[harshBLR]

Originally Posted by pranjal1984

I called up TI Ford , Guwahati today regarding the Ecosport. I was told that the ex-showroom prices wil range from 6.5 to 10 lakhs across variants. Vehicle has still not reached their showroom. He asked me to call on 26th.

Found this on a website, Ex-showroom Dehradun
EcoSport 1.5L Petrol Ambiente: Rs 6.1 Lakh
EcoSport 1.5L Petrol Trend: Rs 6.95 Lakh
EcoSport 1.5L Titanium: Rs 8.1 Lakh
EcoSport 1.5L Titanium Automatic: Rs 8.75 Lakh
EcoSport 1.0L EcoBoost Titanium: Rs 9.15 Lakh

Titanium Diesel to be in the similar range of Titanium EcoBoost.

[Gizmokid]

Originally Posted by PrideRed

BTW if DTE is to be trusted i was seeing FE of 15KM/l throughout my testdrive. The car had run 203 KM's.

I got confused with that too. It's not the reading on the top which gives you FE. I think that's the average FE it forecasts, for your driving style

The actual FE is displayed at the bottom center part of the display. Hard to explain, but exactly an inch below where you saw 15KM/L

[niks_devil666]

Originally Posted by Gizmokid

I got confused with that too. It's not the reading on the top which gives you FE. I think that's the average FE it forecasts, for your driving style

The actual FE is displayed at the bottom center part of the display. Hard to explain, but exactly an inch below where you saw 15KM/L

Even a 15kmpl forecast for diesel is pretty low , don't you think ?

[Mohitkumaar]

Finally the demo cars have started to arrive at Ford India dealers.

Link-Motoroids

Hope to get a demo of an AT version soon. Though a demo manual will suffice.

BTW is price info out yet? The report says starting is 6.3 but that should be for MT base model. ATs will be expensive, also no diesel AT AFAIK

[Mik]

Originally Posted by niks_devil666

Even a 15kmpl forecast for diesel is pretty low , don't you think ?

15kmpl in the city is very good actually for a car/miniSUV of its weight.

My impressions:

1. The front is spacious but the way the car is designed, it doesn't give that feeling. The angular dashboard which kind of juts into you, the arm-rest and dark interiors mask its space. The plastics are Ford- built tough and not soft touch like that of an i20. In contrast the Figo with its sparse equipment level and waterfall(almost) designed dashboard feels more spacious. i20 has a big dashboard and the chocolate/beige interiors give the feeling of space.
2. Rear is claustrophobic and the 5th passenger is not welcome. The rear seat seems to have a slight groove for two passengers so the middle passenger will not feel that comfortable. To be fair, even in a Linea anything above 10km with three moderately built adults was tough. The 12V socket at the back is a nice touch. I thought the legroom was pretty good for a person of my size (5ft 8"). A tad more than both the Figo and i20
3. The boot is pretty good and i don't know if i have seen anything this spacious in a sub 4m car. 60/40 split should help too.

If the rumoured pricing is true - this should hit the i20, Duster and C1 segment sedans out of the park!

My reference: Figo(mine), i 20 Sportz (bro-in-law)

[ACM]

Booked an EcoSport AT Titanium in preferably Blue or Mars Red. 50K Booking Amount that is 100% refundable. Booked at Shreeji Ford Thane - Ghodbunder Road. It is relatively a smaller dealership. No AT in the first lot of cars dispatched to this Dealer. Most are Diesel.

I did test drive a 1L Ecoboost. It was Fun. Went with family. Was comparing with the Laura DSG AT & the Aria 4X4 Pride. - Both Vehicles from a higher segment. Space wise though it obviously is closer to a CRV / Laura and even closer to an i20 in the seating area. Ergonomics are superb. A driver of Ht. 6' plus and on the heavier side too can fit in quite easily. But the Cloth seat of the Titanium is better for Larger and Heavier built persons that the Leather one on the Titanium (O) variant.

No 1.5P vehicles were available on display though the Ecoboost Titanium (O) was there. . All colours except Grey were on display. Maximum bookings received are for White followed by Mars Red. AT is about 5% of the bookings but will also be available in smaller numbers.

More later. There is more..

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by ACM

Booked an EcoSport AT Titanium in preferably Blue or Mars Red. 50K Booking Amount that is 100% refundable. Booked at Shreeji Ford Thane - Ghodbunder Road. It is relatively a smaller dealership. No AT in the first lot of cars dispatched to this Dealer. Most are Diesel.

I did test drive a 1L Ecoboost. It was Fun. Went with family. Was comparing with the Laura DSG AT & the Aria 4X4 Pride. - Both Vehicles from a higher segment. Space wise though it obviously is closer to a CRV / Laura and even closer to an i20 in the seating area. Ergonomics are superb. A driver of Ht. 6' plus and on the heavier side too can fit in quite easily. But the Cloth seat of the Titanium is better for Larger and Heavier built persons that the Leather one on the Titanium (O) variant.

Congratulations! The 1.5AT indeed look like an interesting option. IMO, it’s better on safety when compared to the Titanium (O) diesel/Ecoboost, and miss out only on leather seats and start-stop button/Keyless entry. You said space-wise its similar to CRV/Laura. Can you explain a bit more – whether its on space available for the driver, or for rear-seat passengers? And how good is the fabric seat provided? I believe due to side curtain airbags, custom leather options like Stanley is ruled out.

[naveen.raju]

Here's how the Chill Metallic looks like.
Courtesy - TAI

[ACM]

Originally Posted by vb-san

Congratulations! The 1.5AT indeed look like an interesting option. IMO, it’s better on safety when compared to the Titanium (O) diesel/Ecoboost, and miss out only on leather seats and start-stop button/Keyless entry. You said space-wise its similar to CRV/Laura. Can you explain a bit more – whether its on space available for the driver, or for rear-seat passengers? And how good is the fabric seat provided? I believe due to side curtain airbags, custom leather options like Stanley is ruled out.

Yep the 1.5AT scores the highest on safety among all the EcoSport model with not just the side and curtain airbags but the AT convenience and EBA, ESC, TCS & HLA. (Emergency Brake Assist, Electronic Stability Control, Traction Control System & Hill Launch Assist.

Also this DSG AT unlike the Fiesta AT has a S mode as also the Tiptronic function - Which is a lot like in the Laura.

The Laura has a lot of space in the front but not in the rear. The Laura is of course wider in the rear but the seat back does not incline (The one in the ecosport on the other hand reclines just sufficiently) and is a bit too straight. Also though there is electronic adjustment with memory in the Laura when I raise the height being tall the head hits the roof which it somehow does not in the EcoSport. (My head used to hit the roof even in the Aria). Also the I tend to prefer seating higher with the legs bent down like in a chair rather than sitting lower like in a sofa with the legs straight upfront. So in that sense the seating position in the EcoSport was better for me and my Back. Also the cab forward design of the EcoSport does make it seem smaller and a bit claustrophobic (especially in the rear and mainly due to the back colour scheme), but the EcoSport design also has a lot of leg room which is not apparent initially. The Driver foot rest too is provided. And I just got into a comfortable position immediately. The Dials too were visible from almost all positions that one may move the steering wheel into (not the case with Aria and the Storme and to some extent even in the Laura. So while the Laura is obviously the most spacious for the driver the Ecosport offers better ergonomics and having the centre console come upfront lets one adjust the seat towards the rear most position. The Aria and the Storme don't really have that great front leg room compared to their size. (Especially the Aria). I was actually even considering a preowned Pajero SFX (Just to own this classic design for short while) and even that felt the most tight for heavier built persons in the front row. (Though the mid row was very spacious and there is an added option of a third row.).

Frankly the CRV (It too is a petrol AT but with a relatively dated gearbox) is more spacious but priced about triple the expected price of the EcoSport. And one can truly drive the EcoSport around with a lot of peace of mind as get a scratch or two or a broken wing mirror or a busted headlamp or bumper will not cost an arm and a leg, and yet there is sufficient space for 4 + child in the EcoSport. It does miss out on the centre arm rest for the rear present in the CRV and the front arm rest too is very small in the EcoSport but though had my reservations the driver armrest turned out to be just right. CRV has more power but its greabox will not make for the most efficient transfer to the wheel relative to the DSG on the EcoSport reducing the difference in performance in the real world.

The Cloth Fabric of the EcoSport Titanium is not really that great (did not like I and have seen better) and is quite dull. But since the seat is well bolstered on the side having fabric helps those with a larger build compared to leather that does not flex that well. The cloth door pads too are a very dull greyish beige. On the other hand the (O) Leather colour being back is also a -ve (though by itself it looks decent with average quality) in increases the claustrophobic feeling. This is available as an optional accessory that one can add but I would plan on getting beige or preferably Tan coloured leather on the door pads and the seats in time.

Yep the side an curtain airbags normally imply that one is not allowed to add seat covers and that is true but I would plan to replace the original seat covers itself and the new stuff would be stitched in. This kind of work is done by the Branded Leather seat guys.

And yet if Ford goes to an unacceptable value / price for the vehicle then I would be forced to drop it. As a product being decent VFM is this time quite important to me post my previous Aria misadventure on that aspect.

The Bigger D-Segment vehicles are indeed bigger but this does make for a superb alternative to them if one is ok with C-Segment size with SUVish ergonomics. Yet as some say size matters relative to engines it is applicable for space as well to some extent. One wonders why the dash of the Ecosport is so long and that is the packaging aspect, one anyway will not use the mid space and this houses a part of the engine compartment and the AC and the gizmos which all come closer to hand due to the pointed way in which it comes close to hand. While the leg below it all is still allowed to stretch ahead as much as one would require.

[Gizmokid]

Here's some interesting data from Motoroids http://motoroids.com/news/ford-india...ort-demo-cars/.
Signs of things to come

Which Compact SUV for you?

Ford Eco Sport (65%, 614 Votes)
Renault Duster (35%, 325 Votes)
Total Voters: 939

[Nilesh5417]

Originally Posted by Gizmokid

Here's some interesting data from Motoroids http://motoroids.com/news/ford-india...ort-demo-cars/.
Signs of things to come

Which Compact SUV for you?

Ford Eco Sport (65%, 614 Votes)
Renault Duster (35%, 325 Votes)
Total Voters: 939

I would repeat this 6 months from now and check again.

[arvind71181]

Went and had a look at the Eco Sport yesterday. Did not test drive it though. Impressions

• Quite a looker. The blue color was very nice. Think its a love it or hate it look though as not everyone liked the front
• Interior quality is leagues ahead of Duster (went and checked Duster too the same day)
• Lot of Gizmos. Push start was awesome
• Noise levels very well controlled in the Diesel Engine
• Lots of features to play with
• Great alloy design
• I think this will seat 5 more comfortably than the 110PS Duster as the rear ac vent really restricts the entry of the 5th passenger in the 110PS variant
• Mileage and cost unknown. Will be revealed only on the 26th as per the SA
• Already 150 bookings done at Arumbakkam Ford
• People were queuing up for the test drives like waiting for a roller coaster ride in an amusement park!! People want the vehicle Ford, please do not ruin it by your pricing strategy
• Duster beats the Ecosport on boot space (346 vs 500 liters as per the SAs)

Overall, definitely the Ecosport for me if I was in the market

[safari_lover]

I saw an Ecosport being test driven on my way to work this morning. It sure does have a presence of its own!

Interestingly, it was being driven by a lady seeing which, I remembered one of the articles on ET where they mentioned that the AT version was being targeted at the ladies.

Ford does have a winner in its hand. If priced well it could create a problem for lot of cars in its vicinity irrespective of their shape or size, IMO.

[grules]

If the 1L Ecoboost Titanium is priced > or = TDCi Titanium, can someone help understand what would be the advantage of buying the petrol version over the TDCi

I do get that the Ecoboost delivers more power 123 vs Diesel's 90. But, Ecoboost will be an imported engine whose long term reliability isn't proven yet. Besides, it also means that service requires specialized knowledge and talent.

As a prospective buyer whose monthly run is low, i'm torn between the choice of variants.
1.5L petrol - Underpowered
1L ecoboost petrol - Complicated & unproven engine. No cost advantage over diesel.
1.5 TDCi - Usage too low to justify Diesel

[agambhandari]

The guy at the dealership here has the urban discoveries car at the showroom, but he doesn't agree to giving a test drive, whereas I have seen some reports of test drives on the campaign car.
Also, he claims the test drives will only start on the 26th.

Any thoughts on the same?
On the other hand, he claims that there are more than 25 bookings so far (I think there aren't even that many, he paused a long time before coughingup the number), so getting the car shouldn't be a problem! !