Ford Aspire Diesel Long Term Review – First Report

Ford Aspire Diesel Long Term Review

The Aspire offers all the good bits of the Figo in a sedan package with a bigger boot

It’s American, red (ok, Ruby Red but still close) and is a sub 10-second car. I am not talking about the Ford Mustang here but the Ford Aspire which is as much of a performance car in India right now for the money that the Mustang was in its early days. And while 100 PS might not sound like much when many cars are producing more, it’s how the power is delivered that matters. Case in point is the video below as two 100 PS cars take on each other in a quarter-mile drag race and it’s quite evident that the Aspire does more justice to its spec sheet.

As you can see in the video above, the Ford Aspire offers terrific performance. I can keep on praising the 1.5-litre diesel motor endlessly, as the 215 Nm of torque comes in a linear manner, enough to make you believe you are driving something with a much bigger engine. It’s only when you stop at the fuel pump that you realise you have done almost 650 kms on a single tank because the car is returning us 16 km/l even after driving with a very heavy foot, 80% running being in the city. Out on the highway, the fuel economy number can stretch to almost 20 km/l.

What makes the drive experience so good is the fact that the gearbox is slick shifting, the clutch is light, there is no turbo lag, power delivery is linear and yet there is a kick in the pants feel at around 2000 RPM when the turbo builds up strong and the acceleration pins you back in the seat. Imagine getting this feeling every day you drive because the lightness of the car ensures a terrific power to weight, to put it into numbers, 100 km/hr comes up in 9.72 seconds and before you know it, you are doing 100 miles per hour.

The Aspire is so much fun behind the wheel, yet it’s a family sedan

However, all this power isn’t of much use hadn’t it been for the fantastic control of the chassis. The steering is responsive, light to twirl at low speeds and weighs up well at high speeds, the car remains glued to the road in a straight line while around corners, you do miss wider rubber. The tyres are just adequate for the kind of thrust the Aspire diesel has to offer but on the flip side, it quite makes up for it in the ‘kitna deti hai’ game.

The post-monsoon condition of Mumbai roads is terrible so the good ride of the Ford Aspire is a boon but there is a catch. Speed-breakers made without any thought have to be carefully tackled, so is the case when exiting a mall parking because the downslope is so much that the under bumper flap touches. But the aero efficiency offered is a bigger boon than saving the undersides of the car on bad roads as the Aspire has great body control and stays planted through long sweepers.

It is only around tight corners do the tyres protest and talking about the rubber, the right front got a bulge and had to be replaced. This brings me to the other issues I have faced with the car. To say the start of this speed thrill with the Ford Aspire was a dream come true would be a lie (although with my previous Ford long termer, the Figo diesel, I can pretty much say that). When the car arrived, it looked fine sans a few scratches here and there which weren’t of much a bother to me. But the interior had a foul smell and the car had some rattles.

The Aspire is an easy car to drive and does well both in the city as well as highway

On face value, everything seemed fine but as I got to driving it for longer durations, I realised the AC would stop cooling. After sending the car back to the Ford dealer to rectify it, it wasn’t resolved so I had to personally go and get it checked. A few days later, they were able to replicate the problem which had something to do with a fuse. Meanwhile, the call pick up button on the steering wheel wasn’t working, I had asked the dealer to replace it (the same thing happened with our long term Figo too) but he seemed to have forgotten, the issue is still there.

So while Ford has done a great job of reducing the cost of ownership, bringing it under Maruti Suzuki levels, the service experience has been just about average which is quite the opposite from what I experienced with the family-owned EcoSport which is also serviced at the same location. Maybe, the service advisor took it easy as the AC always worked initially and stopped working after certain kms and time. But if a customer is insisting on an issue, the service centre should go to great lengths to resolve it. Afterall, no one likes to park their car at a service centre.

As you can see, all I have to talk about is performance, steering feedback and service experience because that’s pretty much what has been the case with our long term Ford Aspire since the time it has come. This compact sedan looks very good to me, I can look at it for hours, especially the rear (love the way the third box has been integrated) while the interior is comfy and there is decent space at the rear too. I love the audio system, the ease of use, the controls in direct reach and pretty much everything about the Aspire. But it’s now time to subject this tarmac scorching beast to the highway which I shall talk about in my next report.

Further Reading –

Ford Aspire Review
Ford Aspire vs Maruti Dzire
Ford Aspire vs Hyundai Elite i20
Ford Aspire vs Honda Amaze vs Hyundai Xcent vs Tata Zest