Ford Freestyle Vs Toyota Etios Cross: Specifications Compared

Does the latest entry in the hotly contested cross-hatch space trump its well established rival?

Ford is all set to launch its new Compact Utility Vehicle, the Freestyle, in India. Bookings for the same are set to be underway from April 7, 2018, followed by its launch in the same month. So, we thought it would be high time to pit the Freestyle against one of its rivals, the Etios Cross, at least on paper for now. So which one of the two cross-hatchbacks came out on top? Let’s find out.

We have already driven the Ford Freestyle. Check out our first drive review here

Dimensions:

The Freestyle is bigger than the Etios Cross on all fronts - 59mm longer, 2mm wider and 15mm taller, to be precise. Most importantly, the Freestyle's ground clearance is 190mm against Etios Cross’ 174mm, which should make it better at handling broken roads. This also justifies its crossover tag better. For perspective, the Hyundai Creta has a ground clearance of 190mm. 

Engine:

Petrol:

The Ford Freestyle gets the new 1.2-litre Dragon series petrol engine that makes 9PS and 8Nm more than the older 1.2-litre engine found in the standard Figo. On the other hand, the Etios Cross is available with two engine options depending on the variant you pick. The base-spec G variant gets the smaller 1.2-litre petrol engine, while the top-spec V is offered with the 1.5-litre petrol engine. Both cars are offered with a 5-speed manual transmission only. As far as mileage is concerned, the Freestyle pips the Etios Cross again, despite being more powerful.

Diesel:

Like the petrol motor, the Freestyle has a more powerful diesel engine as well. Not only does it make 32PS and 45Nm more than the Etios Cross’ diesel motor, but is more economical as well.

Features:

Standard Equipment: In their respective base variants, the Etios Cross is better equipped than the Freestyle. While the former gets all the basic features such as a 2-din music system with USB and Bluetooth, all four power windows, keyless entry, manual AC and electronic power steering, the Freestyle gets only features like front power windows, keyless entry, anti-theft alarm, rear fog lamps and manual day/night IRVM.

On the other hand, in the top-spec variant, the Freestyle being the newer car is better equipped than the Etios Cross. Where the Freestyle gets all the modern features such as a 6.5-inch touchscreen infotainment system with SYNC 3, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, cruise control, automatic headlamps and rain-sensing wipers, the Etios Cross, in the top-spec variant, gets features such as chrome door handles, leather wrapped steering with audio controls and chrome accents on AC vents over its standard equipment.

Safety: As far as safety is concerned, both the cars get dual front airbags, ABS with EBD and ISOFIX child seat anchors as standard across the range. On top of this, the Ford also gets rear parking sensors (also standard), side and curtain airbags, traction control, electronic stability program, hill launch assist and an emergency assist. The Etios Cross, on the other hand, offers nothing extra in terms of safety over its base variant.

Price:

Ford has not revealed the prices of the Freestyle, yet, but we expect it to be priced around Rs 6.5 lakh to Rs 8.5 lakh. At this price, it will be almost at par with the Etios Cross, which is priced between Rs 6.41 lakh and Rs 7.88 lakh (all prices ex-showroom Delhi).

Also Read: Ford Freestyle Brochure Reveals Variant Details, Fuel Efficiency And More

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