W Ford Freestyle unveiled
The crossover is based on the Figo hatchback, to be launched in the second quarter of 2018
HAT IS COMMON BETWEEN the i20 Active, Etios Cross, the Cross Polo, Avventura and more recently the WR-V? If you haven’t guessed it already, they are all hatchbacks on stilts. Revamping a hatchback into a crossover has nowadays become an essential business for manufacturers. And while Hyundai, Toyota, Fiat and Volkswagen weren’t particularly successful at getting this game right, Honda seems to be selling a healthy number of WR-Vs for us to assume that the Japanese may have cracked the code. And now, the Americans are jumping on to this bandwagon of hatchbacks-turned-SUVs with Ford displaying its new Freestyle.
The Freestyle is based on the Figo platform and looks beefed up with new plastic body cladding, higher ground clearance, additional features and slightly updated design. It must be admitted that Ford has done a great job in incorporating the crossover look on the Figo, the design definitely looks grown up. Changes in design include a new mesh grille, bonnet design, fog lamp housing, alloy wheels, rear bumper design, turn indicator lights relocation in the headlamp console and the addition of roof rails. The Freestyle also gets black colour treatment for headlamp and rear view mirrors like on the Figo S. Inside, the only major change is the incorporation of a new 6.5-inch touchscreen infotainment system which comes with the SYNC 3 system that is Apple CarPlay and Android Auto Compatible.
Ford has also introduced an all-new 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder petrol engine that makes 95bhp and 120Nm of peak torque. Alongside it, expect the 1.5-litre turbo-diesel with 99bhp and 215Nm to be offered too. We expect the top variant to be equipped with safety features like a reverse parking camera, sensors and six airbags, while the standard safety systems will include ABS, EBD and dual airbags. Official launch dates have not been confirmed as yet though Ford is likely to launch the crossover in the second quarter of 2018.