Hello to all BHPians!

Gran_Tourer · 12th May 2014, 19:38

Ignition - on!
Seat belts - strapped and secured!
Lever engaged and we are good to go!

There are really few things/events in this whole world which can bring a wide smile to one's face, more so, when the day has been quite uneventful and dull with lethargy seeping in with every passing minute..!!

One of those just happened to me! I was at my desk, casually gave a glance at the watch and it showed 7:30 PM. My mind quickly calculated the time still left to be spent in office before I leave for the day, 90 more minutes. It was raining outside. I was frazzled and inadvertently clicked on my corporate mailbox, just to experience one of those events which I mentioned above.

Many would have guessed by now, that I was enthralled by a simple mail with the subject line saying :- "Team-BHP Membership APPROVED!"

The sheer exhilaration was due to the prior efforts made by me to be here. I started reading T-bhp reports and reviews way back in 2009, when my brother told me about this wonderful place and from then till now, T-bhp tabs occupy the maximum space on my explorer's bar!!

About me. I am working in TCS for about 2.5 years, and now going for higher education.

I have not had a car of my own, but have driven few, owned by family and friends. Here goes the list :-

1.) Ambassadors, Maruti 800 and Padmini's (I learnt driving in a Padmini with the gear lever mounted on the steering column. I can drive anything, I believe, this modern world has to offer!!)

2.) Daewoo Cielo (1995-2003) :- This was sheer luxury for me. I was not able to sleep when dad told me the windows would go up and down with the touch of a button. I was 6 years old then. Also, imagine how my dad and uncle would have felt driving it after the Padmini. And, moreover the Fiat stayed with us till 1998, so Cielo shared the garage with the Fiat. Now, I must say that they must have had a tough time adjusting to driving these two automobiles belonging to two different generations altogether!!

3.) Maruti Zen LX (Original one) (1998-2004) :- Old and trusted Padmini made way for this little cutie pie. However, Fiat was sold to one of the close relatives and hence I got the chance to learn driving in it when I was barely 18 (different story though)! Now, Zen did it's duty for 5 good years and then as Maruti's have them in their blood, started rattling from every nook and corner. Come 2004 and it parted ways with us to make way for the JOSH machine!!

4.) Opel Corsa Sail 1.4 (2003-2010) :- Cielo was our secondary vehicle, which meant it was used for outstation trips, functions and events alike, which were few and far between. Therefore, after 8 years with Cielo, it had just over 25K on board. One fine day, the alternator just gave up and it took one whole day from one workshop to the other to find one and replace. Parent company was having troubles and it was decided that procuring parts would become even more painful.
Cielo was sold to a lucky man at a paltry sum, with a heavy heart of course!
Corsa sail was the most notorious and troublesome car we had till date. It had it’s strengths in it’s ride quality, high-speed stability and solid build. The strengths end there!! It loves petrol and had a hefty appetite for it. Still, with our limited usage, it didn’t pinch much and had a splendid stay with us for 7 long years. It was let off to again a lucky chap at a price, which can be best termed as a STEAL!
Little Fordie (Figo) took over the duties carried out by Sail!!

5.) Ford Ikon 1.6 Zxi Nxt (2004-2013) :- Zen did primary duty of ferrying my dad, uncle and grandpa to work and had done around 30K,when it was sold off. As our usage has always been very less, a powerful petrol sedan was the best thing we could buy and hence, Ikon graced our garage.
(Decision makers at home (my dad and uncle) also had a look at the C-Class, but dropped it off due to the very limited km’s our cars do. They thought it would be a financial disaster and the person who will buy it from us will only enjoy the true value of it!!)
Ikon stayed with us for the longest of all i.e. 9 years and the ownership experience has been the best of the lot. It was the most thrilling and engaging car to drive of all the cars I drove (very limited though). Still, it could beat almost every petrol sedan of it’s time in the 0-100 run barring few like City (it was from a segment higher though).It did close to 38K kms in those 9 years and farewell to this beauty was the most painful one! It did bring a smile every time I floored it!

6.) Ford Figo 1.2 Zxi (2010-2012):- This little Fordie took over household chores and office duties from Sail and started it’s innings with us, only to realize that the stay is going to be short-lived. 2012 beginning, my younger brother had a little accident in it. No one was hurt but the car lost one of it’s legs. The mistake that was done was that we got it repaired at a FNG rather than getting it done through insurance (to save no-claim). It has not recovered well and again got stranded few days later. Somehow, the higher-ups at my house lost confidence in it and started looking for replacement.
Due to the ultra-low residual values of other brands, this time my dad and uncle has made up their minds to come back to basics. It very clearly points to that fact that they wanted a Maruti. Although other options were considered but soon ruled out citing one reason or the other.They heard good reports of Swift and the ever-trusted Maruti brand did the trick (I was not very keen on Maruti, though the product is good by itself!). Hence, Figo was sold-off at a decent price and the Swifty took it’s place (a diesel car this time, as the running was anticipated to increase!).

7.) Maruti Suzuki Swift 1.3 Zdi (2012-present) :- We bought a diesel this time as the running was thought to be increased (and it has increased, though not significantly! ). It has been 1.5 years with the Swift and it has done close to 14K kms. I will start an ownership thread of the same shortly!

8.) Ford Ecosport 1.5 D Titanium (2013-present) :- Discussions to replace the aging Ikon have started from 2013 beginning. We had a look at the Duster and somehow the interiors and very-bad plastics spoiled an otherwise capable car. Lack of features and high prices didn’t help either. Sedans in that range were considered too but none did the trick. I felt that this time, the bosses want a SUV/MUV/mini-SUV. News and speculations of the launch of Ecosport was doing the rounds for quite some time and Ford took their own sweet time to bring it here. The mini-truck was pre-booked and was delivered after much drama in September,2013. Ikon was sold to a person who will take good care of her!!oure
That’s all fellas for now, and I’l start putting up ownership experiences of the current wheels in our garage shortly!!

GTO · 13th May 2014, 15:53

Welcome to Team-BHP, Gran_Tourer.

Congrats on the EcoSport. Early booking sure got you a quick delivery. The diesel makes the best EcoSport IMHO. In fact, for the price, it's one heck of an SUV and has little going against it....except of course, Ford's unwillingness to increase supplies in India. Trust Ford to botch up a super product offered at a great price.

Hope to see a detailed ownership review from you sometime. It'll greatly help others make an informed choice.

Good to have you with us.

Gran_Tourer · 19th May 2014, 12:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO

Welcome to Team-BHP, Gran_Tourer.

Congrats on the EcoSport. Early booking sure got you a quick delivery. The diesel makes the best EcoSport IMHO. In fact, for the price, it's one heck of an SUV and has little going against it....except of course, Ford's unwillingness to increase supplies in India. Trust Ford to botch up a super product offered at a great price.

Hope to see a detailed ownership review from you sometime. It'll greatly help others make an informed choice.

Good to have you with us.

Thanks GTO for the ultra-warm welcome!! This truly made me feel at home!!

I too concur completely with your views on Ford's ill-management of Ecosport supply. They just don't seem to visualize the number of customers they are letting go to other brands even with a very competent product at hand. I hope somone at Ford India reads T-BHP and takes a healthy feedback from this.

I will surely put up the reviews shortly!

12th May 2014, 19:38	#1
Gran_Tourer BHPian Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Delhi Posts: 46 Thanked: 40 Times	Hello to all BHPians! Ignition - on! Seat belts - strapped and secured! Lever engaged and we are good to go! There are really few things/events in this whole world which can bring a wide smile to one's face, more so, when the day has been quite uneventful and dull with lethargy seeping in with every passing minute..!! One of those just happened to me! I was at my desk, casually gave a glance at the watch and it showed 7:30 PM. My mind quickly calculated the time still left to be spent in office before I leave for the day, 90 more minutes. It was raining outside. I was frazzled and inadvertently clicked on my corporate mailbox, just to experience one of those events which I mentioned above. Many would have guessed by now, that I was enthralled by a simple mail with the subject line saying :- "Team-BHP Membership APPROVED!" The sheer exhilaration was due to the prior efforts made by me to be here. I started reading T-bhp reports and reviews way back in 2009, when my brother told me about this wonderful place and from then till now, T-bhp tabs occupy the maximum space on my explorer's bar!! About me. I am working in TCS for about 2.5 years, and now going for higher education. I have not had a car of my own, but have driven few, owned by family and friends. Here goes the list :- 1.) Ambassadors, Maruti 800 and Padmini's (I learnt driving in a Padmini with the gear lever mounted on the steering column. I can drive anything, I believe, this modern world has to offer!!) 2.) Daewoo Cielo (1995-2003) :- This was sheer luxury for me. I was not able to sleep when dad told me the windows would go up and down with the touch of a button. I was 6 years old then. Also, imagine how my dad and uncle would have felt driving it after the Padmini. And, moreover the Fiat stayed with us till 1998, so Cielo shared the garage with the Fiat. Now, I must say that they must have had a tough time adjusting to driving these two automobiles belonging to two different generations altogether!! 3.) Maruti Zen LX (Original one) (1998-2004) :- Old and trusted Padmini made way for this little cutie pie. However, Fiat was sold to one of the close relatives and hence I got the chance to learn driving in it when I was barely 18 (different story though)! Now, Zen did it's duty for 5 good years and then as Maruti's have them in their blood, started rattling from every nook and corner. Come 2004 and it parted ways with us to make way for the JOSH machine!! 4.) Opel Corsa Sail 1.4 (2003-2010) :- Cielo was our secondary vehicle, which meant it was used for outstation trips, functions and events alike, which were few and far between. Therefore, after 8 years with Cielo, it had just over 25K on board. One fine day, the alternator just gave up and it took one whole day from one workshop to the other to find one and replace. Parent company was having troubles and it was decided that procuring parts would become even more painful. Cielo was sold to a lucky man at a paltry sum, with a heavy heart of course! Corsa sail was the most notorious and troublesome car we had till date. It had it’s strengths in it’s ride quality, high-speed stability and solid build. The strengths end there!! It loves petrol and had a hefty appetite for it. Still, with our limited usage, it didn’t pinch much and had a splendid stay with us for 7 long years. It was let off to again a lucky chap at a price, which can be best termed as a STEAL! Little Fordie (Figo) took over the duties carried out by Sail!! 5.) Ford Ikon 1.6 Zxi Nxt (2004-2013) :- Zen did primary duty of ferrying my dad, uncle and grandpa to work and had done around 30K,when it was sold off. As our usage has always been very less, a powerful petrol sedan was the best thing we could buy and hence, Ikon graced our garage. (Decision makers at home (my dad and uncle) also had a look at the C-Class, but dropped it off due to the very limited km’s our cars do. They thought it would be a financial disaster and the person who will buy it from us will only enjoy the true value of it!!) Ikon stayed with us for the longest of all i.e. 9 years and the ownership experience has been the best of the lot. It was the most thrilling and engaging car to drive of all the cars I drove (very limited though). Still, it could beat almost every petrol sedan of it’s time in the 0-100 run barring few like City (it was from a segment higher though).It did close to 38K kms in those 9 years and farewell to this beauty was the most painful one! It did bring a smile every time I floored it! 6.) Ford Figo 1.2 Zxi (2010-2012):- This little Fordie took over household chores and office duties from Sail and started it’s innings with us, only to realize that the stay is going to be short-lived. 2012 beginning, my younger brother had a little accident in it. No one was hurt but the car lost one of it’s legs. The mistake that was done was that we got it repaired at a FNG rather than getting it done through insurance (to save no-claim). It has not recovered well and again got stranded few days later. Somehow, the higher-ups at my house lost confidence in it and started looking for replacement. Due to the ultra-low residual values of other brands, this time my dad and uncle has made up their minds to come back to basics. It very clearly points to that fact that they wanted a Maruti. Although other options were considered but soon ruled out citing one reason or the other.They heard good reports of Swift and the ever-trusted Maruti brand did the trick (I was not very keen on Maruti, though the product is good by itself!). Hence, Figo was sold-off at a decent price and the Swifty took it’s place (a diesel car this time, as the running was anticipated to increase!). 7.) Maruti Suzuki Swift 1.3 Zdi (2012-present) :- We bought a diesel this time as the running was thought to be increased (and it has increased, though not significantly! ). It has been 1.5 years with the Swift and it has done close to 14K kms. I will start an ownership thread of the same shortly! 8.) Ford Ecosport 1.5 D Titanium (2013-present) :- Discussions to replace the aging Ikon have started from 2013 beginning. We had a look at the Duster and somehow the interiors and very-bad plastics spoiled an otherwise capable car. Lack of features and high prices didn’t help either. Sedans in that range were considered too but none did the trick. I felt that this time, the bosses want a SUV/MUV/mini-SUV. News and speculations of the launch of Ecosport was doing the rounds for quite some time and Ford took their own sweet time to bring it here. The mini-truck was pre-booked and was delivered after much drama in September,2013. Ikon was sold to a person who will take good care of her!!oure That’s all fellas for now, and I’l start putting up ownership experiences of the current wheels in our garage shortly!!
	(7) Thanks

13th May 2014, 15:53	#2
GTO Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 71,918 Thanked: 312,674 Times View My Garage	Re: Hello to all BHPians! Welcome to Team-BHP, Gran_Tourer. Congrats on the EcoSport. Early booking sure got you a quick delivery. The diesel makes the best EcoSport IMHO. In fact, for the price, it's one heck of an SUV and has little going against it....except of course, Ford's unwillingness to increase supplies in India. Trust Ford to botch up a super product offered at a great price. Hope to see a detailed ownership review from you sometime. It'll greatly help others make an informed choice. Good to have you with us.
	(1) Thanks