Ford Figo Aspire vs Maruti Dzire vs Honda Amaze vs Hyundai Xcent vs Tata Zest

Ford India is all set to enter the sub-compact sedan segment with its all-new Figo Aspire, which would launch next month. The already overcrowded sub 4-meter sedan segment would heat up once again with the arrival of this new entrant. The features and technical specifications of the Ford Figo Aspire were revealed at the recently concluded media drives. The Figo Aspire, quite similar to its foes, would be launched in both petrol and diesel fuel trims. However, it would come loaded with some best-in-segment features, as it is a relatively new product as compared to all its rivals. Lets compare the Figo Aspire with all its competitors in terms of exterior styling, interior cabin, engine performance and price:

Ford Figo Aspire vs Maruti Dzire vs Honda Amaze vs Hyundai Xcent vs Tata Zest Exterior

Ford Figo Aspire comes as fresh breath for the compact sedan segment, at least, as far as exterior styling is concerned. Being based on the Figo hatchback, it doesn’t look disproportionate as most of its rivals like Maruti Swift DZire, Honda Amaze and Hyundai Xcent. Although, exterior design is quite a personal topic and what appeals to an individual might just not appeal to the other. And hence, with the large front fascia comprising of an Aston Martin-esque grille, the Figo Aspire stands out to be the best player in its segment, we reckon. If one sees the Maruti Swift Dzire and Hyundai Xcent, then it can be easily said that they are merely the stretched out versions of the hatches that they are based on. The Maruti Swift and Hyundai Grand i10 pay a lot of resemblance to Swift Dzire and Xcent, and if sans the extended boot, they are look alike. However, Honda Amaze can be said a better sedan and manages to fray away from this disgrace. But, it is quite difficult to announce a clear winner between Tata Zest and Figo Aspire. Tata Zest is an all-new product from the stable of home-grown automaker and it’s exterior designing is really exemplary. Thus, all we would say is, if you are looking for something different and interesting, then you must give a chance to the latest kid on the block – the Ford Figo Aspire – and it won’t disappoint you, to say the least.

Ford Figo Aspire vs Maruti Dzire vs Honda Amaze vs Hyundai Xcent vs Tata Zest Interior

The interior cabin of Ford Figo Aspire is quite spacious and comes with several places of storage. Besides the several cup-holders and bigger door pockets, the glovebox is also quite large. The plastic quality is optimum than most of its competitors like the Maruti Swift Dzire and Hyundai Xcent. The headroom is adequate and even a taller person can sit comfortably without banging his/her head in the roof. However, same cannot be said for rear seat legroom, as it looks a bit cramped out there as compared to Honda Amaze and Tata Zest. The seats in Figo Aspire are well designed and cushioned. It would have dual-tone black/beige interior color scheme as standard across the entire variant line-up. Also, dual front airbags are standard with every variant which makes it even more desirable. Even, there are 6-airbags on offer with the range-topping trim and that is seen for the first time in India, at least in compact sedan segment. The top variants would also feature MyFord dock which would allow an individual to access audio, video, navigation and phone controls at one go. However, unlike Tata Zest, it is deprived of a touch-screen infotainment system. If interior cabin’s overall ambiance, plastic quality and comfort features are numero uno priority, then Ford Figo Aspire perfectly fits the bill.

Ford Figo Aspire vs Maruti Dzire vs Honda Amaze vs Hyundai Xcent vs Tata Zest Engine

Ford Figo Aspire would be introduced in both petrol and diesel guises with a total of three engines. The base and mid-variants of the Aspire sedan would come with a 1.2-litre TiVCT petrol engine, while belting out a maximum power and peak torque of 88bhp and 112Nm, respectively. However, the top-end variant of Figo Aspire would be powered by a 1.5-litre, four-cylinder, TiVCT petrol engine which would generate a top power of 112bhp and peak torque of 136Nm. For those asking, Tata Zest is the most powerful sedan in the segment currently with 90bhp and 140Nm, but soon this prestigious crown is going to be with Figo Aspire. However, Zest remains to be the most torquey vehicle in the segment. Honda Amaze, Maruti Swift Dzire and Hyundai Xcent occupy the third, fourth and fifth spot with power outputs of 88bhp, 84.3bhp and 83bhp, respectively. All the sedans are available with both manual and automatic transmission, barring the Zest as it gets manual gearbox only. As for diesel guise, the Ford Figo Aspire gets the tweaked 1.5-litre, four-cylinder TDCi engine with power updated from 90bhp to 100bhp. Hence, it is, along with Honda Amaze, the most powerful car in its segment. Both these sedans are followed by Tata Zest with 90bhp of top power and 200Nm of highest torque. Then comes the Maruti Swift Dzire and Hyundai Xcent with 75bhp and 72bhp of power figures, respectively. All the sedans are offered with five-speed manual transmission, except the Zest which is also available with a five-speed AMT unit.

Ford Figo Aspire vs Maruti Dzire vs Honda Amaze vs Hyundai Xcent vs Tata Zest Price:

As Figo Aspire ain’t officially launched yet, the prices are not disclosed. But if folks at the helm of these affairs are to be believed, then the Figo Aspire’s pricing is going to be extremely belligerent. Currently, Tata Zest is the cheapest sedan in the country as its price in petrol trim starts from INR 5.40 lakhs and go upto INR 7.00 lakhs. All these sedans are separated from each other by a petty gap of around 15,000 in terms of introductory pricing as Hyundai Xcent starts from INR 5.50 lakhs, while Swift Dzire’s base model costs INR 5.60 lakhs, followed by Honda Amaze’s price of INR 5.70 lakhs. Just so you know, Honda Amaze’s automatic top-end variant is most expensive one in the segment with pricing going as high as INR 8.60 lakhs. As for diesel fuel trim, the competition is even close as the starting price of all these sedans is utterly close – say a margin of only INR 10,000. Hyundai Xcent stars as the most affordable sedan with price starting at INR 6.45 lakhs, while the Zest follows the suit at INR 6.55 lakhs. Then comes the Maruti Swift Dzire with a price starting at INR 6.65 lakhs, with Amaze the most expensive as it’s introductory price is INR 6.85 lakhs. Quite identical to the petrol guise, the Honda Amaze range-topping variant is the most expensive in diesel guise also as it comes at a price of INR 9 lakhs. Currently, Maruti Swift Dzire is the clear winner in this segment as it sells around 15,000 units per month on an average, which is way more than combined sales of Amaze, Xcent and Zest. The reasons behind the success of DZire are class-leading fuel efficiency, genuine plastic quality and impeccable after-sales network. However, Ford Figo Aspire would be manufactured at company’s recently inaugurated Sanand factory in Gujrat with a high level of localization and hence, if Ford can keep the pricing in check with its foes, then the Figo Aspire could, indeed, turn out to be the next big thing in the country.

All the prices mentioned here are On-road, New Delhi.