Ok]

Originally Posted by VWAllstar

What you did by connecting to an action (opening of door) makes it more usable and desirable now.

The MGA one costs between 400-500 rupees and comes with various tapes, cable ties, primer, alcohol wipes etc.

The light goes off in a theatre dimming effect after few seconds of door closing or if the ignition is switched on. Apart from door closing, it also comes on when the ignition is switched off.

[NaXal]

Hello,

Last month my 2017 Aspire TDCi turned 5 years old and I went out for a 10 days long drive to the mountains.

Kolkata to Dooars and Darjeeling.

I have done the major Kolkata to Dooars and Dooars to Kolkata stretch on single day. Meaning close to 700 kms each on first and last day of the trip

Trip report in no particular order.

Car Facts

Purchase Date :- April 2017
Total Oddo :- 38k (Approx.)
Last Service :- 5/6k kms earlier
A/C & Air Filter Age :- Almost 16/17 months.
(Usually I change the Air & Cabin filter at every service, but at last service, my SA insisted for keeping the previous since they were in very good condition and Ford in anyway doesn't recommend this at every service.)
Major Work :- Nothing, its still on stock clutch / brake pads. Only the front suspension (incl steering assembly) was changed under warranty. Battery was changed a month ago
Tyre Condition :- Almost New (OEM make and model) at front and factory given tyres are at back. -> Read more (Ford Aspire : Official Review)

Occupants

Total :- 4 (including Sr. Citizen)
Driver :- 1 (me only)
Boot :- Overflowing

Highway Performance

The first and last part of the trip includes 700 kms (each end) of highway driving. The road includes 70% of good 2x2 section and 30% of really poor single lane and under construction section.

One can go to the first page of this thread and read the points mentioned in the "likes". So true even after 5 years. This BS4 TDCi still rules the highway. 215nm of torque with a wide mid range torque band is perfect for Indian driving conditions. Riding the Turbo is such addictive. Specially in the single lane sections, keeping the engine just around 1500 rpm, waiting behind a truck. See an opening, floor it and such brutal acceleration makes the overtake feel so easy.

It was so enjoyable to open up the throttle on those long empty 2x2 sections. Larger engine offering engine braking and perfectly tuned gear ratio meant staying on 5th for an effortless one paddle driving.



Suspension tuning is just perfect for these type of extreme long distance runs. Soft enough to keep the ride comfort aided by the soft & such comfortable seats.

Broken patches were really well handled by the suspension, yet it is hard enough to inspire those aggressive lane changes and maintaining a stable sure footed drive in those silly tipple digit speeds on those 2x2 long and empty tollways.



Yes, I did miss the lack of cruise control. Not because of tiredness but rather for getting lower than expected mileage figures. You see, the steering feedback is excellent, you really feel connected. So are the brakes, progressive action and excellent bite makes you feel always in control, even at those tipple digit figures. Any enthusiast would easily run at a much higher cruising speed than his mental mileage speed limit, unless paying close attention towards the speedo.

A/C & the climate control logic needs a special mention.



It was and it is still a bone chiller. The climate control maintains the temperature really well. However I do miss a rear A/C vent. Not because of the rear passengers, rather for the front. See, the blower has enough power to reach and cool off the rear bench but when the climate control logic turns down the air flow, the rear feels little uncomfortable. You may manually need to turn the blower a notch higher and that makes the front occupants uncomfortable. Circular 360deg rotatable vents helps to certain extend in these conditions, allowing you to divert the flow but rear vent would have been perfect. One would never need to touch the ACC controls.

Overall, excellent long distance high speed mile muncher. Really comfortable for passengers.

Jungles of Dooars

Nothing much to report from driving point a view. Road conditions are just like dream. Smooth, zero undulation, light traffic and dense greenery.



Only regrate are the speed humps. It seems they mistakenly put those made for elephant speed humps on automotive traffic routes. Scraped the underbody few times. Nothing serious but any car lover would feel my pain.

Queen of Hills

Places Visited (Major names in no particular order) :- Darjeeling / Kurseong / Kalimpong / Ghum / Lava / Lolegaon
Highest Elevation :- Less than 10,000 feet
Road Condition :- Stiff climbs, very narrow sections but road conditions are excellent.



Turbo, Turbo and Turbo. Climbing is such effortless compared to the 1.2 NA patrols of the same class. Even with the A/C on, overflowing luggage in the boot, there were not a single instance where the engine felt doubtful.



At times in city traffic, one may feel little uncomfortable with the relation between 1st and 2nd gear ratio but this short 1st gear and relatively non existent turbo lag makes life so easy on the hilly traffic. Up shifting to 2nd on higher rev range keeps the engine right on the torque band.

Although the suspension is towards the softer side for ride comfort but body roll is very well controlled. Specially on those hairpins with stiff climbs, zero complains from the passengers on motion sickness.



This car is on 14inch, running the stock OEM make n model tyre. One of the so called negatives. It is supposed to be under tyred. Even Ford gave the facelift 15inch with 195 section rubber.

However, there were few instances where due to some moronic oncoming traffic, I got stuck on a climb, few very stiff inclines. But car had enough traction from these 175 section tyres to grip and climb without any wheel spin or rolling back.



They say, there is no replacement for displacement and its shows when getting down from the hills. Engine braking takes some pressure off from the brakes. However, it is no EV regenerating braking. So depending on your downwards momentum, brake application is always needed while getting down. Heat is well managed in these kind of conditions. Never faced any brake fading or hardening issue with the brakes.



West Bengal Forest Department Tourist Bungalow at Lava presented the toughest climbing challenge. The property was under renovation. The climb was in anyways really stiff on top the road was broken and full of loose stone chips.

Saw a local alto turning back and finding parking on main road.



However, I underestimated the ability. Torque and traction was more than enough. Climbed it without breaking a sweat.

Compared to Himachal / Uttarakhand / JnK, Darjeeling and surrounding destinations of West Bengal are really old settlements. Himalayan part of the West Bengal is really small. One can drive all these destinations on single day.



However, such heritage beauty bring its own challenges. Roads are extremely narrow. Townships are jam packed & extremely congested. Parking is a nightmare. Larger SUV may feel superior with their AWD/4x4 but in this part of the country, smaller size of Aspire makes life easier.

Conclusion

Total kms covered :- Around 2500
Overall Mileage (Fuel Economy) :- Car Reported 18 but surprisingly 18.8 as per tank full to tank full method
Toll Paid :- Around Rs. 1600/-
Regrate 1 :- Those speed humps of Dooars
Regrate 2 :- Should have changed the Air Filter before the trip and should have dropped the cruising speed on highway.
Regrate 3 :- The hard clutch. It is the only thing I hate about this car.
New Learning 1 :- Nitrogen in tyre works.
New Learning 2 :- Even with toll + highest ever diesel price, spending around 15k for the entire trip (transport, Fuel + toll) is dead cheap compared to equivalent comfortable reserved transportation.



Ever since Ford left and after this car turned 5, there was that new car itch.

Even when you have other newer options at your disposal, you would always feel that itch to replace one older machine with another shiny new machine. But this kind trip pushes those thoughts out of the window. Flawless and explosive performance, excellent comfort and reliability, treat to drive.

What more one can ask from his machine?
What else can be it's replacement at this VFM price range?

Sadly, at present, nothing.

Thanks.

[mindhunter]

Originally Posted by maheshm619

Does it require splicing of any wires or does it come with a dedicated connector ? Mine is 2018 titanium model with FlyAudio.

Sorry for the late reply. Fly audio doesn't have a dedicated subwoofer output, so for audio input one door speaker wire was spliced. Power was directly drawn from fuse box running a dedicated power supply line. And this particular sub has inbuilt amp so no problems.

[lemedico]

Originally Posted by Blow Horn Ok

Recently added the MGA branded footwell lights to my 2017 Aspire. Have tapped the wire from the dome lights and it glows whenever the door the opened, irrespective of the dome light switch position.

Good one! Product link please?