[kiku007]

Badges like 'S', 'ST' and 'RS' have a long history and are deeply valued by Ford fans. Please don't make a mockery of it.

[evilmessiah]

Originally Posted by GTO

Having driven all the EcoSport engines, I wouldn't get too excited about the 1.0L EcoBoost coming back. The engine has serious lag - it would be a pain to drive it in the city on a daily basis. My top choice would be the 1.5L TDCi which is such an all-rounder, especially with the recent power bumps. Heck, I'd even pick the n/a dragon engine over the EcoBoost as it has good low-end driveability and a revv-happy nature. Have owned only one car with turbo-lag (Indigo 1.4L Turbo) and it was horrible in traffic... And it wasn't exactly a fuel-efficiency topper either, going by our ownership reports

Agreed! Ford has been big on engine downsizing and turbocharging citing gains in fuel efficiency. It's very likely that the high efficiency figures are only achievable in ideal lab conditions and not in real life where I think reasonably sized naturally aspirated gasoline engines are more fuel efficient in spirited driving. Would like the owners to comment on the efficiency of the 1.0 Ecoboost.

Turbocharging has benefits of having more torque and better fuel efficiency when driven sedately, but in a sporty application like the S models, give me a car with a good chassis and a competent motor like the old Ikon 1.6 and the Fiesta 1.6 S that have similar power figures. Granted, they might lose out on the turbo torque, but one can't deny that it's fun and rewarding to work them out in the twisties. Plus, I think that the old 1.6 inline 4-s sound better than the triples. (These are my personal opinions- the definition of a sporty vehicle differs from person to person. It could mean just going fast or invoking a lot of emotions by handling well, giving good road feedback,making all the right noises etc or a combination of all the above, if you get my drift)

[ShubhamGhute]

After reading above post, I only have two question in my mind;

• Am I the only one who isn’t getting what ford wants to do with Indian market?
• Why does ford launch its product variants on ‘EMI’ basis?

Ford launched the Ecosport in India around June 2013. It was followed by power bump (10BHP) and minor update in 2015 and then in 2016, they gave a touchscreen system and some minor updates again. Few days later by the end of 2017, they gave us the facelifted ecosport which within a month of launch saw some feature alterations. Now they are bringing back the erstwhile ‘ecoboost’ engine and ‘S’ variants.

I dont know a manufacturer which has done so many alterations. Also, I believe having too many product variations leads to production inefficiencies and confuses the prospective buyers. Similar strategy was also seen when Endeavour was launched in 2016. They did multiple permutations and combinations. Meanwhile toyota launched fortuner with 4 variants from day one itself.

To sum it up, I am happy to see ford giving option of additional engine to its buyers but, I am not happy with the way they are playing with there products. They should have instead brought the ‘S’ variants along with facelift itself.

[Waspune]

Ever since I TDed the 1.5 dragon I found it lacking in front of the 1.0 Ecoboost . Yes that 1.0 has lag, like most small turbo-d engines but that lag gave it a whoosh and turbo kick that was quite addictive. Also it enthusiastically revved to its redline. I am happy that Ecoboost is making a comeback.

On the contrary, the 1.5 dragon has great low end but feels flat in the mid range where the Ecoboost pulls and pulls.

[k.sumit]

I own an EcoBoost engine and while all the comments on the low end torque and fuel economy are true, you cant take away the fact that this is the most fun to drive petrol when you are out on the highway. I bought the Ecosport after selling my 9 month old new gen Honda Jazz and I cant curse that vehicle enough for the dead low end response. With 4 to 5 passengers on board, you really have to slam the A pedal to get it moving after a speed breaker. I wonder what stops other giants like Suzuki and Honda to invest more in petrol engines and strap a turbo on their 1.2 liter engines to make them more fun to drive. At-least Ford is willing to experiment in the Indian market and I would any day pick an EcoBoost over the lousy 1.2 liter Honda that's bolted on Jazz and WRV. BTW, mine is a last gen Trend + variant and I understand that the new EcoBoost may now be available only on the top end variant. I paid 9.3 lakhs OTR and couldn't have got a more fun to drive petrol vehicle at that price point.

During my search, I had 2 things on my mind considering my above average highway usage. Out of the 17,000 kms I've driven, around 13-14,000 kms would have been on the highway. My annual usage is limited to 10,000 kms.

1. Had to be a petrol because no matter how hard I try, I cant get use to the diesel clatter
2. Should be fun to drive

I came to terms with its low end response after crossing some tall speed breakers and stalling the car once since I was in the second gear. I quickly altered my driving style and realized that I need to be in the first gear if the speed drops below 10-15 kmph after crossing a speed breaker. Took me some time but eventually I got use to it and city driving is no longer a pain. Talking about FE, the worst I've got in the city is between 9-11 km/l. Out on the highway, its a different story altogether. Feather the throttle to keep it around 90 KM/h and you will get FE in access of 17-18 km/l and if you are in a mood for some fun, expect somewhere around 14-15 km/l. Keeping the FE aside, I assure you will have a grin on your face once you cross 2000 RPM and it just pulls and pulls. The other negative you come across is when you hit the hills or inclines. You have to downshift every time you slow down and an NA engine would certainly do better here. All said, I only bought the EcoBoost engine since it was made available in the mid Trend + variant. Ford should consider bringing the EcoBoost to lower variants which may help with sales.

[arindambasu13]

Originally Posted by k.sumit

I own an EcoBoost engine ...

Since you have owned the Ecoboost, can you shed some light on how the gearshift quality in this car is? Say, compared to the snappy gearbox of the Swift or the i20, how does the Ecosport Ecoboost fare?

In my test drives of the Ecosport and Aspire (TDCI and NA petrol) I found the gearshift quality to be fairly average. Possibly I am spoilt since I drive a Swift K Series petrol, and the gearbox is an absolute pleasure to row through on that car.

[k.sumit]

Originally Posted by arindambasu13

Since you have owned the Ecoboost, can you shed some light on how the gearshift quality in this car is?

You termed it correctly, its above average. You wont get irritated in any way but its not as slick as Hyundai's gear box.

[vaasscit]

Originally Posted by k.sumit

I came to terms with its low end response after crossing some tall speed breakers and stalling the car once since I was in the second gear. I quickly altered my driving style and realized that I need to be in the first gear if the speed drops below 10-15 kmph after crossing a speed breaker. Took me some time but eventually I got use to it and city driving is no longer a pain.

I believe this is not just with the ecoboost engine. All small engines from ford (not Endy engines) have this problem. I drive a New fiesta (1.5 tdci) and my father drives a Figo (1.4 tdci) and i've managed to stall both the engines on a Speed breaker in 2nd gear whereas some of the other cars could easily make it in 2nd gear. I have adjusted my driving style but it is not cool !

Problem is that in FORD vehicles, first gear is tall and second gear is too far away. Hopefully with 6 speed MT, the gear spread is better (vs 5 MT) and they've fixed this problem.

If not, why buy a SUV if it can't take a moderate incline in 2nd gear ?