Saar: It will come with a new 1.2-litre petrol engine that puts of 96PS/120Nm.

Ford India has officially confirmed that the launch date for the Freestyle is April 26, 2018. Earlier this month, the Indian arm of the American carmaker began accepting bookings for its compact utility vehicle (CUV). On April 14, 2018, it even opened a 24-hour online booking window on Amazon, during which 100 units of the Freestyle were up for grabs. Ford said that those 100 units will be delivered on priority. And hey, it has nothing to do with Amazon Prime membership!

The Ford Freestyle first broke cover in January this year. The company announced that with this new model, which is essentially a Figo underneath, will debut a new petrol engine. That engine comes from Ford’s dragon series. It is a 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder turbocharged unit that puts out 96PS of power and 120Nm of torque. That’s 11PS and 8Nm more than the 1.2-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine that does duty in the Figo. For diesel fans, Ford will supply the same 1.5-litre unit which produces 100PS/215Nm and is found in the EcoSport, Figo and the Figo Aspire. Both engines in the Freestyle will come mated to a 5-speed manual transmission only.

As far as the variant list is concerned, the usual nomenclature will be followed. The entry-level Ambiente will come with features like speed-sensing auto door locks, keyless entry, anti-theft alarm and front power windows. Next in line will be the Trend variant, which gets a 6.5-inch touchscreen infotainment unit, embedded navigation, Bluetooth enabled music system with four speakers and a rearview camera. There is no Trend+ variant here. The Titanium variant is more feature loaded. It brings home gadgets like push-button start, height adjustable driver’s seat, automatic climate control and Ford’s Active Rollover Protection (HLA/ESP/TCS). The range-topping Titanium+ variant is where you’ll find SYNC3 with voice command, side and curtain airbags, automatic headlamps and wipers, and Ford MyKey.

Also Read – Ford Freestyle: All You Need To Know

The Freestyle will land a punch in the world of crossovers from Honda (WR-V), Fiat (Avventura), Hyundai (i20 Active) and Toyota (Etios Cross). Of course, the Freestyle will ask a premium over the Figo and could actually land in the same price brackets the Figo Aspire. Predictably, Ford has made a TV advert for its new offering. Here it is: