[Majumdarda]

Originally Posted by frankmehta

He's pulling a fast one on you.
Offer to pay his ncb for the next 3 years
Or then clear his payment only after checking the Ford invoice..

Thank you sir for your fast response. Please see below images. I do understand that my friend should have been careful and should support in case needed, but the charges, seems too high.

[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by Majumdarda

Thank you sir for your fast response. Please see below images. I do understand that my friend should have been careful and should support in case needed, but the charges, seems too high.

Seems they are changing the front/rear bumper, front/rear bumper inserts, condenser, tailgate, rear panel (left?) - add paint/labour/gst and that figure doesn't seem unrealistic. Better talk it out with the person involved - NCB would hardly be 5k or so, you can offer to pay that rather than the full damage. Most parts frankly don't seem too badly damaged to warrant a full replacement.

[bhaskar.guru]

I've completed 1100 kms on my Freestyle! Pic is of 1000kms

Happy and satisfied with my choice!

[scythian]

I bought Freestyle Titanium+ Petrol last month. The car has been great so far, but I have been wondering about this particular behaviour of the car which is bothering me. Unless I am at or below 5 kmph or so, I cannot slot the gear into 1st. It just gets so hard to do so at any speed more than 5 kmph that I am afraid to push it in (5 and below, it is completely smooth to slot in). I have tried double clutching, increasing the revs before slotting it in (at 5-10 kmph), to to avail. I know it's a safety feature in most cars, but usually I have seen that it is only after 10-15 kmph that this kicks in. I took a test drive in my friend's Ecosport, and I was able to slot into 1st at 20 kmph (with only a tiny bit of extra force). Of course I did not lift my foot off the clutch .

I have gone through articles such as this to understand this better, but double clutching, as suggested, does not solve this issue in my case. I just wish the threshold was a bit higher than 5 kmph. I park in the basement, and while approaching the ramp when getting out of the parking (I am in 2 gear), I have to almost stop the car (0-5 kmph) to slot into first to begin the steep ascent, which is kind of annoying.

Fellow Freestyle owners: Have you experienced this? If not, can someone please test it out and see? One easy way to test this is to start in 1st, go up to 15 kmph, shift to neutral, and then try to slot into first again when your speed is still above 5 kmph.

[rajivtelang]

Originally Posted by scythian

Fellow Freestyle owners: Have you experienced this? If not, can someone please test it out and see? One easy way to test this is to start in 1st, go up to 15 kmph, shift to neutral, and then try to slot into first again when your speed is still above 5 kmph.

While taking a TD of free style (top diesel variant), the SA had told me about a hill assist feature that holds the car on ascent for 5 to 10 seconds even if the clutch is pressed to slot into 1st gear. Will that not help you to solve this scenario? Not sure if that is available in Petrol variants.
Also one unknown area is if the ascent is too steep, will that feature work? I could not get that answer from SA and I had tried this TD on some city flyover ascent only.

[scythian]

Originally Posted by rajivtelang

While taking a TD of free style (top diesel variant), the SA had told me about a hill assist feature that holds the car on ascent for 5 to 10 seconds even if the clutch is pressed to slot into 1st gear. Will that not help you to solve this scenario? Not sure if that is available in Petrol variants.
Also one unknown area is if the ascent is too steep, will that feature work? I could not get that answer from SA and I had tried this TD on some city flyover ascent only.

Yes, the Hill Start Assist feature does work (it holds the car brakes on an incline if the car is in gear with the clutch depressed and foot off the brakes for around 3 seconds *or* when it detects the car has enough torque to move forward, whichever is earlier). That will help in case I am stopped on an incline and do not want to roll back. But I want to shift into 1st gear before the incline so I don't have to stop on the incline, and for that I have to bring the car to a very low speed (<5 kmph). If that's the way this is for this car, then I'll live with it. Just want to see if there's anything abnormal with my particular Freestyle, hence the call for help from other Freestyle owners. Thanks!

[scythian]

Originally Posted by rajivtelang

...Also one unknown area is if the ascent is too steep, will that feature work? I could not get that answer from SA and I had tried this TD on some city flyover ascent only.

There is definitely a lower limit for the gradient when this kicks in, based on my experience. So for a 3-4 degree slope this does not kick in (the car rolls back). For say, a 20 degree incline, it definitely kicks in. Not sure about the upper limit. Other thing which I will test at some point (or re-read the manual ) is whether this feature is activated on a downward incline when I want to go in reverse.

[rajivtelang]

Originally Posted by scythian

But I want to shift into 1st gear before the incline so I don't have to stop on the incline, and for that I have to bring the car to a very low speed (<5 kmph).

Definitely true for older cars, since I had similar observation in my old Santro. I had to literally stop to slot to 1st gear when that car was new and eventually it got a little adjustable upto 5 kmph. I am uncertain about it in newer cars though. As per my understanding it depends on the clutch and gearbox mechanism specifically for 1st gear which is obviously made to lift the car from stand still position. So according to me this behavior is absolutely normal.

[SoumenD]

Any owners from Bangalore here? How's the freestyle to drive in B2B traffic of Bangalore? Do we need to switch off the AC for the lower end pull? Secondly what kind of city mileage are you guys managing?

Has it been crash tested yet? Considering previous gen aspire got 3 stars but the structure was rated unstable, is the freestyle any better?

[kaushikduttajsr]

Originally Posted by SoumenD

Any owners from Bangalore here? How's the freestyle to drive in B2B traffic of Bangalore? Do we need to switch off the AC for the lower end pull? Secondly what kind of city mileage are you guys managing?

Has it been crash tested yet? Considering previous gen aspire got 3 stars but the structure was rated unstable, is the freestyle any better?

1) Petrol is easy to drive, diesel's heavy clutch takes a toll on the left leg
2) Nope, never felt the lack of grunt
3) I've managed 12 kmpl in the 2k kms driven within the confines of bangalore city. Point to note - I drive with a lead foot

[pavi]

Originally Posted by scythian

But I want to shift into 1st gear before the incline so I don't have to stop on the incline, and for that I have to bring the car to a very low speed (<5 kmph). If that's the way this is for this car, then I'll live with it. Just want to see if there's anything abnormal with my particular Freestyle, hence the call for help from other Freestyle owners. Thanks!

You can try rev matching and shift the gear in 1st at higher speeds than 5 kmph. Check if you are able to do it.

Note: I am not a Freestyle owner.

[damodar]

Freestyle has all the features to take XUV300 head on, save for the sunroof and the glitzy Drls. The safety features are there which XUV300 has except for knee airbag. Ground clearance at 180mm and bootspace of 257l are similar. Now with the new kid on the block will Ford do any refresh for this model?
I am sure the top end XUV300 will be at least 3 laks more than the diesel Freestyle which retails for around 9.5lak on road.

[amitayu]

Hi All

Presently under a dilemma over Freestyle Titanium and Baleno Zeta.

I am based in South Delhi and my office is just 5Km away. For my kind of usage, I am interested in petrol hatchbacks only. I am not keen on AT, as I prefer engaging in playing with the engine and gear shifting while driving; I find AT to be boring!

I presently own a Ritz VXI, and given typical Indian habit, NEXA was the first port of call when we decided for a change.

I tried out Freestyle simply on the basis of team-bhp! Was extremely skeptical of a 3 cylinder engine at the onset. My wife found the car to be drab looking and wasn't even keen for a test drive.

However, the short drive left both of us pleasantly surprised, and we are increasingly warming up to the Freestyle.

However, there are few doubts we have for which team-bhp is the best forum to resolve.

a) The gear felt rubbery and the throw a bit long. The SA insists its a test drive car much abused by trial run drivers. Is the gear troublesome for the petrol car? Given I am not going for AT, a bad/poor gear and clutch play will mar the entire driving experience and add to the stress of driving in Delhi.

b) Baleno really has a plush ride, while the Freestyle felt more solid and sure footed. But the test drives were in 2 different traffic conditions! How is the Freestyle in regular bumper-bumper traffic? I also have some concerns over turning radius, or shifting in and out of traffic lanes.

c) Are the Ford comprehensive packages etc any good? Usually I stay away from these offers as they more mostly money churners for the dealer. But a Maruti is easily repaired in roadside shops in emergency; what about Fords?

d) Any issues of niggles with freestyle/Ford? How is the fit and finish in the cars? Again, asking this as I feel a test drive car is not the best example to determine these things.

Looking forward to the help from you all over the queries.

What ever we finally decide to buy; I must say, I am really impressed by the Freestyle. I dunno why this nice product is not that popular! Even some of the threads in this forum of new purchases do not reflect the Freestyle as an option considered!!

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by amitayu

a) The gear felt rubbery and the throw a bit long. The SA insists its a test drive car much abused by trial run drivers. Is the gear troublesome for the petrol car?

b) Baleno really has a plush ride, while the Freestyle felt more solid and sure footed. But the test drives were in 2 different traffic conditions! How is the Freestyle in regular bumper-bumper traffic?

c) Are the Ford comprehensive packages etc any good? Usually I stay away from these offers as they more mostly money churners for the dealer. But a Maruti is easily repaired in roadside shops in emergency; what about Fords?

d) Any issues of niggles with freestyle/Ford? How is the fit and finish in the cars?

a. I m surprised you found the gearshifts to be rubbery, was the clutch hard? If not, this is a clear indication of abuse, the gearshifts are reasonably crisp.

b.The Freestyle is not as softly sprung as the Baleno which is what gives it better handling and an involved driving experience. Also, you can tackle city speedbreakers at much higher speeds than the Baleno in the Freestyle due to its taut build and manners.

c. You can always choose the best insurance that suits you, at the showroom or outside, there are many options here and more often than not, dealers match the aftermarket quotes with some haggling.

d. The Figo had an issue with the headlights fogging up, the Freestyle is yet to report any issues so far. Fit and finish isn't as precise, as say, a Hyundai but is at par with Maruti if you find the interiors appealing enough.

[amitayu]

Thanks Debnath for such a prompt response!

a) The clutch was not particularly hard. I take it that the test drive vehicle is at fault here. Will do another TD from some other dealer to verify this point.

b) Freestyle does install confidence to take on bad roads, but the I am worried about the rear seat passengers on this point. But the explanation on suspension set-ups is will taken.

Just doing some calculations on excel comparing Baleno and Freestyle. The power- weight ratio (PS/max kerb weight) for Baleno comes to 0.094, while Freestyle is at 0.092! Am surprised with the numbers. Was expecting Freestyle to be higher by a margin!