[bala80]

Thanks vvijay. 205/65/16 is a pretty meaty tyre profile for the car. May be the lower variants will come in 195 profiles, but I personally feel the top end will come with this specification. I only wish they tone down the front profile of the car a little bit, which looks a little over the top. May be I will change my opinion when I view it in real, but for the moment feel the bonnet line is a little too high which makes the side profile a little unbalanced.

[rohing]

Originally Posted by bala80

Thanks vvijay. 205/65/16 is a pretty meaty tyre profile for the car. May be the lower variants will come in 195 profiles, but I personally feel the top end will come with this specification. I only wish they tone down the front profile of the car a little bit, which looks a little over the top. May be I will change my opinion when I view it in real, but for the moment feel the bonnet line is a little too high which makes the side profile a little unbalanced.

+1 to this. The only downsides are the looks and an optional 4 wd. A more conventional front grill with a Awd variant would make this a super product. However, I am sure that it has sufficient traction even in it's current avatar

[cuboid]

Since the unveiling, I thought the bonnet line is a good 3/4 inches high when looked from the side. It does not align with the side-view shoulder line, and, to me, looks like an after-market bonnet put on the original one. That has been the only dampener for me in this otherwise excellent package.

But looking at the test vehicles, I think we would need leave with that; I don't expect Ford to 'fix' this, as that would necessitate an overhaul of the bonnet and front grill design.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by rohing

The only downsides are the looks and an optional 4 wd.

I think Ford mentioned at the launch that they do not plan to introduce an AWD version.
But as all mention, it would be very good to have one.

[vijayk]

One more spy and speculation...

Ford EcoSport update - Late 2012 or early 2013 release?

Ford EcoSport technical specifications:

* Wheelbase – 2.49 m, Width – 1.75 m, Height – 1.65m, Length – 4.17m (vehicle may enjoy the sub-4 meter benefits as this statistic could include the spare assembly’s dimensions)
* Wheels/tire: 17-inch wheels with 205/55 profile tires.
* 4WD option reportedly ready for Brazil
* EcoSport has undergone all global safety tests and cleared them all.
* The production version will have ABS brakes, ESP and 7 airbags
* Engine options will be 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine and the 1.5 diesel motor

[aravind.anand]

Hi Folks! Have been noticing some recent worries over the high hood line of the Ford Ecosport. True, when I went to the Auto Expo, I noticed it aswell. But my thought was - It is that high hood that gives it the Butch stance like a mini Fortuner. Also, the massive front grille and aggressive head lamps helped matters a lot. Now lets take a closer look at the Hood lines of the Fortuner that we are all in love with, and the Ford Ecosport..



Pardon my MS Paint skills, but I hope it gives you a fair idea of what I am talking about. I think its fair for an SUV to have a high hood line. Also I tried lowering the hood of the Ecosport by a few inches, what resulted was rather funny! It looks more like a mono volume tall hatch with lowered hood line. These are just my view though

[dhanushmenon]

Originally Posted by vijayk

One more spy and speculation...

Ford EcoSport update - Late 2012 or early 2013 release?

I dont think the car will enjoy sub 4m benefit. The spare wheel is not measured as part of the car when considered for the length of the car. The length of the car as mentioned here at 4.17m is the bumper edge to bumper edge

I'd rather pay a premium and be comfortable with space than look for sub 4m benefit and be cramped

[Thad E Ginathom]

I'd rather get that wheel off the back --- and maybe get the best of both those worlds

(Assuming the wheel's counted, of course)

Aravind, you've done a good job and Ford should be head-hunting you! Why the assumption that an SYV should be aggressive? One practical reason for a high front end is being able to see it from the driver's seat (is this true? I only drove an SUV-type car for one day, and can't remember) but much of the front-end design of any car is going to be for safety of pedestrians. Not that I know the technical details, but I believe that a car hitting a person is supposed to pick them up and roll them on the bonnet; not crush them and then run over them. The extreme opposite of this kind of safety would be a bus or a truck.

[bala80]

Thanks for your post aravind.anand.I was one of those who was/is still concerned with the high hood line of the eco-sport. Agreed with your observation and comparison with the fortuner and how butch the vehicle looks with it. I have also heard people comment that the visibility from the driver's seat of a fortuner isnt as good as say as scorpio or safari.

My concern is more from the view from the driver seat, if ford has managed to provide a good seating position with front visibility along with the high hood line, I will have no complaints what-so-ever.

Originally Posted by aravind.anand

Pardon my MS Paint skills, but I hope it gives you a fair idea of what I am talking about. I think its fair for an SUV to have a high hood line.

[aravind.anand]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Aravind, you've done a good job and Ford should be head-hunting you! Why the assumption that an SUV should be aggressive? ....
... but much of the front-end design of any car is going to be for safety of pedestrians. Not that I know the technical details, but I believe that a car hitting a person is supposed to pick them up and roll them on the bonnet;

Erm, Why should Ford head-hunt me boss? I think aggression and SUVs go hand in hand, scaring the other cars and zipping through broken roads are second nature to SUV class right?
I too have not driven an SUV extensively, but my mind says, its a higher seat, that aids visibility. The high hood line is just an aftermath of the high seating + high dash combo.

Originally Posted by bala80

...My concern is more from the view from the driver seat, if ford has managed to provide a good seating position with front visibility along with the high hood line, I will have no complaints what-so-ever.

Hope Ford has taken care of this aspect too. But we would have to drive the car to draw into a conclusion. But the smaller EcoSport might be a tad easier to drive than the Fortuner, Scorpio, XUV 5oo et all says my mind, but lets wait and watch.

[Thad E Ginathom]

rm, Why should Ford head-hunt me boss? I think aggression and SUVs go hand in hand, scaring the other cars and zipping through broken roads are second nature to SUV class right?

Oh, right... Yes, sorry. I had forgotten, for a moment, that they were not actually made as tough and practical vehicles with plenty of space for both people and stuff

Actually, I like the Honda, because it doesn't look like a battering ram. The Skoda yeti, I might actually buy of I had the money. I hope Ford doesn't turn this into a Junior bully-boy design, but, on the other hand, if I was on their marketing team, I probably would.

[shajufx]

Looks like the waiting is going to be an year long report from yesterday !
Ford India expected to launch EcoSport by end of 2012 or in early 2013 | CarTrade.com

[dhanushmenon]

The sales reps at Ford told me today that they hear a July or early August launch. I dont know whether he was just shooting, but he looked quite confident about this

[patil]

Originally Posted by dhanushmenon

The sales reps at Ford told me today that they hear a July or early August launch. I dont know whether he was just shooting, but he looked quite confident about this

Thats great news actually Ford should take advantage of the market situation and launch the Ecosport at the earliest. The Indian market is definetely ready for compact SUVs and the one who comes first with a good product will definetely cash on the situation. So far as we know the eco sport is a good product and Ford should not strip the safety features or other features to keep prices low. In fact there are quite a lot buyers in the market who are willing to pay good prices for a good and loaded car. The concept of bigger the better is no more prevailent in the Indian market and the concept of small, capable and loaded is in. So lets keep our fingers crossed till we get some concrete news about the Ecosport launch and its specs and features.

[shajufx]

Never believe the sales guys, they might say they can do the delivery tomorrow itself, but you know they can promise anything to get customers !