[amitayu]

Hello Fellow Freestyle owner!

I have been driving a Freestyle T+ petrol for the last 2 years (but am too lazy to write a detailed owners report).

Good to see a fellow owner who appreciates this unknown gem.

Few pointers on your detailed review:

a) The brown interior plastic, once polished, is supposed to give the look of leather-bound dashboard. I don't quite see the point of that. Instead, after the first servicing when the SC did some generous polishing of the brown dash just to give me the 'feel' of leather, I had harrowing days of dashboard reflection in daytime that badly affected driving. Would advice you not to go for heavy polishing of the dash.

b) Sync3 android pairing is good. But the system by itself is pretty handy by itself, with its audio controls. I often do not pair my mobile via USB (connecting it keeps the phone in charging mode and I don't want to fry my mobile batteries). Just that, when paired via bluetooth, there are some specific voice commands that you need to memorize, unlike the more generic commands on Google Assistant for Android Auto.

c) I understand you are driving a petrol unit like me. The 3 cylinder pot requires you to keep it in a RPM band over 1200, else there is some sluggishness. I used to feel a jerk coming from a Ritz in the initial days when even 800rpm seemed reasonable to me. I had to adjust to the 'new normal' of 1200. Hope you didnot have issues with that.

d) The car is an absolute peach to drive on highways. I did a Delhi to Kolkata trip with 4 adults and a kid, and we had a great drive. The only grouse was not having bottle holders in the rear doors. If you ever travel with passengers, remember to make special arrangements for them.

[batladanny]

Originally Posted by ramnaresh_2000

Finding such a nicely maintained used vehicle these days is hard work. It took me almost 8 months to find my used Compass. Even I purchased from owner directly who was shifting abroad, I also verified his profile to see if he was selling anything else and he was selling bunch of other things like his wife's scooty and other furniture. Your post is like deja vu .

I see you are in love with the auto dimming IRVM, I first experienced this in my father's Creta and decided that I should have this in my next car. It is such a boon in night driving especially on highways. Unfortunately my vehicle doesn't have this option and I am also looking for retro-fitting it in my Compass.

Please do update the thread if you find decent auto dimming ORVMs, I would love to explore this option as well.

Best of luck.

I remember reading your thread recently and also feeling deja vu . The Compass is a brilliant vehicle. Wish you many happy miles on it.

Do retrofit the auto-dimming IRVM. Will transform night driving experience.

Originally Posted by S2K

I started with higher figures of 35psi across all tyres and have since lowered to it 34 and then to 33. But I still see a scope of improvement.
Can you share the tyre pressure you are maintaining for different conditions like
one-person vs fully packed 4 people+luggage, city vs highway, good roads vs bad road, etc ?

I'm maintaining 32:30 :: front:rear. That's what I read in the manual. It's mostly just with me + some luggage. In city, I let it go down to 30:28 too but ensure it is back to the recommended 32:30 for highways.

Originally Posted by bigDaddy_In

Thank you for the nice write-up! Ford Freestyle is one of those cars which is meant for road trips. Glad that your car is doing what it is supposed to do(munch on highway miles).

I remember reading your roadtrip posts. Loved them. Wish you happy mile munching too!

Originally Posted by Maverick Avi

My heart was always put on Freestyle but my better half wanted a "longer and bigger" car and rooted for Aspire. So Aspire it was.

The Aspire too is quite nice. A classy alter-ego of the Figo rather than a sporty one like the Freestyle. I particularly like the Aspire's interior black+beige colour theme. At least in pics, it looks way more upmarket than the Freestyle. I have half a mind to change some dash trim panels in mine to one from the Aspire to class things up a bit.

Originally Posted by Pkumarblore

I recently purchased a used 2017 Figo TDCi. I always wait for an opportunity to drive it, especially on the highways. I can recommend an accessory which will be very useful to you on the highways - the central arm rest. I got one fitted on my Figo and its cool.

Congrats on your Figo! I haven't yet felt the need for a handrest so didn't get one. And I use the centre storage areas heavily, so it may interfere there is what I felt.

[S2K]

Originally Posted by Pkumarblore

I think its from Kingsway., bought it on Amazon for about 1300/- bucks. Gels well with the interiors, but makes a queaky noise when you put pressure on it

Can you please share the link? There are so many different options on Amazon, its confusing to select one.
Also, how did you fit it? Any possibility that it voids the warranty of the car in any way?

[SchrödingersCar]

My friend purchased it last year in the same shade as OP (September 2020), and since he was a novice driver, I had the pleasurable opportunity to drive this on the car's maiden longish road trip (Kolkata - Ghatshila and back).
Since the car was in the "running in" period, could (did) not push it hard but do have a few thoughts to share.
1. Suspension felt slightly hard, but not too bad.
2. Shifts were slightly notchy, but I got used to it quick.
3. Handled bad roads like a champ (accidentally took the wrong road thanks to Gmaps and it turned into a dirt track used by Tractors, where I would not take anything other than a Thar or Gurkha. Me and my friend had our hearts in our mouth the whole time, but luckily there was no damage as confirmed on the next Service visit)
4. Despite above, it bottomed out 3x times on some rural road bumps with 5 people and luggage despite the 190mm (although I had not checked the Tire pressure myself).
5. Pickup/acceleration takes a small hit when car is fully loaded and AC is on, but it is not noticeable during normal driving.
6. Rear seat shoulder room - I am 5'11+ and felt a bit cramped specially for shoulder room, although we did have 3 people at the back.

Verdict - liked it a lot, and would definitely recommend for people looking for something different (not the mainstream ones like Altroz, i20, Baleno et al).

[tirumalavoleti]

Congrats for the car and amazing colour you got(you are lucky). Happy you got 6 air bags version even pre owned. In these times, when we have such option, would highly recommend it.

Your review is pretty nice with all details and felt like you are explaining to the readers with keen interest.

Great to see you on TBHP. Have safe and happy miles ahead.

Please do take extended warranty.

[Maverick Avi]

Originally Posted by SchrödingersCar

Since the car was in the "running in" period, could (did) not push it hard but do have a few thoughts to share.
1. Suspension felt slightly hard, but not too bad.
2. Shifts were slightly notchy, but I got used to it quick.
3. Handled bad roads like a champ (accidentally took the wrong road thanks to Gmaps and it turned into a dirt track used by Tractors, where I would not take anything other than a Thar or Gurkha. Me and my friend had our hearts in our mouth the whole time, but luckily there was no damage as confirmed on the next Service visit)
4. Despite above, it bottomed out 3x times on some rural road bumps with 5 people and luggage despite the 190mm (although I had not checked the Tire pressure myself).
5. Pickup/acceleration takes a small hit when car is fully loaded and AC is on, but it is not noticeable during normal driving.

Very precise and valid observations. If people are used to driving Maruti/Hyundai these are the first observations they are bound to make. That Getrag gearbox is not the best one out there and does get notchy. Most people get used to it. Suspension in definitely stiffer(in Aspire too). And finally that GC figures are a bit funny. Despite of pretty good GC numbers in Freestyle and Aspire I too find the car bottoming out on speedbumps where my previous Dzire just rolled over easily. Its more surprising due to the fact the suspension setup in these cars are on stiffer side. But these cars are meant to be pushed and enjoyed. So if you do that you are bound to have a ear to ear grin!!!!

[Pkumarblore]

Originally Posted by S2K

Can you please share the link? There are so many different options on Amazon, its confusing to select one.
Also, how did you fit it? Any possibility that it voids the warranty of the car in any way?

Hi,
Below is the link:-
https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B0722P63X5/
Though its pretty simple to fit, you need the right tools. And most likely the right kind and quantity of screws will be missing in the package. I din't want to break my head on this. So I took it to a local accessories shop and got it fitted professionally. He charged me Rs.300/- for that. That's fine by me.

[katsumoto]

Congratulations on your new saddle. Around the same time I was trying to get Freestyle in bangalore (In 1.5 TDCi Avatar), Couldn't get hold of any, moved to Creta, Not complaining but always drooling over the oncoming freestyles in my way. It is a nice looker and capable car.

Have fun.

[aabhimanyu04]

A very well-written review mate!

I purchased my Ti Diesel last year in Feb. I have clocked about 9.5k Kms and my experience with it has been nothing short of phenomenal.

I totally agree with you on the steering feedback and you can just not compare it with the wonderful steering first-gen Figo had.

Some minor irritants I face are:

1. Good Year Assurance tyres ( they are just not confidence-inspiring, will swap them with Pirelli Cinturato P6 soon )

2. The rear parcel tray noise will soon start to annoy you on those rumble strips and potholes, I am looking for an aftermarket Jugaad

3. No cabin light for rear passengers, need to find some easy to fix LEDs ( preferably battery operated, I don't want to touch the electricals and give the ASS a reason to reject warranty claim should I need one )

4. Stock halogens need to be replaced, just not good for the highway runs

I hope to bump into you someday at one of the Bangalore traffic signals, most likely the infamous Silk board junction

[barath_rudraksh]

Great write up!

Would you still recommend the Petrol Freestyle in 2024?

Has it been a hassle free ownership? How is the reliability of the car and how much effort does the car require from us to stay in shape?

These points will greatly help me as I am looking for a practical, fun to drive used car that doesn't burn my wallet.

Being an ex-figo owner, cannot find anything else impressive. So would the freestyle be a wise choice even today? How many kms on the odo do you think is 'fine' so that the car has got some of the 'happy' years still left in it for me to enjoy?

Thanks in advance