[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by dpkbehera

The "Brave One" who is fine with the old stock can get a great bargain by negotiating hard.

I agree that it is a move to clear existing inventory but I have two customers shouting at the SA today at the dealership. Embarrassing actually!

Regarding the discount he got and freebies to the car are good enough. We bargained hard!

[Vid6639]

I was just looking at prices of these compact crossovers and realised this segment is really really crazy in pricing.

It's good to see that Ford has done a reasonable job in pricing with this updated Ecosport by increasing prices of the higher variants by 20-25K and adding a decent amount of kit. 24K price increase vs the older Titanium+ gets you auto headlights, rain sensing wipers, auto dimming IRVM, the LED lightguide + some extra splashes of chrome and leather in the cabin.

Ford had a lot of headroom in pricing thanks to the Creta being priced at a hefty premium. What they had to keep in mind was the S-cross which is 30K more for the 1.3L Alpha vs the Titanium+. The Zeta 1.3L is just 15K more than the Titanium Ecosport.

With such close pricing to the already expensive S-cross the Ecosport no longer looks like the VFM package it used to be when launched. The ex-showroom price alone from the time I bought it has gone up by 1 lakh. At launch the Ecosport was 8.99L ex-showroom for the top spec Titanium+ diesel.

Between the S-cross and the Ecosport, I would actually tilt towards the S-cross today and not the Ecosport. The Ecosport has the more appealing styling that stands out even today as well as the 6 airbags but I can't find any other USP now.

The Ecosport is at the end of the day a Sub-4m compact crossover vs the S-cross which is a larger crossover with far more space, can accommodate 3 at the back as well as a larger boot. Apart from the 6 airbags in the Ecosport, the S-cross has more features like reversing camera, xenon lights, auto folding mirrors and sat-nav.

So while the Ecosport is a very good package now with even more features it is no longer the VFM package it once was. It's just another premium crossover in the segment now.

Originally Posted by aniketi

All reviews including T-BHP felt S-cross is solidly built car, but you didn't find same way, strange.

The S-cross is definitely solidly built and the best of all the Maruti but compared to the Ecosport, it doesn't feel as solid. Try opening and closing the doors of the Ecosport and S-cross and you will see the the doors feel amazingly heavy in the Ecosport. Not just the doors but the bootlid, hood and fenders also feel of a much thicker sheet metal.

Yes the S-cross is built very solidly, it's just that the Ecosport is built slightly more solid than the S-cross.

Originally Posted by abhi29

Can't help but wonder, why could they not keep a gap of like, 3 months between launches. This would not only have kept the footfalls coming, but also help keeping the brand fresh. Get the prospects coming and leave the rest of selling/ cross-selling to the sales teams. What are they planning after this initial euphoria dies down ? Is the Everest coming anytime soon ??

I don't see any problem in quick launches. The festive season is around the corner so it makes sense to update the existing product and bring in the new products before that.

Besides that the Figo and Aspire are mechanically very similar so launching them within a couple of months of each other is not that big a risk.

They are already late to the compact sedan segment with only VW pending. The hatch back segment is already getting crowded and the sooner the better.

And lastly, what was the hurry with the Eco sport face lift. It was not even being anticipated at this point of time. Even the numbers didn't show any signs of aging, particularly seen when a new model is around the corner. It was doing good anyway, they could have simply waited till coming January at least and let the Figo siblings enjoy the festive season.

It's not really a facelift is it? There's no cosmetic changes at all. The new headlights with the LED piping were already being sold as an accessory. The auto headlamps and wipers just need some wiring and sensors and they are already present on the Export version. The auto dimming IRVM is almost plug and play.

Rather than wait for sales to slump thanks to S-cross and Creta they got the updates quickly to stay more relevant.

[ashishs]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

I agree that it is a move to clear existing inventory but I have two customers shouting at the SA today at the dealership. Embarrassing actually!

Regarding the discount he got and freebies to the car are good enough. We bargained hard!

Would you mind sharing the deal you got. Two days ago I went with a friend for a figo TD but we ended up considering the ecoboost engine. The SA offered 40k total in under a minute. Strange thing though he said the facelift will not be out till next year. I called his bluff but did not argue when he became adamant.

[rsm97]

When even the market leader is forced to respond to fresh launches by introducing limited editions, no wonder that Ford had to come out with this face-lift to protect their turf.

Originally Posted by nishantbhatia84

IMHO I do not see any real value addition with features like keyless entry, push-button start and drls. I feel they're just bling factors and not worth the extra 20k!
About the imminent launch of the face lifted Ecosport - I really don't see this as a face lift - it's more of a refreshed version for me! The vehicle is almost identical to the previous versions - so will stick to the pre-face lifted model!

The changes mostly are cosmetic so no real big deal in my opinion. However, the only major difference has been the fresh tweak given to 1.5 TDCi engine. Both Aspire and Figo got the higher power/torque combination that actually has been well received. Ecosport, despite being heavier and more premium, was still being offered with lower power & torque. That imbalance has now been set right. I do feel that modified effect itself should be worth more than the price increased in case of diesel. No such case for petrol though so opting for facelift or not should not make much difference.

[mrbaddy]

Originally Posted by hemant.kamat

Trend+ has R15 steel wheels, Titanium gets R16 alloys.

Thanks for adding to the comparison. Ambiente, Trend & Trend+ gets R15 Steel Wheels with Covers. Titanium and Titanium+ gets R16 alloys.

Originally Posted by hemant.kamat

Looking forward to your pre-facelift vs post-facelift comparison

Originally Posted by dpkbehera

That will be great if you can do it. It will help people make a choice till stocks last !!!

Adding the pre-facelift & post-facelift comparison below. Most of these are already covered in discussion in this thread and Vid's post also summarizes the same. However in chart way for easy reference.

I could not find any changes on the Ambiente & Trend variants between pre-facelift and facelift version. (See the last image below, added more details).

Titanium Variant:



Titanium+ Variant:


ABS+EBD: Also the face lift brochure states ABS+EBD (front Trend onwards) while the previous one states only ABS (front Trend onwards).

Along with the above changes, I could not find anything on the old brochure for the following features which are listed in the facelifted brochure.

Existing owners can chip if they have anything to add on the below features. My guess is the below features might already have been on the old one and are not listed in the previous brochure (*except ElectroChromic IRVM for the Titanium + variant)

[dpkbehera]

Originally Posted by mrbaddy

Along with the above changes, I could not find anything on the old brochure for the following features which are listed in the facelifted brochure.
Attachment 1424840

Thanks mrbaddy for the comparison. Can you please attach the old Ecosport Brochure to your post?

[Doge]

Originally Posted by kiku007

There comes the Maruti Crusader-Ford Slayer

Funny reading arguments on which is the more VFM option of two over priced hatchbacks

We've always been buying over priced hatchbacks ( City, Vento, Sunny etc). Just that these don't have a boot welded to them. I think that if the lack of boot makes you think that they're overpriced then the Indian enthusiasts will need to get a little more broad minded and a little more mature. Maybe it's because of this thinking that we don't have cars like Golf and Focus here. The " bada gadi" mentality isn't out yet.

[sandygordon]

If the ride was a bit more pliant and the steering feel a wee bit heavy I would have been an Ecosport owner now (I would have bought it in March). The brown ecosport looks tempting and the color choice is targetting prospective duster and s cross customers. I know some people who have chosen the 85ps duster over the ecosport for the brown color alone. However the price for sub four meter suv-ish hatch is not justifiable. The prices are more justifiable when compared to creta though.

I feel the central console on the ecosport is a big let down.There should have been a 7 inch / 5 inch touchscreen there at this price point atleast in the plus variants. More over adding scuffplates, accesories, HIDs and the tyre cover means the plus variant will touch 13L OTR easily. Customers will have go for after market reverse cam in addition. I believe the zeta variant of the S cross 1.3 will be more VFM compared to the Titanium variant if one can get past the looks. But 90% of Ecosport customers are people who choose an ecosport than zeroing on it after doing a 10-13 L car research. Ford should be able to sell it well.

[hemant.kamat]

Originally Posted by mrbaddy

ABS+EBD: Also the face lift brochure states ABS+EBD (front Trend onwards) while the previous one states only ABS (front Trend onwards).

The existing Ecosports have ABS + EBD, although the brochure only mentions ABS. I had posted about this sometime back:

Originally Posted by hemant.kamat

Yes, Electronic Brakeforce Distribution is one of the critical functions of ABS. You cannot have ABS without brakeforce regulation. Older cars that had ABS were equipped with a mechanical brake force regulator, but all recent vehicles have EBD built in.

Not sure why they omitted it in the brochure, but the Ford website http://www.india.ford.com/suvs/ecosport/features/safety clearly mentions it:

ABS and EBD
When you have to stop quickly, you want to be sure you stop. Not slide.
ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) and EBD (Electronic Brake Force Distribution)
prevent the wheels locking in an emergency and give you a greater sense of
stability and control.

The AT has ESC (Electronic Stability Control) + EBA (Emergency Brake Assist) + TCS (Traction Control System) + HLA (Hill Launch Assistance) in addition to ABS & EBD.

[Uddalakgupta]

Originally Posted by nishantbhatia84

IMHO I do not see any real value addition with features like keyless entry, push-button start and drls. I feel they're just bling factors and not worth the extra 20k!
About the imminent launch of the face lifted Ecosport - I really don't see this as a face lift - it's more of a refreshed version for me! The vehicle is almost identical to the previous versions - so will stick to the pre-face lifted model!

You forget the substantial 10 PS of power jack-up in the diesel engine. It's now at 100 PS.

[Whichcarnow]

Originally Posted by Doge

We've always been buying over priced hatchbacks ( City, Vento, Sunny etc). Just that these don't have a boot welded to them. I think that if the lack of boot makes you think that they're overpriced then the Indian enthusiasts will need to get a little more broad minded and a little more mature. Maybe it's because of this thinking that we don't have cars like Golf and Focus here. The " bada gadi" mentality isn't out yet.

Actually this mentality is a result of one big stupid thing - the 4m rule. It is because if this, that while Jazz and City cost the same outside, here City is more expensive simply due to the excessive taxation for it being more than 4m. This stupid rule has caused every manufacturer to make their sedans pricier and hence the perception that sedans are somehow "superior" and more "premium" than their hatchback versions in our country. A hatchback is just that - a 'hatch' back instead of a boot back; choose which style you prefer. Not so simple in India though

[mrbaddy]

Originally Posted by dpkbehera

Thanks mrbaddy for the comparison. Can you please attach the old Ecosport Brochure to your post?

Attaching the pre-facelift brochure per request.

[TaurusAl]

Had test driven the earlier model and this vehicle had a lot of body roll with bumpy ride quality. Hope they have improved this in the face lift.

[kiku007]

Originally Posted by Doge

We've always been buying over priced hatchbacks ( City, Vento, Sunny etc). Just that these don't have a boot welded to them. I think that if the lack of boot makes you think that they're overpriced then the Indian enthusiasts will need to get a little more broad minded and a little more mature. Maybe it's because of this thinking that we don't have cars like Golf and Focus here. The " bada gadi" mentality isn't out yet.

The City, Vento and Sunny come with substantially more cabin and boot space than their respective hatchback versions and an 4M crossover like the Ecosport. The Ecosport is a good package but for a Million bucks the space it offers is a joke.

[Doge]

Originally Posted by kiku007

The City, Vento and Sunny come with substantially more cabin and boot space than their respective hatchback versions and an 4M crossover like the Ecosport. The Ecosport is a good package but for a Million bucks the space it offers is a joke.

More boot space yes but cabin room? No. I own a City like I mentioned before and we found the Ecosport to be more spacious. It's a lot more spacious than its " sedan " sibling, the Fiesta. City is 1.4 million bucks in some places.
With so much negativity going on when it comes to space, I'd like to mention that my family has three six footers and we take the Ford when we have to go somewhere and not the honda. How much more space do you need?