Introduction

The Figo Aspire joins the crowded compact sedan segment on August 12. The Ford’s compact sedan takes a different approach to put forward its cases, being a jack-of-all in a segment where each car banks on one USP, be it the features, performance or diesel AMT.

We pit the Figo Aspire against two of its competitors in a spec comparison to find out if Ford has got the formula right or should they further tweak the product ahead of the launch.

Looks

Looks have never been a USP in this segment. The three-box body style in the compact sedans is achieved by slashing the boot to keep it under four metres and that does take a toll on the aesthetics. I would not call any of the above beautiful, but here is how we will rate the three of them on looks.

The Ford Figo Aspire with the Aston Martin-styled front is the best looking of the three. There is some amount of aggression in the face and the car looks more premium with the clever use of chrome. The proportions also appear less skewed than some of the others in the segment, although it is still not as nice as a full-sized sedan.

The Hyundai Xcent won our four-car comparison, but that was when the Figo Aspire wasn’t in the picture. The Grand i10 is a good looking car and the Xcent with the same face fits into the same category. The biggest plus point in Hyundai’s design is that the rear isn’t too trying on the eyes.

The Honda Amaze does not win many accolades for the design. The small moustache grille and quirky rounded design is not really favoured in India, although this is the most proportionate car of the three.

If looks are a priority, I will take the Figo Aspire over the other two, it has the right balance of aggression and bling, which is missing from other cars in the segment.

Interior

Rarely do any of Hyundai’s competitors match up in terms of features and the story isn’t different in this segment. The Xcent offers start/stop function, an elaborate music system with 1GB internal storage, rear AC vents, climate control, rear camera with parking sensors, cabin mirror with auto dimming function and retractable ORVMs. Also, the Xcent is the only car in the segment that has ABS standard across all variants and it is a very important feature from the perspective of preventive safety measures. The quality of the interior is also good; Hyundai has used hard plastic across the cabin, but the fit and finish feels decent.

The Amaze recently added a new top-end variant with the AVN pack that offers a decent number of features. The car gets a touch-screen music system with satellite navigation, apart from steering mounted audio controls and rest of the standard features. Honda does not score too well on the quality of the interior, the beige getup looks basic though they make the spacious cabin look even bigger.

Ford, meanwhile, is going with the minimalist look in the new Figo Aspire. There is no start/stop engine or rear AC vents or rear parking sensors. It does get the music system from the EcoSport with apps and functioning voice commands. Where it loses out on features it makes up in the safety department with two airbags standard across all variants. The quality of the interior is also fantastic and the Figo Aspire is the only car in the segment to offer leather seat covers.

In terms of cabin space from a sub-four metre car, all three do rather well, still the Aspire seems to trump them all. However, the boot space of the Figo Aspire at 359 litres is much lesser when compared to the 400 litres and 407 litres of the Amaze and Xcent respectively.

Performance

The Xcent is powered by the 1.1-litre three-cylinder engine producing meagre 71bhp and 180Nm of torque. The power is sufficient for everyday city use, but it lacks bottom-end grunt for quick overtakes and high cruising. The U2 series engine is one of the most refined oil burners in the segment and the ARAI rated fuel efficiency of the car is more than decent at 24.4kmpl.

The Amaze, when launched, was the powerful and efficient car in the segment. The 1.5-litre i-DTEC engine develops 99bhp and 200Nm of torque and offers an ARAI efficiency of 25.8kmpl. There is plenty of power for everyday city use and also for highway runs, we only hope that Honda can further improve the NVH levels of the car.

The Figo Aspire is marginally better than the Amaze (on paper) in terms of power ratings. The 1.5-litre TDCi delivers 98bhp and 215Nm of torque, now, making it the most powerful car in the compact sedan segment. The NVH levels are acceptable and fuel efficiency at 25.3kmpl is sufficient if not segment-leading.

All the petrol cars are driven by the 1.2-litre units due to the tax regulations and have similar performance. The only exception is the 1.5-litre automatic of the Aspire that is tuned to produce 110bhp and 136Nm.

Both the Xcent and Amaze have soft suspension tuned for comfort. While the Figo Aspire is also comfortable, the driving dynamics seem better with Ford’s DNA.

Verdict

The Honda Amaze is the most expensive car at the moment; it does offer solid performance and efficiency but loses out on features and looks. Honda’s brand value does help a bit, but if someone is looking purely from the value for money perspective, he might have to look somewhere else.

The Ford Figo Aspire is the best looking car in the segment, offers great performance and also has ample space in the cabin. The only issue is the small features list, but we will still give it a thumbs up for having airbags as standard in all variants.

The Xcent probably does better by offering ABS as standard along with an exhaustive features list. Its only problem is that it lacks performance to take on either the Amaze or the Figo Aspire, but just as a city car the Xcent is good enough especially with the competitive price.

Ford then has a great opportunity. The Aspire might not have many features, but they can be upgraded through accessories and everything else looks spot on. Price the car competitively and Ford has a winner at hand.