[Viraj.515]

Dear BHPians,

I am writing this ownership experience 20 months after the purchase. I always wanted to create the ownership thread and update it timely. However, I could not perceive enough motivation to make it happen. But, reaching the 50,000 kilometres milestone pushed the long-due desire to make it a reality.

So, I kindly request you to buckle up and enjoy the story of this journey so far with me.


Prologue:

Why a new car?

Our 8 years young humble Maruti Suzuki Alto K10 was performing the expected duty by satisfying standards. She had clocked 1,28,XXX kilometres on the odometer when we decided to get a new car. She has been religiously maintained at MASS and the only breakdown it has faced was due to the dead battery. I learnt to drive on this very car when I turned 18 and I have a special bond with her. K10 is still with us and today as well I enjoy driving her.

In March 2019, we decided to get a new car because our commute on the highways had increased by a considerable margin. Moreover, the upgrade was equally essential.

Lovely memories with this car!




Which car?

My father is a very sedate driver who keeps in mind the calculations of any unexpected errors by fellow road users and follows his own set of defensive driving tactics. Our primary requirement was safety with good road manners followed by reliability, fuel economy and some utility features. Additionally, I needed more power but I never disclosed my need before purchasing.

Considering our monthly usage, diesel car suited the best. The budget was set to ~8 lakh OTR.


Options considered:

We had only a few options fulfilling our needs within our preset budget.

1. Ford Figo S TDCi:

I was leaning towards Ford because of its sturdy build and impressive driving dynamics. I liked Figo S very much. Upon inquiring I found that the dealer in our town had a March 2018 manufactured Figo S TDCi in silver colour in the stockyard. I checked the car and started negotiations. The dealer quoted ~8.25 lakh OTR and offered a 1.25 lakh discount. I asked for a further discount but the dealer didn't agree with my price. My father was not convinced to purchase a 1-year-old car. Also, the price dealer was asking did not make sense as the new Figo Titanium diesel was costing only a couple of extra thousands. So, I had to let the Figo S go with disappointment.

2. Volkswagen Polo Highline+ TDi:

Polo had been on our priority list from the beginning and it was almost finalised. My father and I loved the Polo in every way except space. After all discounts, the Polo Highline+ TDi was costing around 9.52 lakh OTR. Due to the lesser space, expensive upkeep cost with the fear of reliability, we had to let the Polo go with heavy hearts. Respect for you, Polo.

3. Ford Freestyle Titanium+ TDCi:

I had taken a test drive of Freestyle when it was launched in 2018. I thoroughly enjoyed driving it. It offered a great balance of being quick, dynamic and comfortable at the same time. Before the test drive, my father was concerned about the heavy clutch and notchy gearbox. He had driven my cousin's 2016 Figo TDCi and complained about the nature of the clutch and gearbox. But after the test drive, he was satisfied with the improvement. We felt the Freestyle was an amazing package which checked all the marks of our needs with very sensible pricing. Hence, decided to go further.


Booking and delivery experience:

In my town, there is a single Ford dealership which happens to be a sub-branch of a dealer in Surat, Gujarat. I was quoted 9.25 lakh OTR for the Ford Freestyle Titanium+ TDCi. The negotiation process did not go well with the dealer in Navsari so I contacted another dealer in Surat named Surat Ford. The sales executive was willing to sell the car with all my conditions. I told him that I needed a factory-fresh vehicle to which he agreed. He informed me that he would place the order after the booking and the car would take two weeks to reach the dealership which was fine to me. Moreover, I asked for additional add ons in the insurance coverage to which he agreed. With all my conditions at my asking price, the dealer agreed. Hence, we promptly made the booking. The sales executive kept me updated with the status. He sent me the VIN number as soon as he was allotted the car by Ford India. I quickly checked the VIN on ETIS and found it to be manufactured 11 days back. I was genuinely happy. The dealer received the car in a week and I went for the PDI. Checked the car thoroughly and found it perfect. The payment process was done the next day.


On-road price:

OTR Price - INR. 8.70 lakh (Including discounts)
Freebies - 3rd & 4th year extended warranty, rear roof spoiler


On 2nd September 2019, Ganesh Chaturthi, we drove her home.

[Viraj.515]

Ford Freestyle 1.5 TDCi Titanium+ : Ownership Report


While writing this review, the car has clocked 50,000 kilometres. I will be focusing on my observation over the period of ownership.

Credit for the images goes to my sister who is an avid Team-BHP reader. She has been my companion whenever I am working around the car and she enjoys knowing about it. Kindly bear with me for imperfect images which were captured before without any intentions to use them on the thread.


What I loved:

• Decent build and with excellent safety package for the price. Good brakes with well-calibrated ABS and EBD, ARP, six airbags inspire confidence

• The 1.5 TDCi is a gem

• The perfect balance between ride quality and stability. It can glide on the bad roads as well as take care of quick lane changes

• 190mm ground clearance helps to glide without worrying

• Best EPS setup in the segment. The raw hydraulic feel is certainly missing when you are driving on the edge but it the connection is excellent with the ease of manoeuvring at slow city speeds and tight parking spaces

• Excellent fuel economy with 1000 kilometres of range in a tankful

• Flawless and feature-loaded SYNC-3 infotainment system delivers great sound quality

• Spot on Bluetooth microphone and FM reception

• Sensible utility features such as MyKey, speed sensing media volume, auto-dimming IRVM, auto headlight/wipers etc.

• Equipped with most of the necessary stuff from the factory itself. 3D cabin/ boot mat, scuff plates

What I disliked:

• Does not meet the same Ford Standards in terms of build

• Very small ORVMs

• Pulls to the left from day 1

• Barely average headlights

• Average interior plastic quality

• Remote keyless entry with push-button start does not make much sense

• Ford India should have given front armrest and cruise control at least in the Titanium+ variant considering its cruising capabilities

Exterior:

I love the classy look of European cars. However, I have started appreciating the way Freestyle looks.




- Bonnet has strong lines initiating from the A-pillar submerging into the front bumper. The strong character line starting from the front fender extends to the taillamps which save the side profile of the car from appearing boring. The B-pillar is blackened and I wish I could get the windows tinted in black. I was thinking of getting rid of those side stickers as well but it is still there and I have not given more thought to it.

- Headlamps are basic H4 reflector design and it does just an average job on highways. Headlamps do get a black treatment which enhances the appearance.

- Tweaked front and rear bumper design from the Figo’s with silver skid plates help the Freestyle to look refreshed.

- Roof rails are functional and can carry a weight of up to 50 kilograms. Ford offers crossbars as an accessory.

- I do not like chrome elements much and thankfully Freestyle is free from it. Ford treated it with the blacks.




- The design of the 15-inch alloy wheels with gunmetal shade looks perfect to my eyes. 185/60R15 Goodyear Assurance Triplemax tyres from the factory are liveable. There is nothing impressive about this tyre but it does the job it is intended to do. In my late-night thoughts after booking the car, I had planned to swap the tyres with a more grippy and less noisy option after taking the delivery but later I decided to live with it and replace them once the factory fitted worn out. Now, I have started the hunt for the new tyres because the factory fitted have ~ 5k to 7k kilometres of life left.




- I opted for the rear roof spoiler. It was a ford genuine accessory.


Miscellaneous observations:

- Parking sensors are placed well and it hardly fails to give the indication of any objects.

- Rear wiper is a boon in monsoons and works flawlessly. If the wipers are engaged in the auto position, the rear wiper wipes the windshield once when the reverse gear is engaged.



- The rearview camera is located just above the number plate and it remains dirty most of the time in monsoons.




- Keyfob looks impressive. The brushed aluminium portion makes it look classy. The ‘Open boot’ option on the keyfob has helped a lot. However, the absence of passive keyless entry does not help the significance of the push-button start.

[Viraj.515]

Interior:

The interior feels roomy considering the size of the car. Windows are adequate in size. The dashboard is deep and while driving you may feel that you are sitting far from the bonnet. The higher ground clearance does give a feeling of sitting a little higher as compared to the hatchbacks. Ergonomics are spot on. Each button and knobs are easy to reach and operate.


Steering Wheel, Indicator/wiper Stocks and Instrument cluster:

- The steering wheel is chunky yet it offers perfect positions to hold your palms. Leather-wrapped steering(like the Figo S) could have been much better. It has tilt-only functionality with audio and voice assistance controls. The quality of the buttons on the steering wheel is subpar. The dedicated voice assistant’s button on the steering wheel came off within a year.



- Indicator/wiper stalks feel hard while operating. Auto wipers control is confusing for the new users. Intermittent wipe position selects auto wipers.

- The background texture on the instrument cluster looks good. The numeric font in the instrument cluster looks boring! MID shows all the necessary details. Additionally, it displays which door is open.




Infotainment system and Climate control:



- SYNC3 infotainment system requires no introduction. It is the best in the business. All its features are praiseworthy. The floating design of the display is very well integrated and looks impressive.

- Important buttons and knobs to control the infotainment system are physical and neatly integrated. They are made of very good quality with a perfect tactile feel. The display-off feature is useful while driving at nights.

- Personally, I do not like the chrome treatment but the selective use of chrome especially on the infotainment and AC knobs give it a premium appearance.

- The rear-view camera gives a very clear image representation. ’Park pilot’ is a small yet nifty feature in which the imaginary car displays the location and distance of the object using the collective data from the parking sensors.



- Air-conditioning is a chiller! The Max-AC is a nifty feature that cools the cabin quickly. After pressing the Max-AC button again, it sets the previous AC setting.



- Location, height and design of the shifter gives a sporty feel while driving. The brushed aluminium finish looks pleasing to my eyes.






Seats:



- Getting into a comfortable driving position is easy. Under-thigh support is very long and I being 6 feet tall find it very accommodating.

- Cushioning is balanced. Neither too soft nor too hard. I have driven the car ~ 850 kilometres in a day without fatigue caused by the seating comfort.




- Thankfully, the rear seat gets adjustable head restraint which was not available initially when the car was launched.

- The legroom is adequate.


Miscellaneous observations:



- There is a black spot in the middle while using the high beam.

- Missing dead-pedal is disappointing.

- Factory-fitted 3D floor mats look organised. The locking mechanism is excellent and holds the mat in place. I was lucky to get these because recently Ford discontinued offering the same.





- It gets factory-fitted scuff plates.



- Height adjustable seat belts were discontinued when Ford India decided to add height-adjustable head restraints for the rear seat.



- The location and the quality of the microphone is spot on. The person on the other side of a phone call never complained regarding the voice quality and hardly notices that I am speaking from the Bluetooth microphone of the car. Any passenger speaking in the car is audible to the person on the other side of a phone call.



- The boot lamp and the hanger are small yet crucial features in the boot.

[Viraj.515]

Driving Performance:

- The 1.5 TDCi has got enough discussions done about itself on our forum. It is truly a gem! Glad, Ford is still offering it even after the BSVI emission norms. The new gearbox is slick shifting with precise slots. The engine and gearbox combo is perfect and I do not have to plan overtakes. Throttle input in any gear responds quickly with progress. Cruising on the highways is a breeze and I crave for it. 100 kmph in the 5th gear sets the engine ~2000 RPMs. The car can do some serious speeds quickly.



- Highway manners are enjoyable. It is not as good as the Figo’s but great when we account for the 190mm of ground clearance. Thankfully, Ford has put ‘active rollover prevention’ at the backend if the driver impels some teenager-like inputs.



- On bad roads, Freestyle just shines. It just glides the surface. The additional ground clearance truly helps.



- Brakes perform exceptionally till the legal speeds. Braking is predictable with the confident pedal. ABS is calibrated so well that it does not kick in till the drama is about to start. Nevertheless, the car needs better rubber to build a better ground contact.

- Fuel economy is phenomenal. I keep tracking fuel economy on ‘Fuelio’ and it has been averaging 24.5 km/l to 27.5 km/l when driven sensibly on highways. The least fuel economy I’ve got while driving on the highways is 16.3 km/l.


Accessories & Mods:

1. ‘Hyundai Swachh Can’ dustbin - 149/-

2. Osram Night Breaker Unlimited H4 headlights - 1024/-



3. 2x Osram T10 LED bulbs (Parking lamps and licence plate lamps) - 598/-

4. DDPAI Mola N3 with hardwire kit - 6499/- Hardwiring the dashcam was a simple DIY. I tried to hide it just behind the IRVM for the clean setup.

[Viraj.515]

Upkeep History:


1. Free Service - 2500 km:

Date: 30/09/2019

Odometer reading: 2398 km

It was just a formal checkup with fluid top-ups and vacuum/wash.

Amount: 0.00/-


2. Free Service - 10,000 km:

Date: 14/12/2019

Odometer reading: 9,421 km

Parts Changed:

1. 5W30 - Engine oil 3.8L - 1236.64/-
2. Oil filter - 302.55/-
3. Washer fluid - 59/-

Total amount: 1652.65/-


3. Paid Service - 20,000 km:

Date: 06/05/2020

Odometer reading: 19,263 km

Parts Changed:

5W30 - Engine oil 3.8L - 1174.8/-
Oil filter - 357.01/-
Drain plug gasket - 43.01/-
Air filter - 359.62/-
Cabin air filter - 163/-
Brake fluid - 349.51/-
Washer fluid - 59/-

Labour:

Paid Service - 2659.72/-
Alignment & balancing - 1593.82/-

Total amount: 6759.49/-


4. Paid Service - 30,000 km:

Date: 30/09/2020

Odometer reading: 28,881 km

Parts Changed:

5W30 - Engine oil 3.8L - 1174.8/-
Oil filter - 148/-
Drain plug gasket - 43.01/-
Air filter - 359.62/-
Cabin air filter - 163/-
Fuel filter - 1140/-
Washer fluid - 59/-

Labour:

Paid Service - 2659.72/-
Alignment & balancing - 1285.02/-

Total amount: 7032/-


5. Paid Service - 40,000 km:

Date: 06/01/2021

Odometer reading: 38,720 km

Parts Changed:

5W30 - Engine oil 3.8L - 1174.8/-
Oil filter - 357.01/-
Drain plug gasket - 43.01/-
Air filter - 359.62/-
Cabin air filter - 163/-
Washer fluid - 59/-

Labour:

Paid Service - 2659.72/-

Total amount: 4606/-


6. Paid Service - 50,000 km:

Date: 20/04/2021

Odometer reading: 48,059 km

Parts Changed:

5W30 - Engine oil 3.8L - 1174.8/-
Oil filter - 357.01/-
Drain plug gasket - 43.01/-
Air filter - 359.62/-
Washer fluid - 59/-
Brake pads - 1231.64/-

Labour:

Paid Service - 2659.72/-
Brake pads replacement -. 509/-

Discount: 505.91/- ( Summer checkup camp )

Total amount: 5844/-

Note - Brake pads had some life left but I decided to get them replaced.


Warranty jobs & replacements:

1. Flapper motor @ 24,000 km
- Some noise near the driver side AC vent

2. PCM firmware update @ 12,821 km
- Smoke under heavy acceleration was reduced

Aftersales support from Ford India has been very good.


Insurance renewal:

At the time of renewal, I switched the own damage policy from Tata AIG to New India Assurance. 3rd party coverage is covered by Tata AIG till September 2022. The renewal cost was 16,228/- which included zero-depth, nil-depth, engine protect and return to invoice add-ons.

[Viraj.515]

Some memories:

- So, after driving the car home, I wanted to complete the break-in period as soon as possible on my own. It was the monsoon season and I could not resist the idea to visit a hill station. After clocking ~ 1850 km, I could not control myself. On a weekend, I drove to Saputara which is a small hill station located in south Gujarat.



- Enjoyed the weather and the TDCi a lot that day.



- Glider and I, making new friends on the go!



- Glider cruising on the NE1 for the first time.



- Carrying new shoes for her sibling, K10.



- Yours truly, practising gratitude by pampering.



- Breathing in clean air on the weekends!



- I get to drive the car on the weekends for refuelling. I stick to reliance on fuel and the nearest reliance pump is ~5 km away from my home on the NH48. During the refuelling visits, the glider enjoys higher RPMs. Carbon accumulated during the weekdays is thrown out on the weekends!



- Glider recently reached the 50,000 km milestone!




Conclusion:

IMO, Ford Freestyle is a deserving candidate. Overall, the journey to date has been delightful. I am completely satisfied with the way the car is and looking forward to more happy miles.

Thanks for your time.

Regards,
Viraj.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[Sk8r]

Congratulations on your " Glider" from a fellow Freestyle ( Ambiente, TDCi ) owner, we are rare and few !

This has to be the most under rated hatchback on sale. A quick look at the service costs indicates it is cheaper than the supposedly " cheap to maintain " market leader. Ford must be breaking their heads to market this a better way to see it gets the sales it deserves.

Regarding the " left pulling " issue - It's surprising that Ford isn't able to rectify it from the factory itself. However, I got it rectified from FASS after multiple visits.

In the absence of Fiat, I can only hope that Ford continues to operate in our market to make exciting cars.

Sorry for hijacking your thread, I couldn't resist from posting a recent shot !

[rainmaster]

Congrats Viraj on your purchase of Freestyle, most underrated hatchback in India. Great review and wishing you happy mile munching. I have recommended Ford Freestyle Titanium+ 1.5 TDCI for couple of my colleagues and both were extremely happy with the ownership and driving experience.
Steering and suspension tuning is done to perfection, it’s a joy to drive as well as comfortable for passengers at the back seat. Please keep updating your ownership experience, will definitely help prospective buyers. I hope and wish hatchback buyers go for test drive in Freestyle before finalizing other hatchbacks.

[maheshm619]

That's quite some kms you have covered in this short term.Freestyle is an under-rated hatchback, thanks to poor marketing from Ford and their feature-deletion itch, every few months. Ford cars are best to be purchased during initial years of launch, since they will be most value for money than ever.

I have almost negligible left pull issue now.Confirm that the allignment centers have data for Freestyle.Some centers carry out allignment with figo/aspire data and this doesn't do any good.Wishing you many miles ahead..Keep this thread updated.

Attaching a pic of mine.

[Maverick5490]

Originally Posted by Viraj.515

IMO, Ford Freestyle is a deserving candidate. Overall, the journey to date has been delightful. I am completely satisfied with the way the car is and looking forward to more happy miles.

Thanks for your time.

Regards,
Viraj.

Hey Viraj!

Excellent crisp review and agree with your points. 50k kms in 20 months is excellent mileage. I have an April 2019 Titanium+ and have completed 23k kms and is our favorite companion for road trips. She can cruise all day with minimal fatigue to passenger and is a true under dog amongst competition.

I also faced the Left pulling issue, but post alignment from a local expert and wheel rotation combination, she is driving straight now!

Do keep updating the thread, especially regarding the tyres.

[su1978]

Very rightly and truly mentioned by the fellow members. This is one of the most underrated hatch in India. Only a few who ride it will vouch for the performance that this beast shows despite having such low numbers on sales charts. I believe that this is 100% fault of Ford India. I own Titanium+ petrol 2018 make and it is simply fantastic either highways or in the city. Have done some really long drives in this car and every time she has given me a big smile. Its more like point and shoot. The car goes in the direction you point your hand.




Near the home of Iconic Dashrath Manjhi (Manjhi-the mountain man)


At Dharamshala


Ford has done numerous "SHE DRIVES" activities. Unfortunately, my better half could not participate. But when she is at the wheels, she enjoys it thoroughly

2 golden beauties, Love both of them.

Here are my Youtube links to the review of the petrol version.
1st Year Ownership

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtipNZuR5QY

2nd Year ownership

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYpV-YUDpa8&t=322s

[Nikhil Beke]

It's a pleasant surprise to read this thread: I am in the final stages of purchasing this very car and help arrives to clear the dilemma, in the form of team-bhp thread!
Have heard a lot of praises of this engine and in general about the legendary Ford engines: here's my dilemma: my monthly run is around 1000-1200 kms(50% city+50% highway), and honestly goes against the conventional wisdom/calculations behind choosing a diesel engine. Would the premium be worth the experience of joys of TDCi, over the dragon petrol?Also, have heard from a few TDCi Ecosport owners that the clutch goes uncomfortably hard over a time- making the travel during stop-and-go city traffic really difficult. How far true is that?

[SenPai_GTi]

Ford Freestyle is what we expected to give a tough competition to the Fiat Avventura. But now it stands as the segment leader, better than some C-SUV's infact. I loved the interiors from day one itself, they're certainly a segment above.

Originally Posted by Viraj.515

Upkeep History:

Looking at the price, I can certainly say that Ford has come a long way over its maintenance cost. My uncle owns a gen1 Figo TDCI and he has shelved out a lot more at 40k km than you. Kudos for maintaining the car so perfectly!!

[AKSarkar1]

Originally Posted by Sk8r

This has to be the most under rated hatchback on sale.

I wonder why this hatch continues to be under-rated! As a former VW Polo owner, there are very few hatches that I would have traded the Polo for back in the day. However, if I were to make the choice now, I would pick the Freestyle over the 'New' Polo any day! The value that this car offers at the price point is simply unreal.

The car + engine combination (1.5 TDCi) reminds me of the old 1.6 Polo. Such tasteful combos are rare to come across especially with the downsizing of engines that is currently going on.

Loved the review and thanks for giving us an excellent read!