[sriniadk]

Disclaimer: This is a long post. Deploy all reserves of your patience.

Meet my sleek ride - Ford Freestyle

What I Love

1. The punchy diesel engine performance is coupled with excellent efficiency.
2. The NVH level of this diesel engine is pretty much good (not like the Hyundai's though) better than the VW's, Honda and the 1.3L Multijet engine.
2. Steering feedback and handling are crafted in an enthusiast way even though it is an Electric power steering (carrying on with Ford's charisma).
3. More Practical with a 190 mm ground clearance setup.
4. Excellent suspension setup - if you hit the curves it will boost your confidence to hit more speeds.
5. The subtle cosmetic changes over Figo with that body cladding give it a bolder look along with the classy alloy wheels.
6. Nifty features like auto IRVM, auto headlamps, auto wipers and Sync system - simply the best in its segment.
7. Better interior space management especially rear legroom when compared to Polo.
8. The Titanium+ variant gets necessary safety features like 6 airbags, ESP, ARP & HSA.

What could have been better

1. The major setback of this car is the degradation of build quality when compared to the 1st gen Figo and other Ford cars.
2. Interior plastic quality is not top-notch and attracts scratches easily.
3. Harder suspension comes at the cost of a bumpy ride at low speeds in bad patches of road.
4. The Headlamps are a mere equivalent to a candle and nothing else.
5. Boot space of 257L is much less when compared to competitors.
6. Cost cutting like not providing keyless entry even after giving button start, non-illuminated power window switches.

[sriniadk]

Hello Team-BHPians,
To start off with a huge thanks to the Moderators for accepting my membership request. I am really delighted that after 8 years of being just a spectator of the Team-BHP website, I have got an opportunity to pen down my thoughts in this forum. Please bear with me if I make any mistakes as this is my first thread on Team-BHP and all suggestions would be considered in a healthy way.

I have divided the entire ownership into different parts, starting off with a small preface of my car journey.

Index

1. Introduction about my car journey

2. Why only Ford again?

3. Exterior

4. Interior

5. Heart of any Ford - Engine, Handling

6. The Smaller yet Significant Things

7. Personal Verdict

[sriniadk]

Introduction about my car journey

I came to know about Team-BHP in my 12th standard when I was searching car for our home in 12th standard. The first review which I read was of the 2014 Alto K10 and the journey started from there. While the Team-BHP craze started for me 8 years ago, the craze for cars and automobiles dates back to my childhood when I used to roam around my home with all toy cars. The main influencer in my conscious was the Maruthi Omni garage which was situated in front of our home in my native place. I used to wait for my summer holidays so that I could go to that garage and sit all day long in that sun. I have changed Stepney, cut windshield glasses, removed battery and the list goes on.

I grew up and I entered that driving age. It was exactly on my 18th birthday when my friend's gate-crashed into my home at night 12 o'clock as a surprise(the best birthday till now). I had already got 2-3 driving lessons from my friend(I consider him my guru in all aspects )in their Xylo car. So we went out for a drive in the streets of my locality. I still remember my friends howling from behind "Bhai ussae gaadi le le nahi toh,aaj birthday mae maut hojayega" . While I was not driving fast nevertheless I also forgot the existence of brake, coupled with the body roll of Xylo they felt it that way.

Many things in my life changed once I completed my 12th grade. After a year of study, I had to leave the college I had been enrolled in since I had been accepted to a superior institution in a different state. Because of this, I used to get only holidays between the Semesters. But that embarked my journey of driving to the next level, as it was a routine to go on a trip every six months along with my friends. In our gang, we were a trio of drivers (with me being the amateur). We 3 never worried about the destination because driving was the main reason for our trips. Over the course of six years, we transitioned from travelling in one car at first to two cars as time went on. We have used a range of vehicles for our journeys, including the Xylo, i20, OG Innova, City (petrol), Innova Crysta, Duster, and Ciaz. But the one major participant for most of the trips was the one and only Alto 800. Alto 800 was simply a legend it never gave up. It has ferried us to most of the destinations, be it the plains of Kanyakumari, the twisting roads of Kolli hills or the Steep roads of Idukki (except for one time when we had to push it from behind as power was not enough to climb that narrow steep upslope with 5 people ). We have covered all the tourist destinations of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and a part of south Karnataka.

Time passed and I got into my job in Gujarat and it was the Covid times going on. My aim to buy a car was slowly growing inside me much more, but Covid really played a spoilsport. Then finally towards the end of 2021, I started looking for my first car. I knew my budget was restricted, so started searching accordingly and was also aware of the fact that I would not be holding on to this car for a long time due to my professional constriction. The various cars that I considered were

1. Toyota Etios Liva diesel
2. Fiat Linea / Punto 1.3 Multijet
3. 1st gen Swift diesel
4. Renault Scala (D) / Nissan Sunny (D)
5. 3rd gen Honda City iVTEC

One thing which you can find as common in all these cars would be DIESEL. Yes, I am inclined towards that Diesel grunt. It's impossible to put into words the rush of excitement you experience when you floor a diesel car and the way it pins you into the seat when the turbo spools. The other car which I have always admired is the Honda City iVTEC. My curiosity for City mainly started off after reading GTO's post about the iVTEC engine. The way he exclaims about the Vtec Kicking and hitting the rev limiter made me more curious. Luckily a close friend of mine bought the 4th gen City in a petrol version. When I got a chance to drive the same, I understood the excitement of GTO and others. My god what an engine that is; I once floored it in second gear and the car pulled like a beast all the way to 7100 RPM and I could see the speedometer cross 100 kilometers per hour. This engine has a mix of both calmness and enthusiasm in it. It will respond to your driving style exactly as you expect.

I spent an entire month, roaming around in the 2nd hand car dealer area, just to get fooled. Every time I get close to a car deal and check its service record, either the meter would have been tampered, or the car was in a haphazard state. That's when I thought why can't I just ask these showroom guys if they have any car that they had got in as an exchange car. Finally, things started falling into place when I went to the Ford showroom. There I found a gentleman (Mukesh), who seemed to be genuine and assured me of getting a car. I found a 2012 Toyota Etios Liva (D) with low run kilometres and asked him to get it to my place for a test drive. So before reaching my place, he gave me a call stating that he also has a 2012 Ford Figo Diesel in pristine condition with a full-service record which has clocked around one and a half lakhs kilometres. I refused him, not to get that car as it has high mileage in its ODO. But still, he insisted me to just drive and see. My initial impressions of driving the Toyota Etios Liva was very bad. The vehicle was constantly pulling towards the left and the suspension definitely needed an overhaul. With a sense of disappointment inside me, I got into the Ford Figo.

The initial impressions were very good, the dashboard felt refreshing and it didn't look like a car that has put on so many kms under its belt. Checked the entire car with my check-off list and surprisingly it ticked most of the boxes. Few niggles which I found in the car were

(a) Rusting on 3-4 places
(b) The bumper was repainted which was evident (Mukesh accepted the same) and the body had scratches in many places.
(c) The Headlamps fail to switch to High beam.

Took the car out for a drive and I felt that the car was way ahead of the Etios which I had driven before. In that rough patch of road, the suspension neither gave any squeaky sounds nor it bottomed out. When I drove it on the Highway, the car pulled off cleanly and even at speeds of above 100 Kmph, the car was very sturdy, balanced and gave great assurance to the driver. After the drive, I informed Mukesh that I would contact him in a few days with a firm decision. Came back to my room and started doing the background research about this car. Then I realised, how I missed this car in my wanted list(mainly because I felt that the 1.4 TDCi was underpowered with the power figures on paper). The only hiccup that was there in my mind was the high mileage on ODO. But my friends gave me assurance that since it is properly company serviced there shouldn't be any problem. So without further delay, I made the decision to purchase the car. I named my Ford Figo as Ironhide( inspired from Transformers ).

Ironhide sighted on the first day.


Finally in my garage


Simple and classic interiors


As soon as I got the car, the first thing which I did was to convert it into a Mustang.


And I also tattooed my Ironhide with the signature stickers


After spending 6 months with Ironhide, I had to let it go as I got transferred to another state. I was in no mood to sell it as the car was in good condition, that's when a close friend of mine approached me and asked whether I was ready to sell it to him. I took the decision to sell the car because I knew that the car was going to stand idle for the next 3-4 months if I had it. A conclusive report about my Ironhide is as follows:

Additive things that I did after getting the car are:

• Mustang influenced stickering
• Iph M612 fog lamps with Nighteye LED
• Interior ambient lighting
• Led Scuff Plate

Likes:

• Built like a tank
• Good driveability with that 1.4 TDCi
• Hydraulic steering setup with good steering feedback was a pure delight for the driver
• Classic interiors
• The stock audio system speakers were good

What could have been better:

• Headlamps were nearly equivalent to non-existence
• Even though the 1.4 TDCi had good drivability, it felt underpowered
• Low ground clearance, even with 3 people on board, I have hit most speed breakers in my city
• Insulation levels -the 1.4 TDCi was very noisy from the outside ( but inside it was somewhat better insulated )

[sriniadk]

Why only Ford again

A year passed by and again by the end of 2022, my search for a car started. But this time I was sure-footed that I was going to hold on to the car for a longer time. I never had trouble with the decision of whether to get a new car or a used car because I always believed that the used car has its own benefits. It is already clearly stated in GTO's thread https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/buyin...wned-cars.html (The 'not-so-obvious' advantages to buying pre-owned cars) in a very informative way. The only huge and time-consuming task in this journey is to find a good car. But it became a routine work for me, as in my friends circle I became the car consulting guy. It even became a hobby for me to go and visit 2nd hand car dealers and test drive various cars.

The list of cars which I was considering this time was pretty straightforward in my mind. It was either the Ford Figo or the Figo Aspire in its diesel version. I'm not sure why, but the only car that caught my attention was that Figo and Figo aspire with 1.5TDCi engine. I straight away gave a call to my SA of Ford (who became a friend of mine through Mukesh) and told my requirements. At the same time, I also started looking into other cars with Polo TDI being the strong contender.

My requirements:

• Diesel engine
• No compromise in fun to drive factor
• Minimum space to make it a proper 4-seater

A short verdict on the cars that I considered

Polo


Likes:

• Rock Solid Build quality
• The fast 1.5 TDI Diesel engine
• Interior plastic quality and never ageing design(It never looked like a interior which was 11 years old)

Dislikes:

• Interior space management was very poor
• Rear legroom
• Volkswagen's hit or miss service

The Polo fever is always there among enthusiasts and it will never die. I would have definitely bought this hatchback if it had more space in the cabin. The rear legroom was very poor and I felt cramped inside the car.

Hyundai i20

Likes:

• More value for money
• Very good space management including rear legroom
• Bigger bootspace
• Tried and tested 1.4 CRDi
• The interior cabin quality felt more upmarket including the quality of hard plastics

Dislikes:

• That goddamn butter smooth steering ( a traditional Hyundai )
• Initial turbo lag

In the second-hand market, I was able to find many well-maintained elite i20's. Even after clocking nearly 2 lakh km, one of my friend's car was running in good condition. I liked everything in this car except for that one steering. The enthusiast in me dropped the car from being considered.

Figo/ Figo aspire

Likes:

• Fast and efficient 1.5TDCi
• Good space management
• Ford's DNA in steering and handling department

Dislikes:

• Departure from robust build quality of Ford
• 257 Bootspace was less when compared to other cars (in the case of Figo)

Scross 1.6

Likes

• Fast 1.6L diesel engine a hoot to drive
• Best Build quality amongst the Maruthi stable
• Loads and loads of space with ship-like rear legroom

Dislikes

• The fast 1.6L had low-end turbolag ( but matches it with its mid-range pull )

I was never able to find a Scross 1.6 in my locality. I never considered other cars from the Maruthi stable like Baleno, and Swift for obvious reasons. But these were all mind talks and my heart always was leaning towards owning a Ford again. I don't know why it is like that once someone becomes a Ford owner, they always try to replace it again with a Ford car. Maybe it is because of the Service support or the satisfaction which we get from the cars we own first. While searching for cars, I got hold of 2 Ford Aspire owners willing to sell their car in pursuit of buying a Ford Ecosport S variant. The same statement was told by my SA " Sir ek baar Ford khareed liya, baar baar Ford hee khareedna chathe hain ". Maybe other fellow Bhpians who own a Ford card or had previous experience with the company can comment on the same, what they feel. On one fine day, my SA called me and informed me that there is one Freestyle diesel 2021 model Titanium variant up for sale. He shared the photos and the car was in impeccable condition ( the previous owner didn't even remove the seat cover from the rear bench ). At first, I was not aware about the freestyle car and every time I considered it as a normal Figo with a cladding similar to that of how other manufacturers used to do with their cars. But since I have got a deal, I started reading each and every review of Ford Freestyle in Team-bhp as well as videos on YouTube.

Initially, I thought it was the top end variant but my eagle eyes found out that there were no fog lamps. So I started looking into what all are the differences between Titanium + and Titanium variant as Ford has a good track history of deleting features from time to time. At that instance, I came to know that BS 4 models had Sync system (the first instance where I heard about it ). I was never fascinated by these fancy features. It was all about the engine and its driving dynamics which I have looked upon. But in this page https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offic...ml#post4339792 (2018 Ford EcoSport Facelift 1.5L Petrol : Official Review) there was a very detailed review about Sync. After going through it I saw that it was a very handy feature. At the same time, I also read about the various issues being faced by the BS6 diesel owners because of DPF. Now this DPF issue gave me a nightmare for 2-3 days and put me into a big dilemma. After giving it some serious thinking and getting advice from other friends, I decided not to buy that car. So what next I wasted my one month searching for a car and with the output being zero.

Then I thought of searching for cars in Chennai, as I have some relations who are there to help me out. So in OLX, I saw an advertisement of a 2019 Ford Freestyle Diesel in Canyon Ridge color and it was a Titanium plus variant. The car had run 56xxx km. Well, the photos showed that the car was in very good condition. I contacted the seller, and he sent me all the details of the car along with the Service history of the car. Luckily I had come in contact with Idumbakumar (BHPian Jhenu) through his YouTube channel. So I asked him for suggestions and he responded that the previous owner was a part of the Ford Freestyle Facebook Group and after checking the car service history he gave a green signal. Now I asked my Brother-in-law to visit the car in person and take a look. After 3-4 days he saw the car and gave me this statement " Dude If I had not bought a new Alto, I would have definitely bought this car with the same money ". The observations that he told about the car are

• Car has been maintained very well with hardly 3-4 scratches
• No major observations in the drive, everything was perfect
• Tyres have to be changed in the next 2-3k km
• Insurance is getting over within a month
• Extended warranty is also expiring within the next 20 days

Now the initial hesitation for me was that the cost of the 2019 Freestyle with 56xxx kms was coming more or less similar to the 2021 Freestyle with just 24xxx kms. But what I would be getting was a trouble-free BS 4 engine, Sync system, 6 airbags etc. After thinking for 1-2 days I convinced myself that I was making the right decision by going ahead with the 2019 Ford Freestyle BS4. In the next 10 days, I flew to Chennai and on the same day I saw the car. Yes my brother-in-law was correct the car was in immaculate condition and I had a short drive and I was sold. I bought a Ford Freestyle Titanium + Diesel variant. First things first I named my car as Toofan.

[sriniadk]

Exterior

Again styling is one department that is subjective from person to person. Personally, I feel the car feels more aggressive with that cladding being slapped on all around the body (It's useful will share more on it below ). There are not many curves and lines running through the body.

Front view of the car mostly has blacked-out elements which include the blacked C-shaped insert around the fog lamp, a black grill with the Ford logo in centre.


Rear view of the car is more appealing with that the spoiler. The spoiler is not factory fitted and it is an accessory.


The single chrome component of the car is in its side profile. The chrome element is replaced by side indicators in the lower variant instead of ORVM turn indicators.


Viewed from this angle, Toofan looks really nice.


The smoked-out headlamp along with the blacked stickers at the edge. If you zoom in you can find scratches on the headlamps. I did a Headlight cleaning on the first day itself in a local FNG, but still this is very evident.


The sturdy long old school antenna. They provided sharkfin antenna as an accessory.


I changed the wipers to the frameless variant from Bosch and it does pretty good work. You can also see wiper wash nozzles which cover the entire windshield effectively.


The tyre size is 185/60 R15 and I made a mistake by not upsizing it to 195/60 when I changed the tyre at 58xxx kms. I really love this alloy wheel design with that gunmetal shade. I have seen owners of Figo / Aspire changing to these alloy wheels.


If you zoom in closely, you can find that the panel gaps are uneven around the bonnet area.


This rubber beading below the windshield comes off. This is not the case with my car alone, I have seen many Figo siblings with the same condition.


The IPH M617 projectors are the lifeline for my night time driving.


The bonnet still feels heavy to open and there is a good amount of insulation provided. Zoom in and you can find that the wiper blade paint is already peeping off.


The tidy engine bay would have definitely looked good if they had provided an engine cover. There is no underbody engine shield protection provided as standard ( they are providing it as an accessory though ).


The rusting has already started above the suspension mount area. Fellow Bhpians may please pitch in and tell me a remedy for the same.


The ORVM's are definitely small in size (more about it below).

[sriniadk]

Interior

The interior of Toofan is welcomed by the Ford logo on the Sync system. The center of attraction of the interior would be 2 things one being the chocolate brown coloured dashboard and the second being the Sync system. Well, the color choice is always a personal thing, but I would any day prefer dark interiors over beige interiors. The one distinct advantage of the beige interiors is the upmarket feel and it removes that claustrophobic feeling inside our cabin. The plastic quality of the interiors is not the best in the segment and has a lot of scratch-attracting plastics all over. The ocean-blue backlit buttons are more pleasing to the eye at night.


The steering wheel feels really chunky but it's not leather wrapped. It would have been better if they had provided the same steering wheel as in Ford Figo S. Left side of the steering wheel has the buttons for infotainment. Cruise control could have been provided as it is there in the international variants. The steering is adjustable for only tilt and no telescopic adjustment is provided.


The indicator stalks feels sturdy and premium. They have reversed the indicator stalk setup to Indian driving condition. Auto-wipers do their job pretty well and no intrusion is required.


The tachometer seems to be a little smaller in the entire speedometer console. Ford has also provided the useful Temperature Gauge. The letdown is that they could have at least provided 2 trip meters in the MID.


The small MID of the freestyle shows very useful data including the specific door open including bootspace and bonnet.


The start/stop button which gets my car alive. They have not provided keyless entry but have given push button start.


I don't want to fill the post by explaining about Sync system. To read about the same click here. One word about Sync system is fantabulous. I am completely convinced that this Titanium + model is worth the additional cost. Separate physical buttons provided are very useful. There are total of 4 speakers provided and the audio quality is above average and can live with it.


The Rear camera quality is also very good. Guidelines are provided but not adaptive in nature. There is a miniature icon on the top right which shows the rear parking sensor readings coupled with a beep.


Benefits of having Android Auto


The gearlever feels premium with that brushed aluminum finish. The new Getrag sourced gearbox is definitely better than the previous IB5 gearbox. The gears slot in a better way and the gates are well defined.One important note for all owners of Figo, Aspire and Freestyle is that every 40000km-50000km / 4-5 years it is advised to change the shifting linkage bush as it is prone to failure. The cost of the bush is roughly 500 rupees as a pair, its better than getting stranded in road.


The Automatic climate control of Freestyle is a boon and it chills the cabin in no time, thanks to its bigger AC compressor. That Max AC button is a much needed one for our tropical climatic country. The space provided below the AC controls can easily hold a pixel 6A phone.


Don't miss the illuminated classy 2 type B USB ports. The USB ports are used for Android Auto/ Applecar play connection. Well for charging the phone it is better to buy a good 12V car charger and not use this USB port.


The front doors are the only one which has bottle holders and it could easily take in two one litre bottles and one 500 ml bottle. But these bottles will give you a rhythmic music because of the vibrations all through your journey. The door doesn't feel hefty and it does not have any 3 stage or 2 stage action of stoppage. If you open the door in inclined area be assured that it has the automatic technology of closing rather than stopping in its position. The armrest area is also not padded rather the elbow touching the door has a fabric insert.


Freestyle gets the fabric seats and since there are 6 airbags I have not added on any seat covers on to it. Adults of medium build can fit in the front seats comfortably, but anyone larger than that may feel uncomfortable. Side bolstering could have been better, so that it hugs onto the body.


The freestyle doesn't come with this sport pedal, but I sourced the same from Boodmo (It is in Ford Ecosport S variant) and fixed it. Thanks to Bhpian jecenth as I got this idea from his Ford Figo Blu. Above you can also see the OBD port.


The power window switches on drive side door is of great quality and provides driver side one touch up/down feature but again Ford made its cost cutting move by not providing backlit buttons. The same unit in Ford Ecosport was illuminated.


The central locking of the car is controlled from the Driver side door handle by pushing it inside. The car auto locks as soon as it crosses 20 kmph. But the most hazardous practice is that if any of the passenger pulls the door handle, then the door opens without any hindrance. A dedicated lock/ unlock button or at least the VW/ Skoda double pull way mechanism could have been adapted.


The ORVM's don't autofold with locking / unlocking of the car.


The Auto IRVM has a good field of view.


The glovebox is medium sized and is illuminated too.


The eagle eye view of the space below the center console. It Can easily accommodate 3 bottles and houses the TCS OFF button.


Toofan was out of the lucky batch which got height adjustable seatbelt as well as rear height adjustable headrest( this got deleted in future variants refer Bhpian Viraj.515 post https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attac...514_135401.jpg)


Moving to the rear seat, the seats are luxurious for 2 people and congested for 3 adults. Eagle eyed Bhpians will notice the adjustable rear headrest, which was changed after the initial batches of freestyle. They could have also provided the 60:40 split seat as it is available in international variants( Ford Ka+ active ).


The rear windows do not roll all the way down.


Amount of legroom available in rear seat with the seating position being adjusted to my height ( My height is 178cms for reference )


It has a rear boot space of 257L with a high boot loading lip. There is a bootlamp provided on the rightside.


The spare wheel provided is 175/65 R14 making it practically not usable but the jack and the spare wheel are secured very well.

[sriniadk]

Heart of any Ford - Engine, Handling

Driving the 1.5L Diesel Engine:

The heart of my Toofan is the tried and tested 1,498cc, 4-cylinder diesel engine that puts out 99 BHP @ 3,750 rpm and 215 Nm @ 1,750 - 3,000 rpm. To put it in one word this engine is an excellent all-rounder be it in the city or on the highway it never disappoints. Even BHPians have rated this engine as the best 1.5L diesel in India (link). With a kerb weight of 1080kg, the power-to-weight ratio & torque-to-weight ratio stands impressively at 92 BHP/ton & 199 Nm/ton respectively. This diesel offers fantastic drivability in the city with its tap on low end torque when compared to its other competitors. Now, I haven't felt a push like the Multijet engine does when it exceeds 2000 rpm. That's because the turbo lag has been masked very well and this 1.5 TDCi is more linear. Without needing to downshift, the engine pulls happily from ~1500 rpm onward, making it simple to close gaps in traffic. Leave aside speed breakers you can start moving from standstill in second gear by lightly slipping the clutch (not recommended though). This engine combined with the light steering, makes city driving a breeze. The only factor affecting will be the Clutch which is rather on the heavier side.

Out on the highway is where the real gameplay starts. The engine is really competent and never runs out of steam on highways. The strong mid range ensures that you don't have to downshift for quick overtakes in the single-lane roads. With its performance on offer, it can definitely compete with the cars from a higher segment on highways. The stability is also pretty good (but not as good as the first-generation Figo). The engine can be revved up to ~5,000 rpm when needed, but it runs out of steam after ~4000 rpm. It's better to shift at 4000 rpm and keep the momentum going. Whilst cruising at 100 kmph in 5th gear, the rpm needle is hovering at ~2,000 rpm (turbo zone). If you want to overtake, merely press the accelerator to access the quick boost (no need to downshift at all).

Noise, Vibration & Harshness (NVH):

The engine definitely shakes the entire car and the same can be felt when the engine is switched on and switched off. But the vibrations settle down and become smooth while driving. The diesel clatter is audible inside the cabin, but they did a great job of keeping the NVH levels under control( not better than the Hyundai's but definitely better than the VW's and Honda's diesel engines ). The engine becomes more coarse and loud post 3000 rpm. The road noise becomes more evident inside cabin post 120 kmph.

Kitna Deta Hai:

The ARAI rated fuel efficiency of Ford Freestyle Diesel (BS 4) is 24.4 kmpl. In the real world, when driven in the city it delivers up to 18kmpl in moving traffic. When it is bumper-to-bumper traffic it delivers around 14-15kmpl. Out on the Highway if you drive at cruising speeds of around ~100 kmph and ~120 kmph you will definitely get between 22-23 kmpl and 19-20 kmpl respectively. Get the cruising speeds down to ~80 kmph then you will be rewarded with 25-26 kmpl of fuel efficiency. Now these mileage figures that I have obtained are by driving in a more conservative manner by following Hypermiling techniques.

When the enthusiast inside you wakes up then first and foremost forget about fuel efficiency . But don't worry that's the speciality of turbo diesel, even when driven enthusiastically they don't let the fuel efficiency so bad in single digits. Even On spirited Highway runs I have definitely got around 15kmpl.

Handling, Dynamics & Steering:

This is the department where my Toofan excels with flying colours. Even with a ground clearance of 190 mm, everyone will think that it would not handle very well like a Figo. But the suspension has been setup on a stiffer side resulting in very good cornering stability. I love it each and every time I take to the ghat section. It never disappoints me around any corner or a hairpin bend. It doesn't understeer so easily (compared with the cars in this segment) until it is pushed to its limits.

But the stiffer suspension comes at the cost of giving a bumpy ride on rough patches of road at slow speeds. On small undulations on the road, it will definitely jiggle people around sideways sitting at the back.

The electric power steering is spot on and makes the driver's life easy in city traffic conditions with its light steering. It also weighs up adequately as we gain speed. Another point about the steering is that it has a stronger return to centre action. Even though it cannot be matched up to the level of 1st gen Figo's Hydraulic steering setup, it definitely sets a benchmark within its category of cars with EPS.

[sriniadk]

The Smaller yet significant things

• Even after the engine has been turned off, all four power windows can be opened or closed, but only if neither the driver's side door nor the passenger side door have not been opened. Even if a passenger in the back has opened the door, the power window control is still available.
  
  
• The Sync system also continue to operate even after the ignition is switched off but again it only works until any of the driver and passenger side door is not yet opened.
  
  
• With the ignition ON, move outside the car with the Smartkey in your pocket. The car horn beeps twice and alerts you.
  
  
• The nifty feature about the rear wiper is that, if the front wiper is working and you slot the gear in reverse then the rear wiper starts automatically. That's really cool.
  
  
  
• There is a Hook provided to hang small luggage's beside the rear bootlamp in the boot space.
  
  
  
• The idling consumption in the MID shows that the consumption of fuel is around 0.3 - 0.4 L/h if the AC is switched off and 0.7 - 0.8 L/h if the AC is switched ON. This is after the engine gets warmed up.
  
  
  
• The passenger side power window switch is illuminated in my car. Don't know how this happened, but lucky to have it though.
  
  
  
• If you switch off the car without the smart key inside the car, then the MID will show you the below message and you can restart the car immediately. I have at max tried driving around for 100m away from the smart key.
  
  
  
• The Smartkey feels premium in hand. Press the Lock button twice within 5 seconds to get a confirmation Horn beep.
  
  
  
• There is a separate rubber flap covering given to fill the space between the steering and the speedometer console.
  
  
  
• If you look keenly from sideways, the body cladding provided protrudes outside the bodyshell and this is very useful. For eg. when moving out of tight spaces it will be the first one to take the beating (telling it out of the experience )
  

[sriniadk]

Personal Verdict

These are the small things that I have added to the car.

• 70mai Pro Plus+ A500S Dual Channel Car Dash Cam - This was in my cards for a long time and I purchased it last month after reading 60-70 pages of the Dashcam thread. It will be useful to capture good driving moments ( for my upcoming Sikkim trip ) as well as to safeguard myself from the increasing bike extortion happening on the road. I bought the same with a CPL filter. I got this one through our Ford Club.
  Cost : ₹ 10898
  
  
• The sporty ABC pedals of Ford Ecosport S from Boodmo. Simply for aesthetic purpose.
  Cost : ₹ 750
  
  
• Bosch clear advantage frameless wipers - Aesthetic + does it's work pretty well. Will recommend it over the traditional ones.
  Cost : ₹ 723
  
  
• Oshotto mudflap - There are no company-fitted mudflaps and not given as an accessory too.
  Cost : ₹ 700
  
  
• IPH M617 Tri colour LED Fog projectors - I feel this is the best addition I have got for the car. As told in the review the headlamps are pretty bad and I do a lot of driving at night. The output of the fog projectors is pretty awesome. I always keep it in Low beam as it covers a sufficient amount of road ahead and the difference between the low beam and High beam is pretty negligible (I have adjusted the beam cut-off focus ).
  Cost: ₹ 7500 ( Fog lamp- ₹6500 + Fitting charges- ₹1000)
  
  Sorry for the shaky image
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• 3R Blind spot mirror - Very useful because of the small size of ORVM. The photo below shows the field of view that it can capture when compared to the ORVM. There are two mirrors, one I have adjusted for near focus and the extreme one for the wide angle focus.
  Cost : ₹ 799
  
  
  
  
• Car magnetic ceiling Dome light - I always felt the rear seat didn't have enough illumination. So got this one installed, just a magnetic one and can be removed if needed.
  Cost : ₹ 875
  
  
  
  
• Grin Health Memory Foam Large Headrest - Even though it costs around 1500 bucks which is on the higher side for a headrest, the quality of the foam is really good and it lasts for a long time. I had this Headrest in my previous car too.
  Cost : ₹ 1400
  
  
  
  
• Ford logo projection light - Another aesthetic addition to my car. It detects the magnet stuck on the door beading and switches off / on accordingly. It's powered by 3*AAA battery.
  Cost : ₹ 650
  
  
  
  
  

Some good photos of Toofan:













Conclusion:

I have written all my observations after driving the car for more than 10,000 km. My experience with the Ford showroom has been good till now. This car is a perfect mixture of sportiness + practicality and I will hold onto it for a longer time.

Thanks for reading .

[Aditya]

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

[Sk8r]

Wow, let me be the first to congratulate you on this lovely little machine! Being a fellow Freestyle owner, I can vouch for every single like / dislikes pointed out.
What makes it even special is the beach road in Vizag
Hope you a great ownership.

[tharian]

Well documented ownership review of the car. Nice additions too to make the drive better. Yes, this car with the 1.5 tdci still holds good among the new crop of cars and is worth holding on to for a long term.
I guess it is due to the different gearbox that your car does a 100 kmh @ 2000 rpm and mine does it around 2200 rpm. It is still relaxed when you are cruising at 100, but once the speeds increase, I feel it would have done well with a 6th gear.
The tire size is right for this car because a bigger size will increase the ride height which will spoil the handling since this Freestyle is a crossover.
Does your car emit visible smoke when after shifting gears and accelerating before turbo kicks in fully?

Happy driving.

[madhukarmohan]

Originally Posted by sriniadk

I have written all my observations after driving the car for more than 10,000 km. My experience with the Ford showroom has been good till now. This car is a perfect mixture of sportiness + practicality and I will hold onto it for a longer time.

Thank you for a nice review of an excellent vehicle! I am owning this from 2018 and currently no better alternatives for this car under 15 lakhs. Even though I am in the 6th year of ownership, I still enjoy whenever I drive this car. Due to Ford's exit and uncertainty, I am thinking of replacing it with Jeep Compass Diesel. Do you think there is a better one in the same (or less) price range of Compass?

Originally Posted by tharian

It is still relaxed when you are cruising at 100, but once the speeds increase, I feel it would have done well with a 6th gear.

True! I feel the same whenever I am cruising on the highway.

Originally Posted by tharian

Does your car emit visible smoke when after shifting gears and accelerating before turbo kicks in fully?

Yes. In the initial days, I complained to the ASC and they said that this happens as it is a diesel engine. However, I am not satisfied with their answer. I think Ford's 1.5 TDCi are the best in the segment in all other aspects except visible smoke.

[Toni]

Thanks for a very good review of one of my favourite cars. Unfortunately, I sometimes miss owning one. Hope Ford comes back and re introduce cars like Freestyle, Ecosport and Endeavour.

[sriniadk]

Originally Posted by tharian

Does your car emit visible smoke when after shifting gears and accelerating before turbo kicks in fully?

Happy driving.

Thanks for your humble words. Yes it does smoke when under hard acceleration ,i am attaching a video for the same. Thats mainly due to improper combustion. Check out this video of my car.

https://youtu.be/AAp7N8XJ_GU

Originally Posted by madhukarmohan

Thank you for a nice review of an excellent vehicle! I am owning this from 2018 and currently no better alternatives for this car under 15 lakhs. Even though I am in the 6th year of ownership, I still enjoy whenever I drive this car. Due to Ford's exit and uncertainty, I am thinking of replacing it with Jeep Compass Diesel. Do you think there is a better one in the same (or less) price range of Compass?

Please check out XUV 700, I have personally driven that car. It's a complete package, the diesel engine is punchy coupled with all the features.