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Another year, another Ford in the CarWale long term garage, what fun! The Freestyle was launched in 2018 and is Ford’s answer to a growing demand for the SUV body style, but in a part of the market where hatchbacks rule the roost. It certainly has the looks and features, but does it have what it takes (in the real world) to be a player in one of the most competitive parts of the Indian car market? Well, that’s what we aim to find out over the next few months with the Freestyle in our garage.

Ford Freestyle fact file

The Ford Freestyle that we are driving is a top-of-the-line Titanium +. The engine is a four-cylinder unit producing 95bhp/119Nm and mated to a five-speed manual gearbox sending power to the front wheels.

This being a top-spec model, you get climate control, touchscreen infotainment, height adjustment for the driver’s seat, and button start. The cabin is chocolate brown while the car is a sand brown, giving a mellow vibe to the overall scheme of things.

What’s more, we have evaluated the touchscreen system that’s on offer in this car in a shootout with touchscreen systems from five others vehicles. You would be surprised at its performance in the competition and you can read about that here.

What’s next?

Well, this is Mumbai in the monsoon time and with a lot of suburban regions dotting the city, the roads are, for the want of a better term, sub-optimal at this point. This should give us an idea of its city manners, ride quality, and perhaps some hidden talents that would be ‘Freestyled’ in front of us. Check back at this time next month for the first round of updates.

Photos: Kaustubh Gandhi