Introduction
Just ahead of the festive season, Ford India has launched the Aspire facelift. Since being introduced in India in 2015, this is the first major update of the Ford Aspire whichnow features redesigned front and rear fascia, bigger spoked alloys, a new three-cylinder 1.2-litre petrol engine, new 5-speed manual transmission, segment-leading connectivity and safety including Ford’s award-winning SYNC 3 paired to a high-resolution 6.5-inch touchscreen and up to six airbags.
The new Ford Aspire is being produced at Ford India’s Sanand Factory in Gujarat, for consumers in India and all around the world. Living up to market expectations, Ford India has aggressively priced the updated Aspire with introductory price starting at Rs 5.55 lakh (ex-showroom). Power Drive got an opportunity to take the new Ford Aspire for a spin around the Sun City of India – Jodhpur. Read on to find out how it fared.
Design and Engineering
When viewed head on, you will notice the redesigned front fascia of the 2018 Ford Aspire which features a new three-dimensional cellular grille that lends a completely fresh look to the compact sedan in comparison to the outgoing model.
Also featuring on the exterior are new fog lamps which are encrusted in a chrome surrounding and redesigned headlamps that feature a black encasing which looks sporty yet premium. Similarly, newly designed tail lamps accentuate the style quotient of the Ford Aspire when glanced from the rear.
The new Ford Aspire also features premium alloys and bigger 15-inch tyres which delivers a more confident and planted drive dynamics. NVH levels are well contained resulting in a quiet passenger compartment.
The 2018 Ford Aspire is available in seven colours, including White Gold, Moondust Silver, Smoke Grey, Absolute Black, Deep Impact Blue, Ruby Red and Oxford White.
Interior and Comfort
The cabin in the new Ford Aspire features beige interiors which not just adds a premium touch but also creates an enhanced sense of space. The seats have better lumber support making your drives more comfortable, including a central armrest with two integrated cup or bottle holders in the rear.
The cabin also comes with a host of convenience features including a reverse parking camera, automatic climate control system, two USB slots, push-button start/stop, electrochromic IRVM, rain-sensing wipers and a myriad of stowage spaces to tuck away your daily essentials while driving to work. An ample boot ensures that there is always space for your bags during a weekend getaway.
The 2018 Ford Aspire comes equipped with Ford’s in-car infotainment system, SYNC 3 with a 6.5-inch touchscreen which allows drivers to control their entertainment and connected smartphone using voice commands.
SYNC 3 system is Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatible and will allow drivers to use navigation through their Apple CarPlay or Android Auto paired phones. The SYNC 3 system will also offer Emergency Assistance, a potentially lifesaving technology that automatically calls emergency services from a paired phone in case of an accident.
Performance and Handling
New Aspire is powered by Ford’s all-new, three-cylinder 1.2-litre TiVCT petrol engine that is small, light and fuel efficient. The naturally aspirated engine generates 96 PS of peak power and 120 Nm of torque while delivering an ARAI-ratified fuel efficiency of 20.4 kmpl. The engine is surprisingly zippy making it fun to drive. There is adequate power delivery on each throttle input and accelerates well when you need to overtake or simply pull away from the traffic, making it an ideal city car.
For the diesel lovers, new Ford Aspire comes with the tried and tested 1.5-litre TDCi engine delivering 100 PS peak power, 215 Nm of torque and fuel economy of 26.1 kmpl. The diesel engine is both powerful and responsive. On the move the engine exhibits very little turbo lag and the power delivery is linear. Even at low speeds and in high gear the engine doesn’t knock or stalls and pulls well from low revs. The drivability of the 2018 Ford Aspire diesel feels light years ahead of the new Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire and the Hyundai Xcent especially in city traffic.
Both engines are paired with an all-new, five-speed manual transmission that’s sportier and more efficient. The transmission is precise making it a pleasure to operate. Ford claims that this new manual transmission is almost 15 per cent lighter and helps improve fuel economy while reducing NVH. It requires 40 per cent lesser gear oil than its predecessor. Drivers will experience slicker, more responsive gear shifts when they behind the wheel.
Offering greater choice to the customers, Ford is also introducing its latest six-speed Automatic Transmission on the New Ford Aspire. Paired to the three-cylinder, 1.5-litre petrol engine, the Automatic New Ford Aspire delivers a peak power of 123 PS.
Safety
Safety has always been of paramount importance at Ford and the carmaker has been championing this cause in India for many years now. The new Ford Aspire continues their leadership on safety, offering standard dual airbags across the variant line-up. For those looking for greater safety, it will offer up to six airbags on top Titanium+ trim.
Going beyond airbags, Ford Aspire will offer several features to enhance occupant safety such as Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), offering drivers better grip, while keeping the drive smooth.
The New Ford Aspire will enable its owners to navigate quick turns and bends with Electronic Stability Program (ESP) and Electric Power Assisted Steering (EPAS). Also in Automatic Transmission, the Hill-Launch Assist feature will ensure greater control on inclines.
Verdict
The new Ford Aspire is an intelligently engineered and very well designed compact sedan. Kudos to the engineers at Ford India for the brilliant packaging of the Aspire facelift. It also looks very modern and stylish and is sure to turns many heads on the road. Fit and finish is great. The interior is adequately spacious for a compact sedan and tastefully done up in beige. The Aspire diesel is both powerful and responsive resulting in a pleasurable drive. The petrol proves to be surprisingly zippy on highways, offering a smooth drive and holds its own very well on busy city roads too.
Ensuring complete peace-of-mind, the New Ford Aspire is the only compact sedan in India to come with a first-in-class five-year or 100,000 kilometre warranty, which includes 2-year factory warranty and 3-year extended warranty. Ford claims that the new Aspire will continue to offer lowest scheduled service and maintenance costs in its segment – at just 38 paise per kilometre for petrol and 46 paise per kilometre for diesel over 100,000 kilometres.
Overall, the team at Ford India has taken a good product and made it ever better. In my opinion, this compact sedan it’s worth every penny and will give its rivals a run for their money.
All prices ex-showroom, Pan-India:
| Manual Transmission | Petrol (1.2L TiVCT) | Diesel (1.5L TDCi) |
| New Ford Aspire Ambiente | INR 555,000 | INR 645,000 |
| New Ford Aspire Trend | INR 599,000 | INR 689,000 |
| New Ford Aspire Trend [+] | INR 639,000 | INR 729,000 |
| New Ford Aspire Titanium | INR 679,000 | INR 769,000 |
| New Ford Aspire Titanium [+] | INR 724,000 | INR 814,000 |
| Automatic Transmission | Petrol (1.5L TiVCT) | |
| New Ford Aspire Titanium | INR 849,000 | |
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