Ford has launched its new offering, the Freestyle in the crossover segment in India. Ford would rather call it as a Compact Utility Vehicle though, and an India first at that as well.
However, if the Freestyle looks familiar, especially from the front, that is because it draws its inspiration from the Figo, the company’s contender in the hatchback segment. The Figo again has gone for decent sales figures too.
To be available in both petrol and diesel engine options, the Freestyle range will be spread over four trim levels – Ambient, Trend, Titanium and the top of the line Titanium+. Prices start at Rs. 5.09 lakh before topping out at Rs. 7.89 lakh for the most feature rich model. As Car & Bike stated, both figures mentioned are ex-showroom prices applicable in Delhi. The same for other cities might vary but only slightly.
The choice of powertrains include the 1.2-litre three cylinder TiVCT petrol capable of outputting a max of 96 PS of power and 120 Nm of torque. The diesel option comprises of a 1.5-litre TDCi engine that has a higher max power and torque rating of 100 PS and 215 Nm respectively. Both the engines are mated to a five speed manual gearbox to transfer the power to the wheels. There is no word yet if an automatic option will be made available at a later date though that cannot be ruled out entirely.
The Freestyle has also been generously equipped to provide for the best possible safety to its occupants. Those include ABS, EBD, high-speed indicators, speed sensing door locks, rear fog lamps, reverse parking sensors and front dual airbags as standard fitment on all models.
The feature list gets more expansive as you move up the price ladder, with front fog lamps, reverse parking camera and Active Rollover Prevention (ARP) system making its way to higher end models. The top end Titanium model comes with six airbags for complete passenger safety along with emergency assistance service as well.
On the interior, there is a 6.5-inch display that serves as the infotainment system. Among the features common in the higher models include rain sensing wipers, automatic climate control, electrochromic Inside Rear View Mirror (IRVM), automatic headlamps and such. The Freestyle is also compliant with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay as well as Ford’s own Sync3 infotainment system with support for voice commands.
