[bullboy]

To me the production ecosport will be the Brazilian 2012/13 ecosport/Kuga and not the one that is showcased here. This is just a concept car to draw attentions and generate publicity.
Ford Kuga 2012 | CARPLACE - Portal do Automóvel - This is what we should expect.
Ford could not put projectors on the Fiesta sedan or on the Endavour and the ecosport will be no exception.
A diesel option should be there which will give higher torque outputs.

[Fordmanchau]

Guys, I don't know how everybody has this confusion that Ecosport is offered in only petrol version.
I think it has been all over the internet and press that Ecosport will come with 1.0 litre eco-boost engine and 1.5 litre Diesel Engine that is presently running in the New Fiesta.
Autocar India, FB page of Ford Fiesta, IAB and others are flush with this info.
And seriously, the way diesel car is moving in this country, I don't think Ford will be so naive to launch only Petrol EcoSport.
After all they are also selling diesels in India.

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by Chillout

Well at 8Lacs and above, I would expect the buyers to be knowledgeable and have complete details about their Birdy, but this is India and you never know for sure

Don't expect so much my friend. I would not wander too far away but just give you an example of my father. He has owned a car now since 1984. He is a graduate ( in the 80s that used to be the end of education for many), runs a decent business and is knowledgeable generally. Take him to a car showroom and the only things he will evaluate are the space, Driving position, After sales cost, FE and the engine Cubic capacity. He knows there is something called as horse powers but thats the last of his worries about BHP and torque etc.

I really feel that without a diesel heart this would not see the numbers Ford expects it to do. Even with a FE of 20 kmpl. Who knows by the time it hits our market a litre of petrol reaches 100 Rs.

[F1amit]

EcoSport does looks nice. And if priced appropriately (read Sub 8L), it would really do well. I would definately look this as an alternative for my next car (BTW - I am waiting for Jazz bookings to start again)

On the second thought, as some one pointed out earlier, in few of the snaps, this SUV really looks small (compared to a gentleman starnding in picture) So it would be interesting to see about profile of this SUV once this is launched.

[vnabhi]

Good move by Ford India---the model looks great, especially from the rear.

However, I'm not to sure that what you see is what you get. They may offer alloys that are not as good as the ones displayed here. And going by their New Fiesta strategy,they may even downgrade the engine.

I hope they price it right like they did to the Figo and not like the new Fiesta.

[ssingri]

Imagine this 3 pot Turbo Charged motor in the Figo at 5>6 lacs. It could be a possibility as the petrol Figo is not selling too well.

Would lead to a hot hot hatch!

[babhishek]

The economic times, mentions a diesel 1.5L engine, coming into play 6 months after the petrol launch... FYI.

[Crazy4Power]

I think they should come up with GC of minimum 210 mm & 4x4 with low gear ratio.
At least I will get some replacement for gypsy.

[Lalvaz]

Originally Posted by Mustang.101

The 1 l, 3 cyl engine has 120 PS of power and 170 Nm of torque which will be a little more than adequate for this car. This engine relies on turbo charging and direct injection to produce such high figures.

Thanks Mustang, I had read the specs, but really think that there is no replacement for displacement. I guess I'll have to wait to see Ford's engineering marvel in the flesh to get rid of my obsolete ideas on engine size.

That apart, would a 3 cylinder be refined at high speeds? Or would this be similar to the whine & vibrations of conventional 3 cylinder mills?

Any one here experience this engine first hand?

[antz.bin]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

just give you an example of my father. He has owned a car now since 1984. He is a graduate, runs a decent business and is knowledgeable generally. Take him to a car showroom and the only things he will evaluate are the space, Driving position, After sales cost, FE and the engine Cubic capacity. He knows there is something called as horse powers but thats the last of his worries about BHP and torque etc.

Your father cares about the cubic capacity and still you people have a Corolla D4D in the garage?

The point being, everybody knows what their requirements are. If the car is never leaving the city, what will you do with those extra BHPs. Thats probably why somebody like your father doesn't care about BHP (Just assuming usage of your car even though I have no Idea whatsoever.)

If the highway usage is more, most people generally prefer higher Horsepower. If not going by numbers, then by the TD experience. Anyways, almost everyone in urban areas these days has petrolhead friends like us who help them out of their confusions.

I think it is time we stop considering regular Indian car buyers dumb. They know exactly what they are getting into when buying a Tata / Maruti / Honda/Skoda. What a non - established brand needs to do is effective brand building. A though out TV campaign can go a long way in effective brand-building. Personally, I felt that the new Fiesta campaign was rubbish compared to the Verna's which made it an aspirational car. Figo was much better handled (apart from the fact that it was priced correctly) with the mehndi/wedding/family ads and we have the results to see.

Coming back to the EcoSport, with it is making peak torque at just 1300 RPM, the good 118 bhp and the robust Fiesta platform, this will be a hoot to drive.. city OR highway!

Comparing specs and expected pricing, this is expected to be positioned bang opposite the Honda City! With a 1.0l Turbocharged engine, this has potential to return equal / better FE no.s than the 1.5l NA Petrol in the City. With better low-end torque and its butch looks (sometimes you need to muscle out the smaller vehicles), this can be easily expected to be a better city drive than a Honda City.

[sahakar]

Looks like a fail from start aka the new Fiesta for the following reasons -
a) I am sure Ford will not price it well.
b) They wont get a diesel from the get-go. If fighting starts in the Hormuz straits, expect oil to go to 150$ per barrel instantaneously. Who's gonna buy a petrol then.
c) Will still take around a year to come to the market
d) 3 pot engine. Will make prospective buyers think on future NVH issues.

I hope I am proven wrong on all the above counts but after waiting for a year for the Fiesta and getting all frustrated, I have no faith left anymore for Ford.

Cheers

[needforspeed88]

Originally Posted by Lalvaz

Thanks Mustang, I had read the specs, but really think that there is no replacement for displacement. I guess I'll have to wait to see Ford's engineering marvel in the flesh to get rid of my obsolete ideas on engine size.

Those were during our good old amby days mate . A 2.4 litre V8 f1 engine produces more than 800 bhp and that too without any turbocharging . The no replacement for displacement theory still holds good but the significance of it is only for theoretical purposes these days unless you are an extreme speed junkie. Lesser displacement =lower costs=Higher efficiency=higher mileage=lesser emissions. The mantra today is max bhp/litre . I agree with one point though that you have to work much harder to keep the NVH in check but with modern day technology it can kept well in check. Three pot motor are fine as long as the NVH is kept in check . The Eon's three pot motor has bad NVH , but the Alto K10 ain't so bad .

[koushik]

Originally Posted by parrys

Attachment 864141
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Attachment 864149

Nice pictures. Indeed impressive features.Looks like it has 17 inches wheel rim.Sounds very much sophisticated.

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by antz.bin

Your father cares about the cubic capacity and still you people have a Corolla D4D in the garage?

The point being, everybody knows what their requirements are. If the car is never leaving the city, what will you do with those extra BHPs. Thats probably why somebody like your father doesn't care about BHP (Just assuming usage of your car even though I have no Idea whatsoever.)

Nice catch there . He was put off after reading the specs of the car. But on taking a TD he was convinced that its only on paper. For our style of driving the car has enough juice to run in the city. My father is the last person to want to race you on the road. So for him in this case back seat was important ( he is chauffeured) and the T badge sealed the deal. And yes the car will not leave the city 99% of the time.

[Rehaan]

Some more pictures of the EcoSport taken at the Ford stall :

To get a sense of scale, (sub-4m length) note that each "tile" on the floor is 1m :
























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