The new Ford Figo Freestyle is arriving in SA
Ford has recently announced their all-new crossover, the Ford Figo Freestyle, and it is coming to South Africa. This is the first Figo Freestyle to reach out shores as Ford expands their local options. It is a compact utility vehicle (CUV) based on the already popular Figo hatchback. Following Ford’s trend of making more crossovers.
“The All-New Figo Freestyle builds on Ford’s reputation as one of the pioneers of the utility vehicle segment.” – Doreen Mashinini, General Manager Marketing at ord Motor Company of Southern Africa (FMCSA).
The new-look of the Ford Figo Freestyle.
The goal is to give a more sporty look with the mix of black highlights on one of the six colour options. These include the new Canyon Ridge, a rather earthy orange colour. A new black painted grille and front bumper look great. In fact, the bodywork as a whole is great. Not too sporty and it does give a sense that this car can do a bit of off-roading, which is not entirely very true.
New double-spoke 15-inch alloy wheels are fitted underneath new black wheel arches which help elevate the ride height to 190mm. Roof rails also come standard.
A simple interior that functions well.
Door scuff plates and very durable all-weather floor mats will really help you when coming back from adventure. But, for the more everyday use, reverse parking sensors and Ford’s Device Dock will make life a little more comfortable. Otherwise, the interior cabin is rather plain, but it will get the job done.
It’s unfortunate that instead of the range-topping model, the Titanium gets all the tech instead of just upgrading the tech. Yes, the Ford Figo Freestyle Trend will not have any of the interior features we are about to mention. They are only standard in the Titanium.
This includes the 6.5-inch touchscreen infotainment screen that is equipped with a reverse camera, voice activation and Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. The Titanium also gets a keyless push-start button and automatic climate control. Three other ease of life features are an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, automatic headlamp activation and rain-sensing windscreen wipers. So, the Titanium does it all for you which is wonderful. It’s just a pity the Trend will see none of it.
There’s a good engine on this Ford Figo Freestyle. 
Every Ford Figo Freestyle in South Africa will come equipped with a 1.5-litre 3-cylinder Ti-VCT engine. It packs quite a punch in this CUV, producing 91 kW of power and 150 Nm of torque. That is all driven through the front wheels (no all-wheel-drive) and controlled through a 5-speed manual gearbox. Which leaves us wondering, with so many automatic features on the Titanium, did they forget an automatic gearbox?
As standard on the Trend, there are some nice driving and safety features. These include driver and passenger airbags, ABS brakes, remote central locking with drive-away locking function. It also gets an engine immobilizer.
The Figo Freestyle Titanium gets one extra feature, he Ford MyKey. It’s a special key you give to your newly-licensed children when they want to take your car for a drive. When used, it can inhibit incoming phone calls, restrict top speed. It can also reduce the audio volume or stop any kind of music if they forget their seatbelts. Your children will love you for this, but less sarcastically, it’s a neat family feature.
The new price for the new Freestyle.
As standard, the Figo Freestyle models are sold with a 4-year/60 000km service plan and 4-year/120 000km warranty. Below are the prices of the two new Ford Figo Freestyles:
Trend – R226 700
Titanium – R247 500
Source & images: Ford South Africa | QuickPic
