Ford EcoSport gets Touchscreen Head-Unit, loses some features

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Ford EcoSport will soon get a new Touchscreen infotainment system, which will be offered only with the top-end Titanium+ variants (both petrol and diesel). This new feature addition will translate to a price hike of Rs. 20,000 (ex-showroom, Delhi) for the EcoSport's Titanium+ trim level.

The system in question is an 8-inch touchscreen unit, which will come with a DVD Player (video), rear view camera, satellite navigation, door ajar warning and Bluetooth connectivity. The screen will be placed on top of the centre console, and will thus replace the 3.5-inch MID unit found on the earlier model. The VIN cutoff for introduction of this new Touchscreen navigation infotainment system is MAJAXXMRKAHJ00291.

This feature addition is Ford's attempt to bring the EcoSport's feature list on par with that of the Maruti Vitara Brezza, which offers a touchscreen system on its top-end models. The Vitara Brezza is currently the EcoSport's biggest competitor in the compact SUV space. Addition of the new touchscreen system will likely help Ford to pull a few customers away from its Maruti rival. The automaker is also reportedly planning to launch the EcoSport facelift in India by the end of this year.

The EcoSport will also be losing some features across its variant range. The Trend trim level will lose reclining rear seats, rear defogger, vanity lamp, driver seat height adjust, 60/40 split for rear seats, rear wash & wipe and passenger seat storage box. Meanwhile, the Trend+ variant will now come with black roof rails, instead of the silver ones found earlier. It will also lose the passenger seat storage box, reclining rear seats and 60/40 split for rear seats. Both Trend and Trend+ variants will get an integrated centre headrest for the rear.

Ford has also removed driver seat armrest, lumbar support, cooled glove box, leather-wrapped handbrake & gear shift knob, and chrome scuff plates from the EcoSport range. The passenger seat storage box that was earlier offered with Trend, Trend+, Titanium and Titanium+ variants has now been limited to the top-end trim.

The aforementioned changes are expected to be seen on all 2017 manufactured models of the EcoSport in India. Revised ex-showroom Delhi prices of the EcoSport's Titanium+ variants are:

• 1.5D Titanium+ : Rs. 10,19,000

• 1.0P Titanium+ : Rs. 9,89,000