Back in December 2017, it was finalised that we will buy a new car and the requirements were simple - it had to be powerful, well-built, compact, safe, and spacious. With a maximum budget set to Rs 10 lakh on-road Delhi, we began our hunt for a new car. A week later, we picked up a car from a segment which had really nice products like the Honda Amaze, Ford Aspire, Tata Tigor, VW Ameo, and Maruti Dzire. After analysing each one of these, we finalised the Ford Aspire TDCi and here is a detailed 2017 Ford Aspire diesel long-term review where I have shared my experience with this beast in last three years.
Variant: Titanium TDCi
Current Odometer Reading: 30150 kms
City: New Delhi
10 Things I Like:
- Build quality: Comparing it to the rivals we will find that this car is much better in almost every aspect - be it the paint quality or the sheet metal or the plastics used inside the cabin.
- The 1.5-L TDCi Engine: The engine is not only powerful but is also fuel-efficient and reliable. The strong low-end makes it a great car for city usage.
- AC Performance: This car gets a 1.5 ton AC compressor which helps in chilling the cabin in no time, no matter what are the temperatures outside. No, the rear AC vent is not missed!
- High-Speed Stability and Driving Dynamics: Push the car to its limit and you will realise that not only does it remain stable and glued to the road but in addition to this, it gets sorted driving dynamics which makes it a great car for the hardcore enthusiasts.
- Fuel Economy: With an aggressive driving style, I manage to get around 18-20 Kmpl inside the city while out on the highway, it delivers 23-25 kmpl (all these figures are with AC on).
- Music System: The audio output is phenomenal. The output from the speakers is clear, the bass is adequate and the loudness is decent as well. The music system is easy to use and the dial pad comes in handy to dial the numbers and to select the songs while driving.
- Easy To Drive Inside City: It is compact and driving it inside the city and through narrow spaces is not difficult.
- After Sales Support And Affordable Service Costs: The after-sales support from the brand has been great so far. the warranty claims were handled without any major fuss and the service costs too have been affordable and not very expensive.
- Scores High On The Practicality Front: There are a number of storage spaces inside the cabin. At the front, there are three cupholders in the centre console and a large bottle holder while both the front doors too get a provision to store a couple of bottles. However, there are no bottle holders and cup holders at the rear.
- Steering Feel and Feedback: The steering is nice to hold, it feels bulky and weighs up perfectly as the speed rises. The feedback from the steering is impressive and you have a sense of being connected to the car.
10 Things That I Don't:
- Build Quality: Well, do not get confused. While the overall build quality is great, the car is not as well built as the older Fords like the first-gen Figo, Fiesta, First-gen Ecosport, etc.
- Rear Seat Space And Comfort: The rear seat comfort could have been better. While the seats are comfortable and spacious, I would have appreciated better under-thigh support and better headroom. Do note that there are no cup holders and bottle holders for the rear passengers.
- Gearbox: The gearbox is accurate and you will be hardly missing any shifts but it feels notchy and has a rubbery feel to it. If are used to the gearboxes of the Japenese or the Korean cars, you will definitely be disappointed by this gearbox.
- Rear Visibility: The driver gets a very little view of what is happening at the rear. The IRVM is small and does not cover the whole area while the thick C pillars also hamper the overall rear visibility.
- Low Seating: The seats are positioned very low which makes it difficult to come in and out of the vehicle, especially for the elders in the house.
- Small ORVMs: The ORVMs are small and do not give a good view of the rear. There are major blind spots and you will require a lot of time to get used to these.
- Small R14 Tyres: The tyres not only look small but also hamper the overall performance. The new Aspire gets R15 tyres which are wider and have improved the overall driving dynamics by a huge margin.
- Boring Instrument Console: The instrument console not only looks dated but also lacks a temperature gauge which in my opinion is a must-have in a car.
- Fit And Finish Issues: There are some uneven panel gaps at a few places outside while inside, you will surely find some finishing issues at a couple of places.
- Stock Headlamps: The output from stock headlamps is extremely poor and driving this car at the night was a stressful affair. To tackle this, I have upgraded the fog lamps by replacing the stock units with fog projector. The output is now much more impressive when compared to before.
Read Also: 2016 Hyundai Creta SX+ Long-Term User Review - Still Entices With Thrill
The Spec Sheet
Engine: 1.5-L TDCi 4-Cylinder SOHC Turbocharged diesel engine
Gearbox: Ford IB5
Dimensions (L*W*H): 3,995 mm x 1,704 mm x 1,525 mm
Wheelbase: 2490 mm
Tyre Size: 175/65/R14
Fuel Tank Capacity: 40 Litres
Exterior Looks And Design
The Ford Aspire gets a very subtle yet aggressive design language. I liked the front chrome grille which was said to be inspired by those found on the Aston-Martin cars. However, I did not like the chrome and thus got it wrapped in gloss black colour. the side profile of the car looks good but the smaller, R14 tyres do not go well with the overall look of the car. The car looks great from the rear. the small tail lamps, a plain boot lid and the bumper-mounted registration plate gave it an extremely clean and elegant look. To further enhance the overall looks, I removed all the badges from the boot lid and the chrome strip on the boot lid was wrapped in black colour.
Exterior Mods:
- Smoked Tail Lamps
- Chrome Delete
- Gloss black wrap on ORVMs
- Debadged boot lid
- Projector fog lamps
Interiors
The Ford Aspire gets a dual-tone colour scheme inside the cabin. While the plastics are hard to touch, the quality remains high. The space at the front is decent while the rear space is enough for two grown-up adults to sit with utmost comfort. The front seats are comfortable and provide enough support but it is the rear seat bench which should have had better under-thigh support and better headroom. The visibility from the driver's seat is decent, if not great and everything is well within the reach of the driver.
The driver's footwell lacks space and the ABC pedals are positioned very close to each other. The clutch may not be the lightest of the units that you would have operated but the short travel and progressive feedback make it a delight to use. The gear lever is close to the driver and in all, this cabin pampers the front passengers. The suspension setup of the vehicle is towards the stiffer side and thus the ride quality is definitely not the best in the segment.
Engine, Gearbox, and Performance
Powering this Aspire is a 1.5-L TDCi engine that churns out 100 Ps and 215 Nm of peak torque output. This engine comes mated to a 5-speed gearbox which could have been better in terms of overall shifts quality. The new Aspire/Figo, however, gets a new and a better gearbox. The power from this engine comes in at early RPMs and it has a very strong low-end which makes it a great car for city driving. The turbo-lag is not evident and the car picks up speed in a linear and a quick manner.
Out on the highway, the engine pulls very strongly till 3800-4000 RPMs after which the power drops significantly. Push this engine above 2500 RPM and it starts to get vocal. it is worth noting that unlike other diesel engines, it produces an extremely sporty trump which is pleasant to the ears. With this being said, the tall gears make it a great car for highway riding and also help in extracting maximum fuel economy. I did talk about the fuel economy in the first half of this Ford Aspire diesel long-term review.
Final Verdict
So far, I am highly satisfied with this car. It is not very expensive and surely is a highly VFM product when compared to its rivals. Yes, it may not have all the modern bells and whistles but it surely scores high in terms of performance, driving dynamics comfort and build quality. So with this, I would like to wrap up this Ford Aspire diesel long-term review.
Time To Say A Good Bye!!!
For those who are wondering if I would like to recommend this car to my friends and family, I would like to say that it is a great product but comes with its pros and cons. So if space and comfort is not your biggest priority, this car will surely be a great product for you. Also, if you need a diesel-powered compact sedan, I think that the Ford Aspire is definitely the best car in the segment.
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