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

[kecha]

OK Guys. I think many of you are confused between build quality VS structural integrity in regards to safety. If only better built car is safe then all Japanese cars will fail NCAP tests. I believe these have been said by other members several times. So if the doors of a car is not built strong it doesn't mean its poor in safety. All Japanese cars have similar build then how come they fare well in NCAP tests? Do you guys ever thought about it?

Its all about the strength in the skeleton of the car and not on the doors.
If you visit to Ford India site you see a safety section for all their cars. But, they did not show up the clear picture of the usage of high strength/boron steel even in the fiesta but they did show that on Aspire. See below to understand.

1.) Figo Aspire

2.) Classic

3.) New Fiesta


The point here is for classic (fiesta old gen) and new Fiesta many of their competitors are as safe as them so they just mentioned about the safety information. But, for Aspire most of their competitors are not as safe and hence they even posted a clear picture of the usage of the high strength steel showing their commitment to safety. So when you build a skeleton strong as such then how can you price a car competitive? So only way here is to compromise a bit on the build but still keep the car as safe as other cars from their brand. When you take competitors, when asked about the safety they will just reply that "it meets Indian safety norms" that's it. But god only knows what it is. Ford on the other hand was brave enough to tell 45% used was high-strength steel and also showed the areas of its usage. Don't we guys thought about it? Why are we not cribbing about these sacrifices done by the top two brands (Indian made swift, i10, Grand i10 failing crash tests) and instead crib here on ford who actually gives priority to safety when compared to others.

Understanding Indian people mentality when it comes to automobiles is just a mystery like understanding a girl's heart

 

[1989rs500]

@kecha
Thanks for completing that safety issue man
Yes, even Japanese brands like Swift score good NCAP score outside India but in India it fails hard, if Swift fails sois the Dzire, also Amaze and Xcent too are no way safe in terms of how they are built, in comparison the new gen Honda City though light is safe, not as safe as Fiesta but still safe, while we cannot say that about Ciaz,Amaze,Verna,Xcent,Sunny,Scala etc
Ford at least is concerned about safety despite Indian populations negelect towards safery,
Also Ecosport too is very safe car, its built rock solid tough but dosent get full 5 stars that a lighter built Honda Citymanages, thats because of child seat safety and higher GC that makes Ecosports jump off the collission circle creating chance of seat belt tightening across passenger, so in effect despite super solid built in Ecosport it isnt safe as Fiesta, so its just not heft that matters most, its where the heft has been added and where its been removed when unwanted. So I feel Aspire is more than enough safe in its segment or even above its segment.

 

[Theferrarifan]

Would anyone buy a car just because of build quality ? Do you think you'll crash it daily/weekly ? Whenever a new car is launched, people just keep on commenting on build quality of that particular car. I think more than anything else, its all about the crumple zones.
If good build does help in case of crash test, why did the "Well Built" Ecosport get 4 stars while the "Light Built" Honda City get 5 stars ? Now don't say Honda paid the NCAP for that extra star. Here its just a matter of how the car's crumple zones are designed which bear the impact. So, I am someone who thinks Build Quality is nothing to do with regards to occupants protection. It's how the car's crumple zones are designed that determines the cars safety.

Coming back to the Aspire, yes it doesn't actually feel as heavy as other Ford's, but that has been done to increase the Fuel Efficiency. The Zest is heavier but is less efficient, so here it's Efficiency given priority over heaviness.

You really need to do your research before you make those claims,no offence meant.
The Ecosport scored 4 stars because of poor pedestrian impact safety,not because of crash tests. It scored 93% FYI in adult protection. Build quality does matter, that's why cars are getting heavier. City may have scored 5 stars in Thailand but the Indian one would score 3 stars at a 60kmph impact with a pillow. How do I know that? I own two. The entire car is a crumple zone,there doesn't seem to be any passenger shell. I bet those Gcon safety is nothing but BS. Take these crash tests with a pinch of salt. Case in example,the swift Zxi. Should have scored 5 stars but scored measly 3. My aunt who had a previous gen Jazz in UK commented that my City feels so flimsy when compared to the Jazz. Why? Because Honda is greedy,much like other Asians.
And the Aspire has decent build,nothing like a traditional Ford but better than the japs. Way better in fact. Zest is still the best but I'm pretty sure that 6 airbags and a better development budget would tip the safety in the favour of the Ford.

 

[veb1242]

Hello,, anybody in this forum who owns aspire petrol ,can tell how much fuel efficiency they are getting?

 

[kishore108]

Is it possible to make out the test results of cars by just looking at their crash test.

The below video shows the crash test of tata zest at 3:23.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xBEwzaOe0Y

As far as nissan sunny is concerned. The below video shows the crash test. The indian version has only 2 airbags.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lR8xIcYJR9s

 

[1989rs500]

Today I test drove the Figo Aspire 1.5 Titanium Powershift AT car
The car was a Golden Bronze colour, which grabbed lot of attention
The Powershift AT is a dry dual clutch AT gearbox
The car was the 1st AT delivery car of Harry Ford Trivandrum, so we didnt do highway testing but mostly city driving only

The Gearbox can be put to P mode when parking and can be left there,
To Start the car, push Brakes and and flip the Ignition(Gearbox on P)
The 1.5l TiVCT engine is not like iVTEC motor, one can sense it when it TURNS ON and after that it idles into a distant hum, rev the engine and one will hear a moderately sporty engine note

To Drive- push a button on the back of gear lever and move it to D mode, now the car starts to creep slowly when brakes are released, there is one second delay to start creep which is good in city as the acceleration is sometimes unpredictable.
Now push the throttle to accelerate, throttle response is very good and definitely better than CVT and torque converters but not as good as VW DSG
There were 4 people in car but the car had enough torque to pull even inclines, the gear box is not as responsive as DSG but still does a fine job and makes city commutes a breeze, much much more easier than one would imagine
In an open stretch we also tested the S mode where the gearbox holds on to gears, and the rocker switches can be used to change gears, the shifts are not instantaneous but it works as intended,
The Hill Hold assist is a boon, even on slopes or inclines the car wont roll unnecessarily .

The cars performance is good no way excellent like TSI+DSG combo but it is the fastest AT car under 10 lakhs after GT TSi, all of its competition are far far behind when it comes to performance of Ford,VW ATs

In our short drive the average mileage shown was 6.6 kmpl(The car had just 18 kms before Test drive), but overall mileage was 10.3 kmpl.

Ride/Handling similar to Aspire TDCi,
At 9.06 lakhs On road for the Aspire AT its a very very good buy for some one who wants an AT car, true the new diesel ATs makes more sense but the Aspire AT is better as an Auto car, its still not as good as VW DSG in reading drivers minds but close

 

[kishore108]

@kecha
Thanks for completing that safety issue man
Yes, even Japanese brands like Swift score good NCAP score outside India but in India it fails hard, if Swift fails sois the Dzire, also Amaze and Xcent too are no way safe in terms of how they are built, in comparison the new gen Honda City though light is safe, not as safe as Fiesta but still safe, while we cannot say that about Ciaz,Amaze,Verna,Xcent,Sunny,Scala etc
Ford at least is concerned about safety despite Indian populations negelect towards safery,
Also Ecosport too is very safe car, its built rock solid tough but dosent get full 5 stars that a lighter built Honda Citymanages, thats because of child seat safety and higher GC that makes Ecosports jump off the collission circle creating chance of seat belt tightening across passenger, so in effect despite super solid built in Ecosport it isnt safe as Fiesta, so its just not heft that matters most, its where the heft has been added and where its been removed when unwanted. So I feel Aspire is more than enough safe in its segment or even above its segment.

Once again Hyundai proves that it gives a damn for Indian customers.

http://www.latinncap.com/data/pdf/Hyundai_Grand_i10-NO_Airbags_en.pdf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LS0efXG28g

grand i10 and xcent are almost the same except the boot.

 

[kecha]

Once again Hyundai proves that it gives a damn for Indian customers.

http://www.latinncap.com/data/pdf/Hyundai_Grand_i10-NO_Airbags_en.pdf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LS0efXG28g

grand i10 and xcent are almost the same except the boot.

You are exactly right! No manufacturere will open their mouth about safety (in india) when they do not have confidence on the car's structural strength. Hyundai spoke about its structural strength during the launch of Creta which is first of its kind for them if i remember correctly may be because it is not compromised much as it costs high. So all their other offerings this side of 10L are heavily compromised in regards to safety (including elite i20). Poor state that they are no.2 in sales. About maruti, Less said the better.

Ford on the other hand, was confident on Aspire's structural strength. It may not be as same as Fiesta but still much safer then the competition.
But, majority of indians never consider Ford, VW, Skoda on our options during a car purchase.

 

[kishore108]

You are exactly right! No manufacturere will open their mouth about safety (in india) when they do not have confidence on the car's structural strength. Hyundai spoke about its structural strength during the launch of Creta which is first of its kind for them if i remember correctly may be because it is not compromised much as it costs high. So all their other offerings this side of 10L are heavily compromised in regards to safety (including elite i20). Poor state that they are no.2 in sales. About maruti, Less said the better.

Ford on the other hand, was confident on Aspire's structural strength. It may not be as same as Fiesta but still much safer then the competition.
But, majority of indians never consider Ford, VW, Skoda on our options during a car purchase.

VW and Skoda are not considered because of their after sales service and spare costs.
Add to that horrible experiences in the past by customers has added to its woes.
VW and Skoda products are very good, built sturdy and have competent engines, its these things that hamper its sales.
People who buy their products are either those who appreciate their products or are unaware of these issues.

 

[Akash1886]

Friends,

Ford Figo Aspire Diesel Drive Review uploaded.

Regards

Akash

 

[allhyundaicars]

Price comparison between the maruti desire and the aspire's parts.

 

[pradeephk]

Please see my post
http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...k-now-launched-rs-4-3-lakh-11.html#post463957

for the reason I chose Aspire over the Figo hatchback. The vehicle had arrived (in fact I had pre-booked Aspire and was waiting for the Figo hatchback launch to chose between the two). Checked out the vehicle in person and noted the VIN. Some interesting things from the feature list that I noticed after decoding the VIN. (https://www.etis.ford.com/vehicleSelection.do). Listing only the ones which aren't very obvious from the brochure.


- With Side Impact Package (this can be seen from the body structure diagram)
- With Tinted Glass All Roun
- With Laminated Windscreen
- With Front Tow Hooks
- With Rear Tow Hooks
- With Door Auto Relocking - Enabled

- Less Safety Packs
- Less Illum Power Window Switches
- Less U/Body Corrosion Protect
- Less Passenger Air Bag Deactivation

- Less Isofix Hard Point Attach
- Less Body Structure Upgrade
- Less Bumper Energy Reinforcement


Mine is Titanium 1.5 AT Ingot Silver and I am confused over the below points from the Ford website

- Exterior Paint - Solid
- Less Anti-Theft Alarm (brochure says perimeter alarm).

Will be going for one more round of inspection before taking delivery on 14th.

 

[behera]

Ford Figo Aspire sales slides to 3,596 units in september from 5176 in august This is probably due to massive discounts being offered by the rivals in the CS segment.

Amaze re-enters top 10 selling cars list in Sept, as Figo Aspire exits | ET Auto

 

[1989rs500]

Ford Figo Aspire sales slides to 3,596 units in september from 5176 in august This is probably due to massive discounts being offered by the rivals in the CS segment.

Amaze re-enters top 10 selling cars list in Sept, as Figo Aspire exits | ET Auto

Wow, such a fan base for Honda, I cant believe it,
Aspire and Zest despite being better than Honda in almost every aspect, still ,surprising.

 

[allhyundaicars]

Wow, such a fan base for Honda, I cant believe it,
Aspire and Zest despite being better than Honda in almost every aspect, still ,surprising.

I think they increased the amaze production because the mobilio don't have any demand now. I guess they just produced 4xx units this month.

Are there any discounts on the amaze ?