[tp_dominator]

Originally Posted by arindambasu13

Congrats. I almost got one myself earlier this year, till I found the stiff ride quality, heavy clutch on the diesel and turbo lag in second gear to be deal breakers for me. Also, I wasn't sure of the future of diesels in the country, all of which made me cancel my booking.

Wish you happy miles with your car!

Thanks a lot. Agreed on the part of turbo lag being excessive on the second gear. However, ride quality and clutch are acceptable to me and not deal breakers. I suppose you completely changed the segment and went for a Honda City if I am not wrong, correct?

Originally Posted by Nitish.arnold

I am seriously considering this car, as an upgrade/swap to my Nissan Terrano.
But the stiffness of the suspension is something I need to look out, as compared to the "MAGIC CARPET" suspension tune of Duster and Terrano.

P.s. You are right, Ford is shuffling the features a bit too much, been following the updates for the last 6-7 months.

What is your feedback on the Sunroof or "FUNROOF", as Ford markets it.
Is it big, sturdy and functional, or just an add-on accessory to boost the sales of the aging model.

Again want to congratulate, for listening to your HEART. Not many people can do that, the color is the best of the lot.

The sunroof is pretty basic and I tried clicking a pic while popping my head out (while the car was stationary) and I was not able to fit. Then again, I am a bit on the heavier side and one of my friends also tried the stunt (who weighs lesser than me) and he was uncomfortable too. However, what this means is, while it may not be ideal for performing such childish acts, it is more than capable of providing ample light into the cabin and also during rainy days, I just keep the sunroof cover open to feel the rains. So, in essence, this is exactly what Ford markets it as, "FUNROOF" without the naughty fun!

Originally Posted by rakesh_r

Hearty congratulations, the current model looks and has exactly what I wanted 3 years back, instead went for the Scross 1.6, no regrets though. I was seriously put off by the Nokia keypad style dashboard of the older model. Nevertheless, the blue color looks absolutely stunning. Congratulations once again.

S-cross 1.6 was in a different league altogether. Had it been in the market yet, I would have definitely gone for it. I can swear this one is not as Fun-to-drive as that S-cross 1.6. However, I agree with your point of the Nokia styled keypad earlier which put me off too. That is why, this facelift is so significant. I liked the exteriors earlier and with this facelift I love the interiors too now.

[McLaren Roxx]

Congratulations on your new possession and wishing your & your family happy miles with it. Hope it serves you well for years to come.
Are you in the habit of naming your car? If yes, what did you name him/her?

Originally Posted by tp_dominator

Any Particular Likes/Dislikes:The car comes with Hill Launch Assist and earlier I understood it will stop the car from going backwards or forwards on inclines. But as the name suggests, it will not go backwards for 3 seconds if you are moving forward on an incline and while any forward gear is engaged or the car is in neutral. Conversely if you are on an incline slanting forwards and engage the reverse gear, the car will not move forward for 3 seconds. Honestly, to me this was a little annoying but what can we expect from a feature being provided in this price range.

Hill hold or Launch assist as Ford likes to call it disengages as soon as the vehicle detects forward (or reverse when R gear is engaged) movement. So you don't have to wait the full 3 seconds for it to disengage by itself.

[jithin23]

Congratulations on the car tp_dominator. Can't agree more on the color of the EcoSport as it looks smashing with the lightning blue and grey wheels. The review too is crisp and to the point. Everyday, I admire my car(same color and same engine but Titanium)parked in the porch and this car makes you love driving more and arguably very comfortable for road trips of any length.

By the way all the window switches are backlit. Please get the window light issue checked with your service advisor

[arindambasu13]

Originally Posted by tp_dominator

Thanks a lot. Agreed on the part of turbo lag being excessive on the second gear. However, ride quality and clutch are acceptable to me and not deal breakers. I suppose you completely changed the segment and went for a Honda City if I am not wrong, correct?

Thats right. I had initially set my eyes on the Ecosport TDCI, but after several test drives of various cars, I switched my requirement to a good petrol engine and that is how I landed up with the City. The Ecosport is also a good choice with lot of good attributes, and would have been my car if I had not ben taken in by the appeal of the VTEC engine

[fiat_tarun]

Congratulations tp_dominator !

I remember us discussing the EcoSport S during the Pune-Mumbai T-Bhp meet. After reading your thread I realised there were a lot of similarities in the way this special car has entered our lives !

I too got my S TDCi delivered about 2 months before I got married, went on a long drive from Pune to Coorg for my wedding and drove back with the rear seats folded to accommodate all of wifey's stuff

I must say the blue looks smashing too. Didn't consider this colour since my Figo was Kinetic Blue and went ahead with the equally smashing Race Red.

I also have the same magnetic sun shades. Just be careful with the orientation of the magnets, as my front passenger window frame has some paint peel off due to this.

My car too opened up really nicely after the 2500km service / basic check. I think there is a software update performed that really opens up the engine. It immediately started revving so freely after the service.

Drive safe and enjoy the car. we shall probably catch up at the next T-Bhp meet.

[tp_dominator]

Originally Posted by McLaren Roxx

Congratulations on your new possession and wishing your & your family happy miles with it. Hope it serves you well for years to come.
Are you in the habit of naming your car? If yes, what did you name him/her?

Thanks a lot! I'm not in the habit of naming any of my cars but they are just like my family and I feel hurt even if my wife accidentally bumps the car or closes the door loudly. But I guess me and the Beast better keep quiet on this one.

Originally Posted by jithin23

By the way all the window switches are backlit. Please get the window light issue checked with your service advisor

Thanks a lot Jithin! Actually I always keep the windows locked via the window lock button and that is how I discovered another feature of the car! If the windows are locked with the switch, the rear window buttons switch off their lighting! I think this is such a cool feature. At night, the rear occupants won't be able to find the switch, let alone use it. If this feature is not used, the switches are backlit then.

Originally Posted by fiat_tarun

Congratulations tp_dominator !

I remember us discussing the EcoSport S during the Pune-Mumbai T-Bhp meet. After reading your thread I realised there were a lot of similarities in the way this special car has entered our lives !

I too got my S TDCi delivered about 2 months before I got married, went on a long drive from Pune to Coorg for my wedding and drove back with the rear seats folded to accommodate all of wifey's stuff

I must say the blue looks smashing too. Didn't consider this colour since my Figo was Kinetic Blue and went ahead with the equally smashing Race Red.

I also have the same magnetic sun shades. Just be careful with the orientation of the magnets, as my front passenger window frame has some paint peel off due to this.

My car too opened up really nicely after the 2500km service / basic check. I think there is a software update performed that really opens up the engine. It immediately started revving so freely after the service.

Drive safe and enjoy the car. we shall probably catch up at the next T-Bhp meet.

Thanks a lot Tarun for your feedback prior to my purchase too. I was simply drooling over your car during the meet and honestly that is when I made up my mind to get it home. Plus the similarities (even our names) make me think we should catch up more than just T-BHP meets.

I have removed the sunshades now because of the reason you mentioned and also now it is no more needed in Pune. I will go for the cheaper window glass magnet types next summer. And yes, post 2.5K servicing, the car has become totally different and it has become more free-revving with the second gear turbo lag now well contained too. It's a hoot to drive both on the highways and in the city now.

[TheHelix0202]

Originally Posted by tp_dominator

Thanks a lot! I'm not in the habit of naming any of my cars but they are just like my family and I feel hurt even if my wife accidentally bumps the car or closes the door loudly. But I guess me and the Beast better keep quiet on this one.

Thanks a lot Jithin! Actually I always keep the windows locked via the window lock button and that is how I discovered another feature of the car! If the windows are locked with the switch, the rear window buttons switch off their lighting! I think this is such a cool feature. At night, the rear occupants won't be able to find the switch, let alone use it. If this feature is not used, the switches are backlit then.


Thanks a lot Tarun for your feedback prior to my purchase too. I was simply drooling over your car during the meet and honestly that is when I made up my mind to get it home. Plus the similarities (even our names) make me think we should catch up more than just T-BHP meets.

I have removed the sunshades now because of the reason you mentioned and also now it is no more needed in Pune. I will go for the cheaper window glass magnet types next summer. And yes, post 2.5K servicing, the car has become totally different and it has become more free-revving with the second gear turbo lag now well contained too. It's a hoot to drive both on the highways and in the city now.

Why don't you update the thread? Certainly an interesting read.

[tp_dominator]

First of all, let me apologize for keeping the thread idle and not posting updates. Hectic work schedule, incessant rains in Pune and just plain laziness kept me from updating the thread.

However, the car has now clocked 9700 kms and I will be giving it for the 10K service by next week. I will post my experience after the service is done.

Nonetheless, these few months in between since my last post have had some significant happenings. In the month of August, when Pune had received huge amount of rainfall and most of the areas were flooded and the offices were kept closed, my adventurous group of friends decided to use this opportunity to play badminton (our usual weekend activity). While going to the place, the road going towards Hinjewadi was closed and barricaded but since I had to turn way before the Hinjewadi bridge, the cop present there decided to let me pass. However, call it my sheer foolishness by misjudging the space present to drive my car through or the cop's laziness in pulling the barricade out of way in time, my rear right tyre climbed the barricade and the sharp metal edge cut a deep hole on the sidewall and also put a scratch on the alloy wheel.

The Flat Tyre

The Side wall damage


The TPMS informed me that I was losing pressure on the tyre soon and I drove to my friend's place nearby. I was nearly in tears for having brought this on to just a 3 month old car due to my impatience. Consequently, I changed it to the spare wheel and decided to visit the FASS for a resolution. Since it was due to my mistake, I was ready to pay the price of the tyre from my pocket.

Since, most of the roads were closed, I decided to skip Shivalik Ford (my most trusted FASS) and instead headed out to Talera Ford, Nigdi since I wanted to get the damaged tyre replaced ASAP lest some other tyre suffered a similar fate, I would have been stranded in pouring rain.

I was well received at the workshop, but the day was far from over yet. As expected, they told me that I would have to pay for the tyre upon inspection and I was completely okay with that. Things started deteriorating from then on. Since they have an open workshop, I decided to check their work out and also witness other cars being serviced. Suddenly, one manic SA drove one old-gen Ford Figo rashly on the workshop floor and in the process, his wheels locked-up and he crashed the car into the tools table which was kept near a Ford Ecosport being serviced and the table hit the Ecosport too. I was simply flabbergasted and annoyed at this mishandling of the cars there. I was so angry, I walked into the Workshop Manager's cabin and gave him an earful.

Post this fiasco, I went and stood near my car and specifically told the SA assigned to me to handle my car with care otherwise I will just walk out from there. I was still angry at their attitude towards customer cars. I decided to take a photo of my damaged alloy wheel to send it to Aquatint guys since I had also got my alloys ceramic coated for protection from brake dust and such and hence wanted their opinion on what can be done to the scratch.

The guys at Talera Ford took my wheel out and were changing the tyre on it when to my horror, I noticed a new scratch/dent on the same area which was not there before while I took the earlier pic. I immediately took a picture of the alloy wheel and made this evident to the SA and others around me that I am not going to leave them now. The earlier fiasco had made me lose my trust in them and their mishandling with my car made me lose my nerves. I gave an earful again to the SA and workshop manager but they kept on maintaining that the damage was already there even though I had pictorial proof. I decided I had enough and ended my argument with them and decided to call up Ford and launch a complaint with a mail and a phone call. They changed my tyre and generated the invoice, handling the car while wearing gloves now which they hadn't done earlier.


The Damage


I gave 1 point rating to them while checking out from Talera Ford due to which they again pressured me to give a 10 rating but I was not going to do that no matter what they did. Post this, it took almost one week and multiple phone calls between me and Ford India to arrive at a resolution. They offered to repaint the alloy but honestly, I would never visit Talera Ford ever again and anyway I never wanted to get it repainted. I just wanted them to accept their mistake, make a formal apology and be done with it. But, since it is the oldest dealer here in Pune, I just received a formal mail from Ford India which stated that they appreciated my feedback on the dealership and would take corrective action which honestly was nothing but a fake assurance since I never received a phone call or a mail from Talera Ford guys.

I decided to let it go after almost 15 days of constant follow-up and decided to live with it. The scratch is also barely noticeable and it hardly called for a complete repaint. So, all is well now. Just that, Talera Ford, you are never getting my business ever again.

The car is performing flawlessly though and it has visited the quintessential locations around Pune including Mahabaleshwar and Lonavala. The mileage hovers around 15-16 kmpl in city and on highways, I haven't been able to keep a light foot yet, so the best I have gotten in mixed driving conditions is 17.5 kmpl. There is usually a difference of 0.5-0.6 kmpl (less) from the mileage shown onboard.




As far as the Opti-gloss coat from the Aquatint guys go, I have no complaints at all. The only fly in the ointment being, I cannot get the car washed anywhere else other than them or myself using the Optimum No-rinse which takes just about 2.5 litres of water to wash the whole car. The car just shines like crazy after a wash and after 4 months of heavy usage, constant rains and exposure to mud and sun has not affected the shine at all. The car still looks new or might I say better than new after every wash session.



I just love the smooth TDCi motor and its really a hoot to drive both in the city and on the highway and has enough steam to keep you at par with faster cars and is also poised and composed at highway speeds. The ride and handling on the highway is terrific and every highway drive is just plain enjoyable. I am just happy that I followed my heart and got this lovely piece of machine home.

[TheHelix0202]

Oh my gosh, that's an awful thing to happen
Our poor Rapid, too has suffered at least 4 nudges into concrete structures. One of these while trying to join the highway from a service road during heavy rain. Luckily I told my dad to stop turning the wheel so much-he was looking into the orvm to make the transition into the highway. Thankfully, only a slight scratch lingers. The lack of front parking assist and the poorly designed urban structures where I live, and also poor judgement at the time of incident, by my dad are all the major causes. During all these occasions, I had the strongest premonition that we're going to crash into something but before I could open my mouth, THUDD!! One scratch was from a stationary bike guy who fell on the car

[ank.nsit]

Hey, how many kms have you driven till now in EcoSport?
How does the clutch feel? Is it comfortable in city?

[tp_dominator]

Originally Posted by ank.nsit

Hey, how many kms have you driven till now in EcoSport?
How does the clutch feel? Is it comfortable in city?

The car is just 10 kms shy of 20000 kms and about to go in for the 20k service post the lifting of lockdown.

Regarding the clutch, to me it feels absolutely normal and not hard at all. I drive a lot in the city and never felt the clutch to be hard. It is manageable and nothing to worry there, it feels exactly the same to me as it did when we brought the car home.

Hope this helps!

[tp_dominator]

Updates (Quite a few of them):-

Firstly, I would like to apologize for not updating the thread regularly. The job seems to take up most of the time and also the daily travel has become too much nowadays. So, the car is nearing 20k kms now and due for the third service pretty soon. It has been a hoot to drive this machine and the mileage figures seem to be increasing by the day or maybe I have now become accustomed to the behavior of the car.

Due to this lockdown, the car has not been sent for the service and once this lockdown lifts, it will visit the SVC promptly. There are no issues to speak of and driving it has been truly delightful, be it the horrible Pune city traffic or stretching its legs on the highway, the car just feels at home in every surrounding.

10K kms Service Update:-

The car went for the second service at 10k kms in October 2019. It was a pretty standard affair with Shivalik Ford, Pune and the service was completed in around 1.5 hours as I had chosen to be at the SVC for the duration of the service. They mentioned it would cost me almost 3000 rupees for the service due to which I got annoyed. I had to argue with the SA and show him the Ford Service Price Promise calculator which mentioned this service would cost me just 1700 odd bucks.

The SA explained that 3000 included wheel alignment and balancing too and hence the extra cost. Since the car had completed 10k kms and having changed my one tyre just 2k kms back, I agreed for alignment and balancing at their place. In hindsight, I should have avoided this and should have done this outside for far cheaper. Nonetheless, the car was serviced promptly and handed over to me in a little around 1.5 hours. I had asked them not to wash the car but just to spray the underbody with water and vacuuming the interiors. The service was upto my satisafaction with SA also being very helpful.

The ODO at 10K

The Service Cost

The Little Mishap And Another One And One More Tyre Gone:-

Post the 10k kms service at about 12k odd kms, I met with a little accident. Call it my bad luck or poor sense of judgement, it happened inevitably. I was driving from Pimpri to Pune going about my daily office work. There was this Ashok Leyland Dost ahead of me and carrying some tall items, I was totally blind of what was ahead of me. At the Phugewadi underpass, it just stopped in the middle of the road and wouldn’t budge. Now this is one traffic bottleneck as most of the people are trying to cross the road at the underpass. There are also two very tall speed breakers cum pedestrian walkways so anybody going at speed is totally nullified.

Coming back to the scenario, the Dost was in the right lane and I steered to the left lane after properly checking my rear-view mirrors and while crossing this guy, just took a glance at what was stopping this guy from moving forward and this proved to be costly mistake. A biker, helmetless, shoeless and brainless, was trying to cross the junction and thus holding up traffic, was bang in my lane and in those few seconds, I totally missed seeing him and when I did, it was too late to brake. I was at about 20-30 kmph and immediately brought the car to a halt. The sound and sight both were not good, with the other fellow lying belly first on the road. I jumped out of the car and tried removing the bike from his legs and to help him get up.

By the time, a lot of people gathered and helped to move the bike and the man towards the side of the road. I told others that I will just move my car towards the side and I am not trying to flee or anything. I parked the car on the left curb and went to this guy and others surrounding him. However, to my surprise, others standing there were supporting me fully aware that even if I had my eyes on the road, the accident would have been inevitable. I waited if the guy wanted to go to the hospital or wanted money for repair, but he also said sorry to me and asked me to go. He had a few visible bruises on his ankles and nothing more since the speed wasn’t much.

So, I left from the place and directly to the SVC. This was the outcome of the event:-



I was given an estimate and told that the impact was more than what was visible. Both the headlights had lost their adjustment screws and hence these also were to be changed. Initially I was sceptical since I was pretty happy with the headlights and did not want the SVC to mess with the alignment post installation of new headlights. Moreover, due to this being the S model with HID low beams, I was told these were not readily available and have to be ordered and hence the lead time to get my car back was nearly 1 week.

A few phone calls here and there and things started moving smoothly. I was told my car will be handled on priority and will be well taken care of. I needed these assurances since from the next day I was bed ridden due to dengue fever and wasn’t able to check up right till the delivery of the car. My parents flew down to Pune and my father went with my wife to get the car back after about a week since I dropped the car. It was spick and span and the work was really carried out with precision. The total bill came to nearly 68k rupees and I had to just pay Rs. 1000.



Also, since the bumper was changed, I need to visit Aquatint to get it coated back which I haven’t done yet and maybe now, I will again detail the car fully after say 3-4 years since it doesn’t look all bad (yeah I know I am lazy!).

Another incident took place post just 1k kms at about 13.5k kms. I was travelling down to Kolhapur for work in the last week of December, 2019. After the Khed Shivapur toll plaza, as others might be aware, there are a lot of diversions with horrible roads (but it has been repaired mostly now). On one such diversion, since the road was narrow, I was tailing an unladen truck as there was no space to change the lane. I was also maintaining a safe distance and suddenly the right side tyres hit a pothole with a very loud thud, the truck ahead, with its huge tyres was mostly unperturbed. My heart just sank and I started praying that nothing should have gone wrong. But I guess, I did not pray fast enough and suddenly the TPMS warning started flashing on the MID with some bells and ding-dangs. I cleared the diversion and stopped on the left where due to a closed restaurant, there was a good parking area available.

I got down from the car to inspect and thankfully the MID was only showing the front right tyre had gone kaput and the reality was the same. It was around 7:00 AM and traffic was also not that much, also my wife was travelling with me since I had planned to roam around Kolhapur after my work was done for the day and visit Mahalakshmi temple the next day. So, out came the spanners and huffing puffing, I changed the tyre and got into the car. These tyres are really heavy and I had a hard time mounting it alone on the front right as well as on the boot.

I was very frustrated with the event after having lost almost 2 litres of sweat and also I hadn’t eaten yet since it was the morning and we planned to stop on the way. My earlier Grand i10 would have eaten this pothole for breakfast but no sir, this car just vomited it out. So, out came the frustration and I dialled Ford customer care to give them an earful on the bad quality of the tyres provided with such an expensive car but better sense prevailed as my wife also advised against this futile exercise. We stopped at the Kamat’s just at the foothills of Khambatki ghat. After getting my tummy full, I started thinking more clearly and called up Unique Ford in Kolhapur and enquired about the tyre availability. It was there, so I had to just travel down and we were to return the following day and I had a day ahead full of professional commitments. So, the plan to visit the SVC needed to be accommodated in between on the same day.

I reached Kolhapur, completed some of my work stuff and darted straight to Unique Ford which is on the Pune Kolhapur highway only. Due to professional ties with this group as well, I was attended to very promptly and the car was taken in, the tyre dismounted and removed and another surprise awaited.

The TPMS Sensor also got cut and needed to be replaced along with the tyre. Now, the tyre was to be covered under warranty, but the TPMS was not. Also, they told me that since my car had crossed 10k kms, I needed to bear 25% of the cost of the tyre which I was fine with and needed to pay for the sensor in full. But after pulling some strings, they agreed to charge me only 50% of the sensor cost. So, all in all, not too much hit to the pocket finally. Only to the heart and about 3.5k to the pocket. The tyre was changed to another Ecopia and it was then mounted to the front right and the spare took its place back. A very professional SVC once again, keeping aside my relationship, I observed that they were attending to other customers too very promptly. I think only Talera Ford has been the black sheep for me and all the other SVCs have been really more than upto the mark.

The (Unpleasant) Changes

Any Niggles/Issues Faced:-

No major niggles or issues to report of. Only one minor niggle is there which occurs very rarely and is also very difficult to replicate at the SVC. The SYNC3 sometimes likes to freeze up and the first time it occurred, I was not able to switch the system off or change the media source, I was only able to control the volume. I tried switching the car on and off but it did not help. I then pushed the power button and the next track button simultaneously (after trying other ways to reset) for about 10 seconds and Voila, the system rebooted and everything became normal once again. This has happened twice so far including this incident.

Also, the Android Auto sometimes plays spoilsport and gets disconnected. This also does not replicate at the dealership and happens only with my phone while Apple Car Play with wife’s iphone runs seamlessly. So, I don’t attribute it to the system. I haven’t checked with any other phone so can’t really comment on this. Also, my SYNC3 is updated to the latest version, so I just ignore this since I use Android Auto very rarely.

Engine Performance & Mileage:-

This 1.5 TDCi mill is truly a gem. It shines in every condition and in-city driveability has also improved drastically with the increase in the kilometres. The earlier 2nd gear speed-breaker tests which it failed has not been an issue anymore. I guess I have just adjusted to the nature of the engine or the car has become more responsive across the rev range. The in-city mileage figures have also improved and when driven sedately, it can astonish you with the mileage figures. I am getting around 17-17.5 kmpl in the city with a light foot and revs below 2000 rpm. The mileage drops by quite a good margin if either the traffic or the right foot is heavy.

The highways are where this car truly shines. One might not call the ride quality to be exactly pliant and bad roads are best tackled at low speeds, especially with these 17 inchers. However, the steering and the suspension behaviour at highway speeds more than makes up for it. The car feels very calm and composed even at higher triple digit speeds and inspires confidence. And when you are in the mood to break the record for the highest mileage, it will reward you but will test your patience too. Sadly, for me, I never like to achieve that record and believe in enjoying the car to its full potential. So, I have not been able to keep a light foot on the highways and hence, the best mileage figure I ever achieved was 19.3 kmpl, that too because I was driving very early in the morning and hence keeping the speed numbers low. The performance of this car is truly awesome on the highways and those overtakes on single lane undivided highways can also be done effortlessly. The engine will keep you in the right power band for the overtaking manoeuvres and there were never nervous moments for me ever.

Long Trips Done So Far:-

At the outset, let me apologize for not clicking too many car picks on our long drives since I usually stop very briefly and only for necessities like fuel for the car or ourselves while on long trips. I plan to overcome this habit soon. The car has done quite a few long trips so far and the major ones being to Kashid – Murud for an overnight stay in October 2019, my umpteen drives to Kolhapur due to work, one long drive to my hometown, Bilaspur and back in January 2020 and most recently, my Pune-Goa drive in February 2020. As I mentioned earlier, long drives are just what you need to do with this car and it never ceases to amaze with its comfort, power and mileage.

The drive to Murud beach was very bumpy as the roads to the place were horrible. Although, the car handled the bad roads with aplomb and in spite of some loud thud noises in the cabin, the tyres also held well.


The Road Connecting Kashid And Alibaug


A Panoramic View Of The Beach Just Outside Our Homestay

The Pune – Kolhapur drives have become a regular affair now and now the road quality up to Satara has also improved with a lot of local commuters and politicians raising their voices against the same. There still are a lot of diversions but the roads on those diversions have improved now and that dreaded pothole which consumed my tyre had gone the next time I travelled on the stretch. The drive from Satara onwards is just bliss and I mostly use cruise control on the Satara – Kolhapur stretch but lately due to the onset of sugarcane season, this proved to be not working since every few kilometres, there would be these huge tractor trailers occupying one lane and travelling at 20 kmph making others to shift their lane and in the process killing the speed.

The drive to my hometown in January 2020 was an emergency solo drive since my mother got her hand fractured and my wife was already at my in-laws’ place. I had to take stops too while covering this drive. I started from Pune at around 4:00 PM and reached Aurangabad by 9:30 PM thanks to road closure (Yes NH Closure) at Ahmednagar due to God-knows-what and wasted more than 1 hour trying to come out of Ahmednagar and it looked like Maps suggested others also this same route and there was a huge traffic pile-up. Nonetheless, reached Aurangabad, stayed for the night and started by 4:00 AM the next day and reached my home by around 5 PM via Akola-Amravati-Nagpur-Raipur-Bilaspur with almost nil stops in between except for a short lunch break and a brief fuel break.

Now, this drive also showed me how tackily the cops use the road gradients for their advantage. The stretch between Nagpur-Rajnandgaon is always laden with cops often with speed cameras. I was descending one of the flyovers, where naturally the car speeds increase with a little jab on the accelerator and I spotted the speed cam which was kept in a car with its boot open and two cops standing behind it. They didn’t stop me, but I received a speeding challan due to this tactic. While returning I was very vigilant on this stretch and for the first time, I used the car speed limiter and restricted the speed to 85 kmph since this highway has 90 kmph speed limit but I still received a challan because, guess what I was driving at 85 in a 60 kmph zone. I actually don’t remember spotting any 60 kmph board unless they were a few ghat sections in between and I was spotted at a flat stretch. Well, learnings for the next drive.



The Only Pics I Have Since It Was A Solo Drive

The most recent trip was Pune – Goa and back. The car was only used for the highway and not in Goa at all, since I did not want to get stuck in traffic everytime I took the car out. I hired what everybody else hires in Goa trying to impress their better halves – a Royal Enfield. But this was a futile exercise since the accelerator on the bike was quite hard and also the brakes were also not too decent and they caused me wrist pain which accompanied me till I came back and then a few days more. But the bike was quite new having done only some 3500 odd kms. Nevertheless, the drive was very relaxing and this was only meant to be a chill drive and most of the days in Goa were spent only relaxing and some shopping (some of the disadvantages of being married) and not doing any of the touristy stuff or visiting all the beaches just for the sake of it. These will be done on the next trip. The only time I took my car out was the day before we left Goa to refuel and I also wanted to drive on the Atal Setu since I had seen it being constructed back in 2014 and wanted to traverse it.


The Beast Realxing In Goa


The RE I Hired


Miramar Beach On The Quest To Traverse Atal Setu

So, that’s all folks. Wish you all a very good health in these trying times and I so wish these things end soon so that my Beast and I can plan the next long drive soon.

Cheers!
tp_dominator

[ramnaresh_2000]

How is the turbo-lag issue in 2nd gear effecting you? I did a TD of Ecosport recently and found it very annoying in traffic conditions. I thought it was due to 4 people in the vehicle, but I guess I am wrong.

I love the color and also aiming for this sometime soon, hopefully fingers crossed.

[jithin23]

Originally Posted by ramnaresh_2000

How is the turbo-lag issue in 2nd gear effecting you? I did a TD of Ecosport recently and found it very annoying in traffic conditions. I thought it was due to 4 people in the vehicle, but I guess I am wrong.

I love the color and also aiming for this sometime soon, hopefully fingers crossed.

That's the only problem with the TDCi, especially the lag catches you out while climbing uphill. However, if you keep the RPM above 1700, there will be no lag. Rest of the gears are fine.

[tp_dominator]

Originally Posted by ramnaresh_2000

How is the turbo-lag issue in 2nd gear effecting you? I did a TD of Ecosport recently and found it very annoying in traffic conditions. I thought it was due to 4 people in the vehicle, but I guess I am wrong.

I love the color and also aiming for this sometime soon, hopefully fingers crossed.

With time, I have gotten used to it and have worked it around, a bit of throttle inpur serves the purpose as jithin23 rightly said, keeps the revs high and it will not annoy you. I drive solo most of the time and at times just two of us so I'm not experiencing it much now.