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-   -   Ford Freestyle 1.2L Petrol : Official Review (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/official-new-car-reviews/198634-ford-freestyle-1-2l-petrol-official-review-24.html)

Hi

Just taken delivery of my petrol titanium plus in ruby red colour. Still feeling my way around the car and it's features.

Can you guys help me with how to reset the preset fm channels? My car has some frequencies set that are clearly not Delhi FM channels. Need to delete those presets and reconfigure the actual stations.

Thanks in advance.

Finally test drove the freestyle petrol today. Experience with the dealership was great. I raised the request for test drive on Saturday and got a call within an hour. The vehicle was brought to me today and I test drove it for around 6-7kms. Could have done it for longer but am waiting for parents to come down, post which will go for a longer test drive. Observations:

Note: I test drove the Hyundai grand i10 last weekend and this is kinda comparison of what I could make out in the respective test drives personally. No offense meant to respective owners.

+Ves
1. NVH levels are impressive. I currently drive a 3 cylinder Estilo where you can easily hear the 3 cylinder thrum, but this one is amazingly tuned. The refinement level was pretty close to the Hyundai (although being a 4 cyl i10 was more silent). The sporty growl at higher revvs was enjoyable as wellclap:
2. The build quality is at par with the Hyundai. The reassuring thud was nice.
3. The AC was strong. I won't miss the rear AC vents probably.
4. Adjustable rear headrests compared to fixed on the grand i10 (really sad move Hyundai).
5. Best part was the driveability. Felt better than the grand i10 petrol at normal speeds. I touched max 70.
6. The ground clearance would be a boon. That alone would push me towards this compared to the Hyundai.
7. Rear legroom was superb. Rear passengers won't complain.
8. The steering feedback was great compared to the light Hyundai one.
9. Gun metal finish alloys look nice.
10. The vehicle had 5.7k on the odo. Didn't notice any rattles. Hope the plastics would hold better than the Maruti I have.

-ves

1. Lack of AT option. I so wish Ford provided that.
2. Gear shift felt a bit notchy. Hyundai was better in this department. Will need getting used to.
3. Interior plastic quality felt average. Hyundai had a clear advantage there probably because of the colour choice. Beige looks brighter.
4. The MID mileage figure showed 7.9kmpl which is scary:Shockked: . I understand the test drive vehicle.is usually thrashed and hence the mileage is expectedly low. Hope the real world figure atleast is 12+. I would be happy with that.
5. Rear seat width is better than my estilo but still don't think 3 would be comfortable there. That space is similar to grand i10.

Overall I am mighty impressed with this vehicle, it's driver centric. Had it been a Maruti, this would have easily done 10k+ figures. I am eyeing the titanium model which comes to 8.41L OTR (including 3rd & 4th year warranty with RSA). If this had an AT, I would have booked it eyes closed, but that for now is a good-to-have feature for me rather than must-have.

Some pics of the vehicle.










P.S: The SA told me Figo is coming out on 12th March. Guess that would be undercutting the freestyle. Should be interesting to watch how Ford prices it and ofcourse hope it gets the AT.

How does the engine fare compared to the Suzuki 1.2 K Series engine, in terms of refine and power delivery?

From the pics, it appears that the venue of the test drive was SNN on Begur Road. If so, do let me know and we can catch up since I keep going there quite regularly! :)

Well I have driven the Swift and the motor felt superb but with that kind of light build I presume any motor would feel good. This motor(1.2 dragon) felt similar except for a slight lesser bottom end. I ended up stalling twice on speed breakers at 2nd gear.

Having said that the real comparison can happen once they(Maruti) match the build quality of others. Till then Swift/Desire will always feel quicker off the mark , thanks to the light weight.

P.S: My current ride is a Maruti. It was my 1st and would be my last one until they start making better body-shelled cars. It's no more cheap to maintain, rattles and isn't confidence inspiring. Only saving grace is the mileage. Maybe the Brezza petrol would have been a good reference point but they currently are happy milking the 1.3 MJD :Frustrati

I've driven about 2.1k kms and the average FE is just shy of 12 right now. I get around 14kmpl on highways but won't expect anything north of 12.5kmpl in the city. Light footed drivers can give a more optimistic figure though.

Only if they do not switch to heartect platform even for Brezza in near future. According to me that is the only car worth buying from Maruti's stable as of today. Rest all have reduced their weight. :)

I am also planning to buy one. As of now diesel is my choice. I drove petrol once for a friend and was not impressed by it.
Eagerly waiting for figo as I do not like the body cladding and weired colored dashboard in freestyle.

Booked Freestyle 1.2 Titanium yesterday. Mostly to be used by Dad. Still deciding between the Ruby Red and canyon Ridge . delivery promised 2 weeks from now

The Figo is coming out this month. Did you specifically want the Freestyle?

Although it is your choice but imo Ruby Red looks much more better and up market than canyon ridge.

Yes the dealer did mention that when we asked for the same. However the ground clearance, high seating position and TCS worked in favour of the freestyle

Got engine undershield for my car. Material of the part is not even proper plastic. Material seems similar to that of rear parcel tray. It can protect engine parts from flying debris only, don't expect anything more. Not sure whether it will hold for four to five rainy seasons. Was charged INR 4446 and I think price is not at all justifiable. However peace of mind is priceless, hence opted for it.

IMO it will be better to get the sheet metal fabricated from some workshop. Do give a try to this option if at all anybody planning for this accessory.

Guys, I'm sorry if this is a stupid query, but I am confused.

Its been 40 Days since i bought my freestyle, I have received my RC with Registration number on it but I do not have a number plate yet. Will I get the number plate from dealer itself or do i have to get it from outside (accessories shop)?

Dealer said they don't provide number plate, I'll have to get it from accessories shop. Is that true?

I called up a few friends who said they got the number plate from dealer itself.

Unless you're getting genuine HSRP plates (related T-BHP thread) in your location (issued by RTO or authorized agencies), it makes no difference where you get them from. Dealers usually peddle fake and poor quality IND plates for an absurd amount.

For non-HSRP plates, your best bet is to get them done yourself. Do check your state's RTO page for font & sizing guidelines to avoid getting into trouble for fancy plates/font designs later.

One needs to be careful about what kind of material is used to make this kind of shield. Ideally it has to be heat and fire resistant else one runs a risk of fire or engine overheating (depends how it covers the engine bay).
I don’t see a point installing such contraptions, a fabricated metal plate would have been a better choice.