[NaXal]

Originally Posted by slvrstrk

I've option for the default the 3 and 4th year (or 1l Km) extended warranty. Maybe i will go for 5 years extended warranty as you suggested as I doubt if I'd hit 1L Km by the 4th year.

It's not just about the KMS, but the time matters too. There are countless reasons listed in team bhp over various threads as why one must invest in highest possible warranty unless you plan to change the car within 2/3 years. But even if you are planning to resell, having a lengthy factory warranty will definitely help with the sale & value.

Thanks.

[bking]

Can any freestyle owner share their VIN no with me? I am looking to buy the 15 inch steel rims of the trend and ambiente variants but the dealership wants a vin no to find the part. If possible, please pm me. Thanks

[Spacetime]

After lots of research and very little actual driving, I am faced with the tough decision of choosing a car. It will be a petrol vehicle. Freestyle Petrol Titanium+ is the first choice (the others being Nexon XM and Ecosport Trend). I have test driven the Freestyle and found it slightly underwhelming (maybe because of the high expectations I had). The only cars I have extensively driven are the Wagon R (2010) and a 1.4 Ertiga; both petrol. I found the Freestyle's low end lacking compared to the Ertiga's. While going over speed breakers, the Freestyle struggled in the second gear and I had to downshift. However all other aspects of the car have impressed me and my better half. Is it my driving kills or the car itself that is responsible?

Also is the extra money for the Titanium+ justified? Other than the slick touch screen is the SYNC3 system different from the one on the lower models? Would the voice commands work on the lower models as well? Excuse my ignorance, I don't know the advantages of Android Auto and Apple Car Play either.

[NaXal]

Originally Posted by Spacetime

Is it my driving kills or the car itself that is responsible?

Also is the extra money for the Titanium+ justified? Other than the slick touch screen is the SYNC3 system different from the one on the lower models? Would the voice commands work on the lower models as well? Excuse my ignorance, I don't know the advantages of Android Auto and Apple Car Play either.

You are right on your observations. K12/K14 low end response is lighting quick compare to most other Petrol, even you may find iVTEC or Hyundai Kappa too bit dull when compared to Maruti K12/K14 lower end response.

But this is something may bother you for few days as true for anyone switching from one car to another. Very quickly you will get adjusted to the nature of the engine, power tuning, gear ratio and such. Takes few days & few hundred kms to get adjusted.

Secondly, Sync3 definitely makes sense to invest that extra over that normal touch screen. Works really good, smooth responsive & way more functional over the normal FLY unit.

Thanks

[Spacetime]

Originally Posted by NaXal

But this is something may bother you for few days as true for anyone switching from one car to another. Very quickly you will get adjusted to the nature of the engine, power tuning, gear ratio and such. Takes few days & few hundred kms to get adjusted.

Thanks

Thanks for the reminding me of the importance of getting used to a particular vehicle. Today I test drove the Nexon Petrol Manual, which was jerky and unpredictable compared to the Freestyle. And I don't think that Nexon petrol has a bad engine; it just has a different nature and might prove to be engaging and enjoyable in the long run. However my wife's opinion of the ride quality and overall visibility in the cabin tilts the balance in favor of Freestyle. Anyway, I will go for another test drive of the Freestyle and decide.


Thanks

[bf1983]

Originally Posted by Spacetime

After lots of research and very little actual driving, I am faced with the tough decision of choosing a car. It will be a petrol vehicle. Freestyle Petrol Titanium+ is the first choice (the others being Nexon XM and Ecosport Trend). I have test driven the Freestyle and found it slightly underwhelming (maybe because of the high expectations I had). The only cars I have extensively driven are the Wagon R (2010) and a 1.4 Ertiga; both petrol. I found the Freestyle's low end lacking compared to the Ertiga's. While going over speed breakers, the Freestyle struggled in the second gear and I had to downshift. However all other aspects of the car have impressed me and my better half. Is it my driving kills or the car itself that is responsible?

Also is the extra money for the Titanium+ justified? Other than the slick touch screen is the SYNC3 system different from the one on the lower models? Would the voice commands work on the lower models as well? Excuse my ignorance, I don't know the advantages of Android Auto and Apple Car Play either.

Yes the suzuki k12 engine in my Ignis is really awesome for the city due to the lovely low end torque. My dad has a freestyle and initially I wasn't happy with the engine at slow speeds. But on a 900 kms round trip in his freestyle where I drove extensively I found the car very nice to drive in the city once I got a hang of it.

It wasn't the same case with my friends Nexon which I drove for a bit. I didn't get used to the weak low end torque and I kept jerking the car in traffic. I think the Nexon diesel is a superior engine but I never took a shine to the Nexon petrol but that is just my experience.

Coming back to the Freestyle my dad has the titanium version and I wish he went with the titanium +. If you ever wish to use Google maps often then you will really wish you had the titanium +. The titanium has a very unintuitive touchscreen with immense lag and a very useless built in maps. My dad still has to use his phone to navigate.

Android auto in the titanium + version means you can navigate on the touchscreen using the Google maps on either your android or apple iPhone. So you don't need to use your small phone screen as the navigation like my dad is forced to do and the maps will be shown on the cars touchscreen instead.

Overall I really liked the Freestyle and the only reason I took the ignis over the Freestyle was down to cost.

[Spacetime]

Originally Posted by bf1983

Yes the suzuki k12 engine in my Ignis is really awesome for the city due to the lovely low end torque.

I guess the K series engines from Suzuki has pampered many of us with its excellent driveability and refinement.

Originally Posted by bf1983

But on a 900 kms round trip in his freestyle where I drove extensively I found the car very nice to drive in the city once I got a hang of it.

Strangely, my wife felt a slight wobble in the backseat of Freestyle on the highway. I have not known anyone else complain about its high speed stability. I will take another test drive on the highway to make sure.

Originally Posted by bf1983

It wasn't the same case with my friends Nexon which I drove for a bit. I didn't get used to the weak low end torque and I kept jerking the car in traffic. I think the Nexon diesel is a superior engine but I never took a shine to the Nexon petrol but that is just my experience.

Yes, this was pretty much my experience too. I even started doubting my driving skills. It was really difficult to drive the Nexon Petrol smoothly.

Originally Posted by bf1983

Coming back to the Freestyle my dad has the titanium version and I wish he went with the titanium +

Thanks, I am planning to stretch my budget for the Titanium+

[amitayu]

I bought the petrol Freestyle after driving a petrol Ritz for 7 years. The immediate feel was regarding the low end grunt and the gear shift.

This is a 3 cylinder engine, and will have some traits of a 3 cylinder pot. The K12 4 cylinder is a gem of an engine and its response is incomparable.

However, with time I tried getting accustomed to this new engine in terms of keeping the engine in the correct RPM range. The gear shift indicator is a good help for the initial period. Once you get used to that, you will find the sweet spot instinctively, and will not feel low power.

Ideally, a correct RPM range and easy throttle is what you need to drive this car. This car is will not respond to flooring the Accelerator at the low end as a K12 will.

P.S. I still have a grouse over the gear shift. I think the Ritz gear shift was more sportier and easier.

[anthusiast]

Originally Posted by amitayu

I bought the petrol Freestyle after driving a petrol Ritz for 7 years. The immediate feel was regarding the low end grunt and the gear shift.

This is a 3 cylinder engine, and will have some traits of a 3 cylinder pot. The K12 4 cylinder is a gem of an engine and its response is incomparable.

P.S. I still have a grouse over the gear shift. I think the Ritz gear shift was more sportier and easier.

I fully endorse this Felt the same during my TD of Freestyle. After driven the K12 for long Ford's engine didn't feel acceptable. Found the low-speed ride bouncy too.
Also felt the same with Nexon petrol manual. The low speed eagerness was missing, in addition to the 3 cy's jerky nature. Probably one should develop an acquired taste for these engine's low RPM response

[Spacetime]

Took another test drive, this time on the twisty roads of my hometown in Kerala. And I must say that I am impressed with the car. It is stable around corners and the steering is something I really liked. (This is the first and the only Ford that I have driven, so I do not know anything about the erstwhile Figo, Fiesta, Fusion etc.) I drove the Freestyle immediately after test driving a Tigor JTP. I found the Ford 's steering better. The JTP felt less reassuring on the same roads. So, as of now the Freestyle is what I will choose in a month or so.

[ank.nsit]

Any discounts being offered by Ford on Freestyle?

[bottle]

Originally Posted by ank.nsit

Any discounts being offered by Ford on Freestyle?

Few months ago there was a 30k discount, I m sure you can negotiate more

[Spacetime]

Originally Posted by ank.nsit

Any discounts being offered by Ford on Freestyle?

Few days back, I spoke to a Ford SA and and he mentioned discounts worth 35k. Further negotiations may fetch you a bit more in the form of insurance, extra warranty, accessories etc. In September I was told that Ford was giving five year warranty free.

[ank.nsit]

Went to enquire about Freestyle diesel.
It seems like ford has stopped producing the diesel vehicles and dealers are just clearing their stock.

So discounts are no more than ~30k.

Any vehicle not in stock will be delivered in Jan 2020. The company intends to bring in BS6 engines by then.

[bageherath]

Originally Posted by ank.nsit

Went to enquire about Freestyle diesel.
It seems like ford has stopped producing the diesel vehicles and dealers are just clearing their stock.

So discounts are no more than ~30k.

Any vehicle not in stock will be delivered in Jan 2020. The company intends to bring in BS6 engines by then.

I got my Freestyle 1.5 d Tit + delivered yesterday OCT 2019 manufactured.