[razor4077]

Amidst this recall/pause news, I managed to get a TD of the Aspire diesel Titanium+. Few observations from my end, with some inevitable comparisons with our previous-gen Figo:

- Looks great from the front but panel gaps were very large. Tyres look small, especially in profile view. Not a fan of the typical "abrupt" CS boot.
- Doors feel much lighter than our Figo's. Overall sheet metal on body panels seemed to have more "give" than in the Figo.
- Dashboard is well designed and controls fall well to hand. However I'm not a fan of the ultra-busy old school Nokia inspired central console. Screen is very small and not the easiest to read. Ford needs to consider a change to their design template and maybe introduce a bigger and more traditionally placed HU. Touchscreen would be nice to have.
- Seats were very comfortable and supportive, both in the front and rear.
- Good leg room all around, front footwell is broader than the Figo/old Fiesta and knees no longer foul with the central console or doorpad. With the front seat pushed all the way back I was able to squeeze in at the back. The scooped out front seat-back helped accommodate my knees. Definite improvement over the old Figo.
- However, the cabin is narrow and it's hard seating three adults abreast in the back.
- Missed an armrest up front
- Steering is light and misses the typical "Ford" feel. The Figo has a much more direct and communicative steering. Still a decent steering setup - just not as good as its predecessors.
- Handles well but not as sure footed as the Figo. Ride comfort though is an improvement on the Figo, which is very stiffly sprung.
- Engine is a delight - pulls beautifully even with a loaded car. Clutch needs some getting used to, especially at take off.
- Missed the grab handles while sitting in the back
- Boot has decent space but exposed metal bits and the intrusive hinges are negatives.

Overall, I liked the car a lot. Very compact, which makes it perfect for the city, while being decently spacious inside. Engine is wonderful and ride/handling balance is good. The narrow cabin was a downer for us, because if we're graduating from the Figo we would be looking for an appreciable increase in space (biggest drawback of the Figo).

[samaspire]

I just got my recall mail:

Sub: Important Information for Ford Figo and Ford Figo Aspire Owners

Field Service Action 16S20

Your Vehicle Identification Number: MAJZXXMTKZFU00000

Dear xxxxxx,
Ford India Private Limited (“Ford India”) is committed to provide top quality vehicles to customers. As part of that commitment and regular quality check process, we have identified a software issue with the Ford Figo / Ford Figo Aspire as per details below

What is the issue?
On your vehicle, the Restraint Control Module may contain a software error which could prevent airbags from deploying in certain collisions.

What will Ford and your Dealer do?
Ford India has authorized your Dealer to update the Restraint Control Module with new software, free of charge.


How long will it take?
The time required to update the Restraint Control Module is less than half a day. However, due to service scheduling requirements, your Dealer may require your vehicle for a longer period.


What should you do?
Please call your Dealer without delay and request a service date under Safety Recall 16S20. Please provide the Dealer with your registration number or the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). The VIN and Registration number are mentioned at the beginning of this letter. You can access the list of an authorized Ford India dealer and their contact details from Ford India Website www.india.ford.com


What if you no Longer own this vehicle?
You have received this notice because our records indicate that you are the current owner of the vehicle described at the start of this letter. If you are no longer the owner of this vehicle, please let us know by contacting our customer care on the number mentioned below or by writing to us at custmail@ford.com


Can we assist you further?
If you still have concerns, please contact our Customer Relationship Center at 1800 419 2500 / 1800 425 2500 and one of our representatives will be happy to assist you. Representatives are available 24x7 to attend your queries.

We want to assure you that, with your assistance, we will correct this concern, ensuring safety, and comfort.

Yours faithfully,
For Ford India Private Limited

[sudhirnam]

I also received email from Ford regarding the software issue. Hoping it is just a software update. Glad they sorted it out before any serious incidents.

[Ricky_63]

Got a mail for the Figo bought last month. Seems like a software update. Good to see them address it before aNY mishaps were reported on this account !!

[shahbaz.k]

Got the software updated for my February manufactured Aspire at FASS today. Took only 5 minutes for the whole process.

[Ashish B]

Hi Guys,

First Highway outing for my Aspire AT, and it is a mixed feedback.

Drove approx 1000 kms during Friday-Sunday on State Highways in interiors of Haryana and Rajasthan, mostly during the peak day-time, with full load.

The great: The car has excellent suspension setup, and minor bumps are never felt. The 'Max AC' setting ensures super cool cabin even at 46-47 degree temp, making the journey comfortable. Adequate power for maintaining 100-110 cruising speeds as well.

The good: Adequate cabin space and good seating position. 6-7 hour journey for 4/5 people remained comfortable. Brakes are adequate, steering gives good feedback.

The not-so-good: Engine/ DSG... I had read a lot, now experienced as well. Overtaking, especially on state highways and single-lane roads needs a lot of planning, and guts! The moment you try to push the car by flooring the accelerator, the progress becomes even slower. Even shifting to manual mode, and downshift to 4th or 5th gear does not help much... I was expecting a far better pulling power from a 1.5 L engine/ DSG (or may be I am expecting too much, as I have been doing extensive highway driving on my GV, which is a rocket in comparison). I have found the car to be a sweet performer in city, but for highway, I guess I will stick to my GV only. The car has returned FE of 13.4 during the trip (city average FE 13.5-14 KMPL).

Cheers/ AB

(Ps: Even I have received the mail from Ford, will wait till the end of odd-even run, and then will get the upgrade. Tx.)

[AKTRACK]

Did not receive any email from Ford for my Aspire (bought Sep 15) but they do show my vehicle's VIN on the Ford website under the Ford Field Service Actions for RCM software update.

My 3rd service is due. It is 17500 kms on the odo now. Will get the software update done during the service.

Just came back from a 650 Kms journey to Pauri (Uttranchal).

Overall mileage was 18.9 KMPl (tankful) with 4 on board at all times and medium luggage with 100% AC except for some 150 KMS of mountains where i rarely got to use the 4th gear. Mountains were mostly conquered in the third gear (80% usage). You don't need AC there

For the first time inflated the all tyres to 33 PSI and I liked how the car behaved. It has gained some height and is a little more agile. Also, I have an elevated parking and even with 32 PSI the car scraped (it is quite an incline/hump to get to the parking) but with 33 PSI the car is not scraping. I intend to keep it that way. Also, the car did not scrape even once on the broken roads/ large stones on the mountains you usually encounter.

Overall, of the 4-5 trips that I have made to uttaranchal this was the most FTD.

Just visited the Ford website and they have updated cost of some fast moving parts on the website. Good move Ford!

[vikrammohan]

Do any of you use the 'MyFord Dock'? I am disappointed with the USB charging in it - though my phone shows 'charging' I do not see any charge in my phone.
Anyone else with same issue?

[omprakashp]

The dock works for me.
Have you tried changing the wire? If that doesnt work you may have to ask the service station to take a look.

[laxmanrk]

Originally Posted by vikrammohan

Do any of you use the 'MyFord Dock'? I am disappointed with the USB charging in it - though my phone shows 'charging' I do not see any charge in my phone.
Anyone else with same issue?

Hi Vikram

My experience on the 'MyFord Dock' as below:

The USB works quite well on iphones/ ipods and also enables control of the music collection in the device. Charges the iphone as well as ipod quite quickly.

Coming to Android phones, it doesn't charge my wife's oneplus phone. In the official review also the author had covered this point. The manual too does not say anything about android phone interface/ charging etc.

[jowes]

My car is one of the very first petrol Aspire Titanium+ to be delivered in Bangalore (mid-September) from 'Cauvery Ford' and so far the car has done ok barring few issues:

1) The reverse gear didn't engage occasionally.
2) The car bluetooth was not working properly and I couldn't pair my phone which seemed to be due to software corruption

My car also took an underbody hit in hard concrete road which sounded like a blast in cabin! It seemed to run fine afterwards. Regardless I decided to give for a premature service with 'Cauvery Ford' to check the underbody as well as address the above issues. It was also an opportunity to address the ford recall software update.

I was hoping that I would be charged some money as this wasn't a regular service. To my pleasant surprise all the issues were addressed with a bill of '0' Rupees and this included door pickup and delivery! So far happy with my experience with 'Cauvery Ford'. There is a Lathangi Ford service centre very close to my home but I feel quite comfortable having my car dealt with by 'Cauvery Ford' which is 23 kms far.

[d3mon]

I got the RCM update done at Metro Ford, Lingarajpuram. Along with that, I also reported the 'rattling' (ticking noise) issue that my car has since the very early days. I'd reported this issue during my first service in December, but it didn't get resolved then. I had chosen to live with this all these months.

Anyway, they performed a 'door adjustment' with two sharp knocks to the frame of the car behind the B pillar (they removed the seatbelt for this) and the ticking noise was gone! Really pleased that my Aspire is completely silent now.

[SJN]

Originally Posted by dragonov007

I had the same issue after my first service was done.'Service on' reminder with a spanner symbol was showing up in the MID when the key was primed for a crank.At that point,I tried to keep the MID toggle stalk pressed for a few moments and voila! the reminder vanished.You guys can try it and see if that works for you.Otherwise Ford service stations must have a definite solution to the issue. (My car is a TDCi)

This method worked for me and I was able to clear the service reminder that was displayed everytime I started the car. Basically, I kept the MID stalk pressed till the display changed to "Off".

[Shiv_1984]

Hi Everyone,

Can you guide me a bit on few questions about Aspire?
1. Do we have any discounts currently for Aspire top end in Blore ? How much would it cost OTR for T+ ?
2. I have booked a Baleno top end in Feb and also open for Jazz and Aspire top end but not sure if putting money on Aspire would be a wise decision though I seriously find it as a jack of all trades and master of none.

3. While I am not so worried about build quality vis-a vis the other contenders I have shortlisted as I am more or less sure that all are same, what I would be interested to know is does the Car look cheap as few of our bhpians have reported ?

You may be wondering as to why dont I go and check for all these answers myself. The answer is I am living abroad and I would be visiting India by end of May for a month. So, I dont have much time to cover all purchase aspects and considering any waiting time, I would like to do any required bookings now so that I can get the car while I am there.

Appreciate your responses.

Cheers..
Shiv

[jowes]

Originally Posted by Shiv_1984

I have booked a Baleno top end in Feb and also open for Jazz and Aspire top end but not sure if putting money on Aspire would be a wise decision though I seriously find it as a jack of all trades and master of none.

If you plan to buy a diesel, then I think Aspire is pretty good. The Petrol version is good too barring the engine. By cheap, I couldn't understand if you meant looks or the quality of components. By looks, Aspire doesn't disappoint. It has the unique design among the compact sedans in India and on the front it seems quite similar to the Ford Focus in US. Also you may have to consider that, the alternative you suggested, Honda Jazz, does not look great in all colours.

The rear middle seat in Jazz is slightly raised and this might be uncomfortable for some kids. The Aspire on the other hand has flat, leather seats and this makes it easier to accommodate 3 adults in the rear.

The top end model of Aspire includes 6 airbags and also has the Ford MyKey feature which includes a speed limiter. I own the top end Petrol Aspire and my car is always set to a max speed of 100 kmph which is very useful in controlling my drive in highways. I fail to understand why Ford doesn't market this useful feature when in fact, it is the only car as far as I know, to have this under 10L.

Both the cars I believe has similar build and feature-set otherwise. The Honda Jazz is expensive by about 50K and the extra features are GPS and reverse parking camera. This should not be an issue as Ford also provides them as official accessories.

My car is 7.5 months old with almost NIL issues. I only had an occasional reverse gear lock problem and software issues with bluetooth and these were rectified at zero cost. No rattles whatsoever. Has taken countless underbody hits and came away spotless.

I believe the buying decision should boil down to this: Do you plan to resell?. If you plan to resell, Jazz is better, if not I would recommend Aspire by all means.