Ford Freestyle BS6 Launched, More Affordable than BS4 Version

Before the April 1^st deadline of the BS6 emission norms, car manufacturers in India are rushing to update their line-up from BS4 to BS6-compliance. Ford had done the same earlier with the Ecosport, and today the blue oval has launched the BS6 models of the Figo, Aspire, and Freestyle.

Ford Freestyle BS6 launched in India

Ford Freestyle is now priced at Rs. 5,89,000 onwards. The older, BS4-compliant model, retailed for Rs. 5,91,400 for the base model. It can thus be seen that the new model is Rs. 2,400 cheaper than the one it replaces. The price of the top-trim, ‘Titanium+’, now sees a drop from Rs. 7,56,400 to Rs. 7,29,000 for the petrol variant and from Rs. 8,36,900 to Rs. 8,19,000. This comes as a contrast to other carmakers, which are increasing the prices of their vehicles after upgrading them to the new emission standards. So how has Ford managed to achieve this feat? Well, it all comes down to cost-cutting.

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The first batch of BS6 Ford cars have arrived at select dealerships and it has been revealed that the new models are skimping on some equipment on each trim to keep costs down. The omission is that of the excellent SYNC-3 infotainment system. Where the ‘Titanium’ and ‘Titanium+’ trims on the older model came with a SYNC-3 touchscreen infotainment unit with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, the newer one only gets a FlyAudio system with basic smartphone connectivity only.

BS6 Ford Freestyle is cheaper than the BS4 model

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Apart from that, the biggest change is under the hood. The 1.2-litre petrol and a 1.5-litre diesel engine options for the cross-hatch have been reworked to be BS6-compliant. The power output of the petrol motor has remained the same at 96 PS, the peak torque figure has dropped to 119 Nm, a decrease of 1 Nm. As for the diesel engine, it still produces peak power and torque output of 100 PS and 215 Nm respectively. A 5-speed manual gearbox is the only transmission option available. Even the fuel mileage has gone down, with the petrol and diesel models now offering 18.5 km/l and 24.4 km/l, respectively. The BSIV diesel provided 25.5 km/l and petrol offered 20.4 km/l/