Ford Freestyle Launched At Rs 5.09 Lakh

Ford has launched the Freestyle at a starting price of Rs 5.09 lakh whereas the top variant is priced at Rs 7.89 lakh (ex-showroom). The freestyle is based on the facelifted Figo, which is yet to be launched in the country. As a result, it gets the new looks, but with some added muscle. Not to forget, the Freestyle also gets a retuned suspension and a raised ground clearance. Ford claims that the Freestyle’s service will be 20 per cent cheaper than other hatchbacks in the segment and it will have a best-in-class service interval of 10,000 kilometres. Also, Ford will pay your entire bill if you are overcharged by the service station!

Here are the variant wise prices:

Powering Ford's latest and only 'CUV' in India is a brand new petrol engine. It's a three-pot, 1.2-litre motor Ti-VCT motor which produces 96PS of power and 120Nm of torque. It comes mated to a 5-speed transmission with no automatic option on sale. The diesel is still the older 1.5-litre 4-cylinder engine which produces 100PS of power and 215Nm of torque, mated to a 5-speed manual. The claimed efficiency of the petrol and diesel is 19.0 kmpl and 24.4kmpl, respectively.

To transform the Freestyle into a 'compact utility vehicle' Ford has given the Freestyle a 190mm ground clearance, which is just 10mm less than the EcoSport. When compared to the Figo, it has a 16mm higher ride height and a 30mm wider track width. Even the roof rails that you see on the car can support up to 50kg of weight. Furthermore, the Freestyle comes with Active Rollover Prevention, which is basically a combination of hill launch assist, TCS and ESP. It cuts off power from individual wheels to prevent the car from rolling over. The usual ABS and EBD are present as well. And like other Fords, it also gets 6 airbags and Emergency Assist, which cuts off fuel supply in the event of a crash and shares your location with emergency services.

Inside, you get a dual-tone dashboard which we are not particularly fond of. But features like the 6.5-inch capacitive touchscreen (borrowed from mid trims of the EcoSport) which runs SYNC3, acts as a reverse camera display and supports both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, do make up for the lack in plastic quality. You also get a push-button start, automatic climate control, automatic headlamps, rain-sensing wipers, electrochromic IRVM and 4 speakers.

Rivalling the Ford Freestyle will be the Hyundai i20 Active, Toyota Etios Cross and the Honda WR-V. The Freestyle is less expensive than the cars mentioned here but remember, the Figo sits a segment lower than the Jazz and the Elite i20, cars which provide you with a more premium experience. To find out what kind of an experience the Freestyle provides, check out our review here.