Should You Buy A Used Ford Freestyle? Here Are Some Pros And Cons

The Ford Freestyle was first launched in India in April 2018. The car was introduced as a crossover-esque version of the second-generation Figo hatchback and shared most of its features and powertrains with the latter. While the Freestyle never really brought in huge numbers for Ford India, we still think it was quite a capable car and a good option if you are looking for something a bit more rugged than a hatchback. However, Ford discontinued the car last year along with all other models when the company decided to end vehicle production in India.

The Freestyle was offered in both petrol and diesel engine options - 1.2-litre petrol and 1.5-litre diesel. Both are quite impressive when it comes to performance.

Having said that, you can still find the Ford Freestyle in the used car market, and depending on the condition of the car, you can get one for anywhere between Rs. 4 lakh to Rs. 8 lakh. However, before you start looking for one, here are some pros and cons you must consider first.

Pros

1. The Ford Freestyle is very good when it comes to handling, and the ride quality is also pretty nice. It also comes with a slightly higher ground clearance of 190 mm compared to the Figo hatchback.
2. The Freestyle was offered in both petrol and diesel engine options - 1.2-litre petrol and 1.5-litre diesel. Both are quite impressive when it comes to performance. The former offers 94 bhp and 120 Nm of peak torque, while the oil burner makes 99 bhp and 215 Nm of peak torque.
3. In terms of safety features, the car came with dual airbags and ABS with electronic brake force distribution as standard on all variants while the top-spec model gets 6 airbags. Also as the car is based on the Figo, which holds a 4-star safety rating from Latin NCAP, the same rating applies to the Freestyle as well.
4. The cabin of the Freestyle is quite spacious, and the fit and finish inside the cabin were also good. Depending on the variant you also get a touchscreen display with Ford's SYNC3, auto headlamps, rain-sensing wipers, auto climate control and push-button start.

Unlike the Figo and Aspire, the Freestyle never received an automatic transmission. It only came with a 5-speed manual.

Cons

1. While the Freestyle does come with crossover-like styling, it's all superficial. While the high ground clearance might be able to handle tall speed bumps and small potholes, it's not exactly meant for off-road terrains.
2. While the cabin is certainly spacious, the quality of the plastic parts could certainly have been a lot better. Also, the Freestyle doesn't get projector headlights or LED DRLs even as an option, which has become quite common right now.
3. Unlike the Figo and Aspire, the Freestyle never received an automatic transmission. Both the manual and automatic versions, only come with a 5-speed manual unit.
4. The Freestyle was on sale in the market for just a little over 3 years, and even during that period, the volumes were not as high as the Figo or the Aspire. So, you might not find too many options in the used car market.