[dpkbehera]

Ecosport sales clock 3142 in September 2015. Quite decent numbers considering the onslaught of competitors and impending facelift !!!

[pannags]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

I know a proper SUV won't have these traits but what is the harm in the S-cross, Duster, Creta and Ecosport if they can traverse roads like Bangalore city and at the same time give you some amount of driving pleasure over good roads.

This is the single biggest reason I chose the S-Cross over the Rapid DSG.

Quoting another example from a recent trip to B.R. Hills (link), the EcoSport handled bad roads (read no roads) without my having to worry every time we passed a crater or an uneven road hump.

[Shakensoul]

Agreeing to what Vid6639 has articulated well, the reason for me buying a so called 'pseudo SUV' or 'overblown hatch' or 'hatchbacks-on-steroids' is not because I want to show off to my neighbours or the glam factor. Its because every-time I go over a speedbreaker or pothole, I can traverse it easily without having to take a detour to avoid the speedbreaker.

I should not have to compromise on my ride and settle for a sedan or any other car, fearing the elite SUV purists who will look down upon the new pseudo SUVs class.

If I don't scrap my bottom each time I pass through a dreaded hump, I will thank myself and will be least bothered what a SUV purist thinks about my hatch on steroids.

Moreover our city roads filled with potholes and speedbreakers has turned itself into an off-roading track, and the pseudo SUVs do just fine on these off-roads.

[arunphilip]

Originally Posted by dpkbehera

Peak torque coming up at lower rpms make sense to me..Trying to understand what is the advantage if the band at which it is available is increased on the higher side of rpms.

In brief, better torque at the higher end (i.e. peak torque ending later) will benefit you in those cases where you might not want to change gears but instead rev hard (e.g. overtaking on a 2-lane highway when there's oncoming traffic). Its not something you'd use daily, but its presence will help on those occasions you do need it. Definitely, its the peak torque starting sooner that will make a difference for city-type driving, in more cases.

If you've got the time and inclination, then check out this nice (but lengthy) thread: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...l-engines.html

Originally Posted by dpkbehera

Also i did a TD yesterday of 1.5 TDCi Ecosport. Found the NVH levels to be a bit high..The SA assured me that this is because it is a 3 year old battered bruised TD vehicle. The NVH levels are comparable to the Aspire if not better. Can anyone confirm the same.

I would - for once - believe the SA. Given the EcoSport is of a higher price segment, there would be better NVH insulation than the Aspire. Also, the EcoSport's engines are mounted on hydraulic mounts, which take care of the vibrations better. How were your driving impressions of the pre-facelift EcoSport? Has it helped clarify your decision?

Originally Posted by dpkbehera

Ecosport sales clock 3142 in September 2015. Quite decent numbers considering the onslaught of competitors and impending facelift !!!

I'd still wait and watch . Maruti (primarily) and Hyundai (to a lesser extent) command tremendous loyalty and possess strong presence outside cities, and that is where we see sales volumes. Now that they've launched their respective compact (or semi-compact) crossovers, we would see the relative sales of those two biggies versus Ford/Renault.

Living in a city all these years, I've found that traffic seen in the city is nowhere representative of pan-India sales - for example, when you see how many Puntos are sold vs. how many are seen on our roads, I think that 90% of Punto sales are in cities!

[dpkbehera]

Originally Posted by arunphilip

How were your driving impressions of the pre-facelift EcoSport? Has it helped clarify your decision?

This was a first time when i have driven a vehicle with such a huge GC. So it took some time getting used to it. The slight negatives were the usual i.e. 3 normal adults may have to squeeze in and slight jerks on potholes at low speed due to the stiff suspension. But these are blown away by the positives i.e. road presence , looks, refined engine, features , high gc, handling etc.

Apart from good discounts, I think i will stick to the prefacelift despite facelift having
a) 9 ps more power : I have never been power hungry, so no issue at all as i would never go beyond 100 kmph.
b) Additional 250 rpms at the lower band : Am used to Downshifting so a marginal increase in band should not be a deal breaker for me.

Originally Posted by arunphilip

I'd still wait and watch . Maruti (primarily) and Hyundai (to a lesser extent) command tremendous loyalty and possess strong presence outside cities, and that is where we see sales volumes.

I think Maruti despite commanding a loyalty finds it difficult to sustain the momentum at the high end. Rather i would look at it from another aspect. Even the two-tier and below cities have aspirational/discerning consumers. Once Ford increases its coverage, the numbers will start rolling in.

I would be doing a PDI today. Would appreciate any tips/tricks regarding the same.

[arunphilip]

Originally Posted by dpkbehera

I think i will stick to the prefacelift

Smart choice from the head, not heart

Originally Posted by dpkbehera

I would be doing a PDI today. Would appreciate any tips/tricks regarding the same.

In general, two points are:

1. TBHP PDI Checklist: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/buying...heck-list.html
2. Take a friend along to help - for me the excitement of a new car ensured my head didn't work straight at all.

No PDI points that are specific to the EcoSport, however, that I can think of. Just check that all accessories you've asked for are provided.

[PrideRed]

New ford ecosport commercial. Decent effort by Ford.

[autospeaker]

Friends, I booked the Ecosport ecoboost titanium plus today. Waiting period is about 2 months. Two minor changes from the older variant I observed was that the indicator stalk is at the right of steering and the boot lod opening lever design change. The lever cannot be pulled but has a button hidden inside the lever. The parking brake lever is close to the driver seat now.

[hemant.kamat]

Originally Posted by autospeaker

Friends, I booked the Ecosport ecoboost titanium plus today. Waiting period is about 2 months. Two minor changes from the older variant I observed was that the indicator stalk is at the right of steering and the boot lod opening lever design change. The lever cannot be pulled but has a button hidden inside the lever. The parking brake lever is close to the driver seat now.

Is there any change in the color of the back-lighting for the buttons? The facelift brochure shows a darker blue color in some photos and the original electric blue in the rest.

[arunphilip]

Originally Posted by autospeaker

Two minor changes from the older variant I observed was that the indicator stalk is at the right of steering

The indicator stalk change has me wondering - is that something that can be retrofitted. Hmm. Let some facelifted EcoSports hit the road, and then I'll maybe ask F.A.S.S. It would be good to have it moved to a consistent position.

Originally Posted by autospeaker

the boot lod opening lever design change. The lever cannot be pulled but has a button hidden inside the lever.

Are you referring to the chrome coloured handle on the rear door? That has always been a fixed handle (not a lever) with a touch sensor in it to trigger the magnetic lock.

Originally Posted by autospeaker

The parking brake lever is close to the driver seat now.

Again, a tiny but useful change. Good that Ford are finally correcting these omissions. I noticed the Aspire/Figo had it positioned correctly, good to see they've reflected the same in the EcoSport.

Originally Posted by hemant.kamat

Is there any change in the color of the back-lighting for the buttons? The facelift brochure shows a darker blue color in some photos and the original electric blue in the rest.

I'm not sure about the facelift, but when the original came out, I had noticed similar differences in the blue colour in different media material, which I believe were just due to how the pictures were shot/processed. Some pictures had a deep/vivid blue (like the Baleno's dials) others had a more washed out ice-blue. In the end, production models all ended up with the same blue.

[autospeaker]

Originally Posted by arunphilip

Are you referring to the chrome coloured handle on the rear door? That has always been a fixed handle (not a lever) with a touch sensor in it to trigger the magnetic lock

Hi arun. Sorry i did not put it properly. Yes its the chrome coloured handle i am referring to. Now the touch sensor is gone. There is a small, bubble-like button well hidden underneath the handle, which opens the boot.

[arunphilip]

I had stopped by Metro Ford (Bangalore) earlier today to check out the new Figo. To kill some time, I took a scout around the EcoSport to see what was new/different, in relation to the previous EcoSport. Here's my observations and comparative pictures.

What I've NOT shown here are - signature headlamps and the DRLs housed in the fog lights. The battery in the car was not working, so couldn't show the lights in action. There might be other items that I missed out.

Firstly, the key mechanical difference: the improved 1.5L TDCi diesel engine:
Attachment 1428490

Other differences:
Attachment 1428465
The owner's manual states:
Attachment 1428483
Attachment 1428466
The owner's manual states:
Attachment 1428486
Attachment 1428467
The owner's manual states:
Attachment 1428484
Attachment 1428468
Attachment 1428469
Attachment 1428471
The owner's manual states:
Attachment 1428485
Attachment 1428470
Oddly enough, the silver bezel surrounding the ICE remains the old style, and is not in the aluminium finish. The aluminium finish is very classy!
Also - sadly, there's no power folding mirrors, while the lower Figo/Aspire get these. C'mon Ford, be consistent.
Attachment 1428472

Note: All 2013 EcoSport pictures from page 1 of this official review thread. All 2015 EcoSport pictures shot by me.

[barcalad]

While speaking to the Noida dealer today to do some research into the 1.5D Titanium, he peculiarly seemed to favour the old model over the new one and tried convincing me that the old one is better.

Any input on this, guys? Between the Titanium and the Trend Plus, which is a better bet?

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by barcalad

he peculiarly seemed to favour the old model over the new one and tried convincing me that the old one is better.

Any input on this, guys? Between the Titanium and the Trend Plus, which is a better bet?

As a dealer, what would you do? Promote/try to sell old stock or keep it? The new one is better in almost every-way.

I would go for Titanium Option.

[arunphilip]

Originally Posted by barcalad

While speaking to the Noida dealer today to do some research into the 1.5D Titanium, he peculiarly seemed to favour the old model over the new one and tried convincing me that the old one is better. Between the Titanium and the Trend Plus, which is a better bet?

The facelifted EcoSport comes with an improved diesel engine. There are other minor improvements and nice feature additions which all make the facelifted EcoSport a good choice. However, dealers are having stock of the pre-facelift model, so are offering discounts to clear those stocks.

Take a look at dpkbehera's posts through this thread - he went through the same dilemma and ended up opting for a pre-facelift EcoSport since he got a great deal on it, for a higher variant. He considered both options and made an informed decision on what he was gaining and losing.

It'll come down to your personal preferences - right now you can either get a great deal on a pre-facelift EcoSport (while stocks last) or go for the shiny new facelifted model.

Happy shopping!