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Old 7th September 2015, 01:01   #1
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The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium

Background
I was a satisfied Chevrolet customer celebrating my car's fifth anniversary as my Beat (Petrol LT) odometer clocked 55,000Kms last month, this hatchback turned out to be a reliable road companion, light on pocket for me. I had a positive ownership experience barring few minor issues encountered with the dealers in Pune, Chevrolet Beat provides a comfortable ride in the city however the under thigh support of the driver seat started causing me driving fatigue during B2B traffic in Hinjewadi and I realized this when I started driving my wife’s Hyundai i10 because it offers a very comfortable and elevated seating position.

Year 2015 has witnessed a revived vigor amongst car manufacturers with so many new launches being brought to the market and showcased across various categories. It was time I decided to bid my Chevrolet Beat a goodbye primarily because I was worried about the falling market value of this car which I was mentally prepared for when I purchased it, however I did not expect General Motors as a brand to drop into a free fall mode so badly as they have finally decided to hit the reset button and rebuild their portfolio which is slated to pick up from year 2017.

I am writing this review after driving my Ford Figo Aspire for 550 kms now, which includes feedback on highway and city driving, in bumper to bumper traffic condition, driving in rainy condition as monsoon has returned to Pune since this week onwards.
The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium-chevrolet-beat-goodbye.jpg
*Farewell Chevrolet Beat*

Options Considered
The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium-confusion.png
I was eyeing an upgrade since the launch of Honda Amaze in 2013, this car entered the compact sedan arena as a strong competitor to the reigning king of this segment then & now - Maruti Swift Dzire. Got chance to drive a friends Honda Amaze Diesel and it actually won me with its sharp noticeable side profile, aptly designed & practical boot, cabin space and above all a commendable engine packed with charged up performance figures, however the front grille and dashboard design on cars manufactured around launch were not to my liking and the clatter of diesel engine noise made its poor NVH issue felt evidently.

i20 Elite launch briefly dazzled me with the looks and features and this effect carried until the arrival of i20 Elite Active, Hyundai has its own way of pampering buyers every now and then with an all round product, this winning strategy won many accolades for i20 Elite without doubts mirrored by equally strong sales numbers, with my spouse already owning a i10 Sportz (iRDE2) I gradually retreated from the idea of bringing another Hyundai car at home and after driving Alto & Beat I reconsidered my decision to go for a hatchback again.

Hyundai Xcent was just launched around the time I purchased i10 and I recollect that it picked up very strong response initially, I liked the overall use of fluidic design on the car and it is loaded with features too, pricing is also very competitive. I have not test driven either petrol or diesel version of Xcent so no comments on performance however I noticed that it shares its engine with Grand i10 which raised doubt in my mind about engine being under powered, so there was long pause to my car upgrade desire past these launches.

Fast Forward to April 2015, I had started short listing my options once again and frankly speaking Figo Aspire was not even under consideration until July, Renault Kwid got my attention with its revolutionary design & decent features for an entry level hatchback car, I had started comparing it with my Chevy Beat to assess what would I stand to gain against the compromise of driving a 800cc engine once again. Maruti's revamped Dzire (2015 version) was also on my mind for a while, however I am not a fan of 'kitna deti hai' and a never fading herd mentality that follows almost every new Maruti Suzuki car launch.

Decision Dilemma
I was going through a phase where I was contradicting my own choices and my mind was wandering amongst options between premium hatchback, crossover, compact sedan cars & entry level hatchback like Kwid, to clear my head I started jotting down my requirements, budget and options on hand.

- Weekday commute to office and back is approx. 60 Kms, so a diesel car was justified for its daily run and improved fuel economy.
- Hyundai i10 at disposal for shorter city trips, shopping etc. during weekends.
- Occasional Mumbai Pune Expressway trips to visit family and in-laws in Mumbai, needed a better replacement for Chevy Beat in terms of a car that would offer stable driving with a peppy engine.
- Beat was mostly consistent in mileage since it was driven only by me however Hyundai i10 is driven by myself and wife so fuel economy with this car is way too fluctuating sometimes due to our different driving styles.
- Had to ensure new purchase should to be light on EMI, affordable after sales servicing & annual insurance cost of the car.
- Even though there is a steady supply of new diesel hatchback arrivals, these were cancelled off the list by wifey. Full length diesel sedans (C2 segment) were going beyond our budget threshold and comparing features against a top end compact sedan variant felt like losing out on many useful features.

This confusion became more stronger after I started following Figo Aspire's features, style & design which grew over my senses slowly and steadily, the only option I had now kept on the back burner was of Maruti Ciaz VDI+ version only if my TD experience with Figo Aspire was going to be dud, I would have probably even decided to postpone car upgrade plan to 2016.

Test Drive & Delivery Experience
I called up nearest Ford dealer in my vicinity - Talera Ford a day after the launch eager to figure out on road pricing for top end diesel titanium+ and titanium variant, took a fiery red Aspire on short TD for the first time and I was bowled over by the engine refinement instantly because I was expecting lag on pick up between 1st & 2nd gearshift, the normal clatter of diesel engine fades away as soon as you shift to higher gears and I felt TD car's clutch and accelerator were more than stiff to get a feel of car in motion, the sales rep explained to me that it could be tuned to customer comfort on the actual cars that would be delivered during handover.

I took a test drive for the second time again with my wife and kid to be double sure that it should not be causing me issues with noise inside the cabin while driving, easily maneuverable around tight corners and I could deal with negligible lag while driving in peak hour traffic to office. Wife was impressed by the bright red shade however she also liked my choice of Sparkling Gold color. So we finally booked a Titanium 1.5 TDCi version of Ford Figo Aspire and the entire process of booking, to arranging finance, exchanging my old Beat with Ford Assurance, follow up by the sales representative for checking status of dispatch, getting my car registration documents and license plate number was handled promptly.

Why didn’t I book the top end version?
- 6 Airbags for safety is hard to ignore advantage, however this car would be driven by me for home-office commute most of the time, even while driving with family it would be just my wife and kid so seat belts are enough for protection when they occupy backseat.
- ABS with EBD and 2 front passenger airbags fulfilled my checklist for safety requirement.
- I can live without MyKey, SYNC, CD/Mp3 player, steering mounted controls for phone call and voice input features, 4.2 inch infotainment screen is also pushed way back on the dashboard panel, comparatively it is easy to access phone for navigation and listening to music while it is planted firmly in the MyDock panel.
- I also wanted to opt for other accessories by saving on top end variant cost.

There was minor delay in dispatch of the lot in which my car was supposed to arrive from Ford’s plant in Sanand, Gujarat because of Patel reservation riots and RTO registration was delayed by a day in Pune due to Bharat Bandh strike, 17 days in total to take final delivery on 4th September. We reached Talera Ford showroom on time as per the muhurat, we saw our car parked for washing and cleaning, after a brief wait we collected car invoice, manual and understood servicing and oil change intervals. Initial 2 services are free for labor charges only at 2500 kms or 3 months and 10000 kms or 12 months (whichever is earlier), consumables and replacements if any would be charged, and oil change has to be done at every 10K interval. It was now time to conduct car pooja followed by clicking some snaps and getting down to car inspection as per Team-BHP guideline print out I took along with me.

The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium-day1pic1.jpg
Aspirations of a whole new driving experience
This has been the most hassle free pre-sales experience I had with any car dealer, so a big thumbs up to Talera Ford and to the sales executive especially, Mr Nilesh Dhawade. Keeping my fingers crossed for the after sales service.

Ex-Showroom Price Pune - Rs 7,89,828 (Titanium Diesel)
Admin Charges – Rs.6,251
Bajaj Allianz Insurance (Via Ford) Rs.27,553
RTO registration charges & Road tax – Rs.87,431
Accessories:
Base Kit Pack – Rs.3,449 (Mud Flaps, Floor Mats, Boot Mat)
3M paint protection + under body coating – Rs.7,111
Seat Cover: Rs.5,511
IRVM Camera: Rs.10,969
VAT on accessories bill: Rs.3,380
Final ORP: Rs.9,41,483
Discounts: NIL, Freebies: A leather tissue box with Aspire branding.

I did not go for optional 3rd Year Warranty with RSA worth Rs.7, 054, SP at Talera Ford did mention that they are going to launch customized servicing packages for Ford Figo Aspire customers shortly. Before availing insurance policy from dealer I also checked online quote from Bajaj Allianz which was very close to the price dealer was offering me hence I did not go for independent policy purchase.

Exterior – Design and Styling
Ford Figo Aspire definitely stands out amongst the current crop of compact sedan cars with its aggressive Aston Martin inspired front grille stance, aesthetic looking swept back headlamps. The front hood has a slightly raised contour in the center to give it a muscle car look and it is well balanced in terms of height unlike the drooping design executed on 2014 Ford Fiesta. Curves above the headlamp integrate smoothly with front fascia, side profiles along the belt line of Figo Aspire looks sober without any sharp curves.

This linear design is then merged into aptly sized tail lights carrying over to a proportionately designed boot section which is graced with a chrome strip running across both ends and a nice looking oval ford logo right in the middle, rear windshield is slanting and appears to be raised. Strangely the slot for fixing number plate is at the fag low end and there are no reflectors on the slim plastic panel of the rear bumper.

2491mm wheelbase surely gives this car an elongated look, door handles and ORVM mirrors on both sides are painted in body color. I got the IRVM camera fixed above the number plate on rear bumper. Mud flaps are of good quality plastic. Front windshield offers good view of the road while driving. I also noticed panel gap around the front hood to be evidently wide and some uneven spaces around front headlamp glass fixture.Front fog lamp frame badly needed chrome treatment to give it a slightly premium look, the black plastic around them fits well but is a minor downer and I felt Ford should have at least made DRL available as optional upgrade for a car in this segment. In my opinion the balance of aggressive front design, simple side profile with right amount of ground clearance and well integrated boot is a sign of an ingenious design executed in style.

Alloy wheels with Ford branding in the center look stylish and the gap between tyre and bumper panels is more than wide to lure you into the temptation to swap your wheels for a higher size but I am not willing to fiddle with OEM installation right now purely to get a hang of the car, want to observe fuel efficiency and I also had problem of break pads wearing out faster when I had changed tyres on my Chevy Beat earlier.
The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium-car-full-ext-highway.jpg
Golden Beauty - Snapped pic on Expressway
The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium-car-full-ext.jpg
Aggressive front grille inspired by Aston Martin looks
The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium-car-full-fog-lamp.jpg
Fog lamp frame sorely misses the chrome treatment
The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium-car-full-ext-rear.jpg
Another Pic clicked on the expressway
The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium-car-ext-close-up.jpgThe Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium-sleek-curves.jpg
Stylish & Sleek Curves, Sexy looking swept back headlamps
The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium-ford-logo.jpg
Blue Oval Ford Badge above the front grille
The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium-car-ext-side-prof.jpgThe Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium-car-ext-side-prof2.jpg
Side profile looks sober and mature without any sharp curves, wheel arches are not very high and the longer wheelbase gives an extended look to the car.
The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium-car-ext-side-prof-closeup.jpgThe Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium-car-ext-side-prof-closeup2.jpg
Tail lamp integrates aesthetically with the boot, reverse fog lamps come handy in absence of reflectors.
The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium-car-ext-rear-img-only.jpg
Chrome strip across the boot with Ford logo in the middle, though it is not a looker but classy enough.
The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium-irvm-camera.jpg
IRVM camera fitted above the number plate
The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium-alloy-wheels.jpg
MRF ZV2K OEM tyres look undersized, however they fit the bill for city driving. Alloys look cool with the ford cap in the center.
The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium-panle-gaps.jpgThe Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium-panel-gap2.jpg
Panel gaps visible around headlamp cluster, looks little wide between the hood and front grille panel.

Interior – Front section
The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium-front-seat-view.jpg
As you step inside the Figo Aspire’s cabin it feels roomy and airy both in the front and back sections of the car due to the beige tone interiors, Ford has used a combination of black & beige color for the dashboard and thankfully it is not too raised in height as it stays mostly flat all along. The use of black color on top of the dashboard prevents unnecessary sunlight glare on the front windshield. Even with the MyDock panel open it does not hamper on road visibility much.

I have read posts where few Team-BHP members who took TD of Figo Aspire have specifically mentioned about the lack of a peculiar ‘Thud’ sound while closing car doors, I would say yes it is distinctive from the kind of sound I recollect getting even while closing doors of my Beat earlier. To put it simply you may get an impression that the overall frame of the car could be thin and this is one aspect that can be put to test only if we get to see some crash test results conducted by accredited agencies, nevertheless it no ways gives a feeling of a less secure car and personally I feel there could be some difference in the width of door padding and metal used.

The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium-road-view.jpg
Road view from Figo Aspire's cabin

Driver seat offers good comfort with adjustable headrest and ergonomically it solved my problem I had with Chevrolet Beat’s poor under thigh support. I have set seat height adjustment to the maximum level as it offers me a clear end to end view of the road while driving and flexible legroom below to juggle with clutch, break and accelerator during heavy traffic conditions. Seat recline control is also well positioned, fuel boot lid opener is easy to reach out. Passenger seat next to driver in the front is weirdly close to the central panel that flows down from the dashboard housing gear knob.

Ford Figo Aspire’s central console carries its looks from Ford Ecosport and the glossy black finish on border looks elegant. A/C vents are not very wide but tall enough to allow good throw of air from the blower. Air vents near the front windows come with a touch of chrome again. Buttons on console are well laid out, you get controls on left hand side of the panel for your music, Radio, pair phone to car Bluetooth system, adjust sound settings and the right hand side of the panel it has buttons to accept and reject calls, dial numbers from your phone book downloaded from mobile and to set time on OEM HU display which is just two line wide. There is a mic in the center and below that is the knob to power HU unit on/off and control for volume too.

Air condition panel with automatic climate control is just below the central console, it also has chrome rings on the rotary knobs and you can set fan speed and choose from various cooling modes available. Performance of AC is powerful enough to cool the cabin quickly. Another component you have to adapt to is the panel for headlamp which sits on right hand side below the steering, it also has remote boot lid opener and buttons for front and rear fog lamps and a stick like button that pops out to adjust the beam height of headlamp. The chrome ring on rotary light switch looks good.

Steering feels light to hold and operate while driving, comes only with tilt option set height as per your convenience however it feels slightly chunky just above the center to offer better grip around the palm to hold still gets inconvenient when you extend your thumb to use audio controls for shuffling songs or volume adjustment. Coming to other controls attached to the steering on the left side is front windshield wiper stick which has 3 different speeds you can opt for and multiple interval levels to choose from, it also has a windshield wiper with push function. Right side has turning light indicator stick with a push function available to access MID on instrument panel.Instrument Panel on Ford Figo Aspire is tad too small, I am still getting used to keeping eye on analog indicators on tachometer and fuel gauge which were digital on Beat’s instrument panel. Information display is positioned below speedometer, you get trip computer, distance to empty, average fuel economy, instantaneous fuel economy, average speed, outside air temperature indicators.

You also get a secret slot near the steering to probably store your wallet or anything else you may want to, it gets concealed once you close the door next to driver seat. Slanting arm rests on both front doors are sculpted in high quality plastic with glossy black finish. Controls for operating power windows and child lock are on the black panel of driver’s seat door, these windows also come with bounce back feature to prevent it from closing and it reverses slightly in case children in your car accidentally happen to put their hand through the window you have to push your hands slightly towards the back to use these buttons which is a minor niggle at least while you are driving.

Sun visors for driver and passenger come equipped with vanity mirrors, cabin light comes with theater dimming feature. ‘A’ pillar visibility is good and it does not cause any major issue while driving in heavy traffic and I can confidently vouch on this due to my recent stint while driving Aspire in heavy rains with defogger operating on full blown mode. ORVM mirrors are electrically adjustable and retractable but not automatic, manually operated with a knob on the lower side of ‘A’ pillar.

The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium-central-console.jpg
Central console looks nice in piano black finish with winged button layout
The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium-small-instrument-cluster.jpg
Instrument cluster should have been larger in size
The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium-cabin-light.jpg
Theater dimming cabin light serves well with sufficient illumination in the front section of the cabin.
The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium-ac-controls.jpg
AC controls are easy to operate, blower speed is fast enough to cool the cabin quickly.
The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium-aspire-branded-tissue-box.jpg
Aspire branded leather tissue box
The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium-clutch-brake-accelerator.jpg
Enough legroom below the steering, a dead pedal would have helped to rest left foot and accelerator pedal could have been slightly wider.
The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium-front-door-storage.jpg
Front door storage
The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium-light-control-panel.jpg
Light Control Panel
The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium-orvm-control.jpg
ORVM Control Knob

Interior – Rear Section
Ford Figo Aspire offers good legroom for the back seat passenger with comfortable seating position and adjustable headrests, an armrest in the center which can be pulled down when two passengers are seated in the back. There are no storage compartments on rear doors of the car, you can stock around 3 - 1ltr bottles, 6 - 500ml bottles in different space slots provided in the front section of the car. Passengers in the back seat would not find it claustrophobic as the view from windows is good, however the rear power windows do not roll down fully and while Ford Figo allowed rear window glass to roll down around 60% only, this one thankfully allows 80% roll down.

Aspire can seat 3 normal sized passengers without much hassle, however for the passenger seated in the center would have to deal with the slightly elevated platform in middle of the car floor. I am yet to test seating comfort on the back seat to check if comfort level changes if any one of the back seat passenger happens to be healthy. There is no rear AC vent and it is not missed because cabin cools very fast.

To sum up my feedback on the overall interiors, I am impressed with the quality of plastic material used, it is on par with the quality of material used in our Hyundai i10 and the beige interiors are going to be demanding in terms of maintenance however they definitely add up to the roominess feeling inside the car. In terms of height I am 5’6 tall and with fully raised driver seat I still have decent headroom left above so unless you are taller than 6ft and above there is nothing to be worried about. Placement of audio speakers in the front and rear section is also well thought of in terms of maintaining a good acoustic sound balance, the speaker mesh on doors also curves along nicely. 359 litre boot space is sufficient for my need and it allows you to stock light luggage to fit the area where boot height is low and you can then place heavy and tall luggage in the front to make best use of the space available.

Gear shift is smooth and effortless, gear knob design and build quality is also good. There is a black glossy finish over the gear indicators on the knob which gives it a premium look. OEM music player and speakers sound great in terms of sound output and nothing extraordinary to mention but the only gripe I have with the controls available on the central console is that you cannot easily move through folders while playing music from USB, it does play music without any issues from a 32GB SanDisk USB drive which I am using currently and there is no difference in audio quality noticeable when playing music from phone via BT. Audio quality for answering calls over Bluetooth is also good.

I also noticed a bug with the audio system recently which mutes the sound completely if you happen to turn ignition off at a traffic signal with music playing and when you start the car again there is no sound at all even if you turn the audio system on/off or change mode unless you switch of the engine and wait for the clock to disappear from the HU display things return back to normal. I have to get this issue checked during the first servicing of the car as this has occurred only twice and I hope there is no serious problem here.

First Trip on Expressway and Early impressions.
I was anxiously waiting to get my car registration papers because carrying right set of documents would help us take our new ride with TC sticker without getting caught for wrong reasons while embarking on maiden highway trip to Mumbai in our new car for a family function. The sales rep from Talera ford texted me car number late in the evening and he mentioned probably he may not be able to get the number plate ready by the time I had to leave for Mumbai so we visited nearby temple in the morning and collected RTO registration and road tax invoice from him, now next stop was at the fuel outlet near the U turn of waked bridge to top fuel tank with 30 litres of Diesel as the car was running at reserve level.

Engine Performance & Handling – Highway Driving
While on our expressway trip once we touched the highway, I could feel the car glide smoothly at high speed, I have not clocked how fast it moves from 0 to 100 but it touches 80 kmph mark too quickly and still gives you enough confidence in terms of braking and slowing down in time which is reassuring in terms of safety, I could feel the ABS kicking in while braking on the expressway from the faint noise it generates below the hood, initially I thought there was something wrong with the brakes, checked some YouTube videos to be reassured there was nothing to worry about.

Steering feels light to drive in the city and it does manage to get slightly heavy during highway drive to give you better driving feedback and the car feels planted when driving straight, body weight seems to be lighter. I did not push the car around the corners much but I did get a feeling of under steering around sharp turns on the expressway when I had to slow down the car to gain better control, probably due to OEM tyre size. I have no plans to upgrade tyres currently even though Aspire’s overall frame and ground clearance does allow you to go for up sized wheels. In terms of width current MRF ZV2K radials are sufficient for my city driving.

Since it was a Gokulashtami weekend and expressway traffic was very negligible so I clocked a speed of up to max 140 kmph on a straight empty patch and the engine was still rev happy, no signs of running out of breath, grunting, rumbling or any weird engine noises. Once engine touches rev levels of around 3K mark, I could notice some restraint in the way car was pulling probably due to the first ride on highway. I think it would free up considerably in due course and after first/second servicing.You can talk easily with backseat passenger without the need to having raise your voice! NVH dealt at commendable levels, External ambient sound of the wind does seep into the cabin which sounds much like the noise one hears when a plane is about to take off from the runway, luckily it does not get noisy beyond this and it stays at tolerable level.

Engine Performance & Handling – City Driving
I noticed that upward gearshift has to be quick and you can drive it sedately even in 4th or 5th gear while the RPM level is between 1200-1500 mark, so finally I would be able to slow down in light to moderate traffic conditions without worrying about any lag or stalling issues and switching to first gear is only needed when you have almost come to a standstill, the engine does not allow much revving on 1st gear.

Surge of torque is just a tap away on the accelerator and you can feel the speed climbing as per your requirement with the right amount of push on the pedal, I felt I had better control driving this diesel Aspire than three other petrol cars I have driven before.Aspire’s suspension is able to handle minor potholes, bumps with ease, ground clearance also seems to be holding off well without any scraping incidents until now because on my route to office I could feel the difference in the way body roll was absorbed efficiently which otherwise was evidently felt while driving Beat earlier. Nasty potholes and uneven speed breakers may still cause discomfort.

Turning radius of car at 4.9m is a boon for driving in closed spaces in the city and I put this to test when I was passing through narrow single lanes in Koparkhairane filled with crowds of people readying up for dahi handi, I had to stop quite a few times in these lanes to give way to other cars and bikers but I never experienced inconvenience in modifying my driving style in such conditions moving from a hatchback to compact sedan. Current Mileage I have got is around 17.3 kmpl and it was in fact at 16.9 kmpl after I returned from my Mumbai trip and climbed up to current level after driving it for a week in the city.

This is one car where both my mind and heart were in ‘SYNC’ when I felt convinced to go for Ford Figo Aspire and sometimes it is the pure joy of driving that takes precedence over everything else, I wanted a car which would suit my driving style for city and highway trips and fuel economy should also be at acceptable levels for an oil burner if not astronomical. Above all the 1.5 TDCi engine is a gem as it offers a balance of sedate and spirited drive complimented with comfortable riding experience.

Compact Sedan segment is already witnessing cut throat competition amongst manufacturers and now an all around performer has arrived on the block from the Ford stable worthy enough to shake and stir rivals to sit up and take notice.

Things I like about the car –
- I do not feel the weight of the car at all, effortless to drive in the city and on the highway, feels planted on high speeds and provides enough confidence while overtaking in city traffic without worrying about engine lag or stalling issues.
- Acceleration is gradual and there are no surprises in terms of a sudden surge in power, braking system is efficiently managed with ABS and EBD.
- I spent an hour stuck in traffic at just one spot at a chowk in Hinjewadi on 10th Sep while it was raining and in these conditions I would feel some pain in calf muscle of my left foot if I would have been driving Beat or i10, I returned home without any such issues this time, Seat height adjustment offers a comfortable and elevated position.
- Initially I felt the ORVM’s were puny but I have adapted to visibility span of these mirrors and the slanted rear windshield also does not pose any issue.
- Ford Figo Aspire excels in the area of exterior looks matched with non-jazzy interior design, equipped with quality fittings and fixtures, I am getting used to stares on the road all over again as I experienced it when I had got Chevrolet Beat 5 years ago.
- NVH levels are very impressive for a diesel car of this segment, especially while driving at high speed on the highway.

Things that could have been better –
- Some panel gaps around headlamp cluster, around the hood feel a bit wider than normal and the rear and front bumper fibre panel bends on applying pressure with your fingers, hope it does not detach due to these minor problems.
- Plastic material used in areas like the seat height adjustment and seat recliner feels brittle on touch.
- Navigation option for accessing music via USB is not exactly user friendly and it gets distractive to shuffle music sometimes.
- Steering wheel could have been less chunky towards the centre.
- OEM tyres offer comfortable ride in the city however it can cause understeering while cornering around sharp turns on highways.
- Acceleration pedal could have been little wider to offer better foot support.
- Defogger functions better with heated air set on external air circulation mode, it does not demist the windshield and windows at the same pace if set on cooling mode.

Last edited by KreativeGeek : 14th September 2015 at 10:42.
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Old 7th September 2015, 01:12   #2
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Re: The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium

Congrats ! This is probably the first user review of Aspire in TeamBhp I really envy that Aspire owners have more features (Sync with Applink, MyKey etc) & more power (90 vs 100 hp in Diesel) than Ecosport which i am currently using Wishing you thousands of happy miles with her.
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Old 7th September 2015, 10:56   #3
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Re: The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium

Congrats on your buy, KreativeGeek! Waiting for more details in the review. Apart from details on the car itself, I would also like to know about the other options considered (if any) apart from the Aspire.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Samfromindia View Post
Congrats ! This is probably the first user review of Aspire in TeamBhp
This is the second review. First review was by witwiky (link)
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Old 7th September 2015, 11:03   #4
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Re: The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium

Congratulations on your Ford Aspire. Wish you many miles with it.

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Old 7th September 2015, 11:06   #5
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Re: The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium

Congratulations. The aspire looks really yummy in this shade. Really suits the car.

Wish you loads of fun and safe driving with the aspire.
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Old 14th September 2015, 10:38   #6
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Re: The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium

Continuing with some pics from the front section of the car:
The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium-vanity-mirrors.jpg
Sun visors come with vanity mirrors for both driver and co-passenger.
The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium-rear-windshield-view-irvm.jpg
Rear Windshield view from IRVM, provides sufficient view during traffic conditions.
The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium-seat-touching.jpg
Lower portion of central console panel touching co-passenger seat, awkwardly sculpted!
The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium-slide1.png
Seat Belt with height adjustment, work on door joints is clean, no messy affair here and cubby hole storage slots between front seats.
The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium-slide2.png
Secret storage slot on the RHS panel of the steering and pic turn light indicator with high beam control.
The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium-seat-height-adjust-recline.jpg
Seat height adjustment knob on the lower side and seat recline above, slighty backwards on the front seat, plastic material used here feels brittle to touch.
The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium-windhseild-wiper-control.jpg
Front windshield wiper controls come with multiple operating speeds and allows you to set different interval levels too.
The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium-egress-issue.jpg
Egress issue caused due to raised portion here near the door, you are sure to bump your foot most of the times.

Pics from the backseat area of the car:
The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium-backseat-area-offers-spacious-comfort.jpg
Figo Aspire has good backseat comfort on offer, carries over the same beige interior tone on the doors.
The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium-enough-legroom.jpg
Enough legroom for passengers seated behind with good under thigh support
The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium-no-storage-slots-backseat.jpg
No storage slots on rear doors
The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium-rear-tray-windshield.jpg
Slanted rear windshield and the tray above the backseat which is not suitable to keep any miscellaneous stuff because it is bound to block driver view.
The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium-windows-roll-down-80.jpg
Rear power windows do not roll down completely, may be 80%-90% max.
The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium-quality-mats.jpg
Floor mats purchased under basic kit are of good quality
The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium-egress-rear.jpg
Egress issue while getting out is going to be a problem for rear passengers too.

Final pics of FE from instrument panel.
The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium-highway-trip-avg.jpg
FE recorded after completing round trip on expressway.
The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium-current-fe.jpg
Current FE which is a mix of Initial highway trip + 1 week of city commute
The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium-dte.jpg
Still some miles left from the first fuel refill of 30 liters.
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Old 15th September 2015, 07:54   #7
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Re: The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!
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Old 15th September 2015, 09:40   #8
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Congratulations for your blue oval. Wish you a niggle free and pleasant experience with your ride.
Drive safe.
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Old 15th September 2015, 11:14   #9
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Re: The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium

Congrats KreativeGeek on your new Aspire. I was waiting for an update about the tuned up 1.5 TDCi and it sounds promising . Hopefully, we get one for an Ecosport as well.
I see you did stretch out the car on the e-way, not sure what rpm you were at(definitely above 2000).
Is it ok to push the engine during the run-in period? Was going through the following link and they have advised limits for driven kms
https://www.team-bhp.com/advice/how-run-your-new-car
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Old 15th September 2015, 11:41   #10
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Re: The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium

Congratulations on your new car and great choice of colour too. Bright shades like gold usually come off as flashy, but Ford's done a good job with the Aspire's paintwork. Very keen observations and I found myself nodding along with a lot of the points you highlighted.

The Titanium is a good balance and offers a good number of niceties. You've got dual airbags, ABS and EBD which is good. The diesel engine is fantastic and will be a more enjoyable 1.5 than the Amaze. Ford's struck a good balance with this car and like you, I hope the after sales is as good as the purchase experience - not only for any buyers, but also for Ford's sake.
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Old 15th September 2015, 12:53   #11
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Re: The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium

Conratulations on the Aspire, thats a wonderful colour you have chosen.

Thank you for such a detailed review, wish you a hassle free and enjoyable ownership experience
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Old 15th September 2015, 13:14   #12
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Re: The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium

Quote:
Originally Posted by priyankar85 View Post
Congrats KreativeGeek on your new Aspire. I was waiting for an update about the tuned up 1.5 TDCi and it sounds promising . Hopefully, we get one for an Ecosport as well.
I see you did stretch out the car on the e-way, not sure what rpm you were at(definitely above 2000).
Is it ok to push the engine during the run-in period? Was going through the following link and they have advised limits for driven kms
https://www.team-bhp.com/advice/how-run-your-new-car
Thanks for the link to this article, I was not aware of the ideal run in range for diesel engine during the initial period, however I am consciously keeping it down below 2000 RPM mark during city drive, while on the highway I was cruising between 2K-3K RPM range and also crossed the 3K limit few times when I felt that the engine was straining.
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Old 15th September 2015, 13:43   #13
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Re: The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium

Congratulations on the purchase. Nicely written up review with the pics too. The color looks different in bright / sun light when compared to it's color in shade . Wishing you many thousands of happy miles with your new companion. And a 17 KMPL FE for a new car - this is really good. I am pretty sure it will increase later as well.

Did you, by any chance, try a TD of the auto before you made the decision?

Last edited by turboturtle : 15th September 2015 at 13:45.
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Old 15th September 2015, 14:12   #14
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Re: The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium

Congratulations on your new purchase of the Blue Oval.

This car has all that it takes to give the mighty Dzire a run for the money. I truly believe you have made an excellent choice.

And complemented the wonderful car with an equally wonderful review.

Three Cheers !! Keep the miles rolling.
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Old 15th September 2015, 14:12   #15
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Re: The Blue Oval comes home - Ford Figo Aspire TDCi Titanium

Quote:
Originally Posted by KreativeGeek View Post
while on the highway I was cruising between 2K-3K RPM range and also crossed the 3K limit few times when I felt that the engine was straining.
These initial 1000kms are very important for the long smooth running of the car. As all the parts under the hood are new and are used for the very first time, they need a gentle exercise to get used to the driving style of the user, the external conditions and the road. The run-in period also decides the FE of your car.
You can spot the wear and tear in the engine in your 1st oil change. Just a friendly heads-up for you to have long happy kms run. Njoi!

Last edited by priyankar85 : 15th September 2015 at 14:26.
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