By: Report: P.Tharyan; Photography: Afsar Baig
Nov 07 2018
It’s Enter the Dragon Part 3. After the Figo and the
Freestyle, this new sub-4 metre Ford Aspire too has got the same 1.2 litre
TiVCT 3-cylinder petrol engine mated to a new 5-speed manual gear box. There is
also a 1.5 litre TDCI diesel engine with a new 5-speed manual transmission.
Ford India also has a 1.5 litre 3-cylinder petrol engine from the Dragon family
mated to a six-speed automatic transmission on offer. We drove the top end
versions, the Titanium + of the 1.2 litre petrol MT and the 1.5 litre diesel MT
models.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS OF 2018 Ford ASPIRE
|
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Engine
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1.2 litre TiVCT 3-cylinder
petrol
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1.5 litre TDCI diesel
|
|
Peak Power
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94.68hp@6500rpm
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98.63hp@3750rpm
|
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Peak Torque
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120Nm@4250rpm
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215 Nm@1750-3000rpm
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Transmission
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5-speed manual
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5-speed manual
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Front suspension
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Independent McPherson
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Rear suspension
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Semi-independent
(twist beam type)
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Front brakes
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Ventilated disc brakes/hydraulic, vacuum assisted tandem
master cylinder
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Rear brakes
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Drum brakes/ hydraulic,
vacuum assisted tandem master cylinder with auto slack adjuster
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Tyres
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195/55 R15
|
|
Fuel tank capacity
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42 litres
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40 litres
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Length X width X height
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3995mm x 1704mm 1525mm
|
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Kerb weight
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1016-1043kg
|
1053-1080kg
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Fuel efficiency (km/l)
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19.4
|
26.1
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Price (Rs)
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724,000
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814,000
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|
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EXTERIOR DESIGN
AND FEATURES OF 2018 FORD ASPIRE
The front of the new Aspire has been tweaked a bit. There
is a big three-dimensional cellular grille. Automatic headlamps in the new Ford
Aspire feature a black encasing to give a sporty look. Unfortunately, there are
no DRLs and no LEDs in this car. Chrome surrounds the new fog lamps and this in
turn is integrated into the front bumper.
At the rear, not much has changed, except for a tweak in
the design of the tail lamps. The bumper is more or less the same, except for a
small design cavity with black rubber on either side. Well, it’s a style
quotient whether you agree or not.
The new Ford Aspire also features premium alloys and
bigger 15-inch tyres. The profile of the tyre reads 195/55 R 15. Mind you this
is only in the Titanuim and Titanium + variants and for the Ambiente, Trend and
Trend+ variants, it is steel wheels with 175/65 R 14 tyres.
INTERIOR DESIGN
AND FEATURES OF 2018 FORD ASPIRE
The cabin of the all-new Ford Aspire is bright with its
beige coloured upholstery. The plastic used around the dash area is of decent
material. The dash area looks very clean and uncluttered and has an easy right
flowing design to it.
The fabric seats
have good support for the back and under thigh. The cabin comes with
convenience features including a reverse parking camera, automatic climate
control system, two USB slots, push-button start/stop, electrochromic IRVM and
rain-sensing wipers. The steering wheel comes with basic controls like volume
control and voice command. This electric power assisted steering wheel can be
tilted but is not telescopic.
The rear seats too are comfortable, although I feel with
people around 6 feet or above in height may have a tad discomfort in terms of
head room and knee room. Since the top-end variant comes with 6 airbags, there
are no grab handles for those seated in the vehicle.
The Inner door panels of the vehicle have ample storage
space in its skin with two bottle holders and some extra space. At one end of
the dash you have a cavity where you can tuck away your keys, as this model has
a start stop function. There is a plain Jane looking centre arm rest for the
rear passengers.
The car features the SYNC 3 in-car infotainment system
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 & Android Auto
compatible and will allow drivers to use navigation through their iOS or
Android paired phones. It also offers Emergency Assistance, a technology that
automatically calls emergency services from a paired phone in case of an
accident.

SAFETY AND
PERFORMANCE OF 2018 FORD ASPIRE
I took turns driving the diesel and the petrol variants.
The diesel is peppy like hell. It’s a turbo charged one and you really do not
get to feel as it kicks in around the 1200 rpm level on the tachometer. This is
where the torque comes into play big time and the vehicle gets going in a
hurry. The road handling of the diesel variant is so superb, even at high
speeds and on bad roads it stayed planted to the roads. At higher rpms you do
get to hear the diesel engine grunting and the noise percolating into the
cabin. But that can surely be overlooked because it’s not so bad. The car has
disc brakes in front and drums at the rear.
The all-new, three-cylinder 1.2L TiVCT petrol engine in
the Ford Aspire is not at all a push over compared to its diesel bro. No turbo
here but simply naturally aspirated, it’s spirited though it lags a wee bit at
the early stages of the drive but when you push the accelerator, it surely
catches up with its diesel bro in performance. Both engines are paired to an
all-new, five-speed manual transmission. I am truly impressed by this
transmission because shifting comes so easy in this vehicle and the engine
seems to be perfectly mated to it. According to the company, this new manual
transmission is almost 15% lighter and helps improve fuel economy while
reducing NVH. It requires 40% lesser gear oil than its predecessor.
I am a stickler for safety. In the top end of the Ford
Aspire the company is offering six airbags. The car has Anti-Lock Braking
System (ABS) with Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD). Features like
Electronic Stability Program (ESP), Hill-Launch Assist feature and Traction
Control System only come in the sole automatic version.
VERDICT
All in all, the new Ford Aspire is a worthy contender in
the sub-4 metres car segment in India. If inspirations are what finally lead to
aspirations, there is a lot this new car has in terms of inspirations that can
lead a person to aspire for this all-new Ford Aspire!