The newly launched compact sedan from Ford’s stable, the Aspire was till now offered with a choice of two petrol and 1 diesel motor. Ford, in an attempt to offer more value to their customers and to keep running costs low, have added a new CNG option, which has been launched in the Indian market. The CNG equipped model will be available in two trim levels – Ambiente and Trend Plus, both of which come with dual airbags, which makes it the only CNG powered compact sedan to offer this safety aid as standard. The CNG equipped model uses the 1.2-litre petrol motor and comes with a 5-speed manual transmission. The Ambiente variant is priced at INR 6,27,414 and the Trend Plus variant comes in at INR 7,12,314 (Both prices are ex-showroom).
The 1.2-litre motor, when powered with petrol generates 96 hp and 120 Nm. The brochure for the CNG variant mentions no change in power figures. The Aspire also has a long service interval of 1 year or 10,000 km and the CNG kits will require service once every 2 years or 20,000 km. This translates to a maintenance cost of 46 paise for every kilometre and a standard 2-year/1,00,000 km warranty. Moreover, the car will also offer a host of convenience features which includes an infotainment system with 7-inch touchscreen & Bluetooth connectivity, rear-view camera, automatic air conditioning and some more.
“The New Aspire CNG is yet another fuel-efficient, and eco-friendly alternative for our value-conscious customers,” said Vinay Raina, executive director – Marketing, Sales & Service, at Ford India. “With maintenance cost as low as just 46 paise per km, the New Aspire CNG will offer great peace of mind to customers, without compromising on performance, safety or space.”
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Ford also has taken care of the additional weight the sequential CNG kit will add to the car. They will provide the CNG fitted models with a stabiliser bar, which makes sure handling and driving dynamics are not compromised. Ford also follow a suspension type cylinder fitment process, which frees up space in the boot, so that customers do not have to compromise on boot space. Moreover, the ECU of the car also has been tweaked for the CNG model, which shall ensure proper gas flow in every cylinder of the Engine. Linked below is a video of our take on this compact sedan for you to see.