Ford launches facelift Aspire at introductory price of Rs 5.55 lakh

With an eye on the upcoming festive season, Ford bets big with new Aspire in a hotly contested compact sedan segment.

New Delhi: Ford on Thursday launched the facelift Aspire at a starting - and introductory price of Rs 5.56 lakh for the base variant and going all the way to Rs 8.14 lakh for the top-of-the-line Titanium + diesel.

The new Aspire gets a number of design changes on the outside including an all-new honeycomb pattern chrome grille, re-designed head lamps and a changed front bumper. There is a dash of chrome surrounding the circular fog lamps while there is a new -larger - multi-spoke alloys on the side and a re-designed tail lamp with a chrome slab running through the middle for character.

On the inside, there is an interplay of beige and black colour theme while the all-new infotainment system - carried forward from the new EcoSport and Freestyle - gives the Aspire a contemporary feel on the inside. The eight-inch infotainment system gets SYNC3 - Ford's own connectivity system - as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Small additions like illuminated USB points and a tweaked AC vent.

The most noticeable change though is under the hood. The Aspire now gets an all-new 1.2-litre petrol engine which is taken from the Freestyle which belts out 95bhp of power at 6500 rpm. Torque figures are at 120Nm at 4,200 rpm. There is also an auto option here.

The diesel motor - the 1.5-litre TDCI engine - remains the same.

Ford may have played its biggest trump card in the pricing by underpinning the prices of the outgoing model. With eyes firmly set on more established rivals - Maruti Suzuki Dzire and Honda Amaze, Aspire's pricing could ruffle feathers in the compact sedan segment. In addition, the Americans are also offering five years warranty and continue to promise extremely affordable ownership cost.

Full pricing - (ex showroom, introductory):

Petrol

• Ambiente: Rs 5.55L
• Trend: RS 5.99L
• Trend+: Rs 6.39L
• Titanium: Rs 6.79L
• Titanium+: Rs 7.24L

Diesel

• Ambiente: Rs 6.45L
• Trend: Rs 6,89L
• Trend+: Rs 7.29L
• Titanium: Rs 7.69L
• Titanium+: Rs 8.14L