Ford will soon launch the Freestyle hatchback-based crossover. The Freestyle is a butch version of the Figo hatchback, with more ground clearance. While Ford is yet to reveal the exact boost in ground clearance, we now have uncamouflaged pictures of the car, giving us a glimpse of what will soon be launched in India. The Freestyle has already started arriving into Ford stockyards around India, which indicates that the launch is just days away.
The Freestyle will benefit from a brand new petrol engine. It’s a 1.2 liter-3 cylinder unit from the Dragon series of petrol engines. The engine will produce a peak power of 97 PS and a peak torque of 120 Nm, making it a segment leader.
A new 5 speed manual gearbox will be standard on the petrol engine. Ford may offer an automatic gearbox on the petrol Freestyle in the coming months. For now, there’s no clarity on an automatic gearbox on the Freestyle.
The car will also be available with a 1.5 liter turbocharged diesel engine borrowed from the regular Figo and Aspire models. This engine makes 100 PS of peak power and 205 Nm of peak torque.
Known to be a torquey engine with little turbo lag, the Freestyle could be one of the most driveable hatchback based crossovers in India. Competition to the Freestyle will come from the Hyundai i20 Active, Honda WR-V and the Fiat Avventura.
The Freestyle will get a new touchscreen infotainment system with Ford’s latest SYNC3 apps. The car will also get refreshed interiors. Twin airbags and ABS are likely to be standard safety features across the range. More details about the car will be revealed at the time of launch. In terms of pricing, we expect the Freestyle to be about Rs. 50,000 pricier than the regular variants of the Figo, which starts from Rs. 5.47 lakhs, ex-showroom Delhi.
Via Team-BHP
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