On Thursday, Ford India launched what it calls as India’s first CUV, or compact utility vehicle, the Freestyle; price starts at Rs 5.09 lakh (ex-showroom, all-India). It’s an all-new global product from Ford and has an SUV-like robust design in a compact body shape. It uses design elements common to more expensive mini SUVs, and is available in four variants across two fuel options and six colours.
“The Freestyle is a cool new car for the young, new-age, emerging Indian customers who aspire to own an SUV-like vehicle,” said Anurag Mehrotra, president & MD, Ford India. “The Freestyle will meet this unmet need of customers and enable them to own a vehicle that combines both SUV styling as well as capabilities, at a price that they want.”
The Freestyle comes paired with Ford’s new, three-cylinder 1.2-litre TiVCT petrol engine that generates 95bhp power and 120Nm torque. The diesel is the 1.5-litre TDCi engine that generates 99bhp and 215Nm. Both engines are paired with a new, five-speed manual transmission, which, the company claims, helps improve fuel economy while reducing NVH.
The company said there is extensive use of damping and sound absorbing materials to reduce vibrations and road noise, making the Freestyle’s cabin quietest among hatchbacks.
Ford has also introduced a technology called Active Rollover Prevention (ARP) with the Freestyle. The system, Ford said, works with Electronic Stability Control and applies brakes on relevant wheels to decrease engine torque and help prevent any potential rollover situations. Its ground clearance is a tall 190mm and it rides on wide 15-inch tyres.
Dual airbags are standard across the variant line-up, and the top Titanium+ trim gets six airbags. The CUV gets the company’s in-car infotainment system, the SYNC 3, with a 6.5-inch touchscreen with conversational voice commands; SYNC 3 is Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatible.
The petrol model is priced from Rs 5.09 lakh to Rs 6.94 lakh; diesel from Rs 6.09 lakh to Rs 7.89 lakh.