Ford Aspire facelift bookings open

Ford has finally opened the order books for the face-lifted Aspire. Here’s everything you need to know about the updated compact sedan.

Ford India has officially opened bookings for its face-lifted Aspire ahead of its launch date of October the 4^th. Bookings can be made by making an initial payment of Rs. 11,000 at any of Ford’s 400 authorised dealerships across the country. The intent behind the launch of the face-lifted Ford Aspire is to give the car a fresh lease of life with reworked styling, more equipment and a new 1.2 litre petrol engine that we have seen make its debut in the Freestyle crossover.

The updated Aspire compact sedan will feature styling updates in the form of new front and rear bumpers, a new chrome plated front grille, restyled headlamps and new alloy wheels. Unfortunately, the face-lift will not equip the new Aspire with LED headlamps like those of the segment-leading Maruti Suzuki Dzire. Where the Aspire will come up to speed with the segment though will be with its new touchscreen infotainment system that will offer Ford’s Sync3 connectivity.

As for the new engine, the Aspire with its update will lose the earlier model's, four-cylinder, 1.2 litre petrol engine and instead will come fitted with the company’s new 1.2, three-cylinder, 12-valve petrol motor from its Dragon series of engines. This new three-pot motor generates more power and torque than the unit it replaces with on-paper figures being rated at 95bhp and 120Nm. The new engine will also raise the car’s ARAI fuel efficiency figure from the current 18.16 km/l figure. The car will continue to be offered with a five-speed manual gearbox. The petrol automatic version of the Aspire will get an update too as the current four-cylinder, 1.5 litre engine will be dropped for a new 1.5 litre, three-cylinder, Dragon Series motor that has been fitted to the updated EcoSport automatic as well. This new engine will finally see the old double clutch autobox be junked in favour of a six-speed torque converter automatic transmission. The new 1.5 engine itself is rated at 121bhp and 150Nm. 

“The New Ford Aspire has been tailor-made for those who don’t follow the crowds, desire beyond the ordinary and want more out of their car experience. They are driven by a desire to lead and make their own mark,” said Rahul Gautam, vice president - Marketing at Ford India.

Expect prices of the car to go up slightly with the launch of the new model.

Also read - Maruti DZire vs Hyundai Xcent vs Ford Aspire vs VW Ameo: Comparison

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