[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by Porschefire

Holy Moly!!! When did this -->

Become this -->

Its about time Abhi that you change the rims on your Fiesta bro.

Imagine a scenario where this shade Aspire is parked beside your stead is some parking lot and you end up walking to the wrong car and try to unlock it !!

Though I love the double spoke designs, somehow it just does not look good on the Aspire like the way it gels on the Fiesta.

[Kishen.padiyar]

Old gen Figo/Fiesta, new Fiesta, new Figo/Aspire and the Ecosport all use 4 hole 108PCD configuration.

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by Porschefire

Off Topic: I wish I can replace my car's alloys with those gorgeous black units from the Figo Sports!

As Kishen has mentioned in his post, the PCD of most Ford cars are the same so the Figo Sports alloys should be a direct fit without the need for any hub rings etc. The black alloys look really nice on the Figo Sports compared to the one they have provided on the Aspire. You can surely check with the SVC/showroom for the price of the alloys alone. If it matches, it is surely a good choice for the color of your car.

[red.devil_19]

Visited Cauvery Ford yesterday to check out the Aspire Sports. They had both the Figo S and Aspire S on display. The dual tone colour scheme on the Figo S and those black alloys look more appealing though!

Anyway, this is the first time I have checked the Aspire out up close and personal and I have to say the car looks much better than in the pics! The all back interiors, blacked out head lights and larger wheels really do make the S a lot more desirable than the regular Aspire. The leather on the steering looked nice and felt really good to hold. So the first look at the Aspire S on display left me quite impressed!

The saleswoman I was interacting with me seemed quite knowledgeable at first. She explained most of the features of the car nicely and was courteous enough to ask if I would like to have a test drive. While the TD car was being arranged, she briefed me about the finance options and the supposedly low maintenance cost of Ford cars.

The car was ready in about 10 minutes and when I walked up to it, I noticed it was a regular Aspire Titanium diesel. I assumed they hadn't yet received the Aspire S TD vehicle so I asked her when they were expecting it. She gave me a puzzled look and told me that the Aspire Titanium and Aspire S are exactly the same car with only cosmetic changes differentiating the two!! I just smiled at her and pointed it out that the Aspire S has a differently tuned suspension and that it is mentioned in Ford's website as well! She replied that no one had informed her about it! I wondered whether Ford should be blamed or its just ignorance of the Sales Representative to not even bother checking out what's on sale on their own website!

I did not have anything else to say but decided to proceed with the test drive of the regular Aspire, as the engine remains the same. To her credit she offered me a slightly longer TD.

- The first thing that impressed me on this car was the sound insulation. It really is excellent and I was hard pressed to tell if I was indeed driving a diesel. I'd have to think of the Hyundai diesel cars having better sound insulation!
- There was a lot of traffic on the road so I couldn't really test the true power of the engine. However, I loved the driveability of the car and its very easy to drive around in traffic. The short bursts of power I could manage on a slightly empty stretch did leave a smile on my face!
- The EPS on the Aspire, while may not be like the earlier Fords, felt one the best ones out there right now. Of all the cars I have driven in recent times I have only liked the Linea's and my Beat's steering more than the one on the Aspire, and the Linea and Beat (P) have hydraulic power steering units for that matter!!
- The suspension is tuned for comfort and my friend who was sitting at the rear commented that only the Linea had felt more comfortable. Bangalore's roads are dealt with easily! I can't talk about the dynamics as I could only have short burst of acceleration and no driving on the highways but I think it would be pretty stable on the open roads!
- The front seat base offers excellent thigh support however the lateral support could have been better I think, especially with this being a powerful car. Or perhaps it could have been to do with the slip-on seat covers on the TD vehicle which kind of nullified the contours on the seat. It definitely wasn't very comfortable with respect to the back rest of the front seats. I'd recommend anyone buying a non-"Leather Seat" version to have your seat covers stitched to the seats else it could be very discomforting on long drives.
- The only major issue with the car is probably the width. It would be quite a challenge to accommodate 3 people at the rear. Leg room and under-thigh support at the rear seemed adequate for moderately built people. Tall persons will surely have a problem with the under thigh support. I'd have liked the rear seat back rest to be a tad bit more reclined.

I have never really considered buying a compact sedan. I would rather go for a proper hatch or full length sedan. But the launch of the Aspire S really did get me interested to check it out at least. I have to say this is an impressive car in its regular form itself. Although I could't get a drive of the S, I'd like to think with all the positive reviews that have come in so far, the Aspire S is going to be a really sweet car to drive!

[jetti]

Originally Posted by red.devil_19

Visited Cauvery Ford yesterday to check out the Aspire Sports. They had both the Figo S and Aspire S on display. The dual tone colour scheme on the Figo S and those black alloys look more appealing though!

Anyway, this is the first time I have checked the Aspire out up close and personal and I have to say the car looks much better than in the pics! The all back interiors, blacked out head lights and larger wheels really do make the S a lot more desirable than the regular Aspire. The leather on the steering looked nice and felt really good to hold. So the first look at the Aspire S on display left me quite impressed!

Did you take any pictures of the interior? Does it have red stitching like the Figo S?

- The first thing that impressed me on this car was the sound insulation. It really is excellent and I was hard pressed to tell if I was indeed driving a diesel. I'd have to think of the Hyundai diesel cars having better sound insulation!
- There was a lot of traffic on the road so I couldn't really test the true power of the engine. However, I loved the driveability of the car and its very easy to drive around in traffic. The short bursts of power I could manage on a slightly empty stretch did leave a smile on my face!
- The EPS on the Aspire, while may not be like the earlier Fords, felt one the best ones out there right now. Of all the cars I have driven in recent times I have only liked the Linea's and my Beat's steering more than the one on the Aspire, and the Linea and Beat (P) have hydraulic power steering units for that matter!!

Even I think the steering is pretty good and feel should be even better with wider tyres and bigger alloys. One should stop comparing with old Fiesta. Look ahead not backwards as GTO says

[red.devil_19]

Originally Posted by jetti

Did you take any pictures of the interior? Does it have red stitching like the Figo S?

Sorry I did not take any snaps. The Aspire S has contrasting silver stitching on the seats, gear knob and steering. I think Ford are calling it "Fog Grey" stitching. It looks pretty neat with the all black interiors. I've always preferred dark interiors. Gives you really cosy feel inside the car!

One thing I forgot to mention in the previous post was that the Aspire S has upto 2 months waiting period. The dealer I visited are expecting three Aspire S cars in May and mid May is the earliest they would be able to deliver the car. After these 3 cars, there would be a 2 month waiting period. Might be useful for people in Bangalore interested in buying the Aspire S.

[dragonov007]

As an Aspire diesel Titanium+ owner, the following are my observations-

The good- Ford listening to its customers and providing the car with the same 195 section tyres on 15 inch rims as per their export versions and also providing stiffer springs for a sportier drive.

The not so good- Pricing is almost 45- 50k above the normal Titanium trim for the cars, putting them almost into Titanium+ territory.

The bad- No S edition in Titanium+ trims.

Now, if I am supposed to be at the Ford showroom right now for an Aspire,here’s what I am going to take into consideration-

1.Airbags-One of the biggest USPs of the Aspire is the full safety net of 6 airbags in the top trim- I don’t get it with S.Can not be retrofitted in future.

2.OEM leather seats-Perforated leather seats offer great comfort in the Titanium+ cars.Can be retrofitted in the S,but will cost serious money to get the OEM fit and finish.

3.Sync- Though sound quality is debatable, yet as an interface, the Sync with its the bigger screen,voice control and integrated system setting views, is much better than the small display of the S versions in Titanium trim.Can not be retrofitted in the S.

4.Leather wrapped steering wheel- Available in S. Can be retrofitted to Titanium+ trims later,but as with leather seats,OEM level of finish will be difficult to achieve.

5.Bigger alloys with wider tyres- Available in S. Can be retrofitted to Titanium+ trims. Whether Ford will honour suspension warranty now to those upgrading to bigger wheels, is still a question though.

6.Stiffer springs and beefed up anti-roll bars-This is the USP of the S edition. May be possible to retrofit to Titanium+ later.However as a daily drive car,one thing I personally will not want to have is Ford doing any southward revision of the ride comfort factor.

7.Honeycomb grill- Available in S Figo.May be possible to retrofit to Titanium+ Aspire. But as per my observations honeycomb grills are a pain to clean and maintain. I much prefer the slat design of the present version.Just a spray and wipe keeps it sparkling clean.

8.All black interiors- Available in S.Can not be retrofitted to Titanium+(though as far as I remember, a BHPian has already done blackening of the beige interior panels).I was apprehensive about maintenance of the beige colour initially,but in over 1 yrs in a congested city like Kolkata, it has hardly taken any extra effort to keep it clean.I even have the OEM beige carpets still, and they are holding up quite good with periodic vaccuming.However I do drive with windows closed mostly.

9.Decals- I wish Ford didn’t add them in the first place.The ones on the rear bumper look particularly tacky.

10.Height adjustable seatbelts in the front-As far as I can recall,Ford has removed this feature from all except the Titanium+ trim.I am not sure if the S versions have it and if it doesn't,then it can not be retrofitted.This small feature actually has proved extremely helpful in my day to day commute,eliminating any irritating rubbing against the neck from an improperly positioned seat belt.

Considering all factors,if I am to buy the Aspire again,I will go for the Titanium+ trim.It would have been perfect if Ford launched the S in Titanium+ trim at the same price they are offering now. However all in all it is an honest effort from Ford,and hopefully they come up with a S Titanium+ also ,soon.

[samaspire]

Drove a Dec 2016 Aspire Titanium 1.2 Petrol (4100 km on the Odo) yesterday for about 10 kms within the town.

My observations

1. The gear shifts felt smoother (or maybe mine has become harder).

2. The driver side door bush was different - hard plastic, not flexible rubber.





It's probably because of this that the driver side door had some play - there were 2 noises as the lock clicked while closing.



3. The low end torque problem was acutely felt on this car as was the case when I first bought my car. I even managed to stall on a speed breaker.

This means that the ECU in my car has adapted to my driving style as that problem is negligible when I drive my car now.


4. The rear door strikers are the new type.

[PraNeel]

Hi all my colleague is buying Ford Aspire Titanium (O) shortly. He has paid an advance also. He is being offered the following deal:
Ex-Showroom : 7,64,778
Insurance : 31,204 + 5,013 (Bumper to Bumper)
Road Tax : 1,22,195
Essential Kit : 3,700
3rd Year Warranty with RSA: 8,103
Total : 9,34,993
Discount : 28,000
Net Price : 9,07,000

There is one anomaly that I noticed. Karnataka RTO site says road tax is 14% for vehicles under 10 lakhs. So the Road tax should be 1,07,069. Dealer is saying vehicle registration charges will be 3,300 which also includes 5ltr diesel, number plate charges etc. Still what are the extra 12,000 rupees being charged for? Dealer is saying they will give RTO receipts. Can someone please throw some light on these extra charges?

[Kishen.padiyar]

Originally Posted by PraNeel

Karnataka RTO site says road tax is 14% for vehicles under 10 lakhs. So the

The road tax in Karnataka is 15.54% including all taxes and cess on taxes for vehicles below 10L ex showroom and 18.87% for above 10L.

[skanchan95]

Originally Posted by PraNeel

Hi all my colleague is buying Ford Aspire Titanium (O) shortly. He has paid an advance also. He is being offered the following deal:
Ex-Showroom : 7,64,778
Insurance : 31,204 + 5,013 (Bumper to Bumper)
Road Tax : 1,22,195
Essential Kit : 3,700
3rd Year Warranty with RSA: 8,103
Total : 9,34,993
Discount : 28,000
Net Price : 9,07,000

There is one anomaly that I noticed. Karnataka RTO site says road tax is 14% for vehicles under 10 lakhs. So the Road tax should be 1,07,069. Dealer is saying vehicle registration charges will be 3,300 which also includes 5ltr diesel, number plate charges etc. Still what are the extra 12,000 rupees being charged for? Dealer is saying they will give RTO receipts. Can someone please throw some light on these extra charges?

Avoid Essential Kit worth Rs 3700. The mud flap,door & boot mats and a leather tissue box which form a part of the kit are simply not worth the price. Your are better off buying the mud flaps separately and look for cabin mats outside.

[CrazyToDrive]

Received complimentary gift from the dealer
The dealer representative delivered the gift at my residence.

[DCEite]

On a trip couple of days ago from Chandigarh to Kasauli, i hired a Zoomcar Ford TDCi (a 13000 km run Dec 2016 model).

Driven about 130 odd kms on the car mostly on the hills, and some on the plains to. Just wanted to share my opinion and comparison with my daily driver - petrol Xcent. I know its not fair comparison - but just gives a perspective.

1) Build quality -> The doors and the call overall has a Heavier feel to it, compared to my petrol Xcent. However, there are constant rattles from the doors, specially from the front door. But given that its driven my random people, i assume any car would meet the same fate.

2) Ride quality -> Definitely a step up from the Xcent. It could take bad patches relatively easier - but at slow speeds it comes crashing down on deep potholes.

3) Steering -> Compared to Xcent, a bit heaviour and has a lot more feel.

4) ABC pedals -> This one was a big downer. The clutch pedal is positioned too closed to the brake, it just didn't feel ergonomically right. Moreover, the clutch was heavy and had a long travel. The car is tiring to drive in bumper to bumper traffic.

5) Performance -> I did find it sufficient. Nothing out of the ordinary though. The response is instantanous and without any turbo lag. But there is no "wow" or "push in the seat" feeling.

6) NVH -> From a petrol Xcent - the difference is very obvious. The diesel clatter specially at idle is something that takes some time to get used to- for a petrol head. On the move though, the vibrations did subside.

7) Boot space-> I felt only sufficient to hold one medium sized trolly bag. Not in the league of Xcent or Tigor though. Makes me wonder why not buy the Figo instead - i guess the boot space would not differ by much anyway.

8) The model Zoomcar had was with only 2 front power windows and No stereo. It did come with twin airbags though. But whats surprising for me was the lack of Tachometer. The left side of the instrument panel had the marking of tachometer but no tachometer itself. Weird.


All in all, a decent car for someone who is used to driving diesels and does a lot of highway driving. For a person who has driven petrol cars all his life like me - the driving experience is a bit more cumbersome with poor ABC pedal ergonomics, heavy clutch and not so light controls.

[Blooming Flower]

Dear BHPians,

Two recent incidents made me really skeptic about the quality of the parts used in Ford Figo and Aspire. The older gen. Figo has a strong performance and quality record. I really doubt about the present market footfall of current Figo and its elder brother Aspire with respect to the older one. However, after Ford continually revamped its marketing strategy and pricing with these two cars, I was really happy to recommend it to some of my colleagues instead of the old gen, aging Dzire. After I had the initial test ride I was not quite happy with the peppiness and the handling of these cars pitted against the old Figo or even old Dzire. After shifting to Mysore, most of my colleagues were searching for a compact sedan-upgrade with a petrol engine. Ford offered quite good VFM with the Figo and Aspire series. Two Aspires and one Figo were delivered and registered with our company name through Cauvery Ford, Mysore and it was gaining steady fan followers and recommendation from the recent owners at our workplace. So, I will start from event no. 2.

2. Yesterday, around 6 pm, just before leaving the workplace some of our colleagues were discussing and waiting for others in the parking lot. Suddenly, in front of my eyes, a ‘thud’ startled all of us there. We hurried to the car just parked next to mine and found that only one-month-old Ford Aspire of Mr. S (let’s say) has chucked into the railings of our first-floor parking breaking the metallic fence. Mr. S was inside the car and didn’t recover from the sudden jolt. Initially, I thought he put the first gear instead of reverse gear and disengaged the clutch abruptly. But soon after I peeped my head into the cockpit and what I found was absolutely shocking and compromising safety of the occupants. The gear lever was completely in a free moving condition in all direction without any slotting effect. Damn! I said definitely the cable and bush must be snapped off from the lever. Mr. S always starts the car keeping the clutch pedal fully pressed, which is, by the way, a good habit. That is why while the engine cranked the car was in stand-still condition. He assumed that he was in reverse gear with misleading free moving shifting stick, but in reality, the car was cogged into first gear itself. As soon as he tried to move the car it was hurled to the fencing damaging the front bumper as well the fencing. Thank God, he immediately used both brakes by his reflex; else it would fall through the broken metal fence hitting the ground floor on its face.

A Scene From The Parking Lot After The Incident



1. Just before this incident, Mr. M’s only 7-month-old Aspire had some unique engine start problem. While he tried to put the key in ignition there was nothing happening even no click sound. The battery was perfectly fine. When the service guys came to the spot, the problem itself vanished! Again, 1day after the same problem happened and it was witnessed by the service personnel. On inspection, they found some faulty fuse issues with the starter motor.

Now the question is, how in a brand-new car a bush may fall off or the shifting cable is snapped off! As usual, the service guy tried to put the fault on the customer saying ‘Maybe some excessive pressure was given to the shifting stick’. How imprudent and unacceptable are they! What about the safety of the occupants! If the same incident happened with Mr. S on busy traffic instead of the parking lot, I think we might have to see him in miserable condition! Today he mailed the incidents in detail to Ford Customer Care. But by my previous experience, I can ascertain that all such emails are re-routed to the dealers end to sort out the issue, without the desired escalation to the higher authority. It is the most common scene with most of the Indian car manufacturers. I am posting these events here with due permission from Mr. S and Mr. M to share with you all.

PS. Ford is playing some intriguing tricks with these cars. I clearly remember, sometime back in 2016 end, Ford abruptly stopped selling, booking and demonstration of these cars in all the dealerships without citing any proper reason. Later we came to know about some software issues with restraint control system.

Ford is definitely using cheap quality, unreliable parts with these new cars unlike the robust old Figo compromising safety and reliability. I really regret to have recommended the Figo and Aspire to my colleagues. The car of Mr. S in now in Ford SVC awaiting further inputs from the SVC personnel.

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted by Blooming Flower

Two recent incidents made me really skeptic about the quality of the parts used in Ford Figo and Aspire...
Ford is definitely using cheap quality, unreliable parts with these new cars unlike the robust old Figo compromising safety and reliability.

Let us wait for the final diagnosis in case of Mr.S' car.

It is true that Ford has often been accused of lightening the newer version of the Figo twins, thereby compromising their driving dynamics. And, there have been some reliability issues with the new Endeavour too. Would these warrant a blanket accusation of providing shoddy parts? I respectfully beg to differ.

Two instances of malfunction in your near circle may have prompted you to come up with the question. Fair! But let's not forget that both issues are different, unconnected and (as yet) unsubstantiated with proper technical evidence. Moreover, a fuse going kaput cannot be ascribed to substandard parts. There could be a whole array of causes - a shoddily fit aftermarket accessory for instance.

The curious case of the freely dancing gear lever does warrant a deeper analysis. Since it is perhaps the first such reported instance, please keep us abreast of the happenings.

back in 2016 end, Ford abruptly stopped selling, booking and demonstration of these cars in all the dealerships without citing any proper reason. Later we came to know about some software issues with restraint control system.

How does this make Ford a bad company? They found a fault in their cars and therefore stopped selling, booking and demonstration, until the issue was resolved. I would unhesitatingly call this a good business practice.

Ford makes some excellent cars. An odd defect here or a minor failure there doesn't make the manufacturer a cheat. Rarely does one swallow make a summer.