Ford Aspire Facelift Review
Car Tested: 2018 Ford Figo Aspire Facelift; Road Test No. 1002; Test Location: Jodhpur
Price OTR Mumbai: Rs. 6.55 – 9.95 lakhs
The Ford Aspire now gets a drastically improved Dragon petrol engine
The compact sedan segment is a heated battlefield with India’s top selling car being a compact sedan. The demand is there and so are plenty of rivals, fighting in this space. Ford launched the second generation Figo with the compact sedan Aspire in 2015 and it has done decently for them, although it deserved better sales. There were a few things missing and the petrol engine was quite lacklustre, the American car maker has now resolved both of these and also reduced the price of the car, making it a great proposition. We drove both the petrol and diesel manuals in hot, dry and dusty Rajasthan to get a feel of the facelifted model.
The bigger wheels help greatly in a better stance, lower trims still get 14s
Exteriors – The Ford Aspire now comes with smoked headlamps, however, there are no projectors or DRLs in this car. It gets a chrome surrounded grille with a small Ford logo over it. The front bumper now looks even sharper and it gets a black fog-lamp housing with a chrome insert, while the rear gets a small change in the design with faux air vents on either side. On the side, there are no updates except the new 15-inch multi-spoke alloy wheels on the Titanium trims. The Ford Aspire looks fresh now and the proportions look balanced in spite of the truncated boot (the Aspire that is exported is over 4-metres in length).
Airy cabin thanks to dual-tone treatment, front door pockets are quite big
Interiors – As you step inside, you will notice the new 6.5-inch touchscreen infotainment system with both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. The centre console looks neater now as the massive onslaught of buttons has been removed in lieu of the slick Sync 3 system (even lower models get a touchscreen and not the el-cheapo mobile docking system). The equipment list remains the same as earlier with a few more features, it now gets auto-dimming cabin mirror, reverse parking camera, reverse parking sensors, automatic headlights and automatic wipers. The car also comes with push button start and both the sun visors now get a mirror. There are two USB ports right ahead of the gear lever.
No change whatsoever at the rear, door pockets would have been nice
The Aspire gets even more equipment but still misses out on a few essentials
The Ford Aspire offers decent amount of legroom and headroom on the rear seat, however getting three adults in the rear isn’t easy due to the width of the car, Ford knows that and hence there are only two adjustable headrests at the rear, there is a centre arm rest too but that gets no cupholders, neither do the door pads. The seat back is scooped out, there are magazine holders behind the front seatback and the only cupholder for rear seat passengers is the one in between the front seats. The Aspire gets a new key which has boot release on it, imperative as there is no electromagnetic tail gate opener. The car also misses out on a passive entry system which could be added in the near future.
The 1.5-litre diesel is simply unmatched for performance and economy
Performance – Ford’s 1.5-litre diesel engine is easily the best small capacity oil burner around and when it ain’t broke why fix it, so there are no mechanical changes to this motor. Producing 100 PS of power and 215 Nm of torque, power delivery is linear, low-end lag is well contained and the Aspire diesel is very drivable in stop-go traffic. The mid-range is strong and the Aspire pulls to triple digit speeds in a jiffy, in fact 0-100 km/hr comes up in just 9.72 seconds. There is such good thrust from the diesel powerplant that wheel-spins are plenty (even with upsized wheels), and it’s only the top-end where this motor lacks although it still stretches to a 5000 RPM redline.
The new 1.2-litre petrol engine gives a shot to the Aspire’s arm
The petrol engine really impresses, no longer is the diesel the only goto
Refinement levels are good lower down but it does get vocal in the high-end of the rev band. The new gearbox (you need to lift and slot into reverse now in the diesel) offers slick shifts and the clutch is light too. Meanwhile, the petrol engines are all-new 3-cylinder units, the automatic is the 1.5-litre mill that does duty on the EcoSport and outputs an impressive 123 PS and 150 Nm, paired to a 6-speed torque converter, we didn’t sample this engine on our drive. The manual is the 1.2-litre powerplant that generates a segment best 96 PS and 120 Nm, it made its debut in the Freestyle. Performance from the Dragon motor is impressive, there is good low-end pep and post a slight hesitation in the mid-range, it gets punchy in the top-end and accelerates with gusto right from 4000 RPM to its 6800 RPM redline.
Ford now has the best trio of engines in the compact sedan segment
Refinement levels are great for a 3-cylinder engine, it only gets vocal at higher RPMs, that too in a good way. The gearbox offers slick shifts too. Both the petrol and diesel engines are efficient, the former should return a mileage of 13-14 km/l while the latter will stretch it to an impressive 16-18 km/l. Ironically, the petrol powered Aspires have a 2-litre bigger fuel tank than the diesel. The diesel models also weigh lesser than the petrol automatic due to the weight of the AT box. Unfortunately, there is no diesel automatic on offer which all the three primary rivals of the Aspire offer.
The Aspire is engineered to Ford’s surefooted dynamics
Driving Dynamics – Ford has got a good balance of ride and handling on the Aspire. With the bigger wheels, the dynamics are even better. Ride quality is pliant and absorbs almost everything in its stride although bad roads are felt inside but only at higher speeds. The steering offers good feel too, it’s light at lower speeds and weighs up at higher speeds but isn’t in the same league as the hydraulic steering assisted first generation Figo. There is some amount of body roll but the car is quite poised around the bends and is a whole lot of fun, no matter which engine is powering it. Brakes too offer good stopping power but the ABS is over sensitive and pulsates just too much under heavy braking.
The only car in the segment to offer 6 airbags, that too since 3 years now
Safety & After Sales – On the safety front, the Aspire facelift gets 6 airbags, ABS, EBD and reverse parking camera which shows the visuals on the 6.5-inch touchscreen. The Ford Aspire scored a good 3-stars in adult occupant and 2-stars in child occupant safety, as per Global NCAP tests. The company offers a 5-year/1,00,000 km (2-years which can be extended) warranty on the Aspire which is great for a compact sedan. In terms of service, Ford has a decent network and they are increasing it further. Ford spare parts now come at cheaper rates than before and the cost of service is the cheapest in the segment. Speaking numbers, cost of service for the diesel Aspire is Rs. 1574/-, 4609/-, 5442/- 4609/-, 4129/-, 6621/-, 4129/-, 4609/-, 5442/- and 4609/- for the first 10 years of service at an interval of 10,000 kms (the petrol is even cheaper).
Ford has upped the appeal of the Aspire drastically
Verdict – The Ford Aspire has always been one of the best cars in the segment but needed a boost in equipment and a cosmetic tweak to liven things. The facelift has done the trick and the new petrol engines are sure to attract a lot more buyers to the Blue Oval. The diesel Aspire has always offered the best performance in the segment and now the petrols are no less, while being efficient as well. With a reduction in pricing, lowest cost of service in the segment and a long list of features, the Ford Aspire just got even better.
Next-gen Figo and Aspire are likely to be co-engineered with Mahindra!
What’s Cool
* Updated features list makes it very well equipped
* Both engines offer great performance and sound good too
* New gearbox offers slick shifts
* Sync 3 is the slickest touch-screen around
* A very fun car to drive with engaging handling
* Ride quality is good, suspension does a good job
* Reduced price and added features makes it even more VFM than before
What’s Not So Cool
* Some features missing which segment leader offers
* No top-end variant for petrol automatic
* ABS is too sensitive
* Ground clearance is low as the under bumper flap touches on bad speed-breakers
Alternatives: Maruti Dzire, Honda Amaze, Volkswagen Ameo
What is holding Aspire sales back? Network or herd mentality?
Further Reading –
Ford Aspire vs Hyundai Elite i20
Ford Aspire Long Term Review – Second Report
Ford Figo Aspire Long Term – First Report
Ford Figo Diesel Long Term – First Report
Ford Figo Diesel Long Term – Second Report