Ford FreeStyle Review- Exteriors & Interiors
The exteriors of the Ford FreeStyle are very sporty. The car gets an aggressive front with a honeycomb-like 3D design grille with the blue oval Ford Logo in the middle. The bumper below is large and has a small lower grille, dual tone colour treatment as well as a scuff plate to make it look more appealing. The headlamps are large and chunky. The fog lamps housing is also quite attractive with C-Shape design. It does not have the DRLs though.
On the side, it gets familiar Figo-like profile but with side cladding and graphics on the side doors. The body lines running on the side of the car, blackened pillars as well as black outside rear view mirror all add to the sporty appeal of the car.
On the rear as well, there is dual tone bumper with integrated scuff plate design and C-Shaped black inserts. It also gets a rear windshield washer, wiper and defogger. Although there are many visual similarities with the Ford Figo yet the car is very different both in terms of visual appeal as well as the stance.
On the inside, the Ford FreeStyle is also quite plush and premium. You can easily identify the Ford design elements with a very familiar steering design, similar air-con controls as you find on the Figo, similar infotainment unit as Ford EcoSport and so on. The Infotainment unit here is quite impressive as it comes with a 6.5-inch high-resolution touchscreen system with support for Apple Car Play and Android Auto as standard. There are also 2 USB ports and a 12V standard charging port provided. The dashboard design is also dual tone and the cabin feels quite good in quality and choice of materials.
The rear seat is also quite comfortable with good legroom and headroom. It is quite comfortable for 2 passengers at the rear, a third one may be a slight squeeze because of limited shoulder room. The automatic climate control system works beautifully and cools the cabin very effectively. In the dry heat of Rajasthan, we did not face any comfort issue inside the car as it cooled the cabin quite well.
Ford Freestyle Features
– More commanding stance
– Additional body cladding
– Black plastic
– Roof rails
– New Mustang-inspired hexagonal grille
– Sportier sweptback headlamps
– Front grille with three-dimensional mesh
– Fog lamp bezel
– Blacked-out high contrast on the front bumper
– Twin-spoke black alloy wheels
– Increased track width
– High ground clearance
– 6.5-inch floating touchscreen
– Ford’s SYNC3 in-car infotainment system
– Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity
– Six airbags
– Active rollover prevention
– Electronic stability control
– Anti-lock braking system
– Electronic brake-force distribution
– Traction control system
– Electric power assisted steering
Check Out – Upcoming Ford Cars in India
Ford Freestyle Safety Features
All variants of the crossover get dual airbags, ABS (Anti-lock braking system) with EBD (Electronic brake-force distribution), engine immobilizer and ventilated front disc brakes and hydraulic rear drum brakes with auto stack adjuster as standard safety fitments. Features such six airbags, Active Rollover Prevention (ARP), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Electric Power Assisted Steering (EPAS) and Traction Control System (TCS) are reserved for the range-topping variant. Read About: 2018 Ford EcoSport Signature Edition
With ESC, the Active Rollover prevention system automatically detects and avoids the rollover situations by employing brakes to each wheel and reducing engine torque. Other safety features include front three point seat belts, rear seat belts (three point outer, lap middle), driver and passenger belt reminder, high speed warning alarm, door ajar warning, reverse parking sensor, automatic relock, premeter anti-theft alarm, rear view camera, fog lamp and emergency assistance.
Verdict- Ford FreeStyle Review
Ford FreeStyle is a very interesting package. It is a car for those who either don’t have space to park a compact SUV (or SUV) or budget to buy a compact SUV but still want a car which can go places where a regular small car can’t go like rough terrains and bad roads. The SUV like attributes of FreeStyle make it a really free-spirited car and it does reflect well on its driving experience and handling manners. The gadgetry and features on the FreeStyle are also very loaded which make it a no-compromise car. If I have to nitpick about it, I can count the missing dead-pedal and LED DRLs which are not offered on the car, but none of these two is a deal breaker for me.
Overall, we really enjoyed behind the wheels of the car, it was fun, spirited and safe at the same time. Loaded with convenience features, Ford FreeStyle is a worthy Compact Utility Vehicle.
What’s it like to drive?
When it comes to driving experience, Ford vehicles tend to be segment benchmarks or close to it. And the Ford Freestyle is no different. Despite the increment in ride height, it remains stable at speeds through corners with well-contained body roll. The suspension does a superb job of ironing out bumps and maintain stability over bad patches. There were instances of me driving over bad undulations off the tarmac at triple-digit speeds, and the car managed to maintain its composure through it all.
Owing to the needs of the Indian car buyers, Ford has had to keep the steering light and easy to use at low speeds. However, it transitions into fairly communicative and well weighted when you need it to be. The well-sculpted steering is brilliant to hold and plays a significant role in urging you to push the car to its limits.
Speaking of which, if you do encounter a situation where you are about to cross those said limits then there are certain safety features to save your blushes. Ford has equipped the Freestyle with something called Active Rollover Prevention. It, coupled with traction control and Electronic Stability Program (ESP) does exactly what the name suggests. For the adventurous ones, Ford has provided a button which turns traction control off.
Disc brakes at the front and drums at the rear handle braking duties. They do their job rather well and will keep those looking to indulge in some spirited driving as well as those battling city traffic equally happy. ABS with EBD is standard fitment. The Titanium(O) trim with ARP also gets Hill Launch Assist (HLA), which comes in handy when you have to set off on an incline.
Enchanting Design
Visually, the 2018 Ford Freestyle gets huge inspirations from the SUV’s design elements, as seen in many other crossovers in the market. Besides, it takes a handful of design cues from the donor model, Ford Figo, too. Back in 2018, ahead of its launch, there were a bunch of speculations telling that the Ford Freestyle would be nothing more than a hopped-up version of Ford Figo sibling or says, a Figo dressed up as a sport utility vehicle. However, during the course of its introduction, Ford told us quite a different story.
| Ford Freestyle — Dimensions | |
|---|---|
| Overall length | 3954 mm |
| Width | 1737 mm |
| Height | 1507 mm |
| Ground Clearance | 190 |
| Wheelbase | 2490 mm |
| Boot Capacity | 257 litres |
| Kerb Weight | 1026- 1044 kg (for Petrol) or 1062-1080 kg (for Diesel) |
| Wheels size | 15-inch |
| Tyres size | 185/60 |
| Fuel Tank | 42 litres (for Petrol) and 40 litres (for Diesel) |
While the front end of the Freestyle looks quite similar to that of the Figo counterpart, the distinctions can be easily noticed when looking at the detailing of the headlamps. When putting these two cars at the same place, the new Freestyle puts on distinctive front and rear bumpers finished in black with C-shape surrounds which house a pair of circular fog lamps units. The front mesh grille, on the other hand, also looks fairly intricate with all-black finishes that complement the ruggedness of the exterior in effect. There’re also a bunch of differences on the side and rear profiles of the Freestyle due to the inclusion of revised tail lamps with altered graphics and a set of new 15-inch alloy wheels shod with 185/60-section tyres. Considering the Figo’s 14-inch alloys with 175/60-section tyres, the Freestyle seems to be much superior. However, its tyres are still considerably narrower than the 195/55 R15 alloys unit mounted on the Figo Sports.
The hefty use of black body cladding stretching all around from the front bumper, across the wheel arches to the rear end makes the car look sportier and chunkier by an extent. Whereas, both ends sports faux silver skid plates that add to the overall premium appeal of the cross-hatch. The roof rails appear across all grades of the Freestyle and they’re not ornamental merely. The ones found on the Freestyle Titanium and Titanium (O) grades are all finished in silver and can be functional to raise up to 50 kg of load.
With the unladen ground clearance at 190 mm, the all-new Ford Freestyle rides higher than the Ford Figo by 16 mm. Heavy changes have been made under the Freestyle’s skin as well since the chassis has been meticulously revised that helps the car sit on a wider footprint as against the Figo sibling, albeit sharing the similar wheelbase. Overall, the Ford Freestyle carries a bit of new cosmetic characters and looks bolder than the normal hatchback.
SAFETY & SECURITY
Now you can drive with peace on any terrain, be it a peppy ride or family trip with your beloved one, the Ford Freestyle safeguards your every journey. To protect you and your family in the best possible way it features 6 airbags, along with the driver and front seat passenger airbags, it offers world-class side and curtain airbags. You can now easily make those swift stops and rapid turns with superior control as it comes with Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) and Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD). ARP, HLA (Hill Launch Assist), ESP (Electronic Stability Program), EPAS (Electric Power Assist Steering) and Traction Control are some of the safety features for the safest drives al-round clock.
Introduction
Over the last few years, the crossovers and SUVs segment has been witnessing an exponential sales growth, not only in India but also across the globe. As reported by Ford Motor, about one in every four buyers in India seeks for an SUV. The American carmaker has already been selling a very popular Ford Ecosport in the Indian lineup though, the company still showed an insatiable desire for another product positioned well below the Ecosport with smaller sizes, different styles but quite an equal prowess. There it came, the Ford Freestyle. According to Ford, the all-new Ford Freestyle is an exciting engineering masterpiece. The Ford Freestyle comes out as a flawless fruit merging the compactness of the hatchback with the sportiness of SUV body styles. The Compact Utility Vehicle (CUV), as marketed by Ford, has been developed on the Figo elder sibling, but that’s just a half of the story. There’s a lot more to talk about this special hatchback-crossover by Ford as I’ve discovered after the first drive. Let’s find out how Ford manages to shake up the cross-hatch space in our 2018 Ford Freestyle Test Drive Review
More Fun To Drive
Sitting at 16 mm higher than the Ford Figo, the Ford Freestyle has its suspension setup and the anti-roll bar stiffened up in order to keep it stable regardless of the relatively high centre of gravity. The aforementioned wider track also helps enhance the stability and the betterment of cornering. That said, the car’s lean and body roll are well controlled accordingly. In the case of driving off the bad undulations at a triple-digit speed, the Freestyle really excels in maintaining its composure at all. The suspension does its good job of handling all bumps and ensure stable manners over the rough patches. Understanding the Indian buyers’ tastes and likeness, Ford has made the steering lighter and easier to use at lower speeds. Note that the steering can transition into a relatively well-weighted version when needed. The front disc brakes and drums at the rear undertake the braking duties so well, even during the dynamic driving or unpleasant traffic. And after all, the new engine-transmission combination, as said earlier, rolls out so much better experience than the older setup. Quite frankly, Ford has put much effort into the Freestyle which is apparently a viable option to take on the Maruti Ignis, Hyundai i20 Active, Mahindra KUV100 and more.
Ford Freestyle Specifications
| Petrol Engine | 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder, TiVCT |
| Max Power | 96hp @ 6,500rpm |
| Max Torque | 120Nm @ 4,250rpm |
| Diesel Engine | 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder |
| Max Power | 100hp @ 3,750rpm |
| Max Torque | 215Nm @ 1,750-3,000rpm |
| Gearbox | New 5-speed Manual |
| Length | 3,954mm |
| Width | 1,737mm |
| Height | 1,570mm |
| Wheelbase | 2,490mm |
| Ground Clearance | 185mm |
| Turning Radius | 5.0m |
| Boot Space | 257L |
| Kerb Weight | 1026-1044kg petrol/1062-1080kg diesel |
| Fuel Tank Capacity | 42L petrol/40L diesel |
Ford’s newest compact utility vehicle is being offered with two engine options – 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder, TiVCT petrol and 1.5-litre TDCi diesel. The former one is a Dragon family all-aluminium motor, which is essentially the stripped down version of the 1.5-litre engine that also does duty in the EcoSport compact SUV. This gasoline engine offers class-leading power and torque figures. It is capable of producing a maximum power output of 94bhp at 6,500rpm and a peak torque of 120Nm at 4,350Nm, thus making it more powerful than Honda’s 1.2-litre i-VTEC petrol and Maruti’s 1.2-litre K-Series petrol engines. Check Out – India’s Top 5 Best Modified Ford EcoSport
On the other hand, the oil burner is capable of producing 100bhp of maximum power at 3,750rpm and 215Nm of peak torque between 1,750rpm-3000rpm. This cross-hatchback comes with a new 5-speed manual gearbox, which is claimed to be lighter, more precise and responsive than the existing Figo hatchback. Its suspension mechanism includes independent McPherson front and semi-independent (twist beam type) rear unit.
Verdict
The Ford Freestyle has been on sale in India at the price range of around Rs 5.09 Lakh and 6.09 Lakh (ex-showroom, pan-India). At this price mark, the Ford Freestyle is actually an impressive and compelling package. It is more affordable than the base petrol and diesel trims of the Ford Figo by around Rs 40,000. In fact, at this price range, the new Freestyle can even compete aggressively against its rivals in the segment, not to mention its incredible ride quality. If you are in need of a fun-to-drive yet value-to-the-money vehicle and do not want to concern about ironing out the bad roads, then the 2018 Ford Freestyle is a tempting one.
FORD FREESTYLE – Let your heart lead you to the road of adventures
Author PPS Ford
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With Ford Freestyle — India’s First Compact Utility Vehicle (CUV) you can just follow your heart, no matter what come may. To match with your freestyle spirit the Freestyle is equipped with SUV-like bold stance, powerful engine and a plethora of topnotch features. So don’t step back to take up any new challenges whilst exploring new opportunities.
As a part of Ford’s December offers, now you can get this audacious Freestyle with amazing cash discounts. It is priced between ? 6.91 Lakhs and ? 9.81 Lakhs (ex-showroom India) while being available in four variants — Ambiente, Trend, Titanium and Titanium+. The petrol Freestyle price starts at ? 6.91 Lakhs while diesel price starts at ? 7.92 Lakhs.
Ford Freestyle can be a tough competitor to its rivals like Hyundai i20 Active, Toyota Etios Cross, Fiat Avventura and Tata Nexon. Here we will give you more information about style, comfort and safety features of Freestyle in detail. Let’s head over to its specifications.
EXTERIORS
All of us want a car which can grab the attention of everyone with its look. Explicitly when it comes to the exteriors of the car, we all are little extra cautious on its looks, aren’t we? If it is so, you can expect head-turning exteriors from the Ford Freestyle as it carries a strong statement wherever it goes. It masculinity is enhanced with the bold front grille, R15 alloy wheels and metallic roof rails. To add more excitement to your adventures it comes with the SUV-rivaling ground clearance & sporty suspension.
INTERIORS
The cabin of the Ford Freestyle is elegantly adorned with vibrant colour coordinated seats, splendid door accents and a sienna dashboard while offering more comfort and convenience.
TECHNOLOGY
The Freestyle is all set to entertain you with its sizzling features and advanced technology. With the SYNC3 with 16.51cm (6.5) Touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility you can effortlessly make calls or enjoy your favorite music with just a touch. The Mobile navigation is available through Android Auto. The Rear View Camera with automatic turn-on feature while taking reverse, it allows you to take perfect reverse with ease. The Automatic Climate Control gives you the perfect climate without your intervention, while the Push Button Start brings life to Freestyle with just a push. You can enjoy your drive to the fullest with Rain Sensing Wipers, Automatic Headlamps and hi-tech Ford MyKey with speed warnings, seat belt reminder and speed limit control features.
ENGINE & TRANSMISSION
Ford Freestyle better understands your heart’s desire for adventures, that’s why it comes furnished with a powerful engine and ARP (Active Rollover Prevention).
The all-New 1.2l Ti-VCT Petrol Engine exudes superior power at 96PS (70.79kW) with a surprising fuel economy of 19.0km/l* and reduced emissions. The super-refined 1.5l TDCi Diesel Engine delivers robust power at 100PS (74.00kW) and an extraordinary fuel economy of 24.4km/l* to let you enjoy more time on ride.
SAFETY & SECURITY
Now you can drive with peace on any terrain, be it a peppy ride or family trip with your beloved one, the Ford Freestyle safeguards your every journey. To protect you and your family in the best possible way it features 6 airbags, along with the driver and front seat passenger airbags, it offers world-class side and curtain airbags. You can now easily make those swift stops and rapid turns with superior control as it comes with Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) and Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD). ARP, HLA (Hill Launch Assist), ESP (Electronic Stability Program), EPAS (Electric Power Assist Steering) and Traction Control are some of the safety features for the safest drives al-round clock.
Visit PPS Ford – an authorized dealer of Ford in Bangalore today to know more about the Ford Freestyle offers and the best quotes.
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Appearance Interior
The interior is very similar to the Ford Figo cabin, apart from the chocolate overtones used on the dashboard here and the new fabric pattern for the seats. The dash also gets a new tablet-like touch screen system with SYNC 3 which adds a touch of pep to the cabin.
It’s responsive, hosts many practical features and is widely compatible, making it one of the best in the segment. Otherwise, the ergonomic cabin continues to get usable storage spaces and seven bottle holders in the front, but none at the back. The quality of plastics is still average. Thankfully the low seating still provides a commanding view ahead.
Also, the cabin space is sufficient for four average sized individuals like me, but will prove to be a little tight for tall people. Seats are supportive, but I couldn’t cotton to them on a long journey. The 257-litres boot with a high loading lip and prominent wheel arch intrusions will make utilising space challenging, but is still good enough to pack one large suit case and three soft bags. It’s the best in terms of safety features with this Titanium+ getting six airbags, ABS, ESP, TC, Hill-assist and active roll-over protection.
Performance Drive
The 1.5-litre TDCi mill from the Figo has been retained in the Freestyle’s diesel version. What we have tested here is new 1.2-litre Ti-VCT Dragon series petrol mill that produces 94bhp and 120Nm of torque. This not only makes it the first model to get the new naturally aspirated three-cylinder engine in the carmaker’s line-up, but it also makes it the most powerful amongst the NA 1.2-litre petrol mills in India. I was expecting this to be louder and rougher than the four-cylinder engine. However, it was surprisingly quiet as we made our way out of Jaipur city early in the morning. Although there is a typical thrum, the engine is surprisingly smooth. Even if it isn’t outright quick off the mark, it gets going post 2,000rpm. It’s good enough to help push the car past slow traffic. Instead of the IB5 five-speed gearbox, Ford is using a new MX65 Getrag gearbox, which feels lighter to use and slots in well. The clutch complements it by being well-weighted and light enough to ease things while driving amidst city traffic.
Post the 3,000rpm mark, the engine performs with gusto and keeps that way while redlining at 6,800rpm. With a shorter gearing and quicker gearshifts, we soon managed to get out of the city limits where the Freestyle could stretch its legs. The strong mid- and top-end further aid the car’s cruising abilities. Engine noise was only audible when I was shifting down a gear or keeping the engine on the boil. Even then, it never got to the point of sounding harsh, which is something I quite liked. Besides that, cruising at triple digit speeds felt like a breeze and the quick overtakes never made me feel nervous. Furthermore, the otherwise light steering at low speeds weighed up nicely to feel even more connected at higher speeds.
We then decided to push the car even further and on a few tight bends, it became evident how well-calibrated the steering is. Despite the slight slack at the centre, it quickly directs the car in the direction pointed at, while also providing a good amount of feedback. The wider tyres (185/60 section) have good grip and make the car feel planted, while the brakes have good stopping power that instil confidence to drive faster. The TCS and ESP kicked in on time and we had the backing of the active rollover protection on the Freestyle to let us do all kinds on antics on the flats around Sambhar lake. These electronic aids made sure we came back unscathed and more importantly with a wide grin on our faces.
Now, the ground clearance of this vehicle stands high at 190mm so you might general presumption is that the body roll must be so evident. However, Ford has beefed up the anti-roll bars to minimise this and it’s impressive for a car this tall. The biggest advantage of this is that the car dismisses big bumps and rough patches with ease. The bigger 15-inch wheels with a larger contact patch help in overcoming potholes easily. Sure, there’s an up and down movement on bad roads at low speeds, but it settles with speeds above 40kmph. The suspension is nicely set up to absorb bumps and we managed to move through some beaten paths and off-road swiftly. Apart from a few jolts filtering into the cabin only on very bad patches, the car performed brilliantly off-road, living up to its butch character.
Opening
With the demand for SUVs and SUV-like vehicles increasing, every car manufacturer wants to have a product that fulfils this particular need of the Indian buyer. Ford too has come up with a product named Freestyle. They are calling it a CUV – compact utility vehicle. Well, rightly so, as the EcoSport has its own niche in the SUV segment and falls under a price bracket above the premium hatchbacks. So the challenge for Ford was to bring in a product which has proportions of a compact car and yet will deliver what an SUV can. Enter the Freestyle, which is based on the Figo hatchback but with an aggressive styling, bolder design and with some more cabin equipment. Furthermore, there is a new 94bhp 1.2-litre petrol engine from the Dragon series on offer. So will the new car, which is in line with the modern style and trends of today’s youth, manage to impress? We find out on a media drive in Jaipur.
Ford Freestyle Exterior
Most of the design bits of the Freestyle crossover are carried over from the Figo hatchback. However, it carries more rugged and commanding stance. Styling elements such as additional body cladding, black plastic, roof rails and new Mustang-inspired hexagonal grille give it a crossover-ish appeal. Accentuating the sporty front fascia of the car are the sweptback headlamps, unique grille with three-dimensional mesh, pronounced bonnet, fog lamp bezel and blacked-out high contrast on the front bumper with integrated skid plate and sculpted fascia sections. Read – New Ford Premium Hatchback Under Development
What add more to its sporty look is black plastic cladding is running across the sides and wheel arches. The side profile is further adorned by twin-spoke black alloy wheels and roof rails. Riding the crossover are the large and wider 1185/60 R15 tyres. Ford is also offering a range of accessories with the crossover. The accessory kit includes body stripe kit and roof wrap, rear spoiler, R15 alloy wheels, sun blinds, seat covers and slimline weathershield.
Dimensions
The ground clearance of the new Ford Freestyle is higher than the regular Figo hatchback. It stands on 185mm of ground clearance, which is 15mm higher than its donor sibling. The fuel tank capacity of petrol and diesel models stand at 42-litres and 40-litres respectively. While the petrol version carries kerb weight between 1026-1044kg, the diesel model has a kerb weight of 1062-1080kg. The overall length, width and height of the crossover stand at 3,954mm, 1,737mm and 1,570mm respectively. Sitting on a wheelbase of 2,490mm, the car offers a turning radius of 5.0 meter. It has a boot space capacity of 257-litres.
Colour Options
Ford’s new crossover is available with 6 exterior colour options – Smoke Grey, Oxford White, White Gold, Moondust Silver, Absolute Black and Canyon Ridge.
What’s under the hood?
The diesel variant employs the familiar 1.5 L TDCi 4-cylinder unit from the Figo, Aspire, and EcoSport. It makes 100 PS at 3,750 rpm and 215 Nm at 1,750-3,000 rpm and mates with a 5-speed manual gearbox. If my past experience with this engine is anything to go by, it is likely to deliver class-leading performance and boast respectable fuel consumption figures. Ford claims 24.4 km/l overall for the diesel variant. However, the talking point here is the all-new 1.2 L 3-cylinder petrol mill hailing from the Dragon family of engines. This engine develops 96 PS at 6,500 rpm and 120 Nm at 4,250 rpm, which on paper, seem more than ample for a car this size.
Off the line, the build-up of pace is modest at best. However, once the needle is past the 2,000 rpm mark things change, and change for good. The Freestyle gathers speed more briskly and keeps pulling deep into the rev band. It is best to keep it around or above 3,000 rpm to extract the most out of this particular engine. It does tend to get quite vocal at higher revs, but honestly, I kind of enjoyed the sound the three-pot motor made. There were instances wherein the engine expressed unhappiness in second gear at very low rpms. Building up the revs before releasing the clutch fully or shifting down to first gear is felt more comfortable.
Power is sent to the front wheels via a new 5-speed manual gearbox. The gearshifts are smooth and slot in perfectly without a fuss. Making life easier, especially in traffic, is the light clutch. Ford claims an overall fuel consumption of 19 km/l to for the petrol Freestyle. While, in most cases, the real world figures tend to be off by a good 8-9 km/l, that is not the case here. It took a lot of aggressive driving and hours of fooling around at the Sambhar Salt flats in a very un-ecofriendly manner to bring the number down to around 11.2 km/l. So, I reckon, the real world figures will be much closer to the claimed number when the car is not driven like a lunatic.