Ford India launches the new Aspire – Ready to take on the new Amaze and the Dzire

Pricing and the Ford Aspire

At Rs 5.55 lakh, ex-showroom for the base petrol and Rs 6.45 lakh for the base diesel, there’s no doubt that the newly launched Ford Aspire has been priced well. It’s a game of numbers really for the start point of the Aspire range, the petrol of course, is now a thousand rupees cheaper than the Maruti Suzuki Dzire, which is also the segment leader. While the petrol Aspire is more expensive than both the Hyundai Xcent and the new Honda Amaze, in its diesel avatar the Aspire has the edge in pricing over the Amaze although the Xcent continues to be cheaper. This would certainly give Ford sales people on the showroom an edge when pushing their new product to customers ahead of the festive season now just weeks away. The fact that the line up is even more affordable than the outgoing Aspire should help Ford’s sales even more.

Under the bonnet 

The new Aspire gets a choice of not one, but three engine options. First up there is the 1.2-litre Ti-VCT petrol. Then there is the 1.5-litre TDCi diesel. Both these units are mated to new five-speed manual transmissions. There is also a third option for those who seek convenience – a 1.5-litre Ti-VCT  three-cylinder petrol that is paired with a six-speed automatic transmission.

The 1.2-litre petrol engine puts out a healthy 95bhp and 120Nm of peak torque with the company claiming a fuel economy of 20.4kmpl. The diesel puts out a healthier 99bhp and 215Nm of peak twist and offers a claimed fuel economy of 26.1kmpl. The 1.5-litre petrol meanwhile produces 121bhp. The torque it produces has not been mentioned, strangely. The manual transmission is a new one and Ford says it’s 15 per cent lighter and not only helps improve fuel efficiency but also offers a sportier drive feel than before.

Check out our drive review of the Honda Amaze here. 

What’s new?

So here’s what is new in the Aspire that Ford India launched today. Both the front and rear fascia has been revised to give this compact sub-4m sedan more presence on the road. Helping its cause will be bigger spoked alloy wheels. The car also gets the benefit of the Sync 3 connectivity system that we have already seen on the EcoSport, a 6.5-inch touchscreen and upto six airbags.

What ford says about the new car

“The new Ford Aspire is a complete package, tailor made for those who don’t follow the crowd and want more out of their car experience,” said Anurag Mehrotra, MD and president, Ford India. “With many segment-best and industry-first features, the new Ford Aspire ensures that every customer gets what they desire – be it looks, the fun of driving attributes, safety or the most affordable ownership experience.”

As a matter of fact, according to Ford India the cost of ownership of the new Ford Aspire will be as low as 38 paise/kilometre for the petrol variant and 45 paise/kilometre for the diesel variant. Scheduled service cost of the petrol is Rs 38,320 and Rs 45,773 for the diesel. Ford is also offering a 5 year/1,00,000km warranty on the car.

COMPLETE PRICING OF THE FORD ASPIRE

*All prices are introductory ex-showroom prices, pan India