[mashmash]

Wow, what a brilliant review of a what looks like a Winning Car. Feeling tempted to trade in my 2014 Figo and get a Freestyle. What say, Wait till 2020 or Trade In? Just thinking what kind of a hit would the resale value take?

MaSh

[roadrunner_nv]

I recently got an i20 Asta Diesel for wifey. Coincidentally, sometime later, I took a Zoomcar for a business trip. It was a Ford Aspire Diesel and wifey was trusted with the driving duty as she enjoys driving.

After spending three days with the Aspire, her exact words were “why didn’t we buy this car? Amazing engine!”. The Aspire is perhaps the most underrated cars in this segment; Especially now after the stellar Amaze and the revamped, evergreen DZire. But spend some time with her and she oozes practicality. Right from ample storage spaces to ergonomic access..I just loved it.

Sometimes, I feel that manufacturers should have some sort of experience days where a typical family gets to sample the product for a longer time. A test drive in peak traffic does no justice to good products. In our case, I had taken wifey to a Ford showroom to sample the Freestyle but she returned with a frown saying it has too much of lag. Understandable since she probably never got a chance to experience the liberated engine.

[hserus]

Originally Posted by Prathiiik

9) The car came shod with 195/55 Apollo Alnacs. Spare tyre isn't an alloy.

The spare is not just a steel wheel, it is a 175/65r14 if I don’t miss my guess. That’s what was on my 2014 all new Fiesta and I don’t think that has changed. You can only use that in emergencies and drive at maximum 80 kph till the nearest garage or tyre shop.

[myavu]

Exact one year back we had our first ride with Aspire 1.5 TDCi. More on that here https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route...ml#post4315109 (Feedback on different Self Drive rental agencies) After the trip wife too acknowledged that our next upgrade should be Aspire (from Beat LT Petrol).

Now with Sync 3 touch screen, Larger tyres and Better FE the 2018 Figo Aspire 1.5 TDCi is a case of its own for the upgrade. The only drawback is the all beige interior of the car. I hate those bright color interior cars. This is too much bright and with side airbags seat covers are impossible too.

Hope Ford will launch a Black edition Aspire soon.
Why Freestyle 1.5 TDCi (185 section) mileage is 2 KMs less than that of Aspire (195 section). Is it due to different tune or just drag coefficient. Another contender for upgrade is Freestyle 1.5 TDCi but can't let go that Aspire dreams.


Cheers!

[Raulspace999]

Nice review. Although the car does look a lot less safer than the ore facelift version. Ford should really get their act together and make nicer products available with a focus on quality if they want to be in the race.

I do admire this car for being structurally safe and available with decent safety kit

[tharian]

Originally Posted by myavu

Why Freestyle 1.5 TDCi (185 section) mileage is 2 KMs less than that of Aspire (195 section). Is it due to different tune or just drag coefficient. Another contender for upgrade is Freestyle 1.5 TDCi but can't let go that Aspire dreams.


Cheers!

The gearing on the Freestyle is shorter as per the review which is surprising because both use the same new gearbox now. It can be due to the tyre size difference as well.

[VTec_KickedInYo]

Highly detailed yet crisp review! The usual Team-BHP stuff of legends

I got a chance to drive the 1.5 Diesel, here are my observations:

1. With this motor, the vehicle is a hoot to drive. The surge post 1500 RPM is simply addictive! Progresses effortlessly towards triple digit speeds. (I am actually not a fan of diesel motors due to my craving for refinement, more so now with all kinds of norms kicking in. But this engine is so good that it brought a smile on my face)

2. The handling seemed pretty good, steering is reassuring and responds well to inputs. I'm not a corner carver kind of driver, but having driven this after driving our 2010 Vento, the steering did feel quite solid.

3. The overall ride & handling balance is good. The suspension is compliant and soaks up rough patches pretty well. The larger tyres do aid both the ride & handling departments.

4. The visibility from the driver seat is appreciable, my daily ride is a 3rd gen Honda City in which the ergonomics are spot on and all around visibility is really good. This car seemed to tick the boxes in that regard and gets a big thumbs up for that part. Special mention about the brake pedal which is sure-footed and confidence inspiring, again something that I appreciate on a daily basis on our 3rd gen City.

5. Overall build quality is definitely not at par with the Ecosport, but still, along with Tigor it is among the better built vehicles in its segment.

6. The cabin quality is decent, not at par with the Hyundais, but good enough for my taste, felt quite airy. The shade of beige though is too light and something which will get dirty sooner than desirable. Especially the seats on the top variant would suffer due to 6 Airbags and unavailability of compatible seat covers.

7. The seats offered good enough cushioning and support. They are wide enough and thigh support is sufficient. Can't comment about the lumbar support (quoted to be inadequate in the Freestyle review) as I didn't drive the vehicle long enough.

8. The 6.5 inch SYNC3 touchscreen is just superb, probably the best in segment. Absolutely glitch free and responds beautifully to touch inputs. The display is sharp & brightness makes up for its reflective nature. Its position is fine and doesn't distract. The sound quality through the speakers though is average, sounded decent but didn't impress me the way the touchscreen did.

9. The AC compressor is really powerful, it was quite a hot day for this time of the year and the cooling performance turned out to be impressive. Did some research and found somewhere that it has a ~165 cc compressor (can someone confirm?), so the lack of rear AC vents shouldn't adversely effect the cooling performance during those sizzling days.

10. The front end looks really smart with that grill and bumper design. The white gold colour looks beautiful in person, pictures don't do justice to how good it actually looks.

Overall after a 6 km drive, I found the vehicle to be really impressive and with features like 6 Airbags, electrochromic mirror and that SYNC3 ICE in the top variant, I feel it's really bang for the buck.

If I'm to purchase a vehicle in this range though, like GTO mentioned, I would probably go for the Freestyle unless boot space or Automatic is a must (also the interiors, for those who dislike the brown dashboard in Freestyle). The extra safety features in the Freestyle being the key here.

Originally Posted by tharian

The gearing on the Freestyle is shorter as per the review which is surprising because both use the same new gearbox now. It can be due to the tyre size difference as well.

It must be due to the higher idle & cruising RPMs in Freestyle. As far as the tyre size goes, the 185 section tyres of Freestyle should actually improve the fuel efficiency (less contact with surface = lower rolling friction).

[rahul4321]

Great car. Very underrated. I upgraded from a 75hp Punto and thought I would hate it but after 11000 kilometres, I have been pleasantly surprised. The linear acceleration and automatic like behaviour after a speed of 60 km/hr in 5th gear and one of the best brakes and most composed braking I have seen has left me satisfied. Worth every rupee

I have the previous gen Sports edition which I bought as Ford was shutting down production. Black car with a black interiors and a black stealth personality

[GTO]

Originally Posted by tharian

The gearing on the Freestyle is shorter as per the review which is surprising because both use the same new gearbox now.

Or it could just be the final drive ratio that has been tweaked. I prefer the shorter gearing of the Freestyle.

[blackwasp]

Originally Posted by NaXal

It is not 30 front and 35 rear.

All four tyres should be running with same pressure

Thank you for pointing this out. I have corrected the same in the review.

Originally Posted by blackwasp

• The recommended tyre pressure has changed to 30 PSI for a single occupant and 35 PSI for a full load. Lower variants with 14-inchers have a 35 PSI recommendation all around (in the old car, it was 32 and 35 PSI respectively - reference image):

This is same as older Aspire. Even with 14" tyre setup, the similar load based pressure instructions are given.

Attaching the older car's tyre pressure label from our review (linked to the above point). It points to 32 and 35 for single driver and full load all around respectively.

[devyaaniverma]

Kudos on the great review.

I actually happened to get a closer look at both the Freestyle and Aspire yesterday. Aspire looks much better now, Freestyle almost looks like a mini SUV.

After 4 years of using the Zest, iam now looking for a change. Looking at the new Aspire, it looks like a very good option, especially considering when compared to the Dzire and Amaze, its price is excellent, even for the top end Titanium+ version.

The Dzire ZXI+ is very expensive (my personal view ) , hence iam wondering in the long term, if Ford fits the bill.

I personally liked both Freestyle and Aspire, any views from all experienced BHpians on which could be picked? And yes, super confused on choosing between Dzire or Aspire. Iam thinking more on resale, and overall package. To me Aspire does well otherwise, but long term??

Any help appreciated.

Regards,
Devyaani.

[hserus]

Originally Posted by devyaaniverma

I personally liked both Freestyle and Aspire, any views from all experienced BHpians on which could be picked? And yes, super confused on choosing between Dzire or Aspire. Iam thinking more on resale, and overall package. To me Aspire does well otherwise, but long term??

If you're ok with a manual and less boot space, but brilliant feature set - take the Freestyle. If you prefer an automatic, look no further than the 1.5 Aspire.

Keep these for much longer than four years, they're well worth retaining. And once you retain them for 6-7 years, resale value is the least of your concerns.

[myavu]

Originally Posted by GTO

Or it could just be the final drive ratio that has been tweaked. I prefer the shorter gearing of the Freestyle.

Is it possible to get a comparison of each gear ratio of both Freestyle and 2018 Aspire TDCi. How much bothersome is Freestyle'e body-roll in comparison with Aspire? Sorry for going little OT. This is all because Aspire don't have an all black interior trim

[hserus]

Originally Posted by myavu

Is it possible to get a comparison of each gear ratio of both Freestyle and 2018 Aspire TDCi. How much bothersome is Freestyle'e body-roll in comparison with Aspire? Sorry for going little OT. This is all because Aspire don't have an all black interior trim

Just what sort of body roll is a little hatchback going to have, even if it has mini SUV looks? It is a remarkably stable version on hills, as you can see.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cn-HbzKBcrc

[myavu]

Originally Posted by hserus

Just what sort of body roll is a little hatchback going to have, even if it has mini SUV looks?

My query was wrt Aspire. Aspire (2016) is very stable and rear seat passengers were very comfort through the hills. With 2018 wider tyres it will be more stable. My test drive of Freestyle was through dense Delhi traffic. GTO had put both of them into work hence queried