Freestyle vs WR-V vs i20 Active: Specifications comparison

Having recently driven the Freestyle, we can tell you that Ford’s new cross-hatch is more than just a jacked-up Figo with body cladding. There is genuinely a lot to talk about, including Ford’s new 1.2-litre, three-cylinder, naturally-aspirated petrol engine and the new five-speed manual gearbox that debuts on the Freestyle. There's a diesel version on offer too that shares its 1.5-litre engine with the Figo, Aspire and EcoSport.

The Freestyle has rivals aplenty in the cross-hatch space but we'll focus on the two models that have found favour with buyers – the Honda WR-V and Hyundai i20 Active. Here's how the Ford compares with them on specifications.

Exterior
First things first, let's take a look at the donor cars for each of these models. While the Freestyle is based on the Ford Figo, the Honda WR-V shares plenty with the Jazz and the i20 Active is a derivative of the standard i20. Given that the Figo sits a sub-segment below the Jazz and i20, it's no surprise that the Freestyle is the smallest among its cross-hatch rivals. At 3,954mm in length, the Ford is over 40mm shorter than the other two and its 2,490mm wheelbase is the smallest as well. The Freestyle slots in between its rivals when talking width and height, with the i20 being the widest and the WR-V the tallest. Buyers in the segment are sure to note the Freestyle runs the smallest wheels; its 15-inchers are a size down on the 16-inch rims that the WR-V and i20 Active come with. All three cross-hatches sport raised suspensions and offer enough ground clearance as well. The Freestyle and i20 Active get 190mm of ground clearance while the WR-V boasts of 188mm.

Study the table and you'll notice that the Ford is the lightest of the three cars, by a huge margin. 

Interestingly, all the cross-hatches here are offered in the same brown exterior finish.

Interiors
A visual comparison between the Figo, Jazz and i20 should give you an idea of how their cross-hatch versions compare on space on the inside. The WR-V is the most spacious by a big margin, followed by the i20 Active and the Freestyle. In terms of boot space, too, the WR-V has the upper hand, with a massive 363-litre boot that's leagues more spacious than the i20 Active's 285-litre and the Figo's 257-litre one. While all three models get foldable rear seats, the i20 Active's offer the additional flexibility of a 60:40 split.

Engine and gearbox
As mentioned, the Freestyle debuts Ford’s new 1.2-litre. three-cylinder petrol motor from the 'Dragon' family, while the tried-and-tested 1.5-litre, four-cylinder mill remains the source of motive power on diesel variants.

Ford's new 1.2 petrol engine goes straight to the top of the power charts, with its 96hp of power and 120Nm of peak torque. The WR-V's 1.2 comes in second with 90hp and 100Nm, while the i20 Active is down on power compared to the other two with 83hp, though torque is a reasonable 115Nm. The petrol versions of all three cars make use of five-speed manual gearboxes, and none of them can be had in automatic form. Interestingly, Ford claims a fuel economy of 19kpl for the Freestyle which, on paper, makes it more efficient than its rivals.

As for the diesels, the Ford Freestyle's 1.5-litre, four-cylinder diesel engine matches the WR-V's 1.5-litre unit on power (100hp) but its 215Nm torque is 5Nm less than the i20 Active's 1.4-litre engine's 220Nm figure. The Ford is the only diesel cross-hatch here to use a five-speed manual gearbox; the other two use six-speed manual gearboxes.

Talking about fuel economy, it's the WR-V that promises to stretch each litre of diesel the farthest, with a claimed 25.5kpl economy outdoing the Freestyle's 24.4kpl figure. Hyundai claims a 21.19kpl figure for the i20 Active.

Pricing
Ford has launched the Freestyle with prices starting at Rs 5.09 for the base petrol and going up to Rs 7.89 for the top-spec diesel trim. At this price point, the significantly undercuts the Honda WR-V and Hyundai i20 Active on price. For the record, the WR-V costs between Rs 7.9-10 lakh while the i20 costs between Rs 6.99-10 lakh (all prices, ex-showroom, Delhi). Ford seems to be targetting the premium hatchback segment with its new offering as the prices suggest a close rivalry with the likes of the Maruti Suzuki Baleno and Hyundai i20 hatchback.  

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