Freestyle won’t crawl

FORD FIGO: AFFORDABLE AND HAS ATTRACTIVE RUGGED SUV STYLING

Car owners expected to start buying down as they start to feel the pinch.

Ford South Africa believes it has the perfect solution for a tight budget amid the challenging financial situation consumers find themselves in amid the Covid-19 crisis.

Ford virtually rolled out the Figo Freestyle, a pimped-up version of the most affordable car in the Blue Oval’s local line-up.

Following a similar principle to the Renault Sandero Stepway, Toyota Etios Cross and Volkswagen Polo Vivo Maxx, the Freestyle is not a SUV per se, but boasts rugged SUV-styling and a generous ground clearance of 190mm, which is 16mm higher than the standard Figo.

With the expected trend of car owners looking to buy down as they start feeling the pinch, the Freestyle offers an attractive alternative to motorists wishing to downgrade from a compact SUV without compromising on appearance.

“In South Africa we love our SUVs and it’s no surprise that the compact SUV segment, where our EcoSport is a dominant player, continues to grow.

“We have a lot of new entrants in this segment, which is an indication of how popular it’s becoming,’’ says Atloli Letsela, brand manager for passenger cars, Ford South Africa.

Priced at R226 700, the Trend’s specifications include a painted grille, lamp bezels, panel moulding, roof rails, decals, door scuff plates, 15-inch alloy wheels, all-weather floor mats, reverse parking aid, blended seat trim, chrome parking knob and softfeel gear shift knob.

The Titanium is stickered at R247 500, and over and above the Trend specifications, it features automatic headlamps, keyless start, 6.5-inch touch display, reverse camera, automatic air-conditioner, multifunction sporty steering wheel, high-series analogue cluster and rain sensing wipers.

The Freestyle is powered by the same 1.5-litre, three-cylinder petrol engine that does duty in the rest of the Figo range.

It makes 91kW of power and 150Nm of torque that is sent to the front wheels via a five-speed manual gearbox.

“The biggest driver in the B-segment is affordability and this will surely become an even more important factor in the coming months.

“At this price, with all the features and performance of this vehicle, the Freestyle is something to strongly consider,’’ concludes Letsela.