Spec Comparison: Ford Aspire 2018 vs Maruti Suzuki Dzire vs Honda Amaze vs Hyundai Xcent vs Volkswagen Ameo vs Tata Tigor

The Ford Aspire facelift has just been launched for the Indian market and we compare its specs against its immediate rivals

The Ford Aspire facelift that has just been launched in India competes in the subcompact sedan segment. The Aspire made its debut in 2015 and the latest facelift is the first major cosmetic update that the model has received.

Earlier this year, Honda launched the new-gen Amaze in India and we're expecting a minor update to the Tigor as well in October 2018.

Post this, we don't expect any major launch coming up until 2020, when all the cars will get BSVI engines.

Here, we pit the Ford Aspire facelift against five of its closest rivals to find out how it fares in the segment.

Dimensions

Ford leads the pack when comparing the ground clearance and wheelbase of the Aspire with the competition. However, since dimensions remain pretty much the same as the pre-facelift model, we don’t expect it to have the roomiest of cabins. The Aspire’s boot is not the largest and, in fact, is only bigger than the Ameo’s.

Engines

In terms of powertrain, the Ford Aspire, Honda Amaze and Volkswagen Ameo have the biggest diesel engines on the block. However, while the power and torque figures of the Aspire and Amaze are similar, it is the Ameo that steals the thunder with a more powerful and torquey engine. Couple that with the DSG gearbox, and it seems to have the best powertrain option in the segment on paper. The Aspire also lacks the option of an automatic gearbox with the diesel engine. Coming to fuel efficiency figures, the Dzire leads the pack for both manual and automatic transmissions. All others are not far behind, except for the Volkswagen Ameo.

• 2018 Ford Aspire Variants Check

*Fuel economy differs for different variants.

• 2018 Ford Aspire Facelift Launched At Rs 5.55 Lakh

Talking about petrol engines, the Aspire is the only car available with multiple options, a 1.2-litre engine mated to a 5-speed manual transmission and a bigger 1.5-litre unit that is exclusively available with a 6-speed automatic transmission. All other manufacturers, apart from Volkswagen, offer only 1.2-litre engines petrol engines and automatic gearboxes. Only the Ameo is available with an even smaller 1.0-litre engine and is available with a manual transmission only. Both the engine options on the Aspire are more powerful compared to rivals, and as you might have guessed, the Ameo takes the last spot on the list. The Tigor leads the pack when it comes to fuel efficiency, with the Maruti Dzire close on its heels.

Prices

In terms of prices, it is the base variant of the Tigor that carries the smallest price tag (both petrol and diesel). The base variant of the Aspire comes next, although its is priced relatively close to the competition (again both petrol and diesel). The most expensive base variant is of the Amaze, with both petrol and diesel variants relatively more expensive than the competition. Talking of the top-spec variant, it is the Aspire(petrol) which is the most expensive of the lot, because of the higher capacity petrol engine that is available with the automatic transmission only. Talking about the price of the top-spec diesel-powered sedans, the Ameo is the most expensive due to the option of the powerful 1.5-litre diesel engine and 7-speed DSG combo.

The Ford Aspire doesn’t top the charts on all counts, but it doesn’t languish at the bottom too. The Aspire generally remains within the top three across categories, except for boot space. The Aspire comes across as an option that offers something of everything.

Read More on : Ford Figo Aspire on road price