[agambhandari]

It may need as many as a Buzillion parts, but the bottomline is that Fortuner is very VERY successful and that source doesn't seem very trustworthy

[amitg79]

This video gives us a nice look at the Ecosport, specially the driving traits. Thought it was worth sharing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLN3q...eature=related

[agambhandari]

According to the Autocar's Review,
The EcoSport in the Back is spacious but the Duster is still more spacious.
Whats your take on this, will ford have to give a price advantage to make up for these kind of thing?

[niv26]

Originally Posted by agambhandari

According to the Autocar's Review,
The EcoSport in the Back is spacious but the Duster is still more spacious.
Whats your take on this, will ford have to give a price advantage to make up for these kind of thing?

I didn't understand logic here? If ecosport has less rear space than Duster, I can't call it as spacious at all, it will be more like i20/i10 then.

[agambhandari]

The Magazine terms it adequate and spacious. Agree with your point, note that in the team bhp review duster has been said to have i20 like space.

[wordsworth]

Yes, in that case the ecosport will be in the same space region of i20 but with some body roll. IMO ford would find it difficult to price it in the vicinity of i20 and the like. Why would an average consumer go for the ecosport then. The ecoboost engine is an attraction, but would it be enough. Remains to be seen.

Duster interiors and the ecosport Sub 4m SUV manners have kept me away. Booked an i20 since no other compact SUV on the anvil. Waiting for chevrolet trax, toyota RAV 4 and the honda sub SUV to stay true to a premium compact SUV/ crossover. maruti xa alpha may be launched before any of these; it would only he the swift platform that would entice me and not the looks.

[bageherath]

Originally Posted by UBZoom

Is the option of pre-booking the vehicle is there?
How to pre-book a vehicle though it is slated to be launched not early than 1st Quarter of next year.
Are there any costs involved in doing so and is it available in Official site?
Please guide...

Hi UBZoom !

The dealerships in Hyd are accepting bookings, Fortune Ford in Hyd made 50+ pre bookings. I booked in Mody Ford dealership where I purchased my Fiesta way back in Jan'12, after my bookings mody also recieved 15 more Pre-bookings.
Depends on the dealearship, I choose to pre-book to avoid waiting periods as alrerady many bookings had been made in Fortune Ford and Mody Ford.

All these pre bookings will be given priority once official bookings start.

-Bagheerath

[bageherath]

Originally Posted by bageherath

Hi UBZoom !

The dealerships in Hyd are accepting bookings, Fortune Ford in Hyd made 50+ pre bookings. I booked in Mody Ford dealership where I purchased my Fiesta way back in Jan'12, after my bookings mody also recieved 15 more Pre-bookings.
Depends on the dealearship, I choose to pre-book to avoid waiting periods as alrerady many bookings had been made in Fortune Ford and Mody Ford.

All these pre bookings will be given priority once official bookings start.

-Bagheerath

correction - I booked in Mody Ford dealership where I purchased my Fiesta way back in Jan'06

[VishnuNarayanan]

Pricing would be the important factor which would decide the fate of Ecosport in India. If its priced insanely like fiesta sedan the fate would be the same as that of that world class product 'Fiesta sedan'. If ford wants Ecosport to be a show stopper or a vehicle which could create good sales numbers like that of Figo and the Classic.

[agambhandari]

Originally Posted by wordsworth

Duster interiors and the ecosport Sub 4m SUV manners have kept me away. Booked an i20 since no other compact SUV on the anvil. .

The Road manners of the Ecosport (according to autocar) are as good as Fiesta Sedan. and that is saying something. SO i dont think there is any problem on that front. Infact autocar terms it excellent to to drive.

Originally Posted by wordsworth

Waiting for chevrolet trax, toyota RAV 4 and the honda sub SUV to stay true to a premium compact SUV/ crossover. maruti xa alpha may be launched before any of these; it would only he the swift platform that would entice me and not the looks

Dont expect the RAV4 to be cheap. It wont be anything lower than 12 lacs.
But others like the XA alpha would be more affordable

[selfdrive]

Originally Posted by wordsworth

Yes, in that case the ecosport will be in the same space region of i20 but with some body roll. IMO ford would find it difficult to price it in the vicinity of i20 and the like. Why would an average consumer go for the ecosport then. The ecoboost engine is an attraction, but would it be enough. Remains to be seen.

better GC would be one point. but I dont think the ecosport is comparable to the i20. In terms of sheer driving pleasure, is its anywhere near the Fiesta classic, its a different story altogether.
I think the comparison has come up only due to the space on offer. I am not sure if the Duster reviewer wanted to put it as a positive or a negative point.

Originally Posted by wordsworth

Duster interiors and the ecosport Sub 4m SUV manners have kept me away. Booked an i20 since no other compact SUV on the anvil.

Different type of cars. I guess you are compromising on your requirements as you are not happy with whats on offer in the compact SUV segment? maybe your requirements dictate a hot hatch instead of a compact SUV.

[wordsworth]

Originally Posted by selfdrive

better GC would be one point. but I dont think the ecosport is comparable to the i20. In terms of sheer driving pleasure, is its anywhere near the Fiesta classic, its a different story altogether.
I think the comparison has come up only due to the space on offer. I am not sure if the Duster reviewer wanted to put it as a positive or a negative point.

I did say that the ecosport in the space region of the i20 i.e. was comparing only in terms of space and not otherwise. But if we have to spend 10 odd lakhs on a car (am looking at the top end variant), given the space on offer .

I have been waiting for the compact SUV/ crossover market to explode in India since like forever. However, like I said, am not too sure whether a sub 4m crossover would be spacious enough so as to qualify as a compact SUV/ crossover (more like a hatch on high heels ). Need to see it in flesh though.

In terms of driving dynamics, the ecosport being based on the fiesta platform should be brilliant . However, we all know that that alone does not result into sales/ all round package (ref fiesta). Also, IMHO, it would be difficult for Ford to price it lower than the duster given the premium interiors and features (ref Autocar). The ecoboost would also be at a premium and the excise duty benefits of around 50k-60K would not seal the deal.

The Ecosport is a novel idea (brilliant infact), however, a VFM tag seems difficult to me. Higher GC also means body roll (am not an expert at this). The Duster sold well majorly because of its butch SUV looks/ no nonsense attitude and mostly in the tier-2 cities, rural India. The Ecosport clearly lacks in this area and is packaged more for a urban commuter. Hence, my worries.

Originally Posted by selfdrive

Different type of cars. I guess you are compromising on your requirements as you are not happy with whats on offer in the compact SUV segment? maybe your requirements dictate a hot hatch instead of a compact SUV.

that am not satisfied with whats on offer in the Compact SUV segment in India as on date. Hence, I have compromised and booked an i20 Asta crdi (which is not exactly a hot hatch ), only because there is still some time (2-3 years) for the compact SUV segment to settle down and offer a VFM package to us customers. Read Duster - No premium interiors; Ecosport - Urban compact SUV with space constraints, Yeti - Brillant package (droool), though grossly overpriced (where is the 1.6 petrol).

The above is just my opinion, with no offence to the ecosport lovers. I hope I (on booking the i20) when the ecosport is launched early next year.

Note from Mod : Please use ONLY 2 smileys per post. Read the forum rules before proceeding.

[VishnuNarayanan]

As per the latest review in the Autocar magazine, Fords new little SUV would be as good as a hot Indian hatch as of today. So now its clear that the pricing would be the key factor that would decide the fate of Ecosport.
The review done by the magazine seems promising as well as the estimated price gives hopes to its prospective customers who are into the market looking for a premium hatch or a compact SUV like Ecosport.

[selfdrive]

Originally Posted by wordsworth

However, like I said, am not too sure whether a sub 4m crossover would be spacious enough so as to qualify as a compact SUV/ crossover (more like a hatch on high heels ). Need to see it in flesh though.

Well said, it does seem that the compact SUV we have been waiting for could be a bit of a letdown. Lets brace ourselves for it because we have been putting up our expectations for a long time now.

When I saw the Duster, I effectively said 13L for this? doesnt really make sense! because its almost the same price as the Force One monster. But then thats talking across different segments.
I just dont see what I would do differently with a Duster or an Ecosport that I could not do with my existing hatchbacks. Considering I am no offroader.
But then the target segment for the compact SUVs here seems to be the new buyer. I dont think the Duster has enough in it for me to sell my push hatchback and move to a barebones version. Lets see if Ford can do any better at convincing me to do that.

If the compact SUV is going to seat the same 4 people as me and offer only a similar boot space, I need to find better reasons for selling my Jazz and moving to more body roll.
And when I say I need to, I really mean it. As my budget proposal is about to be shot down at home for lack of clarity and purpose. I hope someone here can convince me about it, so that I can convince the LoH.

And please dont tell me about the ecoboost, both my petrol hatchbacks return 15+ in town with full AC anyway.

[VishnuNarayanan]

Originally Posted by selfdrive

If the compact SUV is going to seat the same 4 people as me and offer only a similar boot space, I need to find better reasons for selling my Jazz and moving to more body roll.
And when I say I need to, I really mean it. As my budget proposal is about to be shot down at home for lack of clarity and purpose. I hope someone here can convince me about it, so that I can convince the LoH.

And please dont tell me about the ecoboost, both my petrol hatchbacks return 15+ in town with full AC anyway.

By offering a compact SUV Ford never looks at serious off-roaders.
Ford with its urban SUV aims at the premium hatchback segment. There may be buyers who may still prefer a hatch like Honda Jazz or a Swift ZDi. But there is another category of people who wants a compact vehicle with high seating position, good ground clearance to tackle the pothole filled roads that they encounter everyday. They would defenitly be happy if ford prices this little SUV well.
If pricing is well Ecosport will have its own audience. They might be from those premium hatch segments or sometimes it would be the entry level sedan that is going to get affected. I would say it all depends on the price. After that let the sales numbers do the talking.
Regarding the Ecoboost engine, let us do the talking after proper reviews.