By Hercules Rodrigues
After unveiling the car a few months back, The American carmaker finally launched the Freestyle Compact utility vehicle (CUV)Â in India.
Based on the Figo hatchback, the Freestyle adopts its own crossover styling to differentiate it from the regular hatchback. It gets rugged body cladding, metallic roof rails, blacked out headlamps, front and rear skid plate. Black mesh front grille, black outside rear view mirrors, new higher bonnet and bigger R15 alloy wheels wrapped in 180/65 section tyres.
The interior gets a new black, brown and grey dark treatment while the dashboard has been revamped with a new design. In terms of features the Freestyle comes loaded with features such as follow me home headlamps, rear washer and wiper, automatic climate control, Auto up and down function for driver side power window, Automatic headlamps and wipers. A brand new 6.5 inch touchscreen takes centre stage and is Synch 3 equipped.
Powering for the new Freestyle comes from a brand-new Dragon series three-cylinder petrol engine producing 96bhp and 120 nm torque. The diesel on the other hand is a 100bhp 1.5 litre mill. Transmission options include 5 speed manuals to be offered on both engines. Ford has also added a different suspension and steering setup and have also raised the ground clearance to a good 189mm.
In terms of competition, the Freestyle will have to contend with the Toyota Etios Cross, Hyundai Active i20, Fiat Urban Cross and the Honda WR-V.
Prices for the Ford Freestyle have been announced and are in the table below.Variant nameEx showroom PetrolEx showroom DieselAmbiente5,09,0006,09,000Trend5,99,0006,99,000Titanium6,39,0007,35,000Titanium+6,94,0007,89,000