Watch a Ford Freestyle climb down stairs, go through deep, water-filled ditches [Video]

Launched in late April, the Ford Freestyle is the latest offering from the Indian subsidiary of the popular American car manufacturer. The Freestyle is basically the ‘pseudo-crossover’ version of the Figo hatchback. It comes with some plastic cladding and other styling changes to have a more rugged appearance. However, the Freestyle isn’t merely a regular B-segment hatchback on stilts. It can actually venture off the road and tackle some challenging obstacles. Here’s a video that shows the same –

The above video shows a Ford Freestyle and a Ford Endeavour being driven on a specially prepared track to demonstrate the off-roading capabilities of the two vehicles. Of course, the Endeavour is a pretty accomplished off-roader and far more capable than the Freestyle, but even the latter can be used for what many of you would call ‘soft-roading’.

The video starts with a Freestyle at a pretty high speed. It’s noteworthy here that the latest Ford is equipped with Active Rollover Protection (ARP), which ensures that the car stays planted even when thrown around pretty hard. Next, you can see the Freestyle easily tackling the chicken holes. What’s more, you can even see the Freestyle climbing down a set of stairs! Much of this is due to the high ground clearance of 190 mm that this car offers. Also, the Freestyle comes with 97 PS petrol and 100 PS diesel engines that help it power its way through the obstacles. The large 15-inch wheels have been shod with sufficiently wide tires for a good amount of grip on the challenging terrains. It’s mostly the high ground clearance that helps it glide over most of the obstacles. The video also highlights the high water-wading capacity on offer.

The Ford Freestyle has been on sale for a starting price of Rs 5.09 lakh. The fully-loaded top-end diesel variant costs Rs 7.89 lakh. The Figo-based crossover holds a pretty big price advantage over its rivals and also offers the most powerful engines in its segment. The top-end variants come with a long list of features, which include the Active Rollover Protection (ARP), side and curtain airbags, emergency assistance with a touchscreen infotainment and automatic climate control. Features like ABS with EBD, dual front airbags, engine immobilizer, reverse parking sensors, keyless entry, approach sensors and a perimeter theft alarm are standard across all trims.

Video courtesy – Harpreet Singh on Youtube