Ford Figo Aspire Launched in India (Coverage: Pg.21)

[VISHNUCARCRAZY]

Re: Ford Figo Compact Sedan Concept Unveiled (Coverage: Page 3)

Ground clearence won't be an issue i think,ford always does better in that by adjusting suspension mechanisms.
Let's see.

 

[kecha]

Re: Ford Figo Compact Sedan Concept Unveiled (Coverage: Page 3)

Guys,

Digging in to whatdrivesyou.in website reveals that the launch is either by June end (after 28th) or during July First Week as the promotional campaign is open until 28th of June.

 

[350Z]

Re: Ford Figo Compact Sedan Concept Unveiled (Coverage: Page 3)

Ford has kick started the pre-launch campaign for Figo Aspire called “What Drives You?”

• Anchored by Farhan Akhtar, it asks people share their goals, dreams, and aspirations that drive them to Go Further

• Participation will be both online and through on-ground engagement with the showcase of a Figo Aspire in 25 cities pan-India.

• Total of 56 participants will be gratified with special prizes and rewards including surprising, personalized experiences in a Ford Figo Aspire.

• One lucky winner will drive home the Figo Aspire. Eight selected participants stand a chance to win Rs.1,00,000 each to help achieve their aspirations.

Those who're interested can participate and share their stories by visiting this link.

​

Drive Safe,
350Z

 

[Akash1886]

Re: Ford Figo Compact Sedan Concept Unveiled (Coverage: Page 3)

Buddies,

Ford Aspire wasn't an easy one to design. Here's why!

Ford Figo Aspire, the first car to be rolled out from American carmaker's Gujarat plant was not an easy fit in terms of design and development. It was a worry for the entire design team, because to fit- the sub-4 meter benchmark meant horizontally squeezing it and vertically pulling, Ehab Kaoud, Chief Designer, Ford Motor Company told

link

Regards

Akash

 

[Dezire]

Re: Ford Figo Compact Sedan Concept Unveiled (Coverage: Page 3)

Ford Figo Aspire makes public debut, interior revealed

Ford India today unveiled the Ford Figo Aspire at a shopping mall in Gurgaon, as a part of its pre-launch road show that will take the car to hot spots in Indian metro cities for demo.

The Figo Aspire compact sedan was first showcased at the Sanand plant inauguration in March, but had its doors locked.

Today however we get to see the car’s interior in flesh. The dual-tone dashboard is derived from the modern day Fords like the EcoSport and Fiesta, installed with the SYNC multimedia system. Component sharing is immediately visible when you look at the buttons, steering wheel, door handles and switches, which come off the EcoSport.

This pre-production demo vehicle, a high-end Titanium diesel variant, comes with an auto climate control system (base variants will get manual AC and mobile docking in place of SYNC), six airbags (dual front, side and curtain airbags) and five-speed manual transmission. Ford has also released an image of the 6-speed PowerShift (dual-clutch in Ford’s language) transmission, that like on the Fiesta and EcoSport, should be exclusive to the petrol variant.

Under the hood of the demo model is a 1.5-liter TDCI diesel engine that is paired to a 5-speed manual transmission. Ford will introduce for the first time, a new 1.2-liter TI-VCT petrol engine on the Aspire, also paired to a 5-speed manual.

Prices, variants and features will be released closer to the launch of the car, which is expected to unfold in the coming months.

Competition: Maruti Dzire, Tata Zest, Honda Amaze, Hyundai Xcent

Expected Price: INR 5.5-7 lakhs, ex-Showroom

Tentative Launch: Mid-2015

Ford Figo Aspire makes public debut, interior revealed

 

[generalmax]

Re: Ford Figo Compact Sedan Concept Unveiled (Coverage: Page 3)

As per this article from Gaadi.com,aspire will also come with a dual clutch Auto transmission which will make it one of the cheapest dual clutch AT in that segment.Ford definitely will keep India as their manufacturing hub.It is a sure case of success where Ford had technically applied something (sub 4 m terms from GOI) which had enabled them to come up with a good product.

Link

 

[AutoKrish]

Re: Ford Figo Compact Sedan Concept Unveiled (Coverage: Page 3)

I personally have concerns about their dual clutch transmission reliability/functioning. I purchased 2012 Ford Fiesta Titanium + AT (used) that ran for 6000KMS. Soon within weeks realized why the earlier owner got rid of the vehicle. Grinding noise and Jerks one hell of a transmission. Already made 3 round trips to dealership in last 2 months. As of today it is at Ford dealership and Ford Chennai is doing trial and error, now attempting clutch replacement if that does not solve they will probably try replacing auto transmission. Slightly off topic but I would be skeptical to go for DCT in aspire unless Ford can prove reliability as well as enable smooth functioning of gear box. With my experience I am almost against dual clutch transmissions will probably go back to 6-speed auto for my next car.

 

[Akash1886]

Re: Ford Figo Compact Sedan Concept Unveiled (Coverage: Page 3)

My Buddies,

Exclusive Ford Aspire In and Out Photos and Brochure For The Automotive India



















​

# Contd. in next post.

Regards

Akash

 

[Akash1886]

Re: Ford Figo Compact Sedan Concept Unveiled (Coverage: Page 3)

Quick Observations on the Ford Aspire​

* Engine Sound on Idling is high.

* Rear seat not having much broadness, resulting in less thigh support.

* Cabin looks neat and designed well.

* Piano Black inserts looks average.

* Leather OEM fabric on seats looks dated. Inspired from Maruti of early 2000.

* Legroom not much for rear passengers.

* Not a 5 seater. Only 4 seater, with five pax the cabin looks overloaded.

* Paint finish very nice.

* External design is decent. We can assume, the Figo hatchback that's about to come from Ford will surely be good in looks.

* Headlamp design somehow reminds me of Datsun's headlamps.

* AC Cooling is good.

* Audio Quality is normal.

* No Cladding under the boot.

​

All Pics Are Exclusively For The Automotive India. Any Re-Use Needs Full Credit to T.A.I.​

Regards

Akash

 

[NH08]

Re: Ford Figo Compact Sedan Concept Unveiled (Coverage: Page 3)

It is the best looking car among all those compact sedans.

 

[Dezire]

Re: Ford Figo Compact Sedan Concept Unveiled (Coverage: Page 3)

Ford rules out AMT for Ford Figo Aspire

India’s leading auto manufacturers of launching an automated manual transmission, Ford is betting on dual clutch technology. India’s growth story maybe fascinating but congestion continues to plague the Indian roads and thus despite manual being the most dominating transmission type on Indian vehicles today, manufacturers are making automatics more and more affordable.

The Ford Figo Aspire will be launched with a dual clutch transmission or Powershift as Ford calls it, that will be only be with the petrol engine and the diesel buyers will be deprived of the continence of automatic. Ford is aware of the competition landscape and the demand for automatic on diesel but as part of the launch plan, it will adopt a wait and watch strategy.

Ford India’s VP for marketing Raj Sarkar told IAB that the Ford Powershift is a way better technology than AMT is and it makes the whole driving proposition a lot peppier. Ford claims that the fuel economy will be really good with the Powershift too, though it has not yet made the numbers official.

Ford rules out AMT for Ford Figo Aspire - IAB Report

 

[1989rs500]

Re: Ford Figo Compact Sedan Concept Unveiled (Coverage: Page 3)

Quick Observations on the Ford Aspire​

* Rear seat not having much broadness, resulting in less thigh support.
* Leather OEM fabric on seats looks dated. Inspired from Maruti of early 2000.
* Legroom not much for rear passengers.
* Not a 5 seater. Only 4 seater, with five pax the cabin looks overloaded.

Hii Akash
Great coverage for TAI,
*Can you compare the interior space specially rear seat space to any other car in the sub 4m sedan segment, like the Tata Zest,Hyundai Xcent,Honda Amaze,Chevrolet Sail,Toyota Etios, etc?
*How is the transmission tunnel, is it small enough to be neglected rather than protruding?
*How is the door shut feel, did it feel heavy and solid ?
*Was there rubber sealing around all 4 doors (usually done to isolate cabin and to reduce exterior noise)?

I personally have concerns about their dual clutch transmission reliability/functioning. I purchased 2012 Ford Fiesta Titanium + AT (used) that ran for 6000KMS. Soon within weeks realized why the earlier owner got rid of the vehicle. Grinding noise and Jerks one hell of a transmission. Already made 3 round trips to dealership in last 2 months. As of today it is at Ford dealership and Ford Chennai is doing trial and error, now attempting clutch replacement if that does not solve they will probably try replacing auto transmission. Slightly off topic but I would be skeptical to go for DCT in aspire unless Ford can prove reliability as well as enable smooth functioning of gear box. With my experience I am almost against dual clutch transmissions will probably go back to 6-speed auto for my next car.

Well, I was looking for the Powershift AT Figo, that story seems scary,
Doesn't Ford India provide life time warranty for the Power shift AT gearbox?

 

[Akash1886]

Re: Ford Figo Compact Sedan Concept Unveiled (Coverage: Page 3)

*Can you compare the interior space specially rear seat space to any other car in the sub 4m sedan segment, like the Tata Zest,Hyundai Xcent,Honda Amaze,Chevrolet Sail,Toyota Etios, etc?

I have sat in Maruti Dzire and Toyota Etios in the rear and not any other sub-4m CS so in comparison to both of them, the Aspire's seat according to me, was bit lacking in thigh support and not much broad. Can't seat 5 people at all.

*How is the door shut feel, did it feel heavy and solid ?

The door closing, I found pretty decent. The heaviness of the door can't be measured to that of a proper sedan like a Vento but still nothing to complain about either.

*Was there rubber sealing around all 4 doors (usually done to isolate cabin and to reduce exterior noise)?

Due to good insulation by rubber as is evident in the pic too, the in-cabin experience was also nice. With windows rolled up and doors closed properly, I could not hear the advertisement going on outside on the screen. The cabin noise however, shall be tested by a test drive on roads between honking et al.

*How is the transmission tunnel, is it small enough to be neglected rather than protruding?

Transmission tunnel, I guess you mean the rear floor hump right? In that case, personally I think if one may buy this car then can live with it. To some extent the depression/hump can be leveled by floor mats/carpeting.

Regards

Akash

 

[AutoKrish]

Re: Ford Figo Compact Sedan Concept Unveiled (Coverage: Page 3)

Well, I was looking for the Powershift AT Figo, that story seems scary,
Doesn't Ford India provide life time warranty for the Power shift AT gearbox?

As per Ford, Powershift gear box is 10 years maintenance free and people are getting confused that with 10 years warranty. Since my car is under warranty I am pushing them to fix the gearbox permanently. Internationally multiple law suites are filed for their gearbox issues ( (http://www.wtae.com/investigations/investigation-finds-hundreds-of-complaints-about-ford-transmissions/24333878) ). In Australia they are providing extended warranty to give confidence to customers on these powershift issues (Ford Focus, Fiesta, EcoSport warranties extended over dual-clutch transmission shudder). Unfortunately in India you have to shout, escalate and follow up multiple times, demo the issue to them. I am still doubtful whether I will have smooth ride with powershift gearbox once they repair because every time I complained they came and said we tested and diagnosed it looks fine.

 

[kishore108]

Re: Ford Figo Compact Sedan Concept Unveiled (Coverage: Page 3)

I have sat in Maruti Dzire and Toyota Etios in the rear and not any other sub-4m CS so in comparison to both of them, the Aspire's seat according to me, was bit lacking in thigh support and not much broad. Can't seat 5 people at all.

The door closing, I found pretty decent. The heaviness of the door can't be measured to that of a proper sedan like a Vento but still nothing to complain about either.

Due to good insulation by rubber as is evident in the pic too, the in-cabin experience was also nice. With windows rolled up and doors closed properly, I could not hear the advertisement going on outside on the screen. The cabin noise however, shall be tested by a test drive on roads between honking et al.

Transmission tunnel, I guess you mean the rear floor hump right? In that case, personally I think if one may buy this car then can live with it. To some extent the depression/hump can be leveled by floor mats/carpeting.

Regards

Akash

Hi Akash great pics and thanks for sharing first hand information. However, since you have been in the rear seat of a dzire, do you feel the aspire has same rear space as dzire or more than it ?
Approximately how much boot space does the aspire have ? Not sure if the boot space has been covered in the brochure. I find the boot space to be more than dzire, but again its difficult to judge from pics. Great work Akash , keep going.