Ruby Red Ford Aspire 1.2 Ti-VCT (Red-Letter Day)


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A need for a new car:
Let's rewind the time to Jun-2016.
I needed a car once I relocate to Bangalore. Do I really need a diesel? I thought. Hmm.. The car will be used only for short weekend trips within the city and for occasional highway runs. Average mileage would be around 1000 km per month or sometimes even less than that. So, a petrol hatchback makes more sense.
Having owned a Punto at my home town for 5 years made me think that going for entry level hatchbacks would be a bit of a downgrade. So I was keen on considering premium hatchbacks. After all, there are various choices to spoil you if you are out to buy a hatchback.

Elite I20 was the first on my list. I have always admired the way the Elite I20 has been designed. Sleek front grill, sweeping tail lights, floating C pillar, it sure is a looker. Though it has been some time since Elite I20 has been in the market, I still couldn't resist the temptation. Checked out the car in the showroom and found that it still hasn't lost it's charm. The rear legroom is sufficient though not class leading. The interiors were well put together with nice soft touch plastics. I did not like the light chocolate color interiors compared to the all back that is present in the Active I20, but I can live with that. Took it for a test drive. Oh man.. the car struggled to pull with just 3 people on board. The engine was very refined, the gearshift was very smooth, the steering weighted well as the speed built up. I knew that many people claim the steering feedback to be unnerving at high speeds. But still I was ready to overlook that since I am a sedate driver and would not be doing speeds more than 120 often. But when I came to know that the Magna variant lacked ABS and airbags, I was in for a shock. What kind of value does it hold for such a price tag without these safety features? Had it not been for the weak engine and lack of ABS and airbags, I would have definitely gone with the Elite I20.

Baleno grabbed my attention next to I20. Good looks, very good set of features for each variant, ABS and airbag as standard across all variants, decent interiors, comfortable front seats, good rear legroom, decent boot space. Hmm.. The positive points on paper were too convincing. Took a test drive to feel how it drives. Wow! Excellent power to weight ratio. The engine was silent and refined with very good torque. After driving my diesel Punto for 5 years, I was thinking that all 1.2 litre petrol motors will not have enough torque. But, I was proved wrong by Baleno's 1.2 mill. I fell in love with the way the engine responded. The gearbox was slick and the clutch feel was good. The steering feel was not very good. It was too light at parking speeds. May be I was comparing it with my Punto's HPS. The suspension was a bit firm, but what else can I expect in such a lightweight car. The delta variant ticked all the right boxes for me. But I still wanted to test drive other cars as well before finalizing the Baleno.

Jazz is one car that has been praised by many for the sheer space it offers in it's class. Yes, the car had very spacious interiors, a big boot, a refined engine and of course the brand name of a Honda. But somehow Jazz did not appeal to me. I felt the design to be more in line with a mini van rather than that of a hatchback (no offense Jazz lovers). But I still wanted to give Jazz it's fair chance in my decision making process. I loved the black interiors of the top end Jazz but sadly I was looking out for the S variant which offered only beige interiors and also lacked ABS. The interior design was a definite betterment over the previous gen Jazz but somehow it did not feel premium enough. The plastic quality was acceptable but not was not in the leagues of a Hyundai or a Volkswagen. The test drive showed the engine's refinement. The gearbox was smooth and the steering was precise. But somehow it did not pull any strings in my heart. Moreover, the price tag for the S variant against the set of features it offered and the running costs of a Honda (remember? Honda has a 6 month service interval) made me think twice.

Polo was next on my list. I have always liked the way the Polo is designed - simple and elegant. The low stance gave it a sporty look. The build quality was excellent. Though the boot was of sufficient size, the rear legroom was cramped and the interiors of comfortline variant didn't quite match up with the elegance of the highline variant. The test drive showed that the 3 cylinder engine note was loud and the refinement was not in the league of other 4 cylinder petrol engines in the market. The engine noise became more evident when the RPM climbed further. The gearbox was a delight to use and the suspension was excellent. Overall the car that bowled me over by it's elegant appearance and the build quality, did not intrigue me to buy one.

I striked out the below hatchbacks from my list without even a test drive.
Punto - A petrol Punto simply doesn't make sense. Moreover, Fiat selling only the mid-variant (Dynamic) with petrol engines simply did not inspire confidence in me regarding the lifecycle of it.
Etios Liva - Bland exteriors and interiors. Looks dated.
Swift - Looks dated and is due for a facelift next year, cramped rear leg room and limited boot space.
Bolt, Micra, Pulse - The design simply did not impress me.
Figo - Limited boot space in comparison.

I haven't liked compact sedans in the past. I thought that I would rather buy a premium hatchback over a compact sedan any day. But suddenly, bringing them in to the picture made some sense. I wanted to see if any of them can actually change my perspective on the compact sedans.

Dzire was not on my list. I liked the swift better.

Amaze - I would rather buy a Jazz for the same amount of money. Cost cutting was evident on the Amaze. The interior was looking a bit cheaper than that of a Jazz.

Ameo's boot did not look quite good. IMHO, a Polo is any day a looker compared to the Ameo. The extra 30 litres of boot space compared to the Polo was not compelling enough. The only feature that was really tempting as opposed to the Polo was the Cruise control. Ameo gets cruise control even in the Comfortline but the Polo gets it only in it's highline avatar. Test drove Ameo to see how the cruise control works. I really liked that feature. But, for me cruise control alone was not enough for the Ameo to dethrone Polo.

Xcent - I was not very keen on this since it did not appeal to me as the Elite I20 did.

Zest was one car that I wanted to check since I saw many people praise the leap in the quality improvement. Visited the showroom to check one. The front of the car is not bad but the side profile reminded me of the Vista/Manza. However the rear LED tail lights was good looking. I stepped inside and wondered if it is a Tata product. I really liked the interior design very much. The steering wheel was nice to hold although it was a bit bigger in size. The instrument console was neatly laid out and the Harman music system sounded decent. I went for a test drive to see how it behaves on road. The engine was silent and the NVH levels were very well contained. The turbo engine performed rather well on the short test drive. The gear shift was smooth. I tried using different driving modes (eco, city and sport) of the Revotron engine, but I couldn't find any noticeable difference. But I cannot complain about that since the engine pulled cleanly in traffic without any issues. So, I did not care about the modes. But the let down was the ergonomics and driving position. I was considering the second variant which lacked the seat height adjustment. So, in the test car I set the seat height to the mid position to see if I can live without seat height adjustment. Somehow, I couldn't find a comfortable driving position. another grouse was the lack of space for my left leg. There is no dead pedal and there is hardly any space left to keep the left leg while cruising on highways. Though the car was making a good sense as an overall package considering the cheaper price tag and the amount of features we get for that, the poor ergonomics simply made me drop this option off my list.

Aspire is a looker, at least from the front 3 quarters. The large front grill made the exterior look beefy even though it is not. The boot, if not beautiful, looks decent for a compact sedan. The interior design looked good and the rear legroom was sufficient. But the moment I sat in the car and closed the doors, it felt heartbreaking. Why did Ford give such a flimsy feel to the door and the door pads? Aspire's doors were no where near the solid doors of my Punto. Even the lighter Baleno had a better feel when I closed the doors. Then when I operated the power windows, I could see the door pads flexing. That's again not a good sign for a Ford. The earlier Ford models were heavier and well built. Despite all these, I went for a test drive. It was a very silent cabin. The gearbox was smooth, the ergonomics were good, the suspension was excellent, the steering was precise but the initial torque is nothing to boast of. Everyone in the internet forums were going gaga over the diesel Figo/Aspire but I really did not have a monthly running requirement to justify a diesel, whatsoever. So, I stuck with the petrol aspire in my list.

Purchase decision:
On completing the test drives of the cars in my list, I set my mind on Baleno Delta Petrol. It made a very good proposition which I simply could not resist. I booked the car even before relocating to Bangalore since I can save a few weeks of waiting period. I was also told by the dealer that Maruti had increased the production and so the waiting period might come down. After waiting for more than one month I called the dealer to ask about the status and still they were not sure about the status. Hmm.. Is it worth waiting for 8 months to buy a car? I thought.

I started revisiting the websites to see how other options fared against Baleno. I was very much attracted towards the Aspire from the beginning sans my doubt on the build quality. Started searching on forums about the same. Then came to know that there is some sound engineering involved in closing of the doors. I came to know that even a tinny door can be engineered to sound with a mild thud instead of an unconvincing clink. Oh, is it why the doors on a Baleno sound better while closing despite it's lightweight? This made me think. Then I came to know that Aspire's doors miss out on the rubber beading (I don't know why Ford has skimped on this) that is the culprit behind the clunky sound on closing the doors.

Suddenly everything started falling in place. I thought it would be a sensible decision to reconsider Aspire. After all, I like the way Ford cars drive. The refined engine, good driving dynamics, plush ride quality, comfortable interiors, would satisfy me more than the shortcomings the Aspire posed. The slash in price of almost 91K for titanium variant by Ford came handy. I would be able to get my hand on a Titanium variant with most of the bells and whistles that I would get on the Zeta variant of Baleno for just the price of Delta variant or even lesser. The extreme value for money offering from Ford was simply irresistible. I would have also enjoyed the car for almost 6 months whereas if it was for the Baleno it would have just been allotted to me then.

Finally I made up my mind and cancelled the booking of Baleno and booked the Aspire petrol titanium.
 
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Thread Starter #2
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Insurance:
The Ford preferred insurance with Royal Sundaram looked a bit costly to me. They quoted Rs.24xxx for comprehensive and an additional Rs.4000 for zero depreciation, a total of Rs.28xxx. I tried getting quotations from multiple other insurance companies both directly and from agencies like policybazaar and coverfox. A word of advice to fellow bhpians - Try to avoid such agencies since they try to convince you without revealing much details. One such executive quoted a very less amount as premium (around Rs.13xxx) to me. I suspected some foul play and asked him the split up. Then came to know that he has taken a lesser IDV amount. Usually the IDV should be 5% less than the ex-showroom price. But the agent calculated the IDV as 10% less than the ex-showroom price. Though this would lead to lesser premium, the insured value of the vehicle would also be less.
Since I was an existing customer with Future Generali insurance for my Punto, I contacted them directly and got a very reasonable discount. The comprehensive insurance along with zero depreciation cost me Rs.17xxx.

Booking experience:
Booked the car from Lathangi Ford (JP Nagar, Bangalore) on August. There was a lot of confusion on negotiating the discounts. The sales executive who promised me a lot of freebies suddenly left the job. Then the general manager of the dealership called me and told that it would take one more month of waiting for the delivery (earlier the sales exec promised the delivery within 15 days). The GM quoted the price slash of Rs.91000 for the Titanium variant caused the bump in the waiting period. He also told that the offers and discounts that the sales executive promised cannot be fulfilled. I had an email confirmation from the sales executive but it contained only some of the freebies mentioned. I went to the showroom and met the GM in person and showed him the email. He said he cannot give all the discounts/freebies that the sales executive had promised but he told that he will try his best to give me better offer. He also mentioned that the sales executive was involved in many such false promises to the customers and even looted some of the booking amount from the customers and hence he was terminated. I was a bit upset to hear that but was happy that the GM handled my concerns very well. Then came the storm. A week later, I called up the dealership to know the status of my vehicle and was shocked to hear that the GM also quit the job
. I immediately raised a complaint in Ford India website giving a detailed explanation of what happened. They followed up within one hour of raising the complaint and patched me up with the owner of the dealership. Now, this was the worst phase in my buying experience. The owner did not give a darn about my concerns and said that all the offers that the sales executive and the GM gave are not valid. I had to fight my way in and make him agree to the complimentary seat covers and reverse parking sensor in addition to the 3rd year extended warranty as corporate discount. Finally he asked me to close the complaint with Ford India stating that the issues has been resolved to my complete satisfaction. I did not understand how the heck did he expected me to do so. I could have cancelled my current booking and gone with another dealership with a new booking but the waiting period of 2 months in other dealerships put me off and made me stay with my current booking.

Finally got my car delivered by September end. Luckily I got a vehicle that was manufactured on the same month.

Initial Observations:
My initial impression on the car was neutral. It excels in some areas, lacks in some and stays neutral in some.
Positives:
  • Good front-end looks
  • Very silent petrol motor
  • Plush ride quality
  • Very good handling in its class
  • Enough knee room and leg room at the rear
  • Good ergonomics
  • Value for money
  • Funky looking centre console
  • Stock music system sounds very good
  • Very good packaging on the interior (lots of cup holders and storage spaces)
  • After the price slash a few months back, Titanium variant makes more sense with more bang for the buck
  • 14 inch rims do look a bit out of proportion but I think that is what has led to better cushioning since it houses a higher profile tyre.
  • AC effect is very good
  • Gearshift is smooth
  • Good braking efficiency. During panic braking, car comes to a halt without any drama.
Negatives:

  • Build quality and sheet metal thickness is not something to brag about. Door panels flex on operating the power windows.
  • Low-end torque could have been better
  • The beige color could have been richer. The light oak color looks a bit cheap compared to the beige color in other cars in competition.
  • Boot finish is not up to the mark. The exposed metal parts near the rear seat are a threat to soft finish luggage. The boot hinges eat up quite a bit of the boot space.
  • The indicator stalk feel a bit cheap and hard to operate (especially the pass switch)
  • Absence of temperature gauge
Initial Ownership:
I have driven around 2000km so far and the car brings up a smile every time I drive it. I completed a Bangalore-Chennai trip during Diwali and got acquainted with the car's behavior.

I also happened to do a Bangalore-Coorg trip during which I started to enjoy the fun-to-drive factor of a Ford. Yes, it could have been better if it was a HPS, but the electric power steering is not bad at all. The feedback from the steering is precise and the way the chassis handles the curves in hills is commendable. The seat is comfortable for long journeys. Family members praised the rear seat comfort for a fatigue-free journey. The music system sounds very good for a stock setup. The car was still in running-in condition when I made both the trips so I had to refrain from revving the engine too much or do a constant high speed run. The mileage hovered a little more than 15kmpl during the trip to Coorg. Considering that there were 5 occupants on board with the boot full of luggage, I think it is a pretty good number.

Updated on 02-Jan-2017:
I did a roundtrip between Bangalore and Chennai last week. Since the car has run for more than 2000 km, I started stretching the legs a bit. The car seem to behave properly now-a-days with a reasonable bottom-end. I don't know if it is the engine that has started opening up after the run-in or I have just gotten used to the way it behaves and adjusted my driving style accordingly
. The weak bottom-end is no longer my worry.

The car behaves well mannered on highways even at speeds like 120kmph. Slowly I am starting to fall in love with the car. One grouse I have is that the car wobbles slightly when a high speed vehicle passes by on the highways. It isn't unnerving, but it just shows that the build could have been slightly heavier. That aside, the car feels well planted and doesn't let you down. The suspension works really well and is tuned for comfort. The front suspension is not silent though and there is a prominent thud when driving over big potholes in city. At highway speeds, there is no bobbing and the ride and handling is balanced quite well. The AC effect is very good. It cools the cabin quickly without any fuss. The seat provides good support during long drives. The NVH level is acceptable. Though the engine is very silent, the wind and road noise do filter into the cabin. It is not bothersome, but I would say the insulation could have been better. Or am I asking too much from a compact sedan?

With 2 people on board, AC turned on for the entire trip and not speeding more than 120, the mileage indicated by the MID was around 17kmpl. Had it not been for the worst traffic at the toll gates
(due to holiday season), I believe the mileage could have been marginally better. It is a different scenario in the city though. Since the car asks for frequent downshifts in city stop-go traffic, the mileage drops to around 10 kmpl in the city. It is not much of a concern to me since the average running of the car is less.
 
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Hi Samcan,

THAT is some very neat comparo of cars. A very good choice you made at the end. AND, you did well with the show room owner.

Absence of temperature gauge ? I missed to read this in earlier reviews. How would one know if something is wrong or not, due to excess heat ?? Or, is it that Ford managed to tweak something else to compensate this gauge ??

A pretty well written, neutral review. I would recommend you to become little non-neutral [;)] to like your car more and extract bit more fun from your car. The car would start loving you and becomes a part of you.

I hope, you do not need the next advice, but I will give nevertheless. I have seen many car owners "encroaching a feet or two" into the next lane while going thro curves. The main culprits are those driving good handling Hatchbacks like Swift, Figo, Punto & Polo [;)] AND, I spot them MORE on the Krishnagiri-Kanchi stretch. In their enthusiasm to push their cars, they forget to give a little extra correction on the curves. RESULT ??? They wander bit extra onto a speeding car's path, unknowingly. The driver of a speeding car does not normally expect crap from these good handlers and may not take THAT extra margin and caution while going past. THERE lies a potential disaster [surprise]

As you push your car around the curves / corners (I recommend you to keep PUSHING it; you feel like a child riding his first bicycle), just remember this above piece of advise.

Have lot many safe and fun-filled drives, man. BTW, your last sentence IS an IMPORTANT point to ponder. I wish many more people have the clarity you have.
 
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Thread Starter #5
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Thanks vijay.
Absence of temperature gauge ? I missed to read this in earlier reviews. How would one know if something is wrong or not, due to excess heat ?? Or, is it that Ford managed to tweak something else to compensate this gauge ??
AFAIK, Ford has given a warning light on the instrument console which gets lit up when the temperature is too high. But, IMO a temperature gauge would have been better.
A pretty well written, neutral review. I would recommend you to become little non-neutral to like your car more and extract bit more fun from your car.
Point taken [:)]
I have seen many car owners "encroaching a feet or two" into the next lane while going thro curves. The main culprits are those driving good handling Hatchbacks like Swift, Figo, Punto & Polo [;)]. In their enthusiasm to push their cars, they forget to give a little extra correction on the curves.
As you push your car around the curves / corners (I recommend you to keep PUSHING it; you feel like a child riding his first bicycle), just remember this above piece of advise.
You are right. I have also seen some people eat up a bit of the other lane. But I think that enjoying one's car at the expense of others' driving pleasure is not recommended. And I don't do that anyway. I have driven my Punto extensively, my friend's Polo, and now my Aspire, and I try to maintain a steady drive. After all, where is the fun in pushing a car to it's limit if it leads to an untoward incident?
OMG, why am I sounding like an elderly person? [lol]
 
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Hey samcan123,
That's an excellent ride you got there. And an equally impressive review. Congrats on your new acquisition.
Ford Aspire was my first choice but a similar ordeal happened with me in the dealership. I cancelled the Aspire and got an i20. Ford should really keep a close eye on the dealerships, how they treat and behave with customers. I bet they are loosing some customers because of nuisance of dealers. They lost me, they nearly lost you. I guess this is one of the primary reason for low sales of Aspire despite being the best choice in the segment. Wish you many happy miles ahead.
 
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Hey samcan123,
That's an excellent ride you got there. And an equally impressive review. Congrats on your new acquisition.
Ford Aspire was my first choice but a similar ordeal happened with me in the dealership. I cancelled the Aspire and got an i20. Ford should really keep a close eye on the dealerships, how they treat and behave with customers. I bet they are loosing some customers because of nuisance of dealers. They lost me, they nearly lost you. I guess this is one of the primary reason for low sales of Aspire despite being the best choice in the segment. Wish you many happy miles ahead.
Thanks.
Yes, the dealers are sometimes deal breakers when it comes to buying cars though the product itself might be worthy [frustration]. When I was looking out for i20 5 years back, Hyundai dealer in Chennai had a "take it or leave it" attitude. So, I went for Punto then and I don't regret it even today. I guess you had a similar experience with Ford and went with Hyundai. Whatever it is, we should be happy with our final decision.
 
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Congratulations on your new ride.
AFAIK now the i20 is equipped with dual airbags from the base varient era. But ABS is equipped with sportz model only.
Sorry if I have got the point wrong.
 
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Congratulations on your new ride.
AFAIK now the i20 is equipped with dual airbags from the base varient era. But ABS is equipped with sportz model only.
Sorry if I have got the point wrong.
Well, the showroom guy told me then that the Magna variant comes without ABS and airbag. I am not sure if it was added recently. Sorry, I have a bad memory and I don't remember what I saw in the brochure then.
 
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Hi,
Congratulations on your new Ford Aspire. Wishes to clock many more miles without issues.
Seat covers were very nice.
Thanks. The seat covers are part of OEM accessory. I got it as complimentary from the dealer after some negotiation [:D]

Does anyone feel the Aspire's indicator stalk/pass switch feels a bit hard to use? My finger becomes tired on operating the pass switch during highway drives at night. I know I sound silly, but is there a way to make it a bit softer?
 
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Thread Starter #12
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Just completed a round trip from Bangalore to Chennai. I have got accustomed to the power delivery of Aspire's petrol engine. I now feel the power to be very much adequate. Don't get me wrong, it's no pocket rocket but it's satisfying. The car cruises at 120 with ease and is capable of reaching a bit more than that. The main credit in having a very good highway ride goes to the well weighted and communicative steering and the stability the chassis gives. I am completely satisfied with my purchase decision.
 
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Hi samcan,

Great review. seems that you are quite happy with your figo aspire. good to see that. I am also planning to buy a petrol car. right now own ford figo diesel (2011). doing my research from past 2 months now. Very much inclined towards figo petrol but due to bad reviews all over the net I'm not able to decide, firstly i am no expert when it comes to petrol car because i've always driven diesel car and it's difficult for me to decide a better petrol car just by taking a test drive. i took TD for many petrols like grand i10, figo, tiago, not found much difference. Need your help because after so much research found a good feedback for this car, which shares the same engine with figo. i drive mostly in city only. very less highway running
 
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I am using Figo 1.2 Petrol and I can say the car drives best at 1800 to 3000 RPM and is the best cruising range. Any less and the car will struggle for power and any more the power will start to taper off. Mind you, occasionally you could push it up to 3500 RPM or even 4000 RPM f you need those strong pull during overtakes but beyond that the car will whine and yes not good for the Engine. The car drives very well if you keep it in its suitable RPM. The short 1st gear can feel irritating initially but once you get used to the cars behaviour you know how to work around it. Usually I drive in second gear for most slow city drives and the 1st gear is very suitable for bumper to bumper crawling. I am now able to crawl in city to city bumper traffic without touching the clutch must. However puttering around in second gear and low speed third gear does need some clutch riding. The third gear though is very nice for overtaking and can really pull from 30ish to 80ish if needed. I could easily keep up with a bunch of Marutis and Hyundai's on the way to Goa on dual carriage chat roads. Its a good car. Just understand its behaviour and it will reward you back.
 
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The dealer's attitude was really pathetic. However, glad you could get a car that you really liked. Nice review and well covered all the points.
 

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