Daily driving detailed

It has been nearly two months since the Ford Aspire in this Titanium Plus 1.5 TDCi entered the CarWale long term garage and in that time I have managed to covered over 4000 km. It has been mostly city driving with a mixture of road surfaces and traffic conditions no doubt a condition enabled by the current state of Mumbai City and its surrounding areas.

First things first, the Aspire’s ride quality is on the firm side. It is not a major issue as everything is masked quite well and generally for two occupants, it is actually quite comfortable. However, a fully loaded car does tend to make the rear skip if you approach large potholes or speed breakers without caution.

I have also experienced scraping on the really large speed breakers when the car is fully loaded up and have found that in such scenarios it is best to approach the really large ones the same way you would a sports car. The three-step speed breakers are a different story and are best dealt with, in this car, by gliding over at speeds in the 20-25kmph range.

While its ride may be on the firm side, the Aspire’s steering set up is relatively light and makes it easy to manoeuvre around the truck traffic I frequently experience on the commute. Given that truckers are generally a law unto themselves; this has greatly reduced my burden of dealing with them.

First Dragon ever

This is my first experience with Ford’s new Dragon family of engines I’m quite impressed with what I have experienced so far. Despite the trying traffic and road conditions, the all-important kmpl question has been answered with an average of 15-17kmpl constantly. The 215Nm of torque has been spread out nicely in that way that I can do most of city speed driving just in third gear, with just some light flexing of the right leg to perform quick overtakes.

Thick A-Pillar

One of the side effects of modern safety standards are thick A-pillars which while greatly improving occupant safety makes it hard to see around the corner. The addition of maybe a little glass bit where the windows controls are in this photo could have made a big difference.

Park easy

The Aspire’s compact dimensions make it easy to park and in this top-spec Titanium Plus variant, you get a reverse camera with moving guides. This allows you to park exactly the way you want when going parallel.

Climatic conditions

The withdrawal of the monsoon meant that the heat returned in full vengeance but the Aspire’s climate control system has been our saviour no doubt. It’s been able to keep the whole cabin cool even when there is a 10 C difference between inside and outside. What’s more, the cabin is able to retain some of the cool even after the car has been switched off for a while.

In the next episode

We will be looking at the Aspire’s highway performance. Ford’s cars have been driver’s cars and this Aspire is a fun little American sub-four metre compact sedan.

Photos: Kaustubh Gandhi