Prices for the 2021 EcoSport line-up are out. A sunroof is now available in Titanium trim.

The Ford EcoSport now gets a sunroof in the Titanium trim as well. Half of the EcoSport variant line-up now comes with this feature.

Prices for the 2021 line-up of the EcoSport start at Rs. 7.99 lakh for the petrol and Rs. 8.69 lakh (ex-showroom) for the diesel version.

The EcoSport comes equipped with features such as automatic headlamps with daytime running lights, electrochromic mirror, sunroof, rain sensing wipers and up to 6 airbags. Most variants get a 9-inch touchscreen infotainment head-unit, while the S variant gets an 8-inch touchscreen that is compatible with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

The crossover is offered with FordPass connectivity tech at no additional cost. It uses a factory-fitted cloud-connected device that enables the user to remotely lock, unlock, start or stop the vehicle using the FordPass app.

The EcoSport comes with a choice of petrol or diesel engines. The BS6 compliant 1.5-litre, 3-cylinder petrol engine produces 120 BHP and 149 Nm of torque and is paired with a 5-speed manual or 6-speed automatic transmission. The updated 1.5-litre diesel engine makes 99 BHP and 215 Nm and is offered with a 5-speed manual gearbox.

2021 Ford EcoSport ex-showroom prices:

Petrol

• Ambiente MT - Rs. 7,99,000
• Trend MT - Rs. 8,64,000
• Titanium MT - Rs. 9,79,000
• Titanium+ AT - Rs. 11,19,000
• Sports MT - Rs. 10,99,000

Diesel

• Ambiente MT - Rs. 8,69,000
• Trend MT - Rs. 9,14,000
• Titanium MT - Rs. 9,99,000
• Sports - Rs. 11,49,000

Thanks to Rohit Sutar for sharing this information. Heartfelt gratitude for sharing it with other enthusiasts via this Team-BHP page!

Tata has silently introduced the Tata Nexon XZ+ (S) variant. It comes with a factory-fitted sunroof. The car is priced from Rs. 10,10,000 for petrol and Rs. 11,60,000 for the diesel. It sits between the XZ+ and the XZ+ (O) in the Nexon line-up.

The XZ+ (S) variant is based on the top-end XZ+ (O). They share all the features except the connected car technology features like iRA connected app, remote vehicle control, live vehicle diagnostics, vehicle live location and geo-fence, valet mode and trip analytics and tribes.

The new Nexon comes with BS6 compliant petrol and diesel engines. The 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol unit produces 118 BHP and 170 Nm, while the 1.5-litre diesel makes 108 BHP and 260 Nm. Transmission options include a 6-speed manual and 6-speed AMT.

Variant-wise ex-showroom prices:

Petrol
XZ+ (S) - 10,10,000
XZ+ (S) Dual Tone - 10,30,000
XZ+ (S) AMT - 10,70,000
XZ+ (S) AMT Dual Tone - 10,90,000

Diesel
XZ+ (S) - 11,60,000
XZ+ (S) Dual Tone - 11,80,000
XZ+ (S) AMT -  12,20,000
XZ+ (S) AMT Dual Tone - 12,40,000

Tata has launched Pro Editions of the Harrier, Hexa, Nexon, Tigor and Tiago. Customers can upgrade their cars to the Pro Editions at prices starting from Rs. 29,999.

Pro Edition models come with additional features like sunroof, front parking sensors, app-based TPMS, wireless mobile holders, chrome packs and ambient mood lighting amongst others.

The Pro pack for Tiago, priced at Rs. 29,999, consists of a pop up sunroof, ambient mood lighting, magnetic sunshades, camera with display on IRVM and an arm rest. The Tigor gets the same features, but the camera display is replaced with a vehicle tracking system. In addition to the features offered on the Tigor, the Nexon gets front parking sensors and is priced at Rs. 37,999.

The Hexa Pro Edition comes with an automatic sunroof, front parking sensors, wireless mobile holder, app-based TPMS and ambient mood lighting. It costs Rs. 99,999.

The Pro Edition pack for the Harrier is priced at Rs. 1,09,999 and consists of an automatic sunroof, sunshades, front parking sensors, wireless mobile holder, app-based TPMS, ambient mood lighting, bonnet mascot, chrome trim on the sides and chrome exhaust.

Tata Motors is now offering an electric sunroof as an accessory for the Harrier. It costs Rs. 95,100, excluding installation charges.

The Harrier's H-300 electric sunroof is manufactured by Webasto and comes with a 2 year warranty. It comes with a tinted protective Venus glass that is said to deflect UV radiation and sun rays regardless of the amount of incoming light.

The Harrier is powered by a 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder diesel engine that produces 138 BHP and 350 Nm of torque. It is paired with a 6-speed manual transmission. It did not get a sunroof even as an accessory at launch.

Last month, a test mule of a Tata Harrier was spotted sporting a sunroof. Now, according to a media report, an electric sunroof is now available as an official accessory for the SUV. It is priced at Rs. 95,066.

It is said that both, new and existing owners of the Harrier can get the sunroof fitted by paying an additional installation charge. It is offered with a 2-year warranty.

The Tata Harrier was launched in January 2019. At launch, the SUV did not get a sunroof even as an accessory. 

The Harrier is powered by a 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder diesel engine that produces 138 BHP and 350 Nm of torque. It is paired with a 6-speed manual transmission. 

Source: Rushlane

Thanks to the Team-BHP fan (he prefers to remain anonymous) who sent this information in. Heartfelt gratitude for sharing it with other enthusiasts via this page!

Maruti Suzuki is considering adding sunroof and side airbags to the Vitara Brezza facelift. Notice Inviting Tender (NIT) has been floated to vendors for multiple airbags and sunroofs. Three of the Brezza's prime competitors - the Hyundai Venue, Ford EcoSport and the Mahindra XUV 300, come equipped with them.

An earlier report indicated that the facelift model could come with the in-house developed 1.5-litre diesel unit that produces 94 BHP @ 4,000 rpm and 225 Nm of torque @ 1,500-2,500 rpm and the 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder petrol from the Ciaz which develops 103 BHP @ 6,000 rpm and 138 Nm @ 4,400 rpm. At present, the Vitara Brezza is available with a 1.3-litre, 4-cylinder diesel engine that produces 89 BHP @ 4,000 rpm and a torque of 200 Nm @ 1,750 rpm. Transmission options include a 5-speed manual and 5-speed AMT.

To make the Nexon more attractive to customers, Tata Motors is offering a sunroof as part of the optional accessories. The sunroof is available for all variants of the SUV and costs Rs. 16,053. The accessories list includes over 20 exterior and interior options to choose from.

The Tata Nexon is available with a choice of petrol and diesel engines. The 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder petrol engine produces 108 BHP @ 5,000 rpm and a peak torque of 170 Nm @ 1,750-4,000 rpm. The 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder diesel unit puts out 108 BHP @ 3,750 rpm and 260 Nm @ 1,500-2,750 rpm. Both engines are offered with a 6-speed manual gearbox or 6-speed AMT.

The Nexon AMT, which was launched last week, is priced from Rs. 9.41 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). The automated manual transmission (AMT) is only offered in the top-spec XZA+ trim and comes with a dual-tone colour option. 

Source: Motorbeam

Thanks to Sudhir Singh for sending this information in. Heartfelt gratitude for sharing it with other enthusiasts via this Team-BHP page!

Ford has added the sunroof option to Endeavour's 2.2 4x2 Titanium variant and now costs Rs. 29,57,200 (ex-showroom, Delhi). This feature addition should provide an option to customers who want the sunroof but don't want the higher-priced 3.2L 4x4 variant.

Ford launched the Endeavour back in 2016 with two diesel engine options. A 2.2-litre and 3.2-litre with prices starting at Rs. 24,75,094. Initially, the 2.2 was available with a 4x4 option as well and the 3.2 came in two variants. In September 2016, the Ford reduced the prices of the Trend variants. In November 2016, the prices were revised yet again, this time an increase in the Titanium variants.

By March 2017, Ford had revised the prices 3 more times. The last revision being a price reduction in the 2.2 4x4 MT Trend variant. In July 2017, two variants were scrapped and the MT option was discontinued. Immediately after this, prices were revised yet again and the discontinued models reintroduced.

Ford has been changing the variants as well as the features and prices frequently on the Endeavour. These frequent changes to the Endeavour's variant line-up can be attributed to the low sales figures of the SUV. The Endeavour hasn't been able to compete with the Toyota Fortuner, which leads the segment by quite a margin. In the last 4 months, the Endeavour has been selling less than 600 units per month while the Fortuner clocked approximately 2000 units per month.

In the recent past, cases that have reported car sunroofs exploding have increased. Consumer Reports (CR) has now compiled the statistics regarding such incidences across the different automobile manufacturers.

Over the years, the sunroofs have kept on increasing in size. The largest ones being the panoramic sunroofs that cover a majority of a car's roof. The number of cases reported for exploding sunroofs is low as compared to other incidences like tyre bursts, etc. CR has noted that these instances are not just random occurrences and have been happening across the US in all conditions - summer, winter, day, night, on highways, in cities, while driving, when parked etc.

Based on the data of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), CR has found at least 208 models of vehicles across 35 brands over the last 20+ years in the US to have reported shattered sunroofs. The data since 1995 reveals that there have been over 859 reported cases of the same. Shockingly, over 71% of those have happened after 2011. Most of the reports mention that the sunroof just randomly shattered due to no particular reason. Thankfully, the only minor injuries like glass cuts have been reported.

Complaints from owners of brands like Hyundai, Kia, Ford, Nissan and Toyota feature more in the NHTSA than other car brands. While the Scion tC, Hyundai Veloster, Kia Sorento, Nissan Murano, and Kia Optima complaints are higher, the Sorento is the only car currently under investigation by NHTSA. CR has also tracked down more cases of unreported incidents of sunroofs breaking. Kia has revealed that while only 43 Sorento owners have reported to NHTSA, Kia knows of at least 156 such cases. Kia Optima owners have filed 25 cases with the authorities, however, Kia reported a total of 173 shattered sunroofs in the Optima. Ford has reported 88 events in their Edge model, but regulators have only 8 official complaints.

NHTSA requested data from 13 companies out of which only 5 have responded so far. There has been a lack of transparency regarding this matter. South Korean authorities, during their investigation of Kia and Hyundai, found that the application of a layer darker than the rest of the glass would make the sunroof weaker and more prone to shattering. This darker area is used to hide the mechanical elements on the sides of the sunroof. Hyundai recalled their Veloster model along with Nissan for their Maxima - resulting is no further complaints. However, the Cadillac SRX and the Scion tC cases were closed with no defect found - it's no surprise that those two models are in the top 10 complaints list.

However, there are manufacturers that have been issuing recalls without waiting for prodding by authorities. Volkswagen and Audi have recalled the 2012 Q5, the 2013 - 2014 A8 and S8, and the 2013 - 2015 VW Beetle. Going forward, CR has met with experts who recommend usage of laminated glass in the sunroofs. Some of the other guidelines for owners include - checking if the car is equipped with a laminated glass sunroof, warranty coverage of it, insurance coverage of sunroof shattering and checking for warning signs - most users who experienced their sunroofs shattering reported hearing pop sounds before the incident.

Source - Consumer Reports