- Ford will update the Aspire for the first time since its introduction back in 2015
- The compact sedan will get a new cabin borrowed from the Freestyle along with added features and a new 1.2-litre Dragon petrol engine.
- Will be launched in India on 4 October.
Ford India has commenced the booking of the new and updated Aspire for a booking amount of Rs 11,000. The compact sedan will be launched in India on 4 October. This will be the first major update for the Aspire since its introduction and the American compact sedan will get a revised design, updated cabin and a new petrol engine.
The updates for the Aspire are similar to the ones seen on the Freestyle CUV. The oval grille gets mesh treatment with chrome surround. The elements around the fog lamps and headlamps are the same as seen in the Freestyle, albeit in chrome. The headlamps get a smoked finish and the sedan sits on newly designed alloy wheels. At the rear, however, there are only subtle changes that are limited to the bumpers.
The most prominent changes in the facelift are on the inside. The Freestyle inspiration continues but instead of the brown finished dash, the Aspire gets a dual-tone dashboard with a beige-black finish. The most important update for the Aspire is the floating touchscreen with SYNC3 infotainment system. We have reviewed this system in our touchscreen system comparison and you can read all about it over here. The instrument cluster is scrounged unchanged from the CUV and the beige upholstery lends the Aspire a premium feel.
Powering the new and updated Aspire will be the new 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine from the Dragon family. This engine produces 95bhp/120Nm and is mated to a five-speed manual sending power to the front wheels. The oil burner will be the same 1.5-litre unit as the current car. This engine produces 121bhp/150Nm making it the most powerful one in the segment.
When launched, the Aspire will continue to rival the other compact sedan in its segment, namely Maruti Suzuki Dzire, Hyundai Xcent, Volkswagen Ameo and Honda Amaze. Prices are expected to remain on par with the current model.
