[batladanny]

I recently bought my first car, a second-hand Ford Freestyle.

In addition to my 8-month experience with the car, I'll also go over my journey of buying it — right from making the decision of why to buy a car, to which car to buy, to how I evaluated the car and finally what all paperwork/formalities I completed.

Index

Review Index:

Decision to buy a car. And which car?

Actually buying the car

Quick summary of likes and dislikes

Exteriors

Interiors

Driving experience

Ford's service experience

[batladanny]

1. Decision to buy a car

1a. Okay let's buy a car

I have been a car enthusiast ever since I can remember. I always thought that the moment I get a job, the first thing I would do is buy a car. However, I guess I became much more pragmatic during my college years and during the early years of my career, I never actually had the need for a car.

Why buying a car didn't make sense for me in my early 20s…

• I was a bachelor living in shared flats with rarely any parking space.
• I hated commuting (to the extent that even when I was working in my hometown, I rented a flat 2kms from office and visited home only on weekends).
• When the need arose, Ola/Uber were super convenient.
• I also changed cities quite frequently and hadn't settled in one place.

(yes, I'm a fan of making lists as you'll see further)

Given all this, buying a car would've been a burden rather than a joy/necessity. So what changed now, you ask. Well…

• Recently, I moved to Bangalore and it looked like the place I would be for a while (given the number of jobs in the tech/startup space).
• Covid also made me very reluctant to take cabs and I was getting frustrated cooped up in the home with no means of safe transportation.
• I had also built up some savings and wanted to scratch the itch.
• I was on good terms with the landlord who, on asking, allowed me to park a car in the extra parking space for no extra charge.

1b. Which car to buy?

The trigger finally was seeing a used Tiago JTP on OLX a few weeks before my birthday.

The red Tiago JTP really stirred something in me. The car was a Tata-owned media car being sold by a dealer in Pune. I contacted the dealer, got all info from him and had my Dad + a mechanic drive down from Mumbai to check it out as well.
Sadly, as things transpired, there was more to it than met the eye (accidental claims in insurance which the dealer hid) and while my diligence saved me, it did feel disappointing not having got it after coming so close. I've written about it in another post. (Tata Tiago JTP : Official Review)

Post this though, my mind (heart?) was made up — I wanted a car. So I sat and listed down my criteria on paper…

• Hatchback preferred. Don't like excessively large cars.
• Should be fun to drive with good handling and ride.
• Android auto is a must. Getting that without intrusive "smart‑car" tech would be awesome.
• Budget: 5-8L

Based on this, I drew up a shortlist that included the Freestyle, Baleno RS, Swift, and Polo.

• The Suzukis were ditched because of unreasonably high asking prices in the used market and safety concerns.
• The Polo while on my shortlist, I never seriously considered. While it is a solid car that checked all my boxes, to me, it just didn't feel special enough (opinion has changed on this recently and now feel that it is a timeless classic)
• Meanwhile, the more I read about the Freestyle, the more I liked it…
  • Great safety tech
  • Sync3
  • Peppy petrol and good ride+handling (considering my low usage, didn't consider the diesel. Read its rave reviews later. Had I read those earlier, may have considered it)
  • I liked its looks, especially in the Canyon Ridge colour

Since it was a fairly new model, I didn't expect it to be on the used market and thus took a test drive of a new one. Loved the car but the removal of Sync3 was a huge disappointment. I would've bought a new one, even overshooting my budget, if Ford hadn't done this stupid cost-cutting.

Test-drive car that I fell in love with at first glimpse.



After that, I kept checking OLX multiple times a day keeping a look out for a Freestyle. A week or so later, I was jumping in joy as I found the perfect example up for sale. Why it was so perfect you ask? Well…

• Titanium Plus loaded to the brim.
• Dec 2018 model run less than 10k km.
• Perfect manufacture timeline - late enough that it had the adjustable rear headrests but not so late that Sync 3 was removed.
• Canyon Ridge colour! I had expected to compromise on the colour when buying used.
• Individual owner and not a dealer. Another area I had expected to compromise on.
  (the person also had beds and other household stuff up for sale on OLX meaning they were probably moving out of the state/country — a genuine reason for selling the car and likely not someone getting rid of a lemon)

I remember seeing the ad on a Sunday night and moved more quickly than I ever have in my life. I messaged him that night itself. He replied on Monday morning with his number and we had a call. I wanted it inspected and he was okay with it. Immediately scheduled an inspection on Tuesday (last day before a week-long lockdown) at a Ford service centre.

[batladanny]

2. Actually buying the car

3a. Evaluating the car and documents

On Tuesday, I woke up early in anticipation. For the car's current state, I was relying on Ford's multi-point inspection. For other stuff, I had my checklist ready…

• RC
  Car was in his company's name. one minor issue was that the RC mentioned variant as titanium, not titanium plus. have to get this corrected some time. but considering the crazy mistakes that RTOs do, this was relatively minor. Or so I feel.
• Insurance - current plan and claims history
  The car had comprehensive coverage and NCB discount was also present. I still called up the provider and ensured that there were no claims. Quite a relief after that JTP experience.
• Warranty
  It was covered until Dec 2020 and Ford is offering an extension of 2/3 years that I may take up
• Financing details
  Vehicle was leased by his company so hypothecation removal would have to be done but that's pretty standard
• Service record
  Inspection passed without any red flags, complete records, and other documents also meticulously filed. Nice!

The car waiting to be inspected. What a beauty!



The car passed the physical and document inspection with flying colours. It had 2-3 scratches — to be expected in Blr traffic — but nothing major. The owner was also a meticulous documenter and a decent, straightforward person.

Ford's checkup of the car revealed no issues


I also went through its service record. 1-2 niggles had come up which the owner had promptly addressed. (Seeing an owner report and get car checked up for even minor stuff like boot beeding, towing cap, bonnet bushing, etc. gives you more confidence that car has been taken care of well)



Other than this, the owner had also gotten some goodies added at the time of buying:

• Engine undershield
• Boot lip scuff guard
• Rain deflectors on windows
• Ambient lighting
• Car cover
• Pillows+neckrests

These were a nice little bonus. We negotiated a bit on the price and settled on 6.25L — a pretty good deal I feel considering Blr taxes. I immediately paid an advance to seal the deal and went home with the biggest grin on my face.

p.s. Co-incidentally, I saw a red Tiago JTP on my way back home but did not get any feeling that I had "settled" for the Freestyle. That made me even happier


3b. Doing the paperwork

After the joy of having sealed a deal, we now had to get the ownership transfer formalities done. The next week was lockdown in Karnataka, so things would have to wait for a bit. In the meantime though, the diligent owner set things in motion from the side of his company and got filled and signed copies of all forms we needed couriered to his home.

Steps we did post lockdown…

• Hypothecation removal
  • The owner got NOC from leasing company. Necessary for hypothecation removal. Once the lockdown was over, we headed to an RTO agent and submitted Form 35 for this. Owner also paid for this part of the agent's fees.
• Ownership transfer
  • Also submitted Forms 29, 30 to the RTO agent. (owner had got filled and signed copies from his office)
  • Paid the owner rest of the money and took delivery of the car. Signed delivery note and sale receipt. Got copies of everything.
  • The RTO took ~5 weeks to process the new RC. Kept track of it on Vahan 4.0 portal.
• Fastag in my name
  • Once I had the RC, I bought a Fastag from the toll office in Electronic city. Immediate processing and linked to PayTM wallet. Don't have to wait for it to arrive by mail.
  • note : fell prey to this Fastag scam (Beware: PayTM Fastag scam via agents) (Beware: PayTM Fastag scam via agents)
  • Informed the owner who then cancelled his Fastag. He'd graciously agreed to keep his one till then.
• Insurance transfer
  • Called the insurance company and intimated them of ownership change.
  • They sent an agent home who inspected the car and uploaded some pics.
  • One can transfer the NCB discount if the original owner gives an NOC but I was in a hurry, so skipped this. Had to pay the difference.
  • Insurance company then sent me an endorsement letter in mail which stated that name had been changed on the policy.

And that was the end of all formalities. Or so I thought — going through the insurance docs 2 months later, I noticed a discrepancy in the amount I paid and the amount mentioned on the endorsement invoice. It also only mentions the own-damage policy and not both policies. I had a lot going on when I did this process and unfortunately didn't notice it then. Got that rectified over mail.

note: I approached an agent for the ownership transfer formalities since things were not operating like normal at RTO offices due to covid. I also did not want to unnecessarily expose myself (would've been the ultimate irony contracting covid in the process of buying the car to protect myself from covid). The agent did charge a nice premium fee though. Since then, there have been posts on the forum about hassle-free online transfer of ownership. Do check them out.

[batladanny]

Quick summary of likes and dislikes

My usage till now: I bought the car at 10k kms. I have now added another 8k kms in 8 months. Quite a bit of that has been on long highway drives (Blr-Mum, Mum-Hyd, Mum-Vadodra, Mum-Nashik, etc.)

Likes:

• Looks and paint quality
• Sync3 infotainment
• Safety tech
• Peppy engine
• Decent handling and highway stability
• Front-seat ergonomics
• Feels well-built

Dislikes

• Dashboard plastics are crude.
• Some exterior panel gaps are large and uneven.
• Rear seat is given step-motherly treatment.
• Random feature misses in an otherwise loaded car (request sensor, split seats, etc.)
• While the electronic steering is accurate, the feel and feedback is nowhere near a hydraulic unit.
• FE in heavy city traffic is a bit less than expected.

My usage is mostly alone or with 1-2 adult passengers and, at times, my cat in her carrier. Primary usage is for weekend road trips and joyrides in the city; not much for daily commuting. Considering that, the shortcomings don't bother me much. On the other hand, there were quite a few things to like about this car and many are unique to it and not found in others in this price range.

Now let's dive in…

[batladanny]

Exteriors

Have I mentioned that I absolutely love how the car looks?

The front three-quarters are the best angle I feel.


I especially like what they've done with the grille. While the Figo looked like a surprised goldfish , the addition of a black border and moving the Ford badge to the centre of the grille has made it look less gaping. The small tweaks in general make it look so much more smarter (images taken from TBHP official review)


The rear is a bit bulbous but still decent enough.

Also note: the rear bumper is significant and a good protection for the tailgate + the boot lip scuff guard accessory installed by the original owner (neat!)

Paint quality is quite good. The car stands out anywhere that it is parked. I've found myself taking photos of it every now and then — while I'm having tea at a roadtrip pitstop, on returning to the car after shopping in the mall, and even when it is just standing in my apartment parking lot.

The alloy wheel colour is unique and looks cool.


A negative though are the panel gaps around the bonnet. Other BHPians have also pointed these out before.


Missing request sensor irks me each time I approach the car.

No request sensor + push start is the worst combo in my opinion.
When both are keyless, your keys can stay in your pocket/bag.
When both need keys, you take out the key to unlock and then slot it in the ignition.
With this, I have to fumble and take out the key to open the car and then find some place to keep it. I haven't yet found the perfect cubby for it either and every time keep it somewhere else hoping it won't rattle in there this time. Then I have to do the where-is-it-kept dance while exiting. </rant>

At the rear, Ford has given fog lights + reversing indicator on both taillamps (most cars have fog lamp on one side and reversing light in the corresponding slot on the other side) It's a minor detail but I like having that symmetry.


One thing that I didn't feel but others commenting has made me ponder — the car has quite an imposing stance. Many think of it as an Ecosport or a badi gaadi. I guess as someone who knows this is just a Figo on stilts with roof rails, it never felt that way but good to know non-car people think so

[batladanny]

Interiors

Open the doors and you see a Freestyle-branded scuff plate. Looks neat!

The front seats are quite comfortable. Am a tall and fat person so often have trouble being comfortable but had no problem with these seats. Maybe a little more lumbar support would be nice but that's just a nit I picked.


The steering wheel is a bit large for my liking but does the job. The media controls are simple and just perfect — up/down for volume, right/left for track/channel changing which doubles up as pickup/end when a call comes, centre button for voice control (which when paired with android auto triggers google's assistant which understands every damn request in any damn accent)


Would've liked a leather-wrapped steering wheel and cruise controls (not a feature I thought would be needed but most of my driving is on highways and definitely could do with it). Am planning to get the European model's steering wheel + harness from ebay uk when the extended warranty is over which would fulfill both these desires.

In the meantime though, am thankful that the Indian version doesn't come with ugly blank switches. Instead, the right part just has a nice piano finish


The MID info is crisp but the looks are a bit old-gen. I rather like its toggle switch implementation on the outside of the right stalk — easy to toggle while driving but doesn't occupy place on the steering wheel


Headlamps + fog lamps switch is organised quite well. Rotate to control the states — off, pilot lights, headlights, auto. Push centre button to pop it out and then rotate it to adjust leveling. Front and rear fog lamps control are right besides it. The boot release being grouped with headlight controls feels a bit out of place but whatever.


In contrast to the lucid headlight controls, the wiper controls aren't labelled right (there is no auto position mentioned) and it took me a while to figure out that there was no intermittent option and that position instead was the auto position. This is a bit confusing if one is thinking of how the headlamp controls are arranged — auto is the last option there.

Coming to the dashboard, this is where the car lets you down. The plastic quality and the coffee brown dash is way too shoddy. It is not as horrendous as the first-gen Figo's coral red but still sours the interior feel quite a bit. The center-console area is though surprisingly high quality.


The piano black finish looks really good (although it attracts dust and fingerprints, a quick wipe makes it looking like new). The knobs on both the infotainment and the climate control feel premium to touch. While the infotainment knobs have soft-touch rubber and a simple metal ring, the climate control knobs have knurled metal finish.


The Sync3 infotainment is brilliant. There's no lag whatsoever and it feels just like using a smartphone. Why Ford would delete this is beyond me


The reversing camera's quality is really good


The gear lever also has piano black + metal treatment. Looks classy. Would've preferred something a bit more sporty but can't really complain.


Shelf to keep phone has a thick, grippy, high-quality rubber surface. There are two USB ports and a 12V socket as well — nice to see no skimping on this front.


One cubby, two cupholders and a bottle holder mean there is plenty of well-shaped space for keeping most things. TCS is a great functionality, especially at this price point. But the button is not so well thought out. On many occasions, keeping my coffee back in the cupholder has resulted in it getting pressed and deactivated. Rather a serious thing. Should have been placed elsewhere or at least a long-press should be needed for deactivation.


Curtain airbags mean no grab handles. Also note: Height-adjustable seatbelts — another feature that I love. I have only touched it once — when initially adjusting — but whenever I sit in another car and have the seatbelt digging into my collarbone or brushing my ear, I'm reminded of this. Sad that Ford deleted it later and most other budget cars don't get it.



The door lock functionality has always frustrated me and I feel it is a bit of a safety hazard to be honest. What is the point of a lock functionality if the handle can be pulled in one swift motion and that opens the door directly?!!

Now I've read that the locks are speed-aware and this is not possible to unlock at speeds above 40kmph but haven't got the guts to try that out. Imagine an unfastened child / fumbling elderly person pulling that lever at 30kmph!! If I had to ferry either demographic, I would have rejected the car just for this. Give me ugly but functional pull up type locks any day over this thing. And yes, I know that children should be in child seats with the child lock enabled on doors, but how many Indians realistically do this? And even then, shouldn't security be designed for the worst scenario (or at least most common scenario) , rather than assuming all the best practices are being followed. /endofrant

Door pockets are deep and well divided — a 1L bottle + 1/2L bottle + other stuff easily fits and stays in place due to the compartments.


Another feature that is invisible until you drive another car is the auto-dimming IRVM. What a godsend this is.

In the initial few days, I was a bit frustrated that there is no option to turn off the auto-dimming functionality but got used to it very quickly and there are no downsides to it always being on. Now, I love this feature so much that I'm searching for ways to make the ORVMs auto-dimming as well but am hitting dead ends. Tips/leads on this front would be much appreciated.

There is also a nice cubby where I keep a cloth for cleaning the car's interior. The door needs to be open to access this though.


Coming to the rear, this is where the car loses out majorly. The space is less, it is dark and there are no door pockets, bottle holders or centre armrest for the rear passengers. At least my model gets the adjustable headrests which were missing in initial ones. The poor rear seats don't really bother me since they're rarely used, but I believe they were a major reason for the Figo's lack of success


That brings me to another feature that I initially didn't think I would need but now think would've been nice to have — split+flat folding rear seats. When I started doing roadtrips with my cat, I felt it would be a great practical thing to have. Keep the cat's carrier on the single folded down portion and someone else can still sit in the other side (ideal for us as we are a family of 3+cat). Keeping her carrier on the seat is a bit restrictive and there is always the risk of the seat getting soiled in case of a booboo.

Btw, does anyone have any idea if importing split rear seats is possible? Both European and Latin models had them but can't find any online on sites like ebay. And even if I do find them, how does one ship such a large item? Also, will they fit or would mounting points be different?

Anyway, even without the split seats, the car's boot can swallow up a decent amount of luggage considering it is just ~250L. Here it is easily taking in 3 strollers, a laptop bag, another small handbag behind the stroller and some shoe bags also tucked away.


Coming to a few minor annoyances…

The sun visor lacks length-wise adjustment. It doesn't cover the sides properly and you can be sure that if the sun is at the side, you'll feel it.


The ORVMs are dangerously narrow


Similar to the TCS button issue, have accidentally pressed the trunk release button a few times with my knee while getting in/out. But I feel that is unique to me due to my height+weight.

One weird thing is that the boot hatch needs to be closed particularly strongly else the MID warns that it is still open. Think this may be a sensor issue and need to get it checked as I feel closing the boot as hard as I do right now may damage the mechanism.

[batladanny]

Driving experience

Engine and gearbox

• The engine is peppy and likes to rev.
• Although power delivery is linear and there isn't any lag of sorts, the fun is to be had after 3000 RPM
• The gearbox is decently slick but nothing special. Have observed that slotting from 2nd to 1st can be rather notchy. I had driven a friend's 1st gen Swift some years back — a personal benchmark for gearshift feel — and this doesn't come close to that sporty feel.
• Another complaint I have about the gearbox is the 5th gear's ratio — at 80, one needs to downshift to 4th to overtake but it starts becoming noisy at 120. So it has a rather narrow range of operation.
• In-city, the car is a breeze to drive but out on the highway is where the fun is. The car can be a relaxed cruiser or a spirited overtaker, depending on your mood.
• It is especially fun to downshift, rev-match and overtake.
• A "feature" of the engine that I didn't like though is that it holds the revs a bit too long after you let go of the throttle. This means that engine braking is non-existent/minimal. But I guess, this is becoming commonplace in today's cars.

NVH

• The NVH levels are well-contained. While I've read about 3-pots being clattery, I don't have anything to complain about this unit.
• At the higher end of the RPM band, it even sounds a bit sporty.

Fuel efficiency

• The fuel efficiency in city is a bit disappointing. I get 11-12 kmpl during short 3-4km runs. While I don't mind this, it was just a bit surprising initially.
• However, the highway efficiency blew me away. It gave me 20+ for most of a Hyd-Mum drive and even after getting stuck in traffic in Pune, the overall was above 19.5. Quite impressive for a petrol.
• Typical highway efficiency has been north of 18

Ride, handling, braking and dynamics

• The ride is quite nice and sorted. Definitely one of the highlights of the car.
• At low and medium speeds, it absorbs most bumps but is not soft. This is a nice thing for when the speeds build up. It has good composure at nothing disturbs it much.
• As a side note, I had initially overfilled the tyres and was disappointed by how harsh the ride was but correcting that improved things dramatically.
• The handling and steering feel is decent but I have driven my mom's old gen Figo extensively and this one really pales in comparison to that hydraulic setup.
• In-city, the handling is very nimble and light to use.
• On the highway the steering does weigh up and taking fast corners is comfortable but it's no go-kart.
• The high stance of the car is occasionally evident but mostly body-roll is well-contained.
• An issue with the handling is that it there is a noticeable left-pulling. It did reduce significantly after an alignment but is still present. This is a common complaint amongst Freestyle owners and there is no common solution that has worked for everyone.
• I quite like the braking feel of the car. It feels very natural. The translation of pressure applied to braking force is just perfect.
• The brakes themselves have good bite and don't fade even after having waded through some water.
• The 190mm ground clearance is really something special though. It has literally never once scraped its belly in 8 months. And I've driven it on pretty rough terrain and climbed up small hillocks via dirt trails as well.

[batladanny]

Ford servicing experience

This is one aspect that has been absolutely fuss-free till now. I've had the chance to visit the service centre on two occasions:

• When I was getting the inspection done before buying
• For the 2 year, 20k km service

Both times, found the personnel to be really cordial, timely and professional. No complaints whatsoever. The cost is also reasonable. For the service, I paid 5.5k and that was including a few extras like AC cleaning etc. which I did considering covid. This too, the service advisor asked before-hand.

In conclusion

Overall, I'm pretty happy with the car as you can probably tell. Especially since I got a good deal in the used market.

One thing that saddens me though are Ford's feature deletions — I'm not so sure a new one is such a good idea after those deletions. (And also one feature addition — that eyesore Flair edition which has now become the top-end variant)

Something interesting I realized was that as a first-time car owner, the requirements you go in with while buying a car really change a few months after having used one. That's because a car will change your usual behavioral patterns (eg. in my case, I never thought I would do road-trips with my cat).

This doesn't happen in case one already has a car and is just upgrading — in that case you will continue to do the same things just in a better car. Having realized this, I've recommended a few of my friends to buy a cheaper, used car as the first one till they figure out what all they would use the car for.

------

Here's to many more happy road trips!

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[ramnaresh_2000]

Congratulations on your new drive, it is gem of a car. Wishing you happy miles ahead. Ford freestyle is one capable mean machine and Ford maintenance is reasonable. 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.

[S2K]

Nicely written up and congratulations!!
The vibes that this car gives out is fantastic and in my ownership of 4 months I've used it almost double my estimated usage, probably just because it is fun to drive!!

Originally Posted by batladanny

[*]As a side note, I had initially overfilled the tyres and was disappointed by how harsh the ride was but correcting that improved things dramatically

Are you on the original GoodYear Assurance tyres? Can you recommend the front end rear tyre pressure? 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 ?

[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).

[vox_alienus]

I drove a self-drive rental Freestyle (incidentally, the same colour as the one here) in the Dooars and Darjeeling hills before lockdown last year, and was quite satisfied with it.

[Maverick Avi]

You got a great deal on a great car!! Nice write up too. I concur with most of your observations specially about the engine. Its a 3 pot and is somewhat noisy outside specially if you open the bonnet but inside the cabin things are pretty quiet and comfortable. I found the engine to be lacking in low end grunt specially when new but slowly got hold of it. Was pretty much happy with the engine performance until I got Wagon R 1.2 which is a revelation in terms of low end power. I just wish Ford could plonk this engine in Freestyle/Aspire. 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.

[Pkumarblore]

Congratulations on your new drive. The Freestyle is definitely a very capable car. I think Ford cars are best enjoyed on the highways. They drive like a tank. 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. 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. But its still better than not having it at all.
Happy and safe motoring.