Ford launches crossover hatchback 'Freestyle' for Rs. 5.09 lakh
What's the story
Ford has launched Freestyle, a small crossover hatchback based on the Ford Figo, in India at Rs. 5.09-6.94 lakh for the petrol variant and Rs. 6.09-7.89 lakh for the diesel variant.
In fact, the car is Rs. 42,000 cheaper than the base variant of Figo.
Produced at Ford India's plant in Gujarat, it is available in six colors including grey, silver, white, and black.
USP
Best in class ground clearance, better driving dynamics
Marketed as a utility vehicle, the major aspect of Freestyle is its 190mm of ground clearance compared to 170mm for Figo.
The car has done a great crossover job, successfully jazzing up an existing smaller model with 15-inch tires, increased track-width, and black alloys wheels to provide an SUV stance.
This helps it conquer challenging surfaces with greater ease.
Engine
Powered by robust petrol and diesel engines
Freestyle is either powered by a 1.2-litre, three-cylinder petrol engine that generates 96PS power and 120Nm torque with a 42-liter fuel tank, or a 1.5-litre diesel engine that makes 100PS peak power and 215Nm torque with a 40-liter fuel tank.
It has a 5-speed manual gearbox and doesn't support automatic transmission yet.
This manual transmission is 15% lighter and requires 40% lesser gear oil.
Exterior and Interior
6.5-inch touchscreen infotainment system
Despite being a crossover hatchback, Freestyle sports new design elements like a new bonnet, grille, skid plate, alloys and blacked-out headlamps.
It features metallic roof rails, better steering and suspension for a more comfortable ride quality, keyless entry, and a day/night rear-view mirror.
It has a 6.5-inch touchscreen infotainment system with USB and Bluetooth connectivity and navigation and steering-mounted audio controls.
Safety
Air bags, rear-view camera, parking sensors and more
The Ford Freestyle comes in four sub-variants under each engine option: Ambiente, Trend, Titanium, and Titanium+.
The base variant gets a safety kit, dual-front airbags, three-point rear seat belts, reverse parking sensors, and rear fog lamps.
As the range increases, the car keeps getting stacked with additional safety elements like a rear-view camera, front fog lamps, Hill-start Assist, Active Rollover Prevention, and more airbags.
Information
Competition
The compact utility vehicle will directly compete with the likes of Hyundai i20 Active, Honda WR-V, and Toyota Etios Cross. The car also offers a roof wrap and a body strip as accessories.