2018 Ford Aspire Facelift: Launch Tomorrow

Ford will launch the Aspire facelift in India tomorrow. And if you are planning to buy one, there’s good news. Bookings for the Aspire facelift are already underway for a token amount Rs 11,000. While we will have to wait another day to see the new Aspire in the flesh, here is what we already know about the updated Ford sub-compact sedan so far.

• The front bumper and the grille have been tweaked to give the sedan a fresh look. It also features new 15-inch alloys

• On the inside, the dual-tone black-beige colour scheme has been carried forward from the pre-facelift model. But it does get some new features, with Ford’s latest SYNC 3 infotainment system being the most significant one

• This 6.5-inch touchscreen system is borrowed from the Freestyle and supports Apple CarPlay as well as Android Auto

• With the facelift, while the feature list is overall longer, Ford might offer only fabric upholstery in the top-spec variant. The pre-facelift model was available with a leatherette upholstery in the Titanium+ variant

• Other than cosmetic and feature updates, the 2018 Aspire is also likely to get a new petrol engine. The engine in question here is the 1.2-litre Dragon series petrol engine which debuted with the Ford Freestyle. In the Freestyle, the 3-cylinder engine makes 96PS of maximum power, which is 8PS more than what the current 1.2-litre engine on the Aspire makes. Also, at 120Nm, this engine makes 8Nm more

• Apart from the 1.2-litre petrol engine, the Aspire facelift, in its automatic variant,  is expected to get the 1.5-litre petrol engine from the EcoSport. In the sub-4m SUV, it makes 123PS/150Nm with a 6-speed AT

• The 1.5-litre diesel engine is expected to be carried forward as it is from the pre-facelift model. It makes 100PS/215Nm and is paired with a 5-speed MT

As far as the prices are concerned, the new Aspire is expected to be more affordable than the outgoing model, albeit marginally. The pre-facelift Aspire is priced from Rs 5.72 lakh to Rs 8.68 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). It rivals the likes of the Maruti Dzire, Honda Amaze, Hyundai Xcent and Volkswagen Ameo.

Source: cardekho.com