EXCLUSIVE! 

Ford is all set to unveil the updated Aspire sedan for India on Thursday, October 4, 2018. Ford has made multiple mechanical and cosmetic changes to the updated Aspire, along with the addition of a long list of features, to make it more competitive in the ever-growing compact sedan market, which is currently dominated by the likes of the Maruti Dzire and the Honda Amaze.

New engine and gearbox options

First up, the Aspire facelift gets the new 96hp 1.2-litre motor from Ford's Dragon series of engines, and it will only be available with a five-speed manual gearbox. This engine made its India debut in the Freestyle and delivers an ARAI-certified fuel economy of 20.4kpl on the Aspire facelift. The pre-facelift Aspire was sold with an older 1.2-litre petrol mill that delivered a fuel efficiency figure of 18.16kpl.

The Ford Aspire facelift now also comes with the new 1.5-litre petrol engine for the automatic variant. It delivers a healthy 123hp and 150Nm of torque, which is around 13hp and 14Nm more than the outgoing model. This engine also does duty on the Ford EcoSport. It’s six-speed gearbox is now a simpler torque converter unit, as opposed to a dual-clutch transmission offered in the earlier car, and this engine-gearbox combination delivers a fuel economy of 16.3kpl as opposed to a slightly higher 17.0kpl earlier.

The Aspire facelift's diesel engine has been further tuned for fuel efficiency and rises marginally to 26.1kpl, from 25.83kpl in the earlier model.

Complete variant and equipment breakup

Ford Aspire Ambiente (1.2 petrol, 1.5 diesel - MT only)

• Adjustable front and rear seat headrests
• 12V outlet
• Fabric seats
• Tilt steering
• Front power windows
• Manual AC
• Dual front airbags
• Rear parking sensors
• ABS with EBD
• Front row seatbelt reminder

Ford Aspire Trend (1.2 petrol, 1.5 diesel - MT only)

• Body-coloured door handles and wing mirrors
• Rear seat centre armrest
• All four power windows
• Passenger vanity mirror
• Radio with USB, Bluetooth and four speakers
• Boot lamp
• Gear shift indicator
• Turn indicators on wing mirrors
• Tachometer
• Remote keyless entry

Ford Aspire Trend+ (1.2 petrol, 1.5 diesel - MT only)

• 7.0-inch capacitive touchscreen infotainment system
• Front fog lamps
• Rear defogger
• Automatic climate control

Ford Aspire Titanium (1.2 petrol MT, 1.5 diesel MT, 1.5 petrol AT)

• Six-speed automatic gearbox (1.5 petrol only)
• Chrome grille surround
• Push button start
• Hill start assist (Auto only)
• ESP (Auto only)
• Traction control (Auto only)

Ford Aspire Titanium+ (1.2 petrol, 1.5 diesel - MT only)

• 6.5-inch capacitive touchscreen infotainment system
• Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Ford Sync3
• Emergency assistance service
• Dual USB ports
• Dual front, side and curtain airbags

Longer warranty

The facelifted Aspire range will now come with a standard 5-year/1,00,000km warranty as opposed to 2-year/1,00,000km offered earlier.