[Maanspeedo]

Originally Posted by shivasuma

MAS mentioned that body roll is present on the ecosport but don't think he said its more than the Duster's. Duster rides better is what he said. I am sure when the ecosport is released in India, its USP will be the ride and handling combination along with steering feedback (which unfortunately the general car buying public hardly cares about). Ford needs to price it right which became a bit easier after the recent price increase on the Duster.

If you notice , I meant the same but have written it other way round . what I meant is : Selling point of Duster is the ride and no body roll which feels like a 30 lakh car and thats what is missing in Ecosport as per MAS.

[vibbs]

Thanks for the review MAS. I guess they will soften the ride a bit for the Indian spec one. Also what trim is the duster available there? Is it same as India.
Aren't we getting the 1 litre here? I guess that should give Ford much more leeway to price it more competetively here against the duster as compared to Brazil. Provided they are willing to pass on the excise benefits to the customer. If they to that I guess we could see much more difference in the pricing wrt the duster here than its there.
As I see it they should not overshoot the Quanto (which itself is overpriced IMO) by too much.

[Marlon]

Had a discussion with a Ford Dealer in Chennai....He does not have any info on the car. He only said "Launch will be around March next year".

[yogeshnaik]

Originally Posted by Marlon

Had a discussion with a Ford Dealer in Chennai....He does not have any info on the car. He only said "Launch will be around March next year".

Did they commit any date of bookings for this vehicle? Some of my friends are waiting for this. They are comparing this with Duster. Also any approximate price figures?

[Marlon]

Originally Posted by yogeshnaik

Did they commit any date of bookings for this vehicle? Some of my friends are waiting for this. They are comparing this with Duster. Also any approximate price figures?

No pricing or any dates were given ( I am sure here is not aware of it).

Considering the review given by MAS after a short drive in Brazil, I don't think I would like to wait for 6 more months + waiting time (3 months).

[sridhar-v]

Originally Posted by MAS

Guys,

I test drove the Ford Ecosport this evening in Brazil.

- The steering feels similar to the new Fiesta (EPS), gears were slick to use, but the clutch felt marginally harder
- Front Seats were thinner and did not have enough thigh support (much like the Fiesta classic seats), except that we sit upright and much higher. The seats on the 2.0 litre Titanium were better contoured.

Though there was not much difference in the interior space, front & second row(though the Duster felt wider), the boot of the Ecosport is only about 50% of the Duster.

How would you rate the front legroom and also the rear legroom vis a vis the new Fiesta?

[harishpr]

Why is everyone asking so many questions, that otherwise would be asked after the car launch so early. Ecosport is atleast 5months away. I think easiest way to check for technical specs would be to visit the Brazil website of Ford.
For the amount of interest generated for Ecosport, I'm sure Ford is losing several prospective customers to Duster and likewise.

[nitinr30]

I enquired about ecosport with a dealer in BLR and he also said that it would be Mar-2013, certainly not Jan. For price, he mentioned that it woukd b competitive tgam Duster. On probing furthr, he quoted 9lac OTR for petril and 11lac for diesel. I wonder if that's for a base version. With Duster price hike, I'm sure Ford would like to push the price as much they can.

[MAS]

I'm really sorry for not replying. I spent the first half of the day in the Focus, being driven down to Sao Paulo and the second half in conference halls (after all, i came to Brazil to work ).

After the meetings, i spent 3 hours in the taxi to get to the Guarulhos Airport, Sao Paulo (a distance of 35 kms from the office). I'm waiting at the gate to board the flight and will be home on Sunday. I will put up a detailed report on Sunday/Monday.

[sridhar-v]

Today morning went for a walk on ARAI hill. There was a White EcoSport & I managed to get a walk-around. My observations are as follows:-

The first lot of 6 cars have been tested & sent back. This is a new piece that landed at ARAI yesterday. It is a White Titanium 1.5L Diesel Manual Gearbox model. Possibly some compliance issue being rectified & represented or a new variant sent for testing.

The vehicle is definitely funky looking & has a commanding (compared to hatches of its size) presence.

Size wise it is definitely smaller than the Duster, both from inside & outside. No I could not sit inside but that was the impression I got from peeping in from the windows.

The dash & interiors are exactly like what we are seeing in the pictures from Brazil. I got the feeling that the rear legroom may not be as good as the Fusion's. The boot space seems slightly lesser that of the Fusion in terms of depth. But Ford visual looks are always deceptive. So will wait for an actual test drive to pass final judgement on these points.

Did not take any photos as I did not want to put anybody in trouble.

My initial take - A Hot Hatch SUV. If Ford brought in AWD with an AT Box all my requirements ( 2 seater SUV with AWD, 6 airbags & ESP/TC) would be taken care of.

On whether, space wise, it is good as a long distance tourer - Yes for 2 adults & 2 kids. Maybe for 4 adults ( provided the rear passengers are short & thin) who like to travel with minimal luggage. Loading lots of luggage for 4 adults may be a problem.

[sansvk]

Originally Posted by sridhar-v

I got the feeling that the rear legroom may not be as good as the Fusion's. The boot space seems slightly lesser that of the Fusion in terms of depth. But Ford visual looks are always deceptive.

I am sure the rear leg room is not going to be any better than the NFS. It would just be adequate for 2 adults. Adding to this I am sure its not a flat floor in the rear, its going to have the transmission hump similar to the NFS. Along with it the cup holder near the gear lever would intrude into the rear leg room.
These were the reasons that really put me off from the NFS, the rear was just too cramped.

[acroback]

Originally Posted by nitinr30

I enquired about ecosport with a dealer in BLR and he also said that it would be Mar-2013, certainly not Jan. For price, he mentioned that it woukd b competitive tgam Duster. On probing furthr, he quoted 9lac OTR for petril and 11lac for diesel. I wonder if that's for a base version. With Duster price hike, I'm sure Ford would like to push the price as much they can.

I was given same reply by metro ford people.
But I doubt they have any clue about final launch prices.

[rambo1o1]

Originally Posted by sridhar-v

Today morning went for a walk on ARAI hill. There was a White EcoSport & I managed to get a walk-around. My observations are as follows:-

The first lot of 6 cars have been tested & sent back. This is a new piece that landed at ARAI yesterday. It is a White Titanium 1.5L Diesel Manual Gearbox model. Possibly some compliance issue being rectified & represented or a new variant sent for testing..

So the 1.5TdCi is confirmed. Can you tell us if the gearbox was 5 speed or a 6 speed?? if its a five speed then i dont think we will see the more powerful VGT version of the 1.5 since the current 1.5 in the fiesta makes only 90ps with 204 Nm torque.

Originally Posted by sridhar-v

The dash & interiors are exactly like what we are seeing in the pictures from Brazil. I got the feeling that the rear legroom may not be as good as the Fusion's. The boot space seems slightly lesser that of the Fusion in terms of depth. But Ford visual looks are always deceptive. So will wait for an actual test drive to pass final judgement on these points.

Did not take any photos as I did not want to put anybody in trouble.

i was hoping ford will introduce beige interiors for the Indian version,even though beige is difficult to maintain, many Indians don't care. Put a ecosport with the New fiesta Interior and one with beige and many customers will line up for the later.Ford still hasn't learned much.

Originally Posted by sridhar-v

On whether, space wise, it is good as a long distance tourer - Yes for 2 adults & 2 kids. Maybe for 4 adults ( provided the rear passengers are short & thin) who like to travel with minimal luggage. Loading lots of luggage for 4 adults may be a problem.

Originally Posted by sansvk

I am sure the rear leg room is not going to be any better than the NFS. It would just be adequate for 2 adults. Adding to this I am sure its not a flat floor in the rear, its going to have the transmission hump similar to the NFS. Along with it the cup holder near the gear lever would intrude into the rear leg room.
These were the reasons that really put me off from the NFS, the rear was just too cramped.

I think the New fiesta rear seat is spacious for two well built adults,not for three but definitely for two 6 footers.
the beige interiors would defiantly make the interiors feel more spacious but i guess ford is not a hyundai!

[sridhar-v]

Originally Posted by rambo1o1

So the 1.5TdCi is confirmed. Can you tell us if the gearbox was 5 speed or a 6 speed?? if its a five speed then i dont think we will see the more powerful VGT version of the 1.5 since the current 1.5 in the fiesta makes only 90ps with 204 Nm torque.

I think the New fiesta rear seat is spacious for two well built adults,not for three but definitely for two 6 footers.

Coming to think of it there was no specific Duratorq badging. The white label on the rear quarter glass was 1.5L, so I am assuming it was diesel.

Did not look at the gear lever knob in that much detail. So I can't. comment on whether it was 5 or 6 speed.

The 6 vehicles previously tested would consist of 3 variants of the 1.0L ECoboost & 3 variants of the 1.5L Duratorq. One contranian view would be that this current vehicle could be the 1.5L petrol. Possibly they are just getting it type approved. But it does not make sense as they are openly commiting to the 1L EcoBoost.

Re. the rear seats, Ford looks are always deceptive, so the proof of the pudding will be in actual trials.

[MAS]

Posting a few pictures that i took of the Ecosport before/during/after the test drive.

First Look. Black looks absolutely stunning.


Rear. This is the Freestyle variant, which comes with a 1.6 Litre Sigma Flex engine.


I liked the alloys on the Freestyle. IMO, i liked these better than the ones on the higher priced Titanium variant


The car which was given to us to test drive (not a test drive car). 1.6 Litre Freestyle variant


Interiors of 1.6 Litre Freestyle variant


More closer look at the steering. The plastics on the dash and panels were just about okay.


Instrument Panel


The air conditioner controls are manual on Freestyle


The aircon vents have a complete shut facility (lacking in the Fiesta)


Another look at the central console with single colour display (in blue), common for all variants.


The view from the ORVM


The minimum and maximum space at the rear. The interior space is almost identical to the new Fiesta.


The boot is huge when compared to any hatch of its size.


The dimensions of the Ecosport.


Note that the length (4241 mm) mentioned in Brazil includes the spare tyre at the back. This spare tyre along with bracket that holds the tyre in place will easily measure 241 mm and will automatically qualify for the small car criteria in India.

The wheel base at 2521 mm is longer than the New Fiesta (2489 mm), but the additional 32 mm is not clearly felt in terms of additional space.

The Ecosport along side the New Ranger (which i think is the next generation Endeavour which will come to India. I somehow like the current look of the Endeavour)