[parrys]

Mod Note : Team-BHP's Ford EcoSport Review has been taken live at this link. Please continue the discussion on that thread.



Today, as a part of a promotional campaign, Ford revealed the EcoSport inside & out. It will be displayed across 12 major cities in a phased manner, as part of the "EcoSport Urban Discoveries" campaign (Mumbai & Delhi being the first two cities). The vehicle will be available for display to the general public.

High Points:

• An experimental drive of the EcoSport will be offered to 100 consumers in May. We can safely assume the launch won't be happening before that.
• Bookings for this Urban SUV (as Ford calls it) will open only after the aforementioned consumer drives are done with.
• The Microsoft Sync feature will allow voice commands to select music, make phone calls, read out text messages etc. There is a Sync simulator present at the event for viewers to experience the feature in detail.
• Available with 4 engine & transmission options:
  • Turbocharged 1.0L Petrol Ecoboost
  • 1.5L Petrol (shared with the current Fiesta)
  • 1.5L Petrol Automatic
  • 1.5L Diesel

The pictures below are of the production ready car. Complete specifications haven't been revealed yet.


Exteriors:

The same distinctive orange colour as shown during the unveiling at the Auto Expo 2012.


Chrome overload at the front. Looks decent though.


Wheel arches are not as pronounced as its archrival, the Renault Duster.


Clear lens headlamps:


Fog-lamps get a chrome bezel.


A nicely chopped rear to avail of sub-4 meter length benefits. Tailgate mounted spare adds a lot of character.


Small black button (in the chrome area) is to open the boot.


The EcoSport's defining ornament.


Side cladding looks neat, no flamboyant curves.


16" rims with 205/60 tyres. Disc brakes at the front and drums at the rear.


Chunky ORVMs with integrated blinkers.


Roof rails have the ability to hold excess luggage (dealer accessory?).


Make sure you park at a distance if you want to access the boot.


Not surprising: Crowds gathered to take a closer look at the Ecosport.

[parrys]

Interiors:

Yes, it's a Fiesta twin on the inside. Familiar territory indeed.


Steering wheel with audio & voice assist controls.


Tacho redline marked at a notch below 6,500 rpm. This car has the Ecoboost engine under its hood.


Grey, silver and piano black center console.


A button heavy head-unit, clearly inspired by cell phone design.


MID.


Microsoft Sync emblem under the A/C controls.


Climate control. Plastic quality of the buttons is just about average. Not just here, but everywhere on the inside, you'll find mediocre quality plastic.


USB, AUX & 12v power socket below the gear-lever.


Rotary headlamp switch.


Looks neat eh? Although, as soon as you touch the seats, cost cutting is evident.


The driver armrest is a very thoughtful addition.


Door pad has a wide pocket, bottle holder and electric ORVM controls.


No dead pedal, but there is a raised portion on the footwell to rest your left foot on.


Glovebox has 2 parts. An upper shelf (black) and a lower bin (grey) with a cooling vent.


Rubber of the center console will probably last a couple of years, and then fall off or hang loose.


That is the max angle that the rear doors open to.


Space is limited. The EcoSport is in premium hatchback territory here. Notice how high the window sill ends toward the rear. The floor hump is prominent; considering the rear legroom, a 5th occupant wont be happy.


A look at the ordinary seat cover quality.


Rear parcel tray starts higher than the rear seat. The visible gap doesn't look good.


Satisfactory boot space. Rear seat-back bolts fallen off?


60:40 split and fold.


Concaved hatch door pad helps squeeze in that little bit extra.


Illuminated boot.


Urban SUV but no skid plate or plastic cover. Good ground clearance.


The engine bay (Ecoboost) looks tightly packed. An engine cover is sorely missed and makes the area look "un-premium".


Ugly taping of wires.

[yajaman99]

Originally Posted by MYB

Is it the quality of photographs or has Ford used cheap plastics in the name of localisation around the dashboard and door areas? I found it to be very odd looking while I was expecting classy interiors. A bit of a let down for me.

I have to agree with MYB, i too thought the plastics quaility looks a little low. I currently own a 2009 Fiesta 1.6zxi so i would use that as the mark and the pictures of the EcoSport shows them to be lower. I hope it is the quality of the pics and not quality of the parts.

[aajohn]

Originally Posted by MYB

Is it the quality of photographs or has Ford used cheap plastics in the name of localisation around the dashboard and door areas? I found it to be very odd looking while I was expecting classy interiors. A bit of a let down for me.

This was the same thought I was having. Looks very dull and cheap and is disappointing for me as well. I just hope there are other options available - the European one looks to have a better finish.

[CtrlAltDel]

There is a small front armrest! I hope its not useless like the one on Vento/Rapid.

[needmorebhp]

So ACI has now put up an article with pics from the same place:

http://www.autocarindia.com/News/336...-ecosport.aspx

The thing to notice:
"A launch date for the car has not been announced just yet, but the company has confirmed that it will commence bookings once the customer experience drive is completed in May, 2013."

Means that we are not really likely to see this in our garages before July End

Originally Posted by MYB

Is it the quality of photographs or has Ford used cheap plastics in the name of localisation around the dashboard and door areas? I found it to be very odd looking while I was expecting classy interiors. A bit of a let down for me.

+1 to that as of now. Also going by Ford India's website, Pune and Kolkata are scheduled for display in the end of April. This indicates of launch of no sooner than sometime in May. The wait only grows longer and the hype gets bigger!

[musclecar]

Now I really cant wait to get my hands on the car. The photos are really nice. Recieved a mail from Ford India. Attaching a screenshot of the same.

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

...The SA on the phone said an Ecosport test drive car will be available from this month end onwards, for customers to try out and decide...

Doubtful whether it will be a TD vehicle. Could be a demo piece rather. Ford says the Ecosport discoveries 2 stage winners will be the first one to drive the car and then ONLY rest will get TD cars.

Originally Posted by CtrlAltDel

There is a small front armrest! ...

Nice find!

[Nilesh5417]

I'm disappointed. If the interior quality was just as good as exterior, it was such a winner! Hyundai still does it best when it comes to interiors. So there it is in flesh, i'm not sure it bowls me over and makes want to pick it over the Duster anymore if i keep the price factor out. And this is just based on pictures so hope we can get to drive it soon.

[sunilg33]

Thanks a lot Parrys, great details covered in the pictures. We have found a lot of answers from the little details you have posted.
From the pictures the car isn't great from inside . The legroom again is a bit disappointing. Cost cutting is very much evident.
I just hope the cost cuts are passed on to the customers.

[Naetik30]

Notice the passenger side windscreen wiper angled a bit. Wonder if it will be an annoyance from the inside view point.

[anoop.mathew]

I find the seat cover quality really bad, but luckily that's something that can be fixed easily using after-market dealers.

How I wish car manufacturers give us black colour dashboards, particularly the upper part. I think Skoda has a good compromise with dark upper dashboards, light lower dashboards, dark carpets and light seats.

I'm OK if the rear bench can handle only 4 comfortably, as that will be the usual number of occupants in the car.

I really wanted the more complex alloys and DRLs! Hope at least the alloys are available as an aftermarket option.

Hope the diesel engine is tuned for greater power than the Fiesta. If not, there is always the option of a chip box or a remap

So I guess I will need to factor in good quality leather seats, a remap and the alternative alloys in the shopping list when I get around to buying this!

[NIP]

Looks very cheap to in the pics at least !! I'd pay a lakh over a decent hatchback (eg: swift, i20) for this. Nothing more. Rear seems to have extremely limited legroom !! Good luck Ford !!

[ndinesh]

Thanks Parrys for those excellant photos and the notes. It is kind of mini official review.
After waiting for more than a year, it is disappointing to see the "not-so-high-quality" plastics and interiors. And the rear leg room adds more to the disappointment.
I feel just to keep the price down, Ford has done too many compromises and cost cutting.