Ford Aspire

Exterior

From the outside,  there are noticeable alterations – starting with the front fascia. There's no more Aston Martin-like grille; instead, it gets a honeycomb grille with chrome bordering it. Also new is the revised front bumper that sports C-shaped chrome housing for the fog lamps, while the headlights now get smoked-out portions in the cluster, along with chrome elements. No projectors and LED DRLs, unfortunately, and the side profile remains untouched; so does the rear. But you'll notice the larger 15-inch alloy wheels. 

Variants

The 2018 Ford Aspire variants for the petrol model are as follows: Ambiente 1.2 Ti-VCT, Trend 1.2 Ti-VCT, Trend Plus 1.2 Ti-VCT, Titanium 1.2 Ti-VCT and Titanium Plus 1.2 Ti-VCT, while the diesel engine is offered on the Ambiente 1.5 TDCi, Trend 1.5 TDCi, Trend Plus 1.5 TDCi, Titanium 1.5 TDCi and Titanium Plus 1.5 TDCi. Features include reverse camera, parking sensors, electrically-adjustable ORVMs, Day/Night inside mirror, height adjustable steering wheel and driver's seat, a 6.5-inch touchscreen display with Ford's new SYNC 3 tech, which also features Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. On the safety front, it gets six airbags on the top-of-the-line variant. 

Interior

There's a lot inside the car that remains the same – right from the black-and-beige dashboard to the steering and the centre console. The quality of plastics used feel premium, and there's ample room at the front and rear, both. The seats also offer good thigh support, and the reclined backrest in very comfortable to lean against. There's a massive glovebox and lots of cubby holes as well. However, the new Ford Aspire does not get leather upholstery. Also, the 353-litre boot capacity is a bit of a squeeze. 

Engine Specifications & Performance

The new Aspire is powered by two engine options: a 1.2-litre, three-cylinder Dragon engine that makes 96bhp and 120Nm of torque, and a 1.5-litre diesel engine that produces 99bhp and 215Nm of torque. Both engines are paired to a 5-speed manual gearbox while the petrol version gets the option of an automatic gearbox. The petrol engine is surprisingly refined, and is very quiet at low engine speeds, while the gear-shifting is smooth and the clutch feels light. The diesel engine is very tractable, making it very easy to drive in most conditions. And thanks to the wider tyres, ride quality has improved marginally, and the steering provides good feedback without being unnerving around corners. 

Mileage

The 2018 Ford Aspire's ARAI-certified fuel efficiency figures are rated at 20.4kpl for the petrol variant, and 26.1kpl for the diesel model.