2018 Ford Aspire facelift comes with a raft of exterior and interior updates along with new powertrain options
After months of spy shots and international debut, Ford India has finally launched the facelifted version of the Aspire for the domestic market with prices starting from Rs. 5.55 lakh and it goes all the way up to Rs. 8.49 lakh for top-end (ex-showroom). The updated model comes right on the back of Ford securing one million car sales in India and half of which were achieved in the last five years.
India attributes to USD one billion domestic revenue (Rs. 6,800 crore) for the American auto major in FY2017-18 and it wants to make a sizeable impact in volumes with the revised Aspire. The sub-four-metre sedan competes against segment leading Maruti Suzuki Dzire and Honda Amaze and both of them received a substantially improved new generation recently.
Having been present in the market for over three years, the Ford Aspire has received decent success but the facelift looks to go one better with a long list of features and a brand new petrol powertrain. As for the exterior, the updated Aspire adorns a new front fascia with chromed grille and honeycomb black mesh pattern, restyled headlamp unit, a brand new front bumper comprising of wider air inlet and round-shaped fog lamps.
Other notable design changes are sporty C-shaped chrome accents on the bumper and a slightly modified rear portion. Said to display the true DNA of Ford, the new Aspire uses a brand new and more powerful 1.2-litre three-cylinder Dragon petrol engine debuted in the Freestyle making 96 PS and 120 Nm. The reliable he 1.5-litre diesel continues with no change in engine outputs (100 PS and 215 Nm) but tuned for better fuel economy at 26.1 kmpl.
Despite being more powerful, the new gasoline unit more mileage at 20.4 kmpl – 2.24 kmpl more frugal than the outgoing mill. The new 1.5-litre petrol found in the EcoSport is also introduced with 123 horsepower and 150 Nm of torque – around 13 hp and 14 Nm more than the previous version. It is mated to only a six-speed automatic transmission at price of Rs. 8.49 lakh (ex-showroom).
The facelifted Aspire has best-in-class standard 5 yr/1,00,000 km warranty and gets features like 6.5- or 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Ford Sync3 tech, adjustable front and rear seat headrests, electrically adjustable ORVMs, remote keyless entry, rear defogger, automatic climate control, new central AC vents, push button start, rear seat centre armrest, optimised dashboard with less number of buttons, dual USB ports, body-coloured door handles and wing mirrors and so on.
As for safety, the facelifted Aspire gets dual airbags and ABS with EBD as standard, six airbags in top-end, Hill start assist, ESP, traction control, and emergency assistance service among others. With Ford claiming very low maintenance costs for the new Aspire, it could well be the breakthrough the brand has been looking for alongside EcoSport.
2018 Ford Aspire Facelift Images
