[Vishal.R]

Trend looks like the most VFM variant. For me this variant has almost all required features(ABS,basic ICE,Driver seat height adjustment,Power windows).
Only missing feature is a set of airbags.

Looking forward to 1.5 Diesel Trend pricing.

[Carcrazy60]

Originally Posted by pgsagar

Exactly. I am not sure about others but if I were to drive an empty huge car, I would feel like a bus driver. I prefer a compact car wrapped around me snuggly. Compact enough to scoot through traffic and park easy. 5-up and boot-stuffing should concern taxi-wallas, in my opinion. Where are the joint families these days? And who stuffs cars these days? Almost every one has a car of his own. If, you look at rush-hour traffic, most cars are solo or 2-up.

As for driving with 5 up, I really HATE doing that. I mean no matter which car it is, the minute you load up , the whole dynamics of the car change. If it SUV then it would roll and sway more. If sedan, then rear would sag and you would be scrapping every bump in town. And not to mention how loading up effects handling, ride ( suspension bottoming ), poor braking, poor acceleration and poor steering response. Does any one really enjoy driving in this manner? Isn't it better to hire a Tavera/Innova and let the driver do the bus-driving for that once or twice in a year affair?

With regard to Ecosport, good to hear it feels like the josh machine of yester years. There indeed is some JOSH in Ford petrols. The petrol Ikon I drove years back was very free-revving. It was like a friction-less engine. Am waiting anxiously for this thing to come to my city. Am yet to see it in metal.

I have been using the Yeti for long runs with five people on board and a reasonable amount of luggage and I honestly cannot say that I have felt any loss of power or braking ability. Just a couple of days ago I was on the Sultanpur to Lucknow section and enjoyed some really spirited driving. This was more on account of the driving habits of people on the road than anything else. I found myself crossing 3500 rpm in the third gear to avoid some sleepy people. The bike wallah who crossed the road without looking left even once would tested the brakes of any sedan even though I had seen him very early, in fact in my 2007 swift vdi I would have been in trouble. As it was I could have come to a dead stop 20ft from him.

I just hope Ecosport's performance is as good if not better.

[GrammarNazi]

Till date, I haven't understood why I'll need 550mm of water wading capability for a car that's meant mainly for city (for an international design). Where in the city am I going to come across such a situation on a regular basis?

Also, the very concept of Discovering the city in EcoSport only makes half sense to me. If one wants to really discover the city, while actually being able to easily navigate around then I don't know why any other car wouldn't suffice. Even a Nano could do that brilliantly. EcoSport does look AWESOME, but thats it. I've seen it on the road, its nowhere close to an SUV, it'd be a crime (so to speak) to call it an SUV, a Mega-Hatch maybe, but anyday not an SUV, and after a while, in the city, the "Road Presence" in traffic will definitely get watered down once people get used to it.

What a way to sell a car! The base low priced one has just enough features to call it a car. The anything decent variant will cost a bomb. Honestly, are they doing us a favour by selling the car here? Speaks ALOT about Fords attitude towards the Indian consumer.

Except for the design, I neither see much sense in the car nor do I particularly like the attitude of the company judging by how the variants have been conjured/formulated.

The Duster OTOH has a particular utility, its meant to have good off-roading capabilities and good highway cruising abilities. All this while being reasonably agile for city driving.

EcoSport has features that I don't think a urban vehicle particularly needs. Neither is it particularly meant for the highways nor is it particularly meant for off-roading even though it has good GC, approach & departure angles. Its only a soft-roader.

EcoSport seems to be just a amazingly well branded useless product that looks fantastic. So typical of most American products.

Yet, given all this that I find ridiculous about the EcoSport, another side of me says its an amazing product. Living in Bangalore city one definitely understands the need for high GC for the kind of potholes I come across everyday. Seeing the amount off water getting clogged even after an hours rain, the water wading capability makes complete sense. Not to mention the bling factor! What a looker it'd be to enter your friends alley at 11 in the night in an EcoSport!

EcoSport does best what America does to the world. Put you in a dilemma!

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by arunphilip

Good point. It appears that all these permutations mean that there'll be no 'true' top-end version!

I've just been reading up on ESP, and a majority of the hardware required is part of ABS. A key hardware difference is that ABS uses a modulator to momentarily reduce brake pressure, the ESP modulator needs to increase brake pressure.

Hill-hold - not sure if this is applied at the brakes, or the gearbox. If its the gearbox, it's probably a feature of the autobox. Then again, if we're having modulators for ESP, it shouldn't be all that hard for the modulator to energize the brakes for all wheels.

Originally Posted by sharninder

That brochure looks a little weird. The titanium (o) version doesn't get 4 speakers but gets two tweeters ?

From this the titanium does seem like the version that'll sell the most. The lower versions get almost no safety features. Seems like they're trying to do the duster game of launching with a really low price tag knowing fully well no one will buy it. I just hope the Titanium version. Is priced sensibly.

Originally Posted by Vid6639

So looks like the AT gets side and curtain airbags but loses out on smart keyless entry and start / stop button.

That's a very nicely specced AT variant.

Originally Posted by Carcrazy60

I have been using the Yeti for long runs with five people on board and a reasonable amount of luggage and I honestly cannot say that I have felt any loss of power or braking ability. Just a couple of days ago I ...... would tested the brakes of any sedan even though I had seen him very early, in fact in my 2007 swift vdi I would have been in trouble. As it was I could have come to a dead stop 20ft from him.

I just hope Ecosport's performance is as good if not better.

Originally Posted by GrammarNazi

Till date, I haven't understood why I'll need 550mm of water wading capability for a car that's meant mainly for city (for an international design). Where in the city am I going to come across such a situation on a regular basis?

EcoSport has features that I don't think a urban vehicle particularly needs. Neither is it particularly meant for the highways nor is it particularly meant for off-roading even though it has good GC, approach & departure angles. Its only a soft-roader.

EcoSport seems to be just a amazingly well branded useless product that looks fantastic. So typical of most American products.

Yet, given all this that I find ridiculous about the EcoSport, another side of me says its an amazing product. Living in Bangalore city one definitely understands the need for high GC for the kind of potholes I come across everyday. Seeing the amount off water getting clogged even after an hours rain, the water wading capability makes complete sense. Not to mention the bling factor! What a looker it'd be to enter your friends alley at 11 in the night in an EcoSport!

EcoSport does best what America does to the world. Put you in a dilemma!

@ arun: Hill hold has to do with the braking systems and not the gear box. Hence I think that they are short changing the public by not making it standard in the EcoBoost version, if indeed the Top Spec EcoBoost version does not have the feature.

@ sharninder:I also cannot abide the arbitrary way they knock some good features off, thinking that the consumer wont notice. Also, the brochure proof readers are guilty of shoddy work because it does not seem plausible that any manufacturer will be so stupid as to substitute speakers with tweeters! I really dislike their attitude to safety. Typical of most manufacturers, they remove all the good, essential safety features from these cars and serve the dunderhead consumer a car that looks good but lacks essence!

@ vid: While the AT variant may be well specced, I still feel that they should provide all the desirable features in all the top spec vehicles if not the mid spec ones as well. Our govt really should take safety more seriously instead of leaving it as a consumer responsibility...

@ carcrazy: The Yeti has an Euro NCAP rating of 5 for the Elegance Spec sold here in India. It is a thoroughly well engineered product and its braking abilities, ESP, ABS and all the other acronyms kick in just when you need them. Having said that, I would still drive it at speeds in India with extreme wariness because of the sheer unpredictability of the other road users here. The EcoSport top spec should certainly perform as well on account of all the tech thats packed into it. However, it is a far lighter vehicle and hence I would hesitate to treat it just the same as the Yeti.

@ grammarnazi: You appear to have answered your own question. Why do we need 550mm wading capability? Just a take hard look at Bangalore roads! Last Friday I understand from friends that the Koramangala 80 feet road had water logging upto and beyond the level of the road divider. That would be at least a couple of feet if not more! Add to this our horrendous pot holed roads and I, for one, would much rather own and drive a baby SUV with high ground clearance, 4WD and every single positive safety spec you can think of, because I would like to feel nicely cocooned and snug in my vehicle when I am out with my family! No dilemmas for me, at least as long as I am a resident of this fair country with its foul infrastructure!

[anumod]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

So looks like the AT gets side and curtain airbags but loses out on smart keyless entry and start / stop button.

That's a very nicely specced AT variant.

And the tweeters are going to be in the Titanium (O) as well. (Seems like in your test car this was not available)

[ambadan]

Originally Posted by ampere

True as I said earlier, the space for the fifth guy is something which we can easily pass. But the boot is an aspect which is sometimes difficult to let go.

Other than that, for distance touring, more than space around, its the leg room which is important. And thats the part which makes the drive fatigue free. As the person driving, it does not make the difference much, but to the passengers in the rear seat, it means a lot.

I agree with you.

Many times, we decided to travel to my in laws place with 1 hr notice (for spending weekend). What we have to do it to throw stuff on the boot and start journey. Considering the sedan boot space, we don't have to worry much. But I am not sure we can do the same in a hatch back or may be not in ecosport.

I too feel that it will be tiring with improper leg space during long journeys. If your family is just 4 (2 adults+2 kids), then it is not an issue. But with adults, I will think twice, thrice or more before taking a call. (whether it is for 5 days/year or less)

[sridhar-v]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

So looks like the AT gets side and curtain airbags but loses out on smart keyless entry and start / stop button.

That's a very nicely specced AT variant.

I for one would not mind. Can use my wrist to turn a key, but cannot do without full safety kit.

Way to go FORD!!!!

[sharninder]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

The brochure proof readers are guilty of shoddy work because it does not seem plausible that any manufacturer will be so stupid as to substitute speakers with tweeters!

Yes, I agree. The brochure hasn't really been proofread correctly. I noticed a couple of more things but I really hope Ford's attitude to the rest of the car isn't this shoddy.

I'm in the same dilemma as a lot of people here. The Ecosport looks like a wonderful car on paper but is it enough car for 10 big ones?

I'm (almost) exactly the kind of urban dweller (yuppie?) the Ecosport is targeted towards. My family comprises of my wife and I and a two year old, with no plans of any other additions to the family. We drive around within the city a lot and like to go out of the city over the weekends every now and then. Since, we're based in a Delhi most of our outstation drives are to the hills through UPs questionable road infrastructure. The Ecosport will be a big help on those roads.

I currently drive a Palio 1.6 and love the car but am planning to get another one since this one is more than 6 years old and has none of the safety and fancy features that newer cars have. I plan to retain my Palio too. Space isn't really a priority since so far even the Palio tiny boot has been enough for us and we like to pack light.

The Palio has served me well over the years and even now doesn't have any annoying rattles etc worth mentioning. Would the Ecosport last me this long since I don't like changing cars too soon and plan to keep my next for another 8 years atleast ?

The other dilemma is Petrol vs Diesel. I have a Petrol palio already, should I buy the diesel ecosport? Having never owned a diesel car before, I have no idea what to expect in terms of service/maintainance costs after say 5-6 years. I drive about 1000 kms a month give or take a couple of hundred.

No one really knows the price of the Ecosport yet, but if its going to cost 10lakhs or so for the Ti version, wouldn't a sedan be a better bet at that price? Something like the Linea or even the new Fiesta should be available within 10 lakhs give or take a few thousand?

[agambhandari]

Originally Posted by GrammarNazi

Till date, I haven't understood why I'll need 550mm of water wading capability for a car that's meant mainly for city (for an international design). Where in the city am I going to come across such a situation on a regular basis?

Also, the very concept of Discovering the city in EcoSport only makes half sense to me. If one wants to really discover the city, while actually being able to easily navigate around then I don't know why any other car wouldn't suffice. Even a Nano could do that brilliantly. EcoSport does look AWESOME, but thats it. I've seen it on the road, its nowhere close to an SUV, it'd be a crime (so to speak) to call it an SUV, a Mega-Hatch maybe, but anyday not an SUV, and after a while, in the city, the "Road Presence" in traffic will definitely get watered down once people get used to it.

What a way to sell a car! The base low priced one has just enough features to call it a car. The anything decent variant will cost a bomb. Honestly, are they doing us a favour by selling the car here? Speaks ALOT about Fords attitude towards the Indian consumer.

Except for the design, I neither see much sense in the car nor do I particularly like the attitude of the company judging by how the variants have been conjured/formulated.

The Duster OTOH has a particular utility, its meant to have good off-roading capabilities and good highway cruising abilities. All this while being reasonably agile for city driving.

EcoSport has features that I don't think a urban vehicle particularly needs. Neither is it particularly meant for the highways nor is it particularly meant for off-roading even though it has good GC, approach & departure angles. Its only a soft-roader.

EcoSport seems to be just a amazingly well branded useless product that looks fantastic. So typical of most American products.

Yet, given all this that I find ridiculous about the EcoSport, another side of me says its an amazing product. Living in Bangalore city one definitely understands the need for high GC for the kind of potholes I come across everyday. Seeing the amount off water getting clogged even after an hours rain, the water wading capability makes complete sense. Not to mention the bling factor! What a looker it'd be to enter your friends alley at 11 in the night in an EcoSport!

EcoSport does best what America does to the world. Put you in a dilemma!

99% of SUV buyers (esp. Soft roaders) don't care for off roading. The main attraction to buying an SUV is the ability to tackle bad roads, monsoon roads without ending up in the back of the dealership at the end of it.
As far as I am concerned, I can see some real utility in this wading depth, far more than I would see in a Duster 4x4.

[sharninder]

Originally Posted by GrammarNazi

Till date, I haven't understood why I'll need 550mm of water wading capability for a car that's meant mainly for city (for an international design). Where in the city am I going to come across such a situation on a regular basis?

Well, you have sort of answered your own question.

You're comparing the Ecosport to a Duster and according to you the Duster is an SUV, while the Ecosport isn't. The duster is based on a sedan platform and as sold in India has none of the SUV'ish traits its none for in Europe. I personally think the Duster is a sedan on stilts as much as the Ecosport is a hatch on stilts.

During my time in Pune and Bangalore, I REALLY could have used that 550mm wading capacity more than a few times. I did manage to cross over those times in my Palio with a prayer on my lips and my foot firmly on the accelerator pedal. That said, maybe the Duster also would've sufficed one those occasions, who knows?

The two vehicles, in what they bring to the table for prospective customers, are very similar and the choice is only for the end user to make. A basic Sedan on stilts or a slightly premier looking hatch on stilts is what it comes down to.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

@ vid: While the AT variant may be well specced, I still feel that they should provide all the desirable features in all the top spec vehicles if not the mid spec ones as well. Our govt really should take safety more seriously instead of leaving it as a consumer responsibility...

Apart from ESP and Hill hold, the top spec manual petrol EcoBoost and Diesel have all the safety features.

Titanium (O) gets side and curtain airbags as well as Titanium AT. Titanium manual does not.

[diffsoft]

The last weekend in Bangalore highlighted the need for water wading abilities in a car. Deep potholes remain hidden dangerously out of sight; magic boxes are filled to the hip and a 100 ft road narrows down to 50 ft with water on both sides. I faced a similar situation in Chennai a year ago when I saw a Honda City stranded on the crowded Vadapalani road because of possible engine stall. In other words, water levels may rise well up to 1 - 2 ft even on good roads because of poor drainage. If that happens even on 10 driving days in a year it is worth getting a car on stilts.

Further Bangalore has real bad roads, and especially at places between where roads laid are by two different agencies. There will be a concrete trench at the parallel end of the road atleast half a feet higher than the service lane; and your car will feel the ouch. In another case I saw, on Indiranagar 100 ft road, the car parked on the store front reversed to get into the road; but got stuck in a deep groove created when the border pavement stone loosened up and fell side ways - there was no option but for bystanders to lift the car ( a Santro). A car with a high center of gravity may have managed its way out.

Never underestimate the ability of Indian roads to surprise you!

Cheers,

[prakash_ajp]

Originally Posted by GrammarNazi

Till date, I haven't understood why I'll need 550mm of water wading capability for a car that's meant mainly for city (for an international design). Where in the city am I going to come across such a situation on a regular basis?

Eejipura junction for one? Everytime there is a heavy rain, you can see so much water forcing people to avoid the right lane altogether. Probably not enough to test 550mm but when you have such car, you can confidently drive through unlike others.

[itwasntme]

Monsoons is the IDEAL time for launching a Ecosport! The pre-monsoons showers have already wrecked Bangalore's outlying roads. I am alread dreading the next 2 months, especially the evening rush hour.

Ford, get the pricing RIGHT! Don't get too greedy like the new Fiesta fiasco.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by GrammarNazi

Till date, I haven't understood why I'll need 550mm of water wading capability for a car that's meant mainly for city (for an international design). Where in the city am I going to come across such a situation on a regular basis?

Do you not stay in Bangalore?

Just over the past one week, I can tell you almost every major road that was inundated well above 1 feet.

Junction after E-city, Viveknagar-Victoria road, MG road, Old Airport road, GPO signal and there must have been much more. Try going into any of these and even a small wave of water from a passing vehicle will be enough to have water gushing in through your air filter.

This past one week has cemented the need for a tall SUV in Bangalore.