It was only earlier this week, we heard a report claiming the production halt of the Aspire’s current model to give way for the updated one. Well it’s not official yet, but it’s certain that the 2018 Aspire facelift will be the second product from Ford India’s stable this year. The first one to be launched will be Ford Freestyle, which we will review in the first week of April. Since Figo, Freestyle (a crossover-ish version of Figo) and Aspire share the same platform and components, so a lot of changes will be similar on these products. Having said that, the Figo facelift’s launch will still take sometime – expect that to come in the second half of the year.
Now coming back to the Ford Aspire, it will most likely have the same design changes that we have seen on the soon-to-be-launched KA+ hatchback (Europe-bound) which was unveiled earlier this year. This means, we will see a new front grille, set of new headlamps, newly designed alloy wheels and redesigned tail-lamps. And all of these changes will make it look quite sporty, to say the least.
Also Read – Upcoming Ford Cars in India
While the Aspire anyway was among the best-looking cars in its category, it was the interior that basically started showing its age – it was rather plain (but solid and no soft touches). So in the next update, you can trust Ford India to come up with an entirely new dashboard (we have seen in the case of EcoSport facelift) that will accommodate a new 6.5-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Ford SYNC 3 and Android Auto & Apple CarPlay.
If rumors are to be believed, the Aspire might also get a dual-tone treatment – first for any product based on the Figo platform. And I personally think, it would help them differentiate the two products better. AND our esteemed fraternity of car ‘reviewers’ have somehow managed to convince people that the dual-tone treatment help the vehicle look more airy (and less ‘claustrophobic’) than it actually is 😀
Also Read – Ford EcoSport Facelift Review
An entirely new engine
Coming back to the product, the Aspire facelift will also see some mechanical changes and the biggest one of them will be the addition of an entirely new petrol engine. It will be a 3-cylinder 1.2-litre engine capable of churning out the best-in-class 95bhp and 115Nm, and this engine will first come with the Freestyle. It’s basically from the same ‘Dragon’ family of naturally-aspired petrol engines that made its debut with the EcoSport. Though the one powering EcoSport is a 1.5-litre unit. The diesel engine, however, will continue to be the same tried & tested 1.5-litre TDCi unit that powers a lot of Fords in India.
What about fuel efficiency?
Since the fuel efficiency is one of the biggest requirements for sub-compact sedan segment buyers, we expect the new petrol engine to be more frugal than the current one. Whereas the diesel is already pretty impressive in that department.
So that’s it people on the upcoming 2018 Ford Aspire facelift, stay tuned to IndiaCarNews for more updates on this!
Rendering Courtesy – Carwale
