Ford Figo Aspire first look

Ford’s sub-four metre Figo Aspire sedan, expected June-end, enters a heavily contested segment with players like Honda, Maruti and Hyundai already present.

Walk around the Aspire and it becomes apparent that Ford has maintained its corporate identity with the car’s Aston Martin-like grille and headlights. The front-end design features a large hexagonal grille with chrome surround and chrome horizontal slats on the top variant. The headlamps are more compact when compared to the sharper styling of the larger Fiesta.

Viewed from the side on, the Figo Aspire looks quite stubby with the flat nose and tail adding to this effect. Styling on the flanks is rather plain with the shoulder line rising and falling gently over the wheel arches.

There are plenty of details at the rear to try and keep the rear bumper busy with Ford trying to keep the car below four-metres. The tail-lamps are simple, single piece wrap-around units with the top-spec model getting a thick band of chrome running across the boot lid. The black cladding on the lower portion of the rear bumper and the extension of the rear wheel arches prove that Ford has also done a lot of work to smoothen the airflow of the rear.

Get into the car and the similarities to the other Fords just become evident. The dashboard, centre console components, steering and gear-knob are mostly carried over from either the larger Fiesta or the EcoSport compact SUV. The high-set audio system gets a large screen and wing-shaped button sets. On the top-end Titanium model, the car gets chrome on certain dials, circular air vents and Ford’s SYNC infotainment system with Applink. The climate control system is a more compact unit than the one found on the EcoSport, as is the instrument cluster.

What makes the Aspire differ from its larger siblings is the sheer amount of storage space around the cabin. The centre console itself houses three cup holders with two more bottle holders in each front door pocket. Also different is the glovebox which is now rather sizeable. The control stalks have now been interchanged; the indicator stalk is now on the right and wiper controls on the left. The Aspire also gets Ford’s new MyKey system allowing the driver to preset speed limiters and volume limiters into the keys itself. Another addition is the MyFord Dock above the music system. The MyFord Dock acts as a storage space for your phone, MP3 or sat-nav device, and doubles up as a charging point and sync point for the infotainment system.

In terms of comfort, the front seats in the Ford offer good thigh support along with good lateral and back support. The seats are easily adjustable and make those long drives a bit less tiring. Initially, the rear seats don't look very promising. They may seem a bit tight for space and headroom looks limited, but that's only till you get in. Legroom on offer is actually pretty decent as Ford has left plenty of space for your feet under the front seats. Knee room is decent too. The backrest is nicely inclined and supports your middle back well; a nice elbow rest that folds out is included. Thigh support is fairly decent, not good however, and the front headrest does intrude a bit into your view out. On the whole, the rear seating is quite comfortable and is among the better ones in its class.

Under the hood, the Aspire gets an all-new 1.2-litre petrol engine and Ford’s tried and tested 1.5-litre DV5 turbo-diesel from the Fiesta and EcoSport, though power figures are expected to have been tweaked for the car. Also, you can choose between a five-speed manual and a six-speed double-clutch PowerShift automatic transmission — a first for a car in this class.

More details on the car will be provided once we get our hands on it.