[Sudipto-S-Team]

While the body shape has a lot of SUV appeal, the new engine will have to prove itself. If it turns out to be a disappointment this car will fall flat. But Ford has been making very driver friendly and fun to drive vehicles in India in the last few launches. So keeping fingers crossed on this one. Let's see how it goes.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Don't look at the EcoSport as based on the Fiesta Sedan but based on the Fiesta hatch. It's basically a taller version of the hatch. If you observe carefully it even looks strange from some angles like a hatch raised up and then black plastic cladding at the bottom to make it look like a SUV.

That's exactly what it is. A hatch that has been raised, with cladding added to beef it up. Yeah, most 'sedans' below 20 lakhs in India have hatchback roots. The Fluence, the Jetta/Laura, the Civic and nearly every sedan actually.

But I don't think that's going to stop Ford from charging a premium for the EcoSport. Reasons?

- EcoBoost engine

- Fiesta platform (going by the pricing of the sedan, one can only expect Ford to price this slightly higher or in the same bracket)

That said, there are reasons I can find, why Ford may decide to price to low as well..

- The fact that it's more of a large hatch than a small SUV. They might take a cue from the Fusion that bombed badly, and decide not to price it high.

- Ford decides to pass on tax-benefits to its customers.

- Parts sharing: we can expect plenty of Fiesta bits. the whole dash has been lifted off the Fiesta for example.

So it's all up to Ford and which route they'd choose to take while pricing this product. Will they position it as a VFM product like they did with the Figo, or will they attach a premium to it, like they did with the Fiesta?

I believe they might just go the premium route.

[diwa]

Originally Posted by Sudipto-S-Team

Don't know about Brazil but in India the spare externally fitted wheel is routinely stolen from cars like Sumo and Mahindra etc and people go to great lengths to get it locked with chunky Godrej Navtal. I quite see people here in India putting a faux leather cover over that body coloured cover with the name of the dealer written in big capital letters and also perhaps the address !!!

A related information: India is the only country where refrigerators come with a lock !!! Mera Bharat Mahan.

The other reason I could think of is that the spare wheel may be a steel wheel instead of an alloy in India, so they have covered it.

[nik_kapur]

Sub 4 Meters ?. Wow, well done Ford.
On a personal note im disappointed as i would have a like a larger car with more road presence and a real SUV look. For me this is now just a glorified hatch and not a mini city SUV that i was hoping for. Something the size of a Yeti is a minimum.

[D4d-maniac]

Well i too am in the market for a 8-10 lakh saloon. I just can't digest the looks of the ecoSport. Seems too much like a large hatch. I would much rather go for the duster which has a genuine SUV appeal about it.

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

...I believe they might just go the premium route.

I have a hunch that they might price this close to Fiesta or a little higher. Reasons -

1. They anyway get almost a 70K discount over Fiesta due to sub 4m length which translates a 70K profit even if priced same as Fiesta

2. Bringing in a stripped down version compared to the Fiesta base version which will increase the margin further [Fiesta's base version is quite well loaded too].

3. They may not want to put a higher price sticker first, them bomb the product & give discounts - lesson from Fiesta.

4. I have a feeling they might attempt a 7.99L ex showroom for both petrol & diesel base models; since they use the Ecoboost petrol engine which is going to be much more powerful too than the diesel option.

Originally Posted by nik_kapur

...On a personal note im disappointed as i would have a like a larger car with more road presence and a real SUV look. For me this is now just a glorified hatch and not a mini city SUV that i was hoping for. Something the size of a Yeti is a minimum.

Guess it's too early to comment on the street presence. I believe this car will look bigger than a Yeti even, from the front due to the design.

[ampere]

Ecsport Imgae Gallery at Autocar India

Ford EcoSport (Production Version) - Gallery - Autocar India

[vij]

Originally Posted by nik_kapur

Sub 4 Meters ?. im disappointed as i would have a like a larger car with more road presence and a real SUV look. For me this is now just a glorified hatch and not a mini city SUV that i was hoping for. Something the size of a Yeti is a minimum.

I agree - Its not a mini cooper that can garner road presence whilst being mini. A 'sub 4 metre' smallish Ford car, albeit a fat one with a tyre slapped on its hind is still a 'sub 4 metre' car - a small car, may have a road presence befitting a small car . But yes, it will get some attention for being the odd vehicle out, just like the Nano gets attention.

Yes, I am upset. Ford, after all this big talk about 'right size', you present a sub 4m fat minion

[DevilsCry]

Ford India has revealed few details about EcoSport at Featuring: Ford Ecosport at Auto China Expo 2012 | Driving Ford.



I noticed one highlight- Hill Launch Assist.
"Every uphill start will be perfect from now on. Hill Launch Assist stops the car from rolling back for a few seconds after you take your foot off the brake, giving you time to smoothly accelerate away."

This should eliminate need for handbrake (I love handbrake climbing but this feature is welcome). I thought this feature was available only with automatic cars. I might be wrong though.

[vij]

Originally Posted by DevilsCry

I noticed one highlight- Hill Launch Assist.
"Every uphill start will be perfect from now on. Hill Launch Assist stops the car from rolling back for a few seconds after you take your foot off the brake, giving you time to smoothly accelerate away."

This should eliminate need for handbrake (I love handbrake climbing but this feature is welcome). I thought this feature was available only with automatic cars. I might be wrong though.

Oh yes. Brace for premium pricing

[poloman]

Now Ford is moving from clever to plain stupid. A sub 4m suv with premium pricing. Then they are doomed. Why you need hill assist in an overgrown hatch?

[Fusion2006]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

...
Yes he got that from the picture. I would say the same thing too. In fact, the space is comparable to the Jazz's boot. Which is as versatile as a mini-van.

The Figo has a pretty large boot, and can accommodate enough luggage for 4, for the weekend. The Jazz (which has the largest boot for a hatch) can accommodate some more. So the EcoSport's boot should be sufficient. If it has split-seats, it would make things even easier. But that would compromise on rear-seat comfort. Bolstering and adding lumbar support to seats that can be folded is a challenge, even to this day.
...

My first thought on seeing the boot pictures was that it did not look much bigger than the Fusion's boot, or maybe even smaller! Not a very comforting thought if one is paying a price similar to a Fiesta.

I dropped my plans for the new Fiesta because it just seemed too cramped, I guess the Ecosport's width may address that to some extent.

However, from pictures it seems that the Duster may end up being more spacious in both seating as well as storage space. If the Duster is also less expensive, then the Ecosport would lose out when most people have to make their decision to buy.

[MAS]

Since Ford has confirmed it to be a sub 4 Meter vehicle, i strongly feel that Ford will price it in the 6.5 - 8.5 Lakhs Category. Fusion was a great car, but was well before its time. This will be Ford's second try with a much better car at a slightly higher price. (Similar to MSIL's Versa and Ertiga).

Ford has burnt its fingers with the New Fiesta's pricing. I am sure they have learnt the hard way and will price this car very well.

[Fusion2006]

Hmmm...just saw on the Ford India website that the Ecosport boot is 346 Lt.

I think the Fusion is 337 Lt, so hardly any difference there.

[shankar.balan]

This Hill Assist feature has been there in India from the Yeti's arrival. Both manual and Auto options have this feature because it involves the brakes holding the position of the vehicle automatically for about 3-4 seconds and thus preventing roll back, which is all you really need, when placing the vehicle in gear and accelerating away up the hill.
Seasoned practitioners of "handbrake" and "heel and toe" method on hill starts wont really need this, but having experienced it myself, I can say that it is very easy to get happily used to these conveniences!

Originally Posted by DevilsCry

I thought this feature was available only with automatic cars. I might be wrong though.