Saar: Apart from a bunch of cosmetic changes inside and out, the refreshed model gets new engine options and more kit.

 

Ford India’s product in the sub-4 metre sedan category has just received a mid-life update. Ladies and gentlemen, the Ford Aspire facelift is finally amongst us. It has been launched at with an introductory price list, which starts at Rs 5.55 lakh and goes all the way up to Rs 8.49 lakh (both prices, ex-showroom Delhi). Before we get to the list of features and reveal what’s new in the refreshed sedan, let’s take a look at how the introductory price list compares with that of the old model:

 

 

 

 

Ford Aspire Price List: Facelift Vs Old (Ex-showroom Delhi)

VariantPetrol (Old)Petrol (New)Diesel (Old)Diesel (New)
Ambiente MTRs 5,71,800Rs 5,55,000Rs 6,82,500Rs 6,45,000
Trend MTRs 6,32,900Rs 5,99,000Rs 7,43,800Rs 6,89,000
Trend+ MTNARs 6,39,000NARs 7,29,000
Titanium MTRs 6,63,600Rs 6,79,000Rs 7,74,500Rs 7,69,000
Titanium+ MTRs 7,34,600Rs 7,24,000Rs 8,45,800Rs 8,14,000
Titanium ATRs 8,68,700Rs 8,49,000NANA
Sports Edition MTRs 6,97,900NARs 8,08,500NA

 

As you can see, the prices are more than just competitive. In fact, with the exception of the petrol-powered Titanium MT variant, all others are now more affordable than before. All we need to see is for how long the introductory prices stay put.

 

 

In terms of design, Ford India has taken the inspiration from the Freestyle, which was launched in April this year. The Ford Aspire facelift gets a new front bumper, tweaked grille design which wears more chrome than before and larger 15-inch alloy wheels. Inside the cabin, the dual-tone, black-and-beige colour theme is carried forward. But, the dashboard design has been lifted from the Freestyle too.

 

In terms of features, the Ford Aspire facelift now comes with a 6.5-inch touchscreen infotainment system with SYNC3. That means you’ll get the support for both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Other features include rain-sensing wipers, six airbags and automatic climate control. As standard, all variants of the Ford Aspire facelift come with safety features such as dual airbags, ABS with EBD, rear parking sensors and reminder for front seatbelts.

 

The biggest change in the Aspire’s arsenal is under the hood. The old 1.2-litre Ti-VCT, 4-cylinder petrol engine has been replaced with the same 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder mill that does duty in the Ford Freestyle. It pumps out 96PS/120Nm and is only available with a 5-speed manual transmission. Ford claims that the mileage of this petrol-manual powertrain ranges from 19.4kmpl to 20.4kmpl. On the diesel front, there are no power or major mechanical changes to report. The 1.5-litre motor, which is good for 100PS/215Nm and comes mated only to a 5-speed manual gearbox, has been tweaked slightly to improve the mileage figure. That figure, as per Ford India, is now 26.1kmpl – up by 0.27kmpl.

 

As far as the automatic variant of the Ford Aspire facelift is concerned, it now comes with the same engine that does duty in the Ford EcoSport. It is a 1.5-litre, 3-cylinder, turbo-petrol mill that puts out 123PS/150Nm and comes mated to a 6-speed automatic gearbox (torque converter). Compared to the previous 1.5-litre mill, the new engine has 13PS/14Nm more oomph but returns 0.7kmpl less mileage – 16.3kmpl vs 17kmpl.

 

 

We have to say, Ford has done a remarkable job at keeping the prices competitive even after adding more to the Aspire’s kitty. In India, it goes up against the likes of the Hyundai Xcent, Honda Amaze, Volkswagen Ameo, Tata Tigor and the current king of the segment – the Maruti Suzuki Dzire.

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Rachit Shad Trehan
A car nutter by heart. A hopeless engineer by education. Gunning for one goal - simplify cars.

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