Ford Figo Freestyle Trend – buckle up with the CUV

A crossover is essentially a compact hatchback with a raised ride height and that is exactly what the Ford Figo Freestyle Trend is, and so much more…

The Figo Freestyle Trend is a powerful compact utility vehicle (CUV) that blends sports utility vehicle (SUV) features and design influences in a compact automobile. It is modern, bold, and forceful and I wasn’t expecting much to be honest, but I was pleasantly surprised.

The premium black painted grille, the new sculpted front bumper inspires confidence but also increases rigidity and emphasises the car’s purposeful and aggressive stance.

The extra ground clearance (typically just enough to be noticed) helps taking on the neglected roads of Johannesburg, while also letting you take to dirt roads without a care in the world. Crossovers also have an SUV-like appearance, well they try.

So, the Figo Freestyle sits 16mm higher than its hatchback and sedan brethren and boasts larger wheels, wheel-arch mouldings, skid plates that protect the vehicle’s undercarriage, and roof racks that are both practical but also emphasise that crossover/SUV look. Practical and stylish.

Performance

The Ford Figo Freestyle is powered by a 1.5-litre with 91 kW/150 Nm and a 5-speed manual transmission I found this to be more than enough power when either overtaking on the highway or accelerating up hills.

Interior

The interior is nicely laid out with no real surprises, okay its more utilitarian than luxurious but it has everything you need, and I found it a really pleasant place to be.  The well-designed dashboard and door details are complemented with a stylish blended seat trim design that features stripes in the centre and black trim panels on the sides. Stitching in contrasting colours adds to the visual appeal.

The Ford Figo Freestyle Trend comes with Ford’s ingenious device dock, which provides Bluetooth, USB, and Aux connection as well as a handy smartphone receptacle.

The 256-litre load bay capacity of the Figo Freestyle is big enough but you can, of course, fold the Ford’s 60/40-split rear seat back down if you need more luggage/utility room. Don’t forget those roof rails are also there to carry some weight if you need them to.

Safety

Driver and passenger airbags, ABS brakes, remote central locking with drive-away locking function, electronic windows all around, perimeter anti-theft alarm, and engine immobiliser are all included in the Trend model’s standard safety and security package.

Titanium

If you’re in the market to spend a bit more money, the Titanium version of the Figo Freestyle comes with all sorts of extras that you’d want:

• SYNC3 system, which includes Bluetooth and voice activation to handle phone and music features through intuitive, conversational voice commands
• a reverse camera linked to the floating 6.5-inch colour display
• Apple CarPlay or Android Auto

Price

Retailing at between R219 500 – R268 500, you’re looking at a good buy here.

To conclude…

Like I said – I was pleasantly surprised by this mid-range car and I’m pleased that Ford are making an effort to fulfil a mid-sized market gap. I found the drive smooth and comfortable, the outside looks may not be to everyone’s taste and this certainly is not a “dream car” but, if you are looking for a reasonably priced mid-size car that can do it all, you really should take a look and compared to what else is out there on the market, the Ford Figo Freestyle is definitely one of the contenders to consider.