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-   -   A Ford EcoSport finds a home - 1.0L EcoBoost Titanium (O) (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/141018-ford-ecosport-finds-home-1-0l-ecoboost-titanium-o-4.html)

Arun, Thanks for the update on mileage. Hope it keeps improving and let us also know the mileage when you do a highway run.

Any suggestions on accessories for the Ecoboost Titanium that would have utility? Would help me in deciding on what to opt for whenever the car gets allotted.

Congrats on your purchase and its nice to see you enjoying your Ecosport experience. I was under the impression that the ecoboost family of engines had water cooled tuebochargers that eliminated the need for conventional turbo care - is this not the case ? or is the cooled turbo only avaiable on the larger ecoboost engines that are currently not offered in India ?

Interesting point, however, I've not heard of the TC in the 1.0L EcoBoost being water-cooled. Moreover, the manual generically states the following, without any distinction between petrol and diesel variants, so I'm playing it safe and idling. :)

Arun, the instruction manual does NOT describe the need to idle your car for a certain period of time before switching. It only states that you should NOT switch the engine off when you still have your foot on the throttle, regardless of whether there is load on the engine (i.e engine is driving the wheels) or not ( revving the engine in neutral ).

So as long as you come to a complete stop and take your leg off the throttle you can turn your engine off (immediately).

However if you have been pushing your engine hard, it does not hurt to idle for half a minute, especially if the turbo is not watercooled. But this type of driving would be more of an exception than a rule.

Its been over 3 months since my last update, and I wanted to pop in and give a quick update.

• Current odo reading: 3500 kms on the odo, with one long trip for Christmas (600 km: Bangalore - Coonoor - Bangalore).
• City mileage: 12 km/L for the last 2 tankfuls. I'm ecstatic at this, since its higher than I expected.
• Highway mileage: Did not check during my trip, as each tankful covered one leg of the long trip plus a lot of city/town running. I was also driving with a heavy foot, see below...
• Most enjoyable moment: running up to 80 km/h in 2nd gear at 5000 rpm, and the engine sounding happy and powerful and not strained at all :D
• Annoying moment #1: Had to slip the clutch 2 times on steep sections of the Kalhatty ghats, when I got stuck behind very slow moving buses that robbed me of my momentum.
• Annoying moment #2: The A-pillars suck on ghat roads. I've never had a problem with visibility in the city, but on hairpin bends, it is very intrusive.

In all, a happy customer of the EcoSport, and particularly the EcoBoost engine.

My wishlist to Ford India:

1. Get the EcoBoost engine in other models (e.g. their hatchbacks and sedans)
2. Bring in higher capacity EcoBoost engines out (e.g. Renault is looking at a 1.2L equivalent)
3. Get a 6-speed manual box for the EcoBoost: 6th gear for relaxed cruising, and a 2nd gear that passes the speed-breaker test
4. Bring the EcoBoost + PowerShift combination into India

Odo: 5600 km
Age: 8 months
City mileage: 11.5 km/L

I wanted to give a brief update for the last few months. No concerns, gripes or gremlins at all with the car, and I'm very satisfied.

City mileage has dipped slightly from the earlier 12 km/L to 11.5 km/L now, I strongly suspect that's down to my running the AC at a colder setting courtesy of our summer.

I'm still toying with the idea of getting the oil changed now, but given my next service is just 4 months away, I'm not sure if I should wait until then.

I did one long trip recently, when I went to my parents' place in Coonoor for Easter. I went from Bangalore via Salem to Coonoor, and returned via Mysore.

The Salem route, with its free and clear highways, allowed me to explore the boundaries of the EcoSport, and the EcoBoost engine, and I came away fully impressed. I also came away depressed realizing that I'll be back to bumper-to-bumper traffic in the city with this gem of an engine :)

I must also call out the Michelin Primacy 3ST tires, they continue to impress with their low noise and excellent performance. If anything, the tires are so quiet that it makes you notice the engine noise of the EcoBoost more clearly!

To conclude: No concerns, gripes or gremlins at all with the car, and I'm very satisfied.

Good to hear that. I also got a chance to explore it's full potential when I drove to Bangalore. Gem of a vehicle. Better rubbers would have been perfect in my case. My car is inching towards the 10k mark and I will be giving my ride for service this sat. Few things to be sorted out during service.

As my currently dealer-provided policy from Royal Sundaram was due to expire on 27-Aug, I've renewed it with HDFC Ergo.

The premium was Rs. 18,434/- for an IDV of 7.44 lakh including full depreciation, and 2 lakh cover for 5 passengers.

I got a set of comparative quotes from policybazaar.com, and chose HDFC for its price and the fact that I've got a prior relationship with HDFC institutions.

Hi arunphilip,

My insurance expires on 03.09.2014 and I'm in a dilemma. Kindly comment on the same.

My first year's insurance started on 04.09.2013. Vendor was Royal Sundaram. IDV = 6.98 Lakhs (1.5 P Trend) and Premium was Rs. 21,443/-

In policy bazaar.com, among the various plans that have been referred to me, Bajaj Allianz has the highest premium of Rs. 18,500/- and highest IDV of Rs. 5.13 Lakhs. However, the highest IDV is almost a 1.7 Lakh drop from the first year's IDV. Even after considering depreciation, this, I think is a huge drop.

I then went to Royal Sundaram website. THey have quoted the same premium, about Rs. 18,500/- but with an IDV of Rs. 5.8 Lakhs. However, the problem is that I', unable to check finer details like third party liability, 24*7 pick up, Zero Dep etc. The helpline has not been too helpful.

Do you have any idea whether IDV plays a role in future insurance premium amounts apart from the fact that in total damage to the vehicle, I'll be getting a considerably less amount from the insurance company?

I'll separate my response into facts and opinions. :)

Facts:

• My IDV at the time of purchase last year was 8.01 lakh (Royal Sundaram via Lathangi Ford).
• At the time of renewal, the quote offered was a premium of Rs. 22,865 for an IDV of 6.75 lakh.
• When shopping via Policy Bazaar, I customized the quote to increase the IDV towards 7.5 lakh, and ended up with an IDV of 7.44 lakh.
• Specifically, I took the ex-showroom price of the car today (9.31 lakh in Bangalore) and applied a 20% depreciation for the 1 year that's gone by, which gives 7.45 lakh, which is close enough to the IDV I settled on.

Opinions:

• In hindsight, I felt that the original IDV offered was on the lower side, just as the premium charged was on the higher side - the premium being higher is a known practice for dealer-provided insurance, but I also suspect a deflated IDV to further increase that margin.
• Insurance companies allow you to change your IDV within certain limits, so feel free to do this within what is reasonable. I am nowhere near an insurance expert, but I'd suggest that you settle on an IDV that is not higher than both of the following: a) 80% of the ex-showroom price since its a b) 15% less than current IDV.

Suggestions:

• Increasing the IDV does increase your premium, so its a case of how you want to manage your risk - higher premium for better total-loss cover, or vice versa.
• In your case, I'd suggest an IDV closer to 5.9 lakh, using an approach similar to mine.
• Your quoted premium is almost the same as mine for a noticeable difference in IDV. Can you please check the other details on your quote, such as the compulsory & voluntary excess on your policy? Are you getting a 20% NCB (assuming no claims till date).
• On Policy Bazaar, when you get the list of comparative quotes from various providers, there's a link to a PDF that lists out the various clauses specific to that provided - that should clarify questions like 24*7 pick up, zero dep, etc. Bear in mind that third party insurance is compulsory by law, so that will automatically be included in every quote.

Let me know how it goes, and be willing to play off quotes from one company against the other to get yourself the best deal.

Hi,

We got a new Ecoboost in the family and it has done 1300 kms. I have checked the mileage over the last tankful to tank full which was done in mostly urban and some rural roads and I got 12.87 kmpl. The MID in this same range shows 12 kmpl.

When I notice the real time fuel consumption indicator, the only time it goes above 13 to 15 is when I am costing with foot off the pedal, so I think the realistic urban milage (excluding stop and go traffic) should be 10 to 12 kmpl.

I am planning a 1200 km highway trip over the weekend and will update the highway milage, but it is very clear to me now that the 18 kmpl is a myth and no one will acheive this in normal driving. Tops will be 15 kmph, which in itself is reasonable for the space/comfort this car gives.

I'm sure you already know this but for benefit of others. I have noticed the Ecoboost gives best FE figures when you shift up a bit late and drive with light throttle. If you try to accelerate when the turbo is off boost, it reduces FE. So if you let the turbo spool it does cross 15kmpl.

Also, even though it's a 1L engine the FE will be nowhere to that of a 1L motor. It's better than 1.6L engine which is what Ford say. 1.6L performance with better efficiency than 1.6L.

I was above 2000 rpm, which means the turbo should have kicked in, but even doing 80 in 5th, I noticed that the mileage indicator stayed closer to 13 and went above 15 only when decelerating or costing with foot off the accelerator.

I agree - I too have seen the MID hover at/under 15 km/L with the lightest of throttle inputs. The only way of probably getting a higher mileage would be to throw in some coasting (as you've said) - and I have noticed that the EcoSport coasts very well when in gear. As long as the gear is high enough, I've seen that engine braking does not retard the car too much, and you can cover long distances on the go.

Then again, driving in such a restrained manner on a highway that's open enough to allow coasting will demand the patience of a Mahatma, and the ability to withstand the temptation of just flooring it! :)

Arent there any Mods or Racetronics type enhancers available yet that can improve the low end drivability of Ecoboost engine? If only Ford can pass the 'bumper on 2nd gear' test in Indian traffic, this would be the best petrol engine on the market today after VW 1.2 TSi.