[VKS]

Thank you for the fantastic review !
Many of us have been patiently waiting for this car...seems like a decade now . The looks of the car is either a HIT or MISS . No in-betweens.

I was looking to upgrade from the first generation i20.

A few points:
1) The blind spot(A pillar and glass) looks very similar to the new Fiesta on comparing the pictures.

2) Ford should not have compromised on both seating space and boot space.

3) Think this is going to be priced very close to the new Fiesta. The Engine options are same, the goodies are same , the sedan body type is compensated by the fresh Mini-SUV type body .eg. Titanium 10.xL ex-showroom for fiesta. There is no reason for Ford pricing it low .Even i20 Asta diesel is 7.8L ex-showroom and sells well.

4) Driving i20 for the last 4 years, I will happily give away a lifeless steering well on my next car.

Having said that, I will rather give it a miss . A Tata Storm,Duster, Nissan new SUV (If one can wait) seems more sensible to me.

[Deep Blue]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Things start taking a turn for the worse if a 3rd passenger wants to squeeze in and join the party.

Is the backseat width worse than Figo?

Originally Posted by Vid6639

If your office's basement parking entails a steep ramp, you might have to slip the clutch in 1st gear too.
When driving around the city in 2nd / 3rd gear, closing a gap quickly will require you to downshift.
The downside of such a tall 5th ratio is that you have to downshift for nearly every overtaking manouveur.

This doesnt make it very drivable. Does it?

Originally Posted by Vid6639

The 5-speed gearbox is a reasonably slick shifting unit. It's not butter smooth

Is it better than Figo?


The Sync system is brilliant. Ford does provide some really useful stuff rather than a lot of jingle bells. The bluetooth in the Figo was an excellent differentiator for cars in its price range. Only Punto had it before.

Sad to read about the steering. The most appealing thing about Figo for me was the steering. I felt it was even better than the Punto. A lifeless steering in a Ford is a real dampener.

Thank you for the fantabulous review and sharp clear pics! Rated five stars.

[Utopian]

Excellent review. Only if I had the moolah to buy one.
The diesel is going to do stellar sales, provided Ford does not commit blunders with pricing this time. The interiors seem to be better than the Fiesta's, hopefully the pricing also is.
@Vid Did you drive the Diesel variant as well? Any differences from the Fiesta...

[gaurav911]

Originally Posted by thoma

When the 1L engine churns out 120+ bhp, why did Ford want to give the extra option for the 1.5L petrol engine? Was it the 1L's turbo lag or is it that Ford's is not that confident to play the EcoBoost alone in the market?

The strategy out here is not incorrect.
If you read the details, the EcoBoost engine is going to be an imported unit manufactured in Germany.
This actually implies higher cost and capacity constraints.

In order to ensure that they can launch the vehicle (Lower Variants) at reasonable costs, Ford have included the 1.5L petrol engine in their lineup.

Also, looking at the demand (read lack of it) of the New Fiesta, they wanted to use the already available, localized engine i.e. the 1.5 L petrol unit as the investment to manufacture it has so far not been justified, looking at the shabby volumes.

[e2p]

Fantastic review! As always.

Probably the first thing Ford asks its sales officers will be to go through this review. I cannot find anything untouched, so much detailing.

I am sure this review is going to hit highest viewership for this year.

Cheers.

[v12]

Excellent review Viddy and GTO!!! Extremely detailed and covers nearly everything what a real Test drive should cover. Going through the review, this is what I could conclude :

The EcoSport is a standalone car/SUV in the market as of now with no competition. It can no way compete with the Duster or the Quanto - since it loses out on the space. Since it does not have any competition - so that means Ford has just suceeded in opening up a completely new segment - the compact SUV - which may soon see come competition from VW (Cross Polo) and Mahindra (S101).
Going by the looks, the EcoSport is definietely going to eat into the sales of hatchback/sedan cars (where space is not the main requirement). i20, City - watch out!!
EcoSport is gonna be a hit with the urban youth - nice ad!!

Ford has done a good job in creating the perfect (and smart) looking compact SUV. Something that Indians would die for - or even live twice. However in doing so, they have also compromised on a lot of other things - mid-row seating and boot space. If I were to choose between a sedana/hatchback and the EcoSport - I would ignore all the shortcomings and would go for the EcoSport!!

Viddy/GTO - Do we have pics of the EcoSport standing next to other vehicles - justo get a perspective of its size? Also pics of the blue EcoSport would also be welcome. Thanks for the wonderful review once again!!

[zen kobane]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

What you'll like:

• Snazzy, futuristic styling makes the EcoSport a head-turner. Solid construction too

Im not sure if this has been asked before, is the spare wheel hard plastic cover going to be available as an accessory or will come as part of the Titanium package?

Im sure, many of us would love to have an Endeavor like cover.

[govigov]

@viddy, good review, however is orange the only colour? what are the other colour variants that are available? do you have pictures?

[Rudra Sen]

Absolutely superb review Viddy and Rush. Talk about detail!
And now Viddy knowing you must be having the answer, tell me how this works.

Reverse parking system provides visual & audible feedback

The thick D-Pillars do create blind spots, while the spare wheel isn't visible at all. Remember to account for it when reversing

So do you have to do a mental calculation to take that tyre thickness in mind?

Originally Posted by v12

Viddy/GTO - Do we have pics of the EcoSport standing next to other vehicles - justo get a perspective of its size? Also pics of the blue EcoSport would also be welcome. Thanks for the wonderful review once again!!

There's one here with Figo. We have way too many shots here. You must have missed that.

[romeomidhun]

Superb review, Vidy and GTO! Legends come together to give birth to another legend!

My guess is EcoSport will be priced in the 8L - 12L range, though it is a sub-4m vehicle. Will give a tough fight to Duster in the coming months, for sure.

[Guite]

Another question to Viddy: Ford seems to have claimed that the Ecosport has best in class NVH damping and quietest cabin. What was your impression during the test drive?

Reinforcing my believe that the thick A pillar is actually a safety feature, the attached photo is taken from moderator Rehaan's thread http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...po-2012-a.html (Ford @ Auto Expo 2012). Note the red members which are identified as boron reinforced steel. Those are actually high stress members incase of a roll over impact to the roof.

Disclaimer: in my rush to post, I had missed the fact that the body shell displayed is that of the Fiesta. However I still believe that the Ecosport frame will have similar structure, after all it is based on the Fiesta sub frame (correct me if I am wrong).

[MaxTorque]

Now that is called a detailed review. I have seen (not read) many reviews of EcoSport but not bothered to read. I am sure GTO & Vid6639 can beat Ford's sales advisors in big margin witht their extensive product features knowledge.

Looks like Ford has a promising product. The only thing is they should be ready to meet the demand.

Now eagerly waiting for the launch of Ford EcoSport..

[PatienceWins]

Excellent review! It feels as if I have inspected the car in person.

I have mixed feelings towards this car.

Pros:
1. Pampers the driver (my 6' 2" height) with excellent seating position, space, dead pedal, SUV high visibility and features.
2. Handling
3. SUV looks and practicality.
4. Size is perfect for city.

Cons:
1. Seats only 4 in comfort.
2. Boot space.
3. Steering

Considering seating capacity and boot space, I do not see this vehicle as a real upgrade from my Getz. I wish Ford had done better space management as Honda did with Amaze. I am not happy with the ergonomics and lack of dead pedal in Duster, so really confused. Ford has done a good job, hope they will correct the steering soon.

[MotoNanu]

Excellent review!

Very detailed and elaborate. Though the car was even doing rounds in my dreams, all that shattered when I read the word "Hyundai-esque"
This is what I was afraid of and unfortunately my plan of owning an Ecosport has almost been ditched!
I knew it was going to be an EPS (as most of the new cars are), but Ford could have retained the new Fiesta EPS which is light though not scary like the boats of Hyundai. Why Ford?

What makes me further nervous is that the dead steering will be more panicking in a car with raised body like Ecosport than a planted hatch/ sedan like i20/ Verna. I might just topple the car while doing a lane change. Irrespective of the strong driving dynamics and stability, the feedback from the steering is absolutely essential IMO. Very much disappointed!

[vvijay]

Originally Posted by Guite

Another question to Viddy: Ford seems to have claimed that the Ecosport has best in class NVH damping and quietest cabin. What was your impression during the test drive?

This is answered in the God-in-the-detail review itself

Ford claims that the EcoSport is the quietest in its class. Sorry, but we disagree. Wind noise from the A & D pillar areas was prominent at high speed. The engine isn't the quietest over 3,000 rpm either.