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My Ford Aspire diesel: Ownership summary of 6 years & 73000 kms

4th January 2024, 13:07 by Dev Shah

I have as of yet not seen any decline in service levels post exit of Ford.

BHPian rahul4321 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

A short ownership review of my Aspire Sports as I touch almost 73000 kilometers. I have been postponing this write up since years now. I thought I should do it now as I just purchased a Jimny 2 weeks ago (courtsey of the year-end discounts) and if I dont write it now, I never will.

I used to drive a 2016 Punto Pure 1.3 Diesel which I passed onto my sister in 2018 after it crossed about 25000 kilometers. I started looking out for a reasonably fast diesel sedan once my sister took over my car. At that point of time - The BS4 diesels were still going strong and there were quite a lot of options available from almost every stable I looked into. I was not willing to spend upwards of 9 Lakh Ex-showroom so was looking at cars within this budget

I looked at a few sedans such as the Ciaz which seemed to have lackluster performance. I was not impressed by the Hyundai Xcent and how chopped up it looked to achieve the 4 metre mark. Ultimately, it came down to the Linea 90 HP and the Aspire Diesel and while the Linea was very close; I only bought the Aspire because I had been driving a Fiat for the past 2 years and wanted a change. Otherwise; as a straight shoot out- I preferred the Linea over the Aspire.

I did not really know much of the Sports Edition until I visited the website. The dealer was trying to push the Sports edition because most people were going in for the versions below the Sports or the top-end version over the Sports. I bargained hard and got the car for 8.10 Lakh on-road which I paid 50% in cash and 50% was financed by Ford as a zero-interest loan to be repaid in exactly 365 days.

What do I say about the car, the sheer reliability or even the service offered by Ford (pre-exit and post-exit). The car has almost clocked 73000 kilometers and it has been utterly reliable from Day 1. The engine is rock solid, torquey and a pleasure to drive. It has power in each gear and it can hold speeds of 120 km/hr all day long without breaking a sweat. I get the car serviced every 1 year / 10000 kilometers without fail and the service experience has been nothing less than exemplary.

The car came shod with Apollo Alnac 4g's which ran for about 56000 kilometers before I replaced them with another set of Apollo Alnac's on the recommendation of bhpian Tharian. I have driven the car everywhere. Multiple trips from Ahmedabad to Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune and Rajasthan - it keeps rolling without a sweat. Yes - the car is low and the Sports version is even more low - so you have to keep a tight watch on bumps or ruts because the car has a tendency to scrape its front wing.

The 6 year experience has been flawless for the most part apart from some items which I have got replaced in my 7 year extended warranty; damaged wheel lug nuts, a front power window switch, a door locking mechanism and something under the dashboard near the AC vents which makes a whirring noise everytime I start up the car. The last one is a common complaint between all Figo and Aspire owners.

The service pre Ford Exit was impeccable and the service post Ford Exit is the same. I recently got my front suspension changed at around 70000 kilometers because it was making a loud thudding / rattling noise. I asked the service station to ensure they fit the correct spec suspension by looking it up from the Chassis number. To their credit - they took a couple of days but were able to source it for me.

The car has been in a couple of accidents. (a) A drunk on a two-wheeler (Yes in Gujarat!) rammed into my car at a signal from behind and the entire rear panel glass shattered into pieces. There was also a significant amount of damage to the boot as well as the left rear tail light. The insurance claim procedure had been flawless as almost everything was replaced. One thing I was slightly unhappy about was that when I went to pick up the car 3 weeks later after replacement - the back seat still had some minor glass pieces wedged inside the seat. I gave the dealership staff a piece of my mind as this could have cut anybody who tried to sit in the rear seat. They cleaned the entire car and washed it again before it was delivered to me. (b) a monkey jumped on the front windscreen of the car when it was parked at home and the windscreen developed a tiny crack which kept on expanding every few days. The front windscreen was replaced. Here too - the insurance claim procedure had been flawless.

I have as of yet not seen any decline in service levels post exit of Ford. Infact, my accident repairs as well as the suspension repair took place AFTER Ford's exit. The service station personnel are still the same and I have developed a good rapport with them. They are professional, prompt, friendly and never try to push or sell optional things whenever I put the car for service.

I bought a Jimny 3 weeks ago. The only reason I bought it because the Aspire had one major limitation which was basically its ground clearance. I could not tour on it in places where the roads were even moderately bad because the car sits just too low. The engine is fantastic but the suspension just cannot take the abuse of bad roads. The Aspire is at 73000 kilometers today and I will keep it till I can drive it simply because 1 - the car is absolutely fantastic in terms of drivability, mileage as well as inter-city touring and 2- my mum cannot sit in the Jimny as it is just too high for her. So I have 4 vehicles in 2 categories for my travels now.

Onroad / Intercity - Aspire and Duke 390
Offroad / Off the beaten Path - Jimny and Himalayan 411

In Summary - I have been absolutely satisfied with the car, the dealership experience, the service experience, the frugal nature of the engine, the torque of the engine as well as the power to cut through miles after miles in utter comfort. Would I recommend it to anybody? A 100% yes. The BS4 diesel engine is an absolute gem and it is one of the last of its generation.