In November 2020, we reported that Ford had removed the ‘Trend’ level from Figo’s, Aspire’s and Freestyle’s portfolios. Now, the Indian arm of the American carmaker has taken another step to shorten the list of variants further. The Aspire and Freestyle models are now no longer available in Ambiente derivative. Interestingly, the Figo is still on offer in that spec.

What that means is that the entry-level derivatives of Aspire and Freestyle wear the ‘Titanium’ tag. The former’s portfolio is down to just four variants, whereas the latter is available in six.

Both models share most of the stuff between themselves, including the powertrains. The 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder petrol engine offers 95bhp/119Nm, whereas the 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder diesel pumps out 99bhp/215Nm. The only transmission option that comes mated to both those powerplants is a 5-speed manual. Ford claims that with the petrol-MT combination, both models in question can return up to 18.5kmpl. Opt for the diesel-MT, and the Aspire’s 24.4kmpl figure outshines Freestyle’s 23.8kmpl.

You guessed it! The list of features is more or less the same as well. Both cars offer stuff like six airbags, auto headlamps and wipers, automatic climate control, push-button start, a 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with embedded navigation and a rear-view camera.

In India, the Ford Aspire competes with the Honda Amaze, Hyundai Aura and the Maruti Suzuki Dzire. The Aspire, on the other hand, rivals the Maruti Suzuki Ignis and the Mahindra KUV100. Besides those two models and the Figo, Ford also sells the EcoSport, Endeavour and the Mustang GT in India. Ford, which was heading into a joint-venture with Mahindra, has now decided to march on as a standalone brand. That said, the duo will launch their first jointly-developed product. For Mahindra, that’ll be the new-gen XUV500, whereas it will be an all-new offering for Ford.