Ford Freestyle Vs Maruti Ignis - Features Comparison

The Ignis and the Freestyle are two unconventional hatchbacks that fall in the same price bracket. But, which one delivers more value? We find out

Ford’s latest entrant in the market, the Freestyle, is very aggressively priced. So much so, that it’s even more affordable than the Figo hatchback! At that price, the Freestyle competes with Maruti Suzuki’s tall hatchback, the Ignis. So, which one makes more sense for you? We simplify by comparing each of their variants.

Prices

All prices ex-showroom Delhi.

Dimensions

The Ignis appears smaller than the Freestyle and it indeed is. Apart from being longer, the Freestyle is also wider and has a longer wheelbase too compared to the Ignis. It also has the larger ground clearance of the two. But the Ignis packs as big a boot (3 litres bigger, to be precise) as the Freestyle. That along with its high stance, shows that it doesn’t compromise on utility despite being the smaller of the two.

Engines

Both the Ignis and the Freestyle are available with petrol and diesel engine options. But it’s the Ignis that’s also available with an automatic transmission option. So if you’re looking for an automatic car, needless to say, the Ignis will be your pick. The on-paper fuel economy figures of both the cars are similar, but when it comes to performance, the Maruti is no match for the Freestyle.

Want to know the real on-road performance of the Freestyle? Check Ford Freestyle First Drive Review

Let’s delve a bit deeper to find out how the variants of the Maruti Suzuki Ignis and the Ford Freestyle stack up against each other.

Variants

Maruti Suzuki Ignis Sigma & Delta Vs Ford Freestyle Ambiente

Ignis Sigma: The base variant of the Ignis is only available with a petrol engine. It gets body coloured door handles, AC with heater, front power window with auto down on driver’s side, 12V accessory socket, tilt steering adjust, headlamp-on reminder, dual front airbags, ABS with EBD and ISOFIX child seat mounts as standard features. It’s Rs 53,000 cheaper than the Freestyle’s Ambiente variant.

Ignis Delta (our pick): The Delta variant gets wheel covers, turn signals on ORVMs (outside rear view mirror), dual-tone dashboard, tachometer, steering-mounted control and audio remote control, electrically-adjustable ORVMs, day/night IRVM (inside rearview mirror), rear height-adjustable head restraint, audio player with CD, FM, Bluetooth, USB and 2 speakers, remote keyless entry, 60:40 split rear seat, rear power windows and security alarm. It’s dearer than the Freestyle Ambiente by Rs 18,000 for the petrol version and Rs 23,000 for the diesel.

Freestyle Ambiente: The base Ambiente variant of the Freestyle is available with both petrol and diesel engine options and gets standard features such as dual front airbags, ABS with EBD, 3-point seat belts at front, reverse parking sensor, front power windows, keyless entry, anti-theft alarm, manual day/night IRVM, rear fog lamps, black roof rails with back skid plates and 15-inch steel wheels.

Know how the Maruti Ignis is to drive: Maruti Ignis Diesel: Detailed Review

Verdict: Since the Sigma is a barebones variant, we suggest you avoid it unless you are on a really tight budget. The Maruti Ignis Delta variant costs Rs 18,000 – Rs 22,000 more over the Freestyle, but offers more features like audio system with steering mounted controls, electrically adjustable ORVMs, 60:40 split rear seat and all four power windows. Since it gets most of the basic equipment, the Ignis Delta comes across as a more VFM offering than the Freestyle Ambiente. Moreover, from the Delta variant onwards, the Ignis also gets an automatic transmission. It costs Rs 55,000 more over its manual counterpart, though.

Maruti Suzuki Ignis Zeta Vs Ford Freestyle Trend

Ignis Zeta (our pick): The second from top, Zeta variant of the Ignis gets premium add-ons such as chrome accents on the front grille and around the fog lamps, side moulding, 4 speakers with 2 tweeters, push button start/stop, electrically folding ORVMs, rear parking sensors, rear defogger with wiper and blacked-out 15-inch alloys. The Ignis Zeta is costlier than Ignis Delta by Rs 42,000, but cheaper than the Freestyle Trend by Rs 30,000 for petrol and Rs 20,000 for diesel.

Freestyle Trend: The Trend variant of the Freestyle gets front and rear fog lamps, reverse parking camera, all-four power windows, touchscreen infotainment system with navigation, steering mounted controls and turn indicators on side mirrors. Since it’s a mid-spec variant, the features are more on the practical side.

Verdict: Feature-wise the Ignis Zeta is better packaged at this price point. It covers almost all the basic equipment whereas the Freestyle misses out on the defogger (a must-have feature in our books). Freestyle owners will also miss electrically-foldable ORVMs but will get a touchscreen infotainment system with navigation instead. The Freestyle, with the bigger and more powerful engine, presents a strong case here for those don’t mind the missing a few features for extra power.

Maruti Suzuki Ignis Alpha Vs Ford Freestyle Titanium & Titanium +

Ford Freestyle Titanium (our pick): The Titanium variant gets anti-rollover prevention system with hill launch assist, electronic stability program and traction control system. It also gets handy features like height adjustable driver’s seat, rear washer with wiper, push-button start, height adjustable front seat belts, electrically adjustable and foldable ORVMs, auto AC, silver roof rails, rear parking camera and 15-inch alloy wheels.

Ignis Alpha: The Alpha variant of the Ignis is Rs 11,000 costlier than the Titanium variant for the petrol version and Rs 23,000 for diesel.

For the premium the Alpha commands over the Zeta, you get LED projector headlamps with DRLs, puddle lamp, 7-inch Infotainment touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Suzuki SLDA remote app, auto climate control, driver seat height adjuster and a rear parking camera. Additionally, if you can spend Rs 54,000-70,000 more over the Alpha manual variant, you can go for the automatic version as well.

The Ignis Alpha is cheaper than the Freestyle Titanium+ by Rs 31,000 for the petrol version and Rs 44,000 for the diesel.

Freestyle Titanium+: The fully-loaded Freestyle Titanium+ gets emergency assistance (cuts fuel supply in case of any mishap and shares your GPS location with emergency service authorities) and 6 airbags – including side and curtain airbags. Its comfort and convenience features includes auto headlamps, rain-sensing wipers, auto-dimming IRVM, Ford My-Key and a 6.5-inch SYNC 3 touchscreen infotainment unit with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Verdict: Both the Titanium and Titanium+ variants of the Freestyle make a lot of sense unless you’re driving mostly at night and are particular about LED headlamps that the Ignis gets. The Ignis also features Apple CarPlay and Android Auto which the Freestyle Titanium doesn’t but if you use the infotainment system to only play music (apart from navigation), the Freestyle Titanium’s touchscreen audio system should suffice.

If you frequently drive on the highways, often with passengers, we’d strictly recommend the Freestyle Titanium+ as it gets airbags for all passengers and more safety tech. It’s also the more powerful and spacious car here.

The Freestyle Titanium is a value-for-money variant although we’ve termed the Titanium+ as a “sensible splurge” in our variants explained story. Which Freestyle variant should you pick? This should clear all your confusion.

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