India-spec Ford Aspire facelift leaked ahead of October 4 launch

Ford is gearing up to launch its refreshed compact sedan, the Figo Aspire, on October 4, 2018. The Aspire facelift has been spied testing earlier and now, a new set of images have been leaked online. These show that the car shares a number of design cues with the Freestyle cross-hatch which was launched back in April and with the international-spec Ford Ka+.

The Aston Martin-eqsue grille, also seen on Ford’s cross-hatch, gets a chrome surround and so do the revised fog lamp housings. The headlamp units are the same but now get a blacked-out effect with redesigned internals. However, it does not get LED DRLs. The front bumper has been slightly altered as well.

Viewed from the side, the only major visible change is to the alloys wheels, now 15-inch multi-spoke units which are shod in 195/55 R15 rubber. 

The cabin of the refreshed Ford Aspire gets the Freestyle’s new dashboard along with a 6.5-inch touchscreen display with Ford’s Sync 3 infotainment system, which is expected to feature Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. From the images, we can also see that Ford has equipped the new Aspire with a push-button start, two USB ports at the front, steering-mounted audio controls and an automatic climate control system. However, a rear AC vent seems to be absent. The top-spec Titanium+ trim is expected to get six airbags and ABS with EBD.

A highlight of the new model is that it will be powered by the new 96hp, 1.2-litre, three-cylinder petrol engine which made its debut on the Freestyle. The motor will be mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox (again, from the Freestyle), but there is talk of replacing the current 6-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission with a more cost-effective torque convertor unit. The 100hp, 1.5-litre diesel engine will continue unchanged. A diesel-automatic combination is not expected to be offered in the compact sedan facelift at launch.

The compact sedan segment has recently seen the introduction of the second-gen Honda Amaze (Rs 5.81-9.11 lakh), while Maruti Suzuki’s Dzire (Rs 5.60-9.45 lakh) has been the segment stalwart. Hyundai’s Xcent (Rs 5.61-8.61 lakh) and Volkswagen’s Ameo (Rs 5.62-10.02 lakh) are also contenders in this burgeoning segment. Expect the Aspire facelift to carry a slight premium over the current model which retails at Rs 5.82-8.79 lakh for the petrol models and Rs 6.93-8.56 lakh for the diesel variants.

All prices, ex-showroom, Delhi