Ford India has unveiled its Figo based crossover-ish hatch for India. The new car gets a more muscular look, higher ground clearance and other visual bits to give it an outdoorsy look, meant to appeal to young millennials with an active lifestyle. The Ford Freestyle will compete with the likes of the Hyundai i20 Active, Honda WR-V and Toyota Etios Cross when it’s launched. In the first look, the car looks handsome, and by what the company tells us, is pretty well-equipped too. So should you be waiting before you buy in the segment? Here’s everything you need to know about the new Ford Freestyle crossover to make a decision.
Ford Freestyle exterior and Design
The Ford Freestyle, although based on a hatch, tries to mimic SUVs to radiate a very rugged look. The Freestyle uses design elements common to more expensive mini SUVs. The car gets a unique grille with a three-dimensional mesh. The surface of the car gets straight lines moving from front to the rear for muscular looks. The front bumper of the vehicle has an integrated skid plate and sculpted fascia sections to add some brawn to the front of the car. With black plastic under-cladding all around, satin-silver roof rails and substantially more muscular bumpers up front and at the rear. The car gets new 15 inch alloy wheels too and new graphics on the lower portion of the doors.
The headlamps on the car are blacked-out with high contrast and are complemented by fog lamp bezel. There is no LED DRL here though, nor is there a projector headlamp, and these two bits are big omissions for a car which is supposed to carry big visual character. The windshield is raked to add a sense of speed and motion to the car. At the rear, the Freestyle gets an athletic stance and some nice detailing in the tail lamps.
The Ford Freestyle also gets 15mm higher ground clearance as compared to the Figo hatchback along with a wider track. It also gets a lighter steering wheel and a reworked suspension which is much plusher than the hatch. This is essentially to make city driving easier and more comfortable.
Ford Freestyle Safety
The Freestyle will come pretty well equipped in terms of safety features. It’ll get up to six airbags – on the top of the line Titanium variant. The Freestyle will also get Active Rollover Prevention (ARP) for to prevent the car from tipping over. The car will also gets Electronic Stability Control and in conjunction with the ARP system it will be able to automatically detect potential rollover situations by applying brakes to individual tyres and decrease engine torque. TCS, ABS with EBD and uniquely tuned EPAS are some of the salient features here.
Ford freestyle Interior and features
Inside the cabin, the car will share its bits with the upcoming Figo / Aspire. The big highlight here is the new touch-screen infotainment system. The new infotainment system comprises of a 6.5 inch touchscreen along with Ford SYNC3 which is Android Auto and Apple CarPlay Compliant and also identifies voice commands.
The instrument console comprises of an analogue setup for speed and tacho with a digital MID for all the driving related information. The gear shifter is from the Figo / Aspire although the gearbox underneath is all new. The car also gets keyless engine start / stop, a three spoke steering and lots of chrome accents inside the cabin.
The space inside remains the same as the Figo, with nicely crafted, comfortable and supportive seats. Boot space inside the Freestyle is also expected to be the same as the Figo.
Ford Freestyle Engine and Specs
The Freestyle will come powered by Ford’s all-new, three-cylinder 1.2L TiVCT Dragon series petrol engine, and the trusted 1.5litre TDCi diesel motor as well. The petrol engine is said to be small, light and claimed to deliver great mileage, although the numbers are not shared yet. The 1.2 litre petrol engine will dish out 96 PS of peak power, which is actually best in class, and 120 Nm of torque. The 1.5L TDCi diesel engine with 100 PS peak power and 215 Nm of torque will also be available. The engines will be mated to 5-speed manual transmission and may get an auto as well.
Ford Freestyle Launch date and Price
The Ford Freestyle will be launched in the second quarter of 2018, i.e., between April and June. The prices of the cars will be announced then.
The expected price for the new Ford Freestyle should range between Rs 5.5 – 8.5 lakh ex-showroom
Ford Freestyle Image Gallery
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